The Science of Teams

In order to foster your team’s human capital potential, a strong foundation is needed from which to build from. At Weavee, our foundation takes the form of an empirically-backed methodology, rooted in the field of personality psychology

Although the theories date back many years and examines personality from many domains, the modern science and research has advanced significantly. With an academically-supported approach, we’ve condensed the most relevant and informative elements of that research, to help you understand the key which will help unlock your team’s true potential

Personality Measurement

Our measurement tool is a survey generated from the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) a scientifically developed inventory of items developed for the purpose of measuring personality (Goldberg et al, 2006). Our 120-item survey offers a reliable way to get an accurate measurement of your personality as it relates to the Big 5

Motivation

The impact an individual’s personality can have on their work life has obvious influences on their motivation as well. Researchers studying the effect of personality on motivation have suggested a clear link between certain facets of the Big 5 and motivation (Parks, & Guay, 2009). This link remains present, even when controlling for the details of how one defines “motivation” (Judge, R. Ilies, 2002). Furthermore, neuroticism has been linked to a concept known as self-efficacy (related to self-confidence) which has been shown to significantly influence levels of individual motivation (Judge, Erez, & Bono, 1998, Bandura & Locke, 2003)

The scientific sub-field of psychology dates back to the 19th century, when researchers began to study how relevant aspects of personality became encoded in language (Galton, 1884). Fast-forwarding over 130 years and multiple different models scientists have finally agreed on the Five-Factor Model, or “Big 5” (Costa & McCrae, 1992, and Norman, 1963), a model of personality which offers a robust and easily understood platform from which personality as a whole can be understood and performance predicted

Openness

Openness indicates the level of curiosity, creativity and a preference for novelty and variety of individual experiences

Conscientiousness

High levels of conscientiousness suggest that an individual tends to be highly organized, dutiful and self-disciplined

Extraversion

This is often viewed as the sociability trait. It reflects the degree to which an individual finds social interactions stimulating and exciting

Agreeableness

Agreeableness indicates the level people go to to be accommodating and agree with others to achieve social coherence

Neuroticism

Although often viewed as a “bad” trait, in reality, there is no such thing as a good or bad trait. Neuroticism is best understood as the level to which an individual is in touch with their emotions

Although understanding individuals through the lens of personality can seem unnecessary or “just for fun”, it offers self-awareness akin to turning on a light in a dark room

In the context of the workplace, personality facets related to the Big 5 have been suggested to be influential on an individual's satisfaction, perceived organizational fit (Judge and Cable 1997), interview outcomes (Caldwell & Burger, 1998), and, in some cases, overall performance within an organization (Hogan & Holland, 2003)

Even before an applicant begins a job, studies have suggested that individuals with high scores of extraversion were more drawn to jobs which emphasized a team, whilst those high in agreeableness were drawn more to companies emphasizing employee support (Judge and Cable 1997), and more conscientious applicants were more drawn to large organizations (Lievens, Decaesteker, Coetsier, and Geirnaert 2001)