SMA/PDP Personality Profile Based Personnel System
SMA has partnered with Professional Dynametrics Programming (PDP) to offer clients a stateoftheart personality profile based hiring, training and team building personnel system.
SMA consultants have become certified administrators of the PDP system. Builder clients from across the country are benefiting from improved personnel hiring and management because of SMA’s usage of the PDP ProScan, Job Modeling and Team Building surveys and systems.
PDP SURVEY and REPORT Descriptions
ProScan
The ProScan survey is a fast (takes approximately 10 minutes to administer), reliable (over 96% accuracy rate), and affordable method of measuring the intensity of an individual’s four basic personality traits. It discovers the strongest trait (responsible for 50% or more of an individual’s behavior) and measures the relationship of these traits to one another to discover the “personality profile” of the individual employee or job applicant.
This profile tells us a wealth of information about the individual including . . .
Strengths and weaknesses
Sources of motivation
Energy level
Current satisfaction level
Sources of stress
Type of job this person most naturally fits into
It gives us this information by measuring the intensity of the four traits.
Dominance – The Control Trait
Extroversion – The Social Trait
Pace – The Patience and Perseverance Trait
Conformity – The Detail Orientation Trait
PDP is a system to…
Improve your hiring process, resolve team communication problems, lower overhead and match the right people to the right job.
Sounds too good to be true, Professional Dynametrics Programming (PDP) and SMA Consulting have combined to do all of the above. Builders, contractors and developers often underemphasize human resource management and training.
SMA Consulting identified this weakness and they have become certified and licensed PDP consultants, trained in the areas of personality trait recognition and personality profile development. By using PDP’s survey and reporting system, SMA can help managers determine the personality profiles and the types of jobs any team member or job applicant is most suited to hold.
Two Main Uses for Personality Profile Systems:
Builders are using the PDP system for two main uses…
1. Hiring and comparing applicants to job models created to identify the ideal candidate for success in the position
2. Team building and staff communications improvement for existing staff members.
In short, PDP helps match each person to the job most closely matching his or her personality. This keeps individuals more productive as they are working within their natural comfort zone. This is a useful tool in evaluating your existing staff and is crucial in evaluating applicants for job openings.
Additionally, PDP allows existing team members to gain a better understanding of why they and their coworkers individually behave the way they do. PDP teaches us how to communicate with others who have a personality style different from our own. This increases understanding and helps avoid common personality conflict problems.
How the System Works:
Trait Definitions:
There are four main personality traits that each individual has at some level of intensity. The four traits are dominance, extroversion, pace and conformity. In the PDP system these traits are often abbreviated as “D”, “E”, “P” and “C”. Thus when an individual is said to be a “high D”, this means their dominance or “D” trait is highest in their profile shape.
The Dominance (“D”) Trait –
The dominance trait is the control orientation trait. This trait measures the drive and directness of the individual. These people are known to be…
To the point
Big picture oriented
Outwardly secure
Forceful decision makers
Troubleshooters
High “D” or dominance individuals act on their environment and like to exert control through things.
The Extroversion (“E”) Trait –
The extroversion rate is the social or relationship orientation trait. It measures an individual’s need to be social, outgoing and optimistic. These personalities are known to be…
Outgoing
Persuasive
Motivating
Friendly
Effective communicators
Optimistic
The high “E” or extroversionoriented personality also acts on their environment and exerts control through people and relationships.
The Pace (“P”) Trait –
The pace trait is the patience orientation trait. It measures the steadiness, ability to cope with routine and need for regularity within the individual. These personalities are known to be…
Persistent
Harmonious
Patient
Steady
Thinkers
Amiable
Relaxed
Good listener
Dependable
The high “P” or pace style person is influenced by their environment, enjoys regularity in job performance and is cautiously paced.
The Conformity (“C”) Trait –
The conformity trait is the detail or rules orientation. It measures a person’s level of need for detailed information, structure and rules. This style is known as being…
Procedural
Prudent
Meticulous
Skillful
Perfectionist
Loyal
Conservative
Precise
The high “C” or conformist style is also influenced by their environment and is rulebook oriented.
Additionally Measured Traits:
The basic natural selfmeasurements within PDPs survey also include the level of kinetic energy, logic or decisionmaking perspective, and energy usage methodology.
Kinetic Energy –
All measurements in the PDP system are related to a 700sigma point scale of measure. So any trait or measured component has a potential to measure 1 to 700 on a graphic scale where one inch equals one hundred sigma points. A kinetic energy measurement on this scale is very meaningful. Think in terms of horsepower or battery life. The higher up the measurement scale the higher the energy level.
Different jobs require different levels of energy. It would seem that the higher the energy the better, but not always. You need to understand that the higher the energy level the stronger their need for variety in their daily routine. Such a person would soon tire in a job that did not allow for much variety. Again, the job model will give us the correct energy level for the position and we can test the applicant’s energy against this model to determine the fit for this one characteristic of behavior.
Logic or Rationale –
In the PDP system, logic is defined as the way a person makes their life and job decisions. There can be three basic methods within the 700sigma point measure of intensity. The three methods include decisions based upon fact, intuition (or gut feel) or a combination of both called “balance” in the PDP system.
This measurement is a byproduct of the basic personality trait measures and is again reported in varying degrees of intensity on the sigma scale. The logic for various positions is also tracked in job models and a comparison to ideal is available of this characteristic of behavior also.
Use of Energy Style Measure –
The last of the basic natural selfmeasurements is the use of energy style measurement. There are three methods of using energy or accomplishing tasks and projects identified in the PDP system. These three are…
Thrust
Allegiance
Stenacity
Thrust is a rocket launch style. This is a highly inner directed source normally coupled with intense energy. This style has the benefits of a quick start but has the potential pitfall of being replaced or distracted by another interesting project that might come up. Think of the hare in the old fable of the hare and the tortoise.
Allegiance is a dependability style and is often driven by dedication to an outward source like respect for the boss, the company or the project and its reward. It has many of the tortoise traits from our earlier analogy.
Stenacity is actually a combination of two words tenacity and steadfast. This is a persistent style and a locomotive type force. It is inner directed or self initiated. It is steady, steadfast and tenacious in nature. There is a real determination to accomplish this for oneself.
Job Modeling
PDP Job Dynamics Surveys allow the builder to develop personality profile job models that represent the ideal personality match for positions within their organization. The traits necessary for success in the position are then represented as a job model against which future applicants or struggling employees can be surveyed and compared.
Using Job Dynamics Analysis Surveys completed by supervisors and company management SMA develops the Job Models. Job models can also be patterned after existing/former employees who are successful in the same or similar position. The most common job models developed by builders are for the positions of…
Superintendents or Project Manager
Sales Agents
Bookkeepers/Office Administrator
Estimators
CAD Operators and drafting positions
Once the job model is established it becomes a hiring tool. It serves as a behavior job description giving the employer another tool to measure job applicants. A series of job model reports are available once the model is established.
Job Model Reports
Job model reports include narrative descriptions of ideal candidates and Job Graphs that are a pictorial view of the ideal personality profile. The narrative report includes a listing of the best adjectives to use in classified ads to attract the people most likely to fit the ideal personality profile.
Applicant Reports include…
Job matching report and score (with scores reported on a 0 to 100 scale with 100 being a 100% match to the ideal from the job model) Applicant ranking (comparing all applicants for the position against one another) Interviewing guides (key questions to ask during second interviews to address areas in the personality not matching the job model.)
Team Building
Once ProScan surveys and reports have been completed for a group or department within the organization, a set of Team Building reports become available for training and management applications. Reports available include: Team Communication and Team Perception.
Pricing
PDP costs are associated with running the individual ProScan surveys and preparing job models. The reports are then generated from SMA’s PDP computer system.
Pricing for SMA Clients/Inner Circle Members:
ProScan Survey Entry $69 / Survey PDP Job Model with up to 3 inputs $199 / Job Model Usage is billed monthly for the surveys and job models completed during that period.
Pricing for NonSMA Clients:
ProScan: $99 / Survey PDP Job Model with up to 3 inputs $249 / Job Model Usage is billed by Credit Card for the surveys and job models at the time of processing.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: How do I return the surveys for processing?
A: The most efficient way is via fax to 407/3867212 or via email if you can scan and create PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files to abenshoof@smaops.com . Normal turnaround time for SMA retainer based clients is one business day. Normal turnaround time for nonSMA retainer clients is two business days. Resultant reports are returned via email as attached, printable PDF files. Please indicate on initial fax or email to whom the finished reports are to be returned and their email address.
Q: Who should administer the survey?
A: The interviewing manager is the best candidate or the HR person in a larger organization.
Q: How do you administer the survey?
A: The survey is simple and quick to administer with the directions clearly printed on the top of each column to be completed. The ProScan has two sides, each consisting of 30 adjectives. On Side 1 the individual completes the survey based upon how they feel they most naturally and actually are with a #1 being least like you and a #5 being most like you.
Side 2 also consists of 30 adjectives but this side is completed as you feel others expect you to be. Others can be anyone with influence in your life – business associates, supervisors, subordinates, spouse, family and/or friends. Job Dynamics Analysis Survey consists of 30 phrases describing behavioral traits. The supervisor or assigned employee responds to the phrases describing the ideal applicant for the position being modeled. Again, a #1 response would be the least like the ideal candidate, a #5 most like the candidate.
Q: Does every line of the ProScan or Job Dynamics Survey have to be answered?
A: Yes, each line needs to include an answer. It will delay processing if each line does not have a selection filled in. Please double check each survey to ensure it is complete before processing.
Q: What information needs to be completed in the heading section of the surveys?
A: At a minimum, the employee or applicant should complete their name, position held or applied for, and company. Also the administrator needs to make sure the name is legible and the position is indicated prior to sending survey in to prevent name misspellings or processing delays. Also, please write the email address for the administrator which the results are to be sent to at the top of the survey as well.
Q: Can an applicant “fake out” the survey to say what they think an employer wants to hear?
A: PDP has programmed into the surveys several checks and balance questions to prevent this form being done successfully, however, there is a slim chance that an individual might falsely respond to all the checks and balance questions the same way and give an inaccurate reading as a result. For this reason, it is important for the PDP ProScan administrator to emphasize that there are no right or wrong answers. Instead the applicant must know that it is vitally important to their longterm success and happiness in the job to answer honestly and accurately.
For Additional Information Contact:
Alex Benshoof
SMA Consulting Florida Office
6979 Kingspointe Pkwy Orlando, FL 32819
abenshoof@smaops.com
407/4475209 (phone) 407/3867212 (fax) |
