[BristolBathPM] What Belbin personality type are you?

[Colin M. Strickland]

On 18 Dec 2008, at 14:30, Paul Makepeace wrote:
>>
>
> I am having trouble with this line: a) most of these tests bucket you
> into one of 'n' where 'n' is not a particularly large number (MBTI is
> 16; Enneagrams are 9; etc); b) if this test is adminstered to all
> employees that hardly makes anyone special.

I apologise for my typically cryptic prose style. I think I am trying  
to say that in essence the process encourages you to focus on what  
differentiates you from other individuals, and many people find that  
sort of solipsism rewarding. There may only be a handful of buckets,  
but the assessment process is often lengthy, and there's commonly a  
personalised detailed report.

> I think until you can find some hard examples of companies or
> organisations actually doing this it's coming across as scaremongery.
> I'm not aware in my contracting experience in three dozen + companies
> of this ever happening. The most intense psychometric scrutiny I've
> been under has only happened as an adjunct.
>

Well, I certainly wouldn't want to be scaremongering[1], so I'm sorry  
for giving that impression. It does seem to me to be an intrinsic part  
of social management - people like to reduce groups down to easy  
labels and categories, and it's justifiable to be wary of this. I  
wasn't trying to suggest that there's any crude formal process that  
involves not hiring type N or, pay reducing type B, and I'm probably  
guilty of over-egging the case by conveying that impression. However,  
I think there's a lot of potential for this sort of pigeon-holed  
labelling approach to broadly influence thought and process, and this  
seems such a natural fit for the 'dumbing-down' or shorthanding of  
fairly subtle concepts.

-- 
Regards,
Colin M. Strickland

[1] If I was wanting to do that, I'd probably point out that  
scientologists commonly use 'personality testing' as an introductory  
gambit for recruiting :-) Yes, I realise this is a ridiculous basis  
for argument, they also use 'books' and 'therapy'. It's got a smiley.  
Relax. Now give me all your money...