The Predictive Index (PI) Behavioral Assessment is a well-known tool that was originally developed in 1955 by Arnold Daniels. Over the years it has been updated and continuously improved and is scientifically-validated for use in the workplace.
It has become a valuable tool for thousands of companies worldwide and is used for many purposes including identifying the right job fit, job crafting, improving team dynamics, and boosting productivity. It measures four behavioral drives – Dominance, Extraversion, Patience, and Formality – and is a good indicator of a person’s likely workplace behavior.
Everyone has some combination of all four drives (also called factors). When you take the PI Behavioral Assessment, your results are translated into a behavioral pattern that centers around a midpoint and has three sigmas on either side. If a factor falls to the left of the midpoint, you have a low amount of that factor. If a factor falls to the right of the midpoint, you have a high amount of that factor. If a factor falls within 0.2 sigma of the midpoint, you are considered to behave situationally related to that factor. The further a factor is from the midpoint, the stronger the associated workplace behaviors will be present. Factor combinations – or the way that certain drives interplay – are extremely important as well.
Here are some selected resources that can help you interpret and understand the significance of your assessment results as well as those of your colleagues:
PI Help Sheet – An overview of the PI factors, factor combinations, and motivating needs.
PI Factors and Motivating Needs – A summary of the behaviors of each drive (when low and when high) as well as the motivating needs associated with those behaviors.
PI Communication and Leadership Styles – Insights regarding individual communication and leadership styles and how they change depending on the drives.
PI Self-Awareness Action Chart – Leadership strengths, weaknesses, and tips for self-development for each of the four drives.
The 17 Reference Profiles – Descriptions of 17 PI Reference Profiles that create a behavioral map for different types of people. You can think of these as easy-to-reference groupings of the characteristics of people who have similar drives.
A Manager’s Guide to Reference Profiles – Insights into each profile’s defining workplace behaviors, how to work with that person more effectively, and what kind of traps and pitfalls they have a tendency to fall into. Understanding your own Reference Profile – and your coworkers’ Reference Profiles – can be a massive advantage to you in your career. After all, almost all business problems are people problems, and if you know how to effectively work with every kind of person, you have an enormous leg up at work.
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