The Question

Personality inventories are used not only for selection but extensively for development: workshops, coaching programmes, and leadership development initiatives routinely use personality feedback to help participants understand themselves and improve their performance. Jelley (2021) examined what the evidence actually shows about whether this practice works.

What the Review Found

A systematic search identified only 12 empirical studies meeting inclusion criteria for examining the impact of personality feedback interventions on performance or development outcomes (Jelley, 2021). This is a strikingly small evidence base for a practice that is extraordinarily widespread.

Most studies used type-based rather than trait-based assessment tools, with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator being the most common instrument. No study examined the impact of personality feedback on observer ratings of job performance, meaning the outcome measures used were predominantly self-reported (Jelley, 2021).

The findings showed some indications of beneficial effects, but the causal impact of personality feedback interventions on performance-related criteria has not been established. The possibility of negative side-effects also exists and has not been adequately investigated (Jelley, 2021).

The theoretical concern raised by task-based feedback intervention theory is also relevant. Research by Kluger and DeNisi has shown that self-focused feedback, the kind that personality assessment provides, can sometimes reduce performance by directing attention toward the self rather than toward the task. Personality feedback may be more reliably useful for self-awareness than for performance improvement (Jelley, 2021).

Why It Matters

The gap between the prevalence of personality feedback in development practice and the thinness of the evidence supporting it is considerable. Practitioners are urged to apply personality feedback interventions with caution, to temper expectations, to evaluate intervention effectiveness systematically, and to share results, contributing to the evidence base that currently barely exists (Jelley, 2021).

Reference

Jelley, R. (2021). Using personality feedback for work-related development and performance improvement: A rapid evidence assessment. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 53(2), 175–186. https://doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000230