Personality Test for Organization

1. Name of Test:
VALUES & MOTIVES INVENTORY
TEST
Definition of Test :
Value is a key construct in process of socialization. Intellectual traditional theories view
value as having an individual function shaped by biological and psychological needs of
a person. “A value is a conception, explicit or implicit; distinctive of an
individual/characteristic of a group, of the desirable which influences the selection from
available modes, means and ends of action”. Set of values called value systems are
regarded as part of a functionally integrated cognitive system in which the basic units
of analysis are beliefs. Cluster of beliefs form attitudes that are functionally and
cognitively connected to value systems. Values serve to maintain and enhance the self-
concept through which needs are enhanced later arising to motivation.

2. Introduction about Test:
The Values and Motives Inventory profiles the candidate’s motivating forces to
determine where they are likely to gain the most satisfaction and make the greatest
contribution in the workplace. The VMI uses 11 determinants of behavior at work:
1. Altruism
2. Affection
3. Affiliation
4. Achievement
5. Economic Status
6. Security/Safety
7. Aesthetics
8. Moral Values
9. Traditional Values
10. Independence
11. Ethical Values
Using these scales, the report summarizes the candidate’s values and motives into 3
areas:
1. Interpersonal values- Values which influence an individual’s approach to
relationships with others
2. Extrinsic values- Values which influence behavior in the workplace
3. Intrinsic values- Values which relate to personal beliefs and attitudes which guide an
individual’s approach to everyday problems.
The report also includes a short summary of situations that may motivate or de-motivate
the candidate. The VMI is a useful tool to assess cultural fit in the recruitment/selection
process, guide the designing of effective and engaging incentive programs, or lay the
foundation for tailored career development and counselling sessions.
Objective of Test
This questionnaire is intended for assessment related to growth and development, and
for team-building. It is not recommended for selection. It measures a number of
constructs relevant to motivation and satisfaction at work. It can also be useful in
counselling and coaching, or in vocational guidance with clients. The main difference
between personality assessments with values and motives inventory is that a personality
assessment is about “who you are” whereas values and motive inventory tends to be
used alongside personality assessments to understand more about what will motivate
you in a role and what types of environments and cultures fit with your values and
preferences. Motives and values have nothing to do with whether you can do the role,
instead they are about what environmental factors will impact on your job satisfaction
and motivation. The VMI reveals what drives a person and helps identify where they
will likely most gain the most satisfaction at work. It helps an employee understand
what energizes them by profiling their motives. This makes the VMI also an alternative
to the Hogan Motives, Values and Preferences Inventory (MVPI).

3. Attributes of Test
Type of
value
Base High Scorer Low Scorer
Interpersonal
Role
Altruism Generous. Inclined to be
easily moved by the plight of
those less fortunate than
themselves. Attempt to do
something to help alleviate
the suffering around them.
Less sympathetic attitude toward
plight of those less fortunate than
themselves. Believing that most
people are responsible for the
position they found themselves
in.
Affection Tendency to want to get
close to people. Like others
to show warmth & affection.
Shares feelings and emotions
with sympathy.
Have no particular wish to get
too close to people. No particular
desire to show
sympathy/concern towards them.
Unlikely to display sentiments
towards others.
Affiliation Great deal of contact with
other people. Meet people,
feeling at their most
comfortable when engaged
in activities involving other
people. A need for
companionship of other
people.
Much more self-sufficient with
little need for companionship of
others. Tending to prefer solitary
pursuits. They will be
comfortable with their own
company.
Extrinsic
Value
Achievement Want to excel in everything
they attempt no matter what
this might cost. Hard workers
will be willing to make
personal sacrifices to achieve
success. Require respect &
admiration from those who
they perceive as ‘worthwhile
people’. Routinely set
themselves difficult targets.
Not overtly concerned with
being the best. Not particularly
desiring the respect & admiration
of others. Don’t let career
ambitions interfere with personal
ad family life. Tend to set
realistic targets; they believe
they can achieve without much
difficulty.
Economic status Desire the wealth and status.
Materialistic; believe in the
pursuit of material wealth for
the status; they regard
ensures from such wealth.
See little point in pursuing
wealth; after they had achieved
what was; for them a comfortable
lifestyle. Regard individual
status as something much more
than the amount of material
possessions they had managed to
gain.
Aesthetics Appreciate cultural activities
like art, music &literature.
Intellectually abstract. Enjoy
discussing issues which
would seem to have little
bearing on everyday life.
Little interest in artistic/cultural
pursuits. Little understanding of
what others see in such topics.
Much preferring to discuss
concrete issues; have little time
for what they regard as ‘airy-
fairy’ abstract figures.

4. Security/ Safety Cautious People. No
particular inclination to take
risks. No excitement at all in
thoughts of dangerous
pursuits. Prefer a fairly
routine life. No great love for
variety.
Variety is the spice of life. Happy
to take some risk involved in
activities. Enjoy adventurous
pursuits. Experience as many
different aspects they can.
Intrinsic
Value
Moral Values Truthfulness & personal
integrity of highest
importance. Having a belief
in basic principles of right
and wrong. They tend to
measure their own & other’s
actions in terms of these
fundamental principles.
Conduct their affairs in line
with a strict code of moral
values and expect others
around them to do same.
Don’t particularly believe in a
fundamental set of principles
which dictate the way one should
live one’s life. With no rigid
moral code to guide them; they
will be more inclined to view
their own and others; behavior in
light of the circumstances at the
time.
Independence High scorers on
independence will believe in
standing up for their own
views regardless of what
others might think.
Individualists, they will be
very suspicious of anyone in
a position of authority and be
fairly unwilling to submit to
such authority. Guard
themselves against attempts
to persuade them to adopt
different position.
Are not particularly concerned
with putting their own views
across, being fairly content to let
others have their own way.
Tending to believe that those in
authority are just doing their job.
They will generally accept the
rulings of such people quite
happily.
Traditional values Tend to have great respect
for authority believing that
rules and laws are meant to
be obeyed and not broken.
They will be inclined to
believe that the status quo is
to be maintained and be firm
defenders of all that is
traditional. Also tend to place
emphasis on national pride,
believing that patriotism and
loyalty are qualities to be
desired in citizens.
Are more inclined to challenge
existing authority, believing that
changes to existing laws and
rules are not only possible, but
desirable. Believing that one
should follow the spirit, rather
than the letter of law. Such
people will show little hesitation
in breaking an existing rule if
they think the rule is unjust.
Ethical values Tend to believe in some
‘higher-order’ explanation
for the world around them
rather than accept a
materialistic, scientific
Believe that there are scientific,
rational explanations for all
phenomenon. They will assume
that even events which might
seem unexplainable at present

5. explanation. They will be
reluctant to accept a totally
scientific explanation of the
world, but will instead
believe that there are areas of
existence which can only be
understood through faith.
will one day be explained when
the required scientific advances
are made. Tend to have little time
for mystical or religious
explanations, rather preferring to
rely instead on rational, logical
arguments.
Application in Organizational Context
People are happiest and effective when they are put in jobs that match with their job
personality. In the book ‘The Truth About Managing People..And Nothing But the
Truth”, Stephen Robbins writes about six job environments-
1. Realistic: Prefers physical activities that require skill, strength and coordination.
Traits include genuine, stable, conforming and practical.
2. Investigative : Prefers working with theory and information, thinking, organizing and
understanding. Traits include: analytical, curious and independent.
3. Artistic: Prefers creative , original, and unsystematic activities that allow expression.
Traits include: imaginative, disorderly, idealistic, emotional and impractical.
4. Social: Prefers activities that involve helping, healing or developing others. Traits
include cooperative, friendly, sociable and compassion.
5. Enterprising: Prefers competitive environments, leadership, influence & status.
Traits include ambitious, domineering, energetic and self-confident.
6. Conventional: Prefers precise, rule-regulated, orderly and ambiguous activities.
Traits include conforming, efficient, and inflexible.
Based on the employee’s score on their values, they should be put into their respective
suitable work environments.
With the help of VMI test, it is useful to properly create a workplace suiting the needs
and values of employees :
Values High Scorer Low Scorer
1. Altruism Social Realistic
2. Affection Social Realistic
3. Affiliation Social Realistic
4. Achievement Enterprising Realistic
5. Economic Status Enterprising Realistic
6. Aesthetics Artistic Conventional
7. Security/Safety Conventional Artistic
8. Moral Values Conventional Realistic
9. Independence Investigative Realistic
10. Traditional Values Conventional Artistic

6. 11. Ethical Values Artistic Investigative
To be valued is not an abstract concept: as human beings we know what it feels like to
feel undervalued and before long it can become intolerable. A survey from the
American Psychological Association found that that feeling valued at work was linked
to better physical and mental health, as well as higher levels of engagement, satisfaction
and motivation.
The VMI brings into light what are the factors that are making employees less valued :
Employees holding high achievement value will feel undervalued on not getting
recognized for their efforts and performance like staying on late and completing work
and taking up challenging tasks. Some employees with economic status prefer bonuses
and financial rewards. Highly independent employees will like to be heard by the
organization, feel that their opinions can also bring some merit in the organization.
While the people holding traditional values having respect for authority will believe
that the opinions of senior leaders are to be followed only with no law broken.
Employees with high moral values if feel unfairly paid for their time and skills, trust
will deteriorate and disengagement will follow once they find biasness in getting treated
within the organization. Human beings have a strong sense of relational fairness( how
we feel treated compared to others). Highly affectionate employees will feel
undervalued if they perceive others to get special treatment, wondering why they aren’t
included. If Motives and values are largely considered as stable; they are assumed to
change very little as a person grows older-what attracts you now will have same impact
later.
Job satisfaction is a big factor in employee engagement and the level of discretionary
efforts team members are like to make.Every person is unique in what they wish to
achieve from their work. Professor Tersa Amabile, author of the book ‘The Progress
Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement and Creativity at Work’ has
found that 28% of minor work events have a major impact on work life. The VMI tool
also help the organization to assess the following points:
 Managers need to ponder over the fact that pointing out to the employees where
they want them to go is great, but mapping out the exact route they need to get
there is not. Autonomy and control are necessary for highly independent
employees and also holding less security value to feel satisfied with their work.
Psychologists found that the less control, people have over their jobs, the more
stressful they find it.
 People want to know that their workplace care about them. The organization
can hold cultural activities like singing events, games, meditation exercises etc.
where employees with high aesthetic needs can perceive that their organization
support their needs.
 Employees with affectionate hearts will be grateful if they are asked about their
daily hassles. Worker’s job satisfaction is quite sensitive to daily hassles such
as unnecessary busy work. Although it might not seem like much, day-to-day
irritations can really affect job satisfaction.

7.  Employees holding high affiliation can get dissatisfied if they can’t approach
their immediate superiors with any questions/concerns. They give high
importance to effective communication in relationship between team members
and the supervisors in workplace.
 People with low affiliation need little privacy. Getting a separate quite area with
a good desk, good lightening and some plants motivate them more in their job.
The physical work environment make a difference in job satisfaction. Alienating
an employee with highly affiliation value will rather dissatisfy him.
 Employees holding low safety value preferring adventurous pursuits like
flexibility in schedules and variety of tasks. Monotony in job role will dissatisfy
them.
The core areas in an organization where the VMI is found to be most suitable to apply
for are :
Individual Assessment : The VMI identifies which motives and values are
most significant for an individual. This assists the individual with their career
development, as well as helping them understand how they may best relate with their
team and an organization’s culture.
Team Development : The VMI identifies the profile of a team and illustrates
where the values and priorities within the team overlap/ don’t overlap. By using it for
team profiling, the team can gain an awareness as appreciation of diversity of interests
within the team as well as identifying possible sources of internal conflict enabling
better team building.
Management development: The VMI is also an important tool when applied
within a senior management team. It’s profiling can assist in resolving diverse
personal agendas, and establishing agreement on the values and culture the
organization should have enabling leadership and management development .
Recommendations:
 Encourage self-recognition: Not all employees are naturally introspective
enough to recognize how their personal qualities contribute to organizational
success. Strength-based coaching from line managers and mentoring can be
powerful here.
 Link all recognition to goals: Making employees feel valued must be seen as
an organizational initiative rather than solely a well - being initiative.
 Benchmark salaries: Make sure reward packages are benchmarked against the
market so that employees don’t feel undervalued. Clear succession planning
strategies that show how employees can take on more responsibility and earn
more money should also be put into place.
 Gather and act on feedback: People feel valued for different reasons and we
need to know what makes our employees feel valued. Setting up strong

8. employee voice channels, building trust and acting on feedback about
recognition and working conditions is a core part of being a successful,
human-driven employer.