Transform Your Workforce with an Attitude Assessment

Attitude is everything when it comes to team success, yet it’s often overlooked in hiring and employee development. It’s a staggering reality: 89% of hiring failures are due to attitude, while only 11% stem from a lack of technical skill.

This speaks volumes about how crucial a candidate’s mindset, collaboration style, and resilience are in the workplace. A successful workforce thrives on a shared set of attitudes that drive collaboration, productivity, and morale.

This is where attitude assessment makes its mark. By understanding how team members approach challenges and relationships, managers can build a team that’s aligned in mindset and mission.

Ready to unlock the full potential of your workforce? In this article, you’ll find expert strategies to apply attitude assessments that can lead to a more harmonious and high-performing team.

Why Attitude Matters in the Workplace

Attitude can make or break team success. It influences daily interactions, decision-making, and even how conflicts are resolved. For example, employees who bring a positive, solutions-focused attitude tend to handle challenges more effectively than those who approach work with cynicism or resistance.

This mindset doesn’t just affect their own work; it impacts how others respond to them and, ultimately, the whole team dynamic. Positive attitudes promote collaboration, encourage constructive feedback, and help create a more resilient team, one that can face tough tasks head-on.

In the hiring process, companies are increasingly realizing that a person’s mindset matters as much as their technical skills. Attitude can actually predict how well an individual will adapt, communicate, and engage with others, which is critical for long-term success.

The Benefits of Attitude Assessment

Assessing attitude can unlock several benefits that go beyond what skills-based tests offer. Let’s break down some key advantages.

Improved Collaboration and Team Dynamics

A team functions best when each member understands and respects others’ approaches to work. When managers assess individual attitudes, they gain insight into how each employee:

Views collaboration
Communicates
Approaches conflict

For instance, an employee assessment that highlights openness to feedback will help managers position that employee in collaborative projects. This understanding of each team member’s perspective allows managers to place people in roles that enhance teamwork rather than stifle it.

Key ways attitude assessments improve collaboration:

Encouraging positive communication styles
Reducing misunderstandings or friction between team members
Helping managers build diverse, balanced teams

Enhanced Decision-Making

Attitude assessments often reveal how employees handle stress, their tolerance for risk, and their adaptability to change. These insights are valuable for decision-making, especially when choices need to be made under pressure.

For example, understanding an employee’s attitude towards taking initiative or their view on calculated risks allows managers to make smarter staffing decisions. An employee comfortable with change might be perfect for a rapidly shifting project, while another who prefers structure can manage more consistent tasks.

Attitude assessments help by:

Highlighting individual adaptability to different tasks or projects
Informing management of team members’ risk tolerance and resilience
Providing clarity on team dynamics to streamline group decisions

Higher Retention Rates and Morale

Finding employees who align with company values is critical for maintaining morale and engagement. When employees’ attitudes fit the culture, they’re more likely to feel a sense of belonging and purpose. This alignment can reduce turnover, as employees who are happy and engaged tend to stay longer.

When morale is high, productivity often follows suit, benefiting both the individual and the organization.

Types of Attitude Assessments

Different attitude evaluation methods are available to measure traits and tendencies that can impact performance and workplace harmony. Here’s an overview of some commonly used types.

Personality Assessments

These assessments evaluate traits like extroversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability. Personality often shapes how an employee interacts and collaborates with others, and it affects their reactions in various work scenarios.

Tools like the Big Five personality test or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator give insight into these aspects and help managers predict how employees may respond to different situations.

Personality assessments typically reveal:

Social preferences (e.g., introversion vs. extroversion)
Comfort level with change or routine
Tendencies in team or solo work environments

Values and Motivational Assessments

Values assessments dig into an individual’s core beliefs, which often dictate their attitude toward work.

For instance, someone with strong “altruistic” values may thrive in roles where they can help others, whereas someone motivated by “achievement” values might excel in goal-oriented projects. These assessments help match employee values with job roles and company mission.

Motivational attitudes can show:

What drives an employee, like personal growth or teamwork
Alignment with the company’s mission and purpose
Indicators of engagement and satisfaction

Emotional Intelligence Assessments

Emotional intelligence, or EQ, plays a major role in leadership and collaboration. An EQ assessment evaluates how well someone understands and manages emotions; their own and others’.

High EQ generally means better:

Conflict resolution skills
Empathy
Adaptability

This is especially important for roles involving customer service or team management, where communication skills and self-awareness are vital.

EQ assessments can reveal:

Ability to empathize and understand colleagues’ viewpoints
Skills in navigating difficult conversations or stressful situations
Capacity to adapt emotionally to changing circumstances

Workplace Attitude Surveys and Cognitive Bias Assessments

Workplace behavior assessment surveys examine attitudes toward punctuality, responsibility, and teamwork, among other factors. For example, a workplace behavior assessment might uncover attitudes toward attendance or honesty in day-to-day tasks. On the other hand, cognitive bias assessments identify thinking patterns that might skew decision-making, like confirmation bias.

These tools are especially useful in identifying counterproductive behaviors before they impact the team. Assessments typically measure:

Attitudes towards work ethics, such as dependability
Propensity for teamwork or solo work preferences
Biases that may influence decision-making processes

Implementing Attitude Assessments in Hiring

Attitude assessments are valuable not only for evaluating current employees but also for identifying potential hires who will thrive within your team. Here’s how they can be effectively integrated into the hiring process.

Screening for Culture Fit

Hiring for skill alone can lead to issues if the new hire’s attitude doesn’t align with the company’s culture. For instance, an organization that values collaboration might struggle with a new team member who prefers working solo. Screening for cultural fit helps avoid these mismatches so that new hires are more likely to engage with the team’s values.

Culture fit screenings look for:

Alignment with the company’s mission and values
Willingness to adapt to team practices
Potential for positive team interactions

Evaluating Resilience and Adaptability

In today’s work environment, flexibility and resilience are more important than ever. Attitude assessments help identify candidates who can navigate change with a positive outlook, making them better equipped for evolving roles and challenges. This is especially valuable for industries that see frequent shifts in client needs or market demands.

These assessments can reveal:

How employees handle change or setbacks
Willingness to seek solutions over dwelling on problems
Ability to maintain a positive outlook during stressful times

Reducing Hiring Errors

Hiring mistakes can be costly, but using attitude assessments can help prevent them. By understanding a candidate’s attitude before they’re hired, employers can anticipate how they’ll respond to challenges. This reduces the chances of hiring someone who might cause friction in the team or leave due to a poor culture fit.

Benefits of reducing hiring errors include:

Saving resources on recruitment and training
Minimizing potential for workplace conflicts
Increasing chances of retaining engaged, motivated hires

Role of Attitude Assessment in Employee Development

Once hired, attitude assessments remain valuable tools for ongoing employee development. They provide insights into how to support and cultivate employees, helping them reach their full potential.

Leadership Development

Leadership requires more than skills; it demands the right mindset. Attitude assessments help reveal an employee’s leadership potential and identify traits such as emotional intelligence and open-mindedness that contribute to effective management.

An employee who exhibits empathy, for example, may be well-suited to managing team dynamics.

Key qualities in leadership assessments include:

High EQ, which enables empathy and conflict resolution
Adaptability to handle change with a positive outlook
Willingness to learn and grow in the role

Targeted Employee Support and Coaching

By understanding each employee’s attitude, managers can tailor development programs to address specific needs. For instance, an employee who struggles with teamwork could benefit from communication coaching. Attitude assessment insights make it easier to personalize support, resulting in a more effective development experience.

Focus areas for targeted coaching:

Conflict resolution and communication skills
Stress management and resilience building
Goal-setting and self-motivation strategies

Encouraging Growth and Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is crucial for personal and professional growth. When employees understand their attitudes and how these impact their work, they’re better able to make positive changes.

Attitude assessments provide employees with feedback that can lead to greater self-awareness, helping them adjust behaviors and build confidence.

Growth-focused assessments encourage:

Self-reflection on strengths and areas for improvement
Ownership of professional development goals
A proactive approach to enhancing job performance

Unlock Team Potential Through Attitude

Incorporating attitude assessment into hiring and employee development can transform your team’s dynamics, productivity, and satisfaction. By aligning individuals’ mindsets with organizational values, these tools help you build a stronger, more cohesive workforce.

Success Performance Solutions offers cutting-edge, customizable solutions that make attitude and behavioral assessments accessible to businesses of all sizes. Our Elite Pre-Employment Test System provides tailored options from entry-level to executive roles, so you can make confident hiring decisions every time. Contact Success Performance Solutions today to get started.