I apologize for the lack of posting this week. I’ve spend most of the week being psychologically assessed, and the process proved to be more painful than I had imagined. Did I see a psychologist or check into rehab? I wish. No, I was being analyzed by my peers, a group of people with no experience or education in the process. I, in turn, was expected to do the same thing to them. Does that sound like Alcoholics Anonymous? No, this was a work function. It was a team building exercise.
The first part of this appalling experience began simply enough. About a month ago I (along with the rest of my department) was told to take the DISC personality assessment. Nobody asked if I thought this was a good idea or if I wanted to do it, I was simply told to log in and take the assessment.
The DISC assessment is a series of questions that involve statements that “most” or “least” describe you. You get a list of four statements. You pick the “most” and the “least” and you ignore the other statements. Additionally, in other parts of the assessment, you rank a series of statements in order from the most descriptive to the least.
A typical set of statements would be something like this:
- I am very helpful towards others
- I don’t like tempting fate
- I don’t give up easily
- People like my company
By going through this process, they determine your “behaviors” and your “values”. The behavior categories are as follows:
- Dominance – Independent thinkers motivated to succeed
- Influence – Social people who like the company of others
- Steadiness – Amiable people who like harmony
- Compliance – People who prefer accuracy, structure and control
These explanations are slightly more simplistic than the ones our facilitator gave, but only slightly. The other portion of the test assessment measured our values, putting them into the following categories:
- Theoretical – Values knowledge and truth
- Utilitarian – Values money and security
- Individualistic – Values power and influence
- Aesthetic – Values beauty and harmony
- Social – Values people and relationships
- Traditional – Values codes and order
I’m not going to reveal the results of my assessment. But I will say that I found the assessment very difficult because there was often little difference between the things I thought least described me and the things I thought most described me. In the end, I felt as if most of the items described me in some way or another, and it was only a matter of degree that separated these things. In some cases, I could have claimed the exact opposite answers and still been just as comfortable with my choices.
The real problem for me was the team building exercises we went through this week, based on these assessments. Many of us were uncomfortable with the results. I’m sure that some people enjoy getting information about themselves, but I felt as if I was being labeled. This was made worse by the fact that I was forced to share these labels with the rest of my group and have them interact with me based on this assessment.
One of the interesting things about their reactions is that they didn’t believe the results of my assessment. They wanted to put me in an entirely different category, and not for what I considered to be positive reasons. Most of their descriptions of me came from the negative aspect of the category rather than the positive. That hurt.
I didn’t feel particularly singled out in this treatment. It seemed like everyone was looking to point fingers and talk about how other people annoy them. They probably had these thoughts before, but now they had some sort of pseudo-psychology on which to hang their criticisms and the excuse that they were trying to work together as a team. After all, we had two whole days of training in this sort of analysis. That qualified us to pass judgment on each other. Right? Heck, were encouraged to point fingers by the end of the third hour.
The problem for me was that, up until this week, I really liked the people I worked with. Unfortunately, I no longer feel as if they like me as much as I like them. One of the reasons I kept this job, despite some pretty good indicators that I should move on, was that I liked working there. I looked forward to coming to work. I’m not looking forward to it now — so much for team building.
Well. If you stuck around until the end of my rant, thank you. With luck, I’ll start to feel more like myself (minus the labels) tomorrow. I’ll try to get back on topic as soon as possible.
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{ 19 comments }
This sounds like a pretty terrible experience, so no wonder your morale isn’t cheering right now. I’m not too keen on psychological assessments unless they’re given by licensed psychologists and heavily scrutinized to determine the truth of the situation. Otherwise, they’re just not objective or very valid.
This should *never* be part of something you have to do at work, and I think it was pretty unfair to be shoved this assessment in the first place. No wonder you’re not feeling very group-oriented right now.
Chin up. You have us
We like you.
The ONLY label I like says, “Machine Wash Tumble dry”
All the others cause grief and pain in some way.
Good luck.
Thanks James and James
I was recently asked to read a book on finding your strengths and then take an onine test as well. We have yet to go over them. What gets me is that there are only 3 people in the whole friggin’ office and I (the 3rd) am only part-time. I am way creeped out and I could have pointed to my strenghts without the test. Whatever happened to just sitting down with your employees and just LISTENING to what they have to say?
I agree Joni. We would have had a much better session if we had simply sat down and talked to each other with a little direction.
Wow, sorry you had to endure this. You, yourself, are most helpful, open, so thoughtful and well organized in your presentations. This is right up there with states testing kids and labeling them. I guess if you don’t have the option of finding a new job, your employers need a whole lot of forgiveness for their ignorance. We had the Piven Theatre in Chicago come and train our facutly last winter with games and activities to get us to reflect on how difficult it is to listen to each other, to help us overcome the difficulties. Joni is right on with her emphasis on LISTENING. Your experience was way to rigid and, as James pointed out, most unprofessional. Even if people don’t agree, listening and open discussion (the non-judgmental kind) are much more productive.
Ah, but most people don’t listen. Many are too busy thinking their own thoughts and caught up in their own feelings to be bothered to consider the validity of another’s point of view or feelings. Then when forced to face some unplesentness, such as another’s rational thoughts, many take offense. While some lash out vitriolic spewings when offended thusly, other go straight to the lawyer’s number on the Rolodexâ„¢. (oops my age is showing!)
Often it is far easier, and viewed as less risky leagally, for an employer to deal with percieved team problems by bringing in experts to train us to do what our parents should have, or in many cases attempted: to respect each other, listen and to share, than it is to take on such training, or even insinuate that such training is needed.
My wife wonders why we bother trying to teach the kids to not be childish, since so many adults act worse than our children when it comes to respecting each other and listening. I then remind her that if we did not at least attempt to teach them correct behavior, we would condemn them and all their future associates to the childish behaviour we both abhor.
“… despite some pretty good indicators that I should move on”
Do it, do it! Not so much because of your fellow-workers but because of your stupid and insensitive bosses who, if they allowed such a thing in the fist place, should at least have supervised it so as to ensure everyone was still treated with respect and consideration.
And yes, labels are so limiting!
“fist” place I said. Nice Freudian slip, wot?
James G: You hit the nail on the head. The art of listening is pretty much gone or rare at best. So no matter what “team building” exercises are done, no one really listens, learns, or changes because of it. What is the point?
This is negative thinking, I realise, but having gone through this in almost every job I’ve had, I’VE finally gotten the point.
Thank you for the kind words everyone:
Rosemary: I actually like my boss. She is a nice person who took the gig when no one else would (long story) and brought with her the power to stop the other departments from dumping on us. She knows the corporate game very well. Her only blind spot is that she does buy into a lot of this corporate stuff and that lead to this sort of “team building”.
Oh, and she did take part, just like the rest of us.
Oh well, perhaps when things have settled down you might find a way to tactfully point out that in this instance it did rather the opposite of team building!
I have experienced this particular test myself in the past. Administered well, it can lead to increased and more efficient cooperation – not finger-pointing and distrust. It is supposed to show up people’s STRENGTHS, and where they can dovetail and/or be complementary.
Several people in the training had been through similar ones administered by pros and said it was better. Ours was administered by someone at the company. My bet is that much of her class was downloaded off the Internet.
What occured doesn’t sound to me like team building at all — the process was really quite harmful and damaging!
Yikes. I’m working with a Denver team building coach, and one of the main things that you want to avoid is generating those negative feelings.
There are such things as good boundaries, safe environments, and healthy collaboration and change. What happened to your organization is another example of harmful, poorly executed team building.
By the sounds of it, it was quite a poor “team building exercise” you should come work with me. Me and my team of 8 collegues went on a team building exercise last month, it was a blast, mainly because we went paintballing and didn’t analyse one another, we just shot eachother.
@ Dan
I don’t think my employer wants to let us know that shooting each other is an option.
Ive never understood the point of those tests. In fact, often times(school especially) these sorts of surveys are handed out almost at random. It doesnt sound like your office was in any poor phase or negative situation that would make the analysis necessary. Additionally, I recall that everyone in my class lied on those surveys anyway, especially on the ones collecting statistics on drug/alcohol abuse and sex.
Hey there!
It seems that this team building didn’t really give you a good experience. That’s so sad to hear as well that your activity wasn’t handled well. As you have said, “looks like the facilitator have just downloaded the activity proper from the net. Let’s just hope that on your next team building experience, it will be more meaningful.
Goodluck!