Do Workplace Assessments Work?

Have you ever had a manager or peer give you feedback that you just didn’t believe? It made no sense, felt judgmental, or seemed flat out wrong. As humans, we tend to hear only the negative aspects when it comes to receiving feedback. And it drowns out the impact of our strengths.

We resist, saying that the other person doesn’t know what they’re talking about. We say they’re wrong and just don’t understand us. We justify our motives, and stay stuck with a blind spot that others can see with a spotlight.

This is where reliable, scientifically validated employee assessments can make all the difference. Unlike personal opinions or subjective feedback, these tools provide objective insights based on your own responses. This can open your eyes to behaviors that aren’t as easily seen from within, which is perhaps the most powerful outcome. The right assessment doesn’t just show you where you are—it helps you see what’s possible.

Other benefits include:

• Offering insight to colleagues who may misunderstand those traits that you DO know about yourself. For example, your solitary nature can be revealed as enjoying working alone versus not liking a particular person.
• Bringing to life other personality styles and priorities you may not have even been aware of. For example, someone who likes structure may not even recognize that someone else hates it!
• Helping you recognize when a strength is being overused and therefore becoming an obstacle to the best outcome. For example, is your self-assured nature preventing you from having empathy when the situation calls for it? An assessment can help you notice this and find the right balance.

With more than 20 years of experience working with employee assessments and the remarkable outcomes they create, I know all of this to be true. But it’s the responses we get from professionals at all levels that really hit home.

“This program [Everything DiSC] changed my life, both personally and professionally.”

“Spending an hour learning about my PXT Select assessment results not only helped me today, but for the rest of my career.”

“For the first time, I can see that what irritated me about my co-worker is not a character flaw. We have different approaches, and hers is not wrong; it has value, too!”

Using Workplace Assessments: Which tool is right for you?

Now that you can see the enormous value in workplace assessments, how do you know which one to use? There’s a vast range of options to choose from, and you need to make sure you’re selecting the right tool for your desired objective.

Options can be confusing

There are an infinite number of employee assessments on the market, and it is both overwhelming and confusing to sort through them all. Each one claims to have some magic potion that will get employees to top performance. But not all of them will achieve the results you’re looking for.

We’re big fans of assessments because we’ve seen impressive quantitative results, but this happens only when leaders are using tools that match their intended objective. Let’s walk through assessment terminology that will help you gain insight into your options.  

Types of assessments

There are two basic types, and understanding the differences will allow you to cut through the marketing jargon and be clear on the framework of any particular assessment.

For instance, an ipsative assessment is one assessment type. This type is scored by using forced choice questions and responses. The results indicate the strengths and weaknesses of the person being assessed. There is no objective comparison to any other individual.

In contrast, normative assessments measure quantifiable attributes on individual scales. With a normative design, you see one candidate’s score against another’s to determine which individual possesses more (or less) of a trait. These scales are compared and measured against a “normed” population. The normed population is often represented by the well-known bell curve.

When to use each assessment

Ipsative assessments are effective developmental tools. They are very useful for team-building and coaching because of their simplicity when it comes to data.

Since the normative assessment compares each candidate’s results to an actual population, it allows you to make useful comparisons and determinations about the specific attribute you’re measuring. That’s why normative predictive assessments are perfect for helping to determine job-fit, whether pre- or post-hire.

Other Valuable Terminology

As you delve into using assessments to enhance your initiatives, there are a few other valuable terms that will help.

The first is reliability, which refers to the consistency of the measurement. Strong reliability metrics exist when the assessment yields the same results over and over. If you had a ruler that fluctuated each time you used it, it would not be very helpful. The same goes for assessments.

Validity is another important term; it refers to how effectively a product measures what it is supposed to measure. It is about the application, or use, of a product, not the product itself. Both are necessary but are not mutually exclusive.  Watch out for an assessment that only claims reliability because it may not be valid.

Lastly, let’s talk about distortion, which measures how consistent an individual is when answering questions. High distortion is caused by a statistically rare response pattern, meaning a person may have attempted to give an impression that would make them look more favorable. Distortion refers to the validity of the results, not the honesty of the individual.

Picking the right tool is critical to achieving your desired outcome

For any initiative—whether it be selection, self-development, team-building, or coaching—you need to pick a tool that is designed for that purpose. Here are a few questions to consider when researching your options.

• What is the primary objective of using this assessment?
• What information will help make this initiative successful?
• Is the tool recommended by the publisher for this objective?
• Is there a knowledgeable advisor I can work with who understands the assessment?

For instance, here are a few of the assessment models we work with regularly to support the needs of organizations we partner with.

Everything DiSC^® – Ideal for workplace communication and leadership development, Everything DiSC helps individuals understand their behavioral tendencies and how they interact with others. It’s a powerful tool for improving collaboration and reducing workplace friction.

PXT Select™ – A data-driven hiring and talent management tool, PXT Select measures cognitive abilities, behavioral traits, and interests to ensure job-fit. Whether pre- or post-hire, this assessment helps organizations make informed decisions that lead to long-term success.

The Five Behaviors^® – Designed to build cohesive, high-performing teams, The Five Behaviors assessment focuses on trust, conflict resolution, commitment, accountability, and results. It’s based on Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and is a game-changer for teams looking to elevate their performance.

The right tools, combined with expert guidance, can bring clarity to workplace challenges and light the way for individuals to tap into their full potential. Assessments aren’t just about identifying strengths and blind spots—they’re about shedding light on opportunities for growth, stronger collaboration, and better decision-making.

At LumenusWorks, we’re here to help you navigate the path forward.

Ready to bring more insight and impact to your work? Let’s start the conversation.