Corporate121 helps companies to select the right person to fit into the team and therefore the company’s culture. “We look at the personalities of the people who are working together or who are going to work together to see if they are compatible,” says founder John Rankin. “This shows us who is best suited to work with whom or how someone will fit into a team.”

The majority of assessment tools available on the market are psychometric tests that are based on the works of Carl Jung. In these types of tests, a series of tasks is presented to the person being evaluated. After the test is completed, the results can be compiled and compared to the responses of a norm group, usually composed of people at the same age or education level as the person being evaluated.

A psychometric test looks at the person being evaluated and gives an individual result compared to the considered norm. Rankin (pictured) explains that Corporate121 is not a test but a comparison system that looks at two or more people and compares them to each other or to a particular manager. From this a manager can see which people fit-in to the team and which people don’t.

Here, Rankin explains more about his venture through a Q&A.

In your view, what’s the shortcoming with psychometric testing?
Psychometrics has its place but where the confusion lies with business leaders is they have assumed that matching and being compatible have the same meaning. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In Association with

Let me give you a recent example. A large and well known business in Ireland that has its’ own HR department recently appointed a HR Director from one of their branch offices.

This person had similar qualifications to the HR manager and another HR consultant. This appointment was to strengthen this department before new recruitment was to start in September.

Within a matter of a few months both the HR Director and the HR manager had left the company. This is acknowledged and due to a complete clash of personalities.

Both individuals didn’t feel supported by senior management and felt that they had no option but to leave. Using known calculation matrix, the cost to the business would be in excess of €300,000 plus loss of productivity and temporary replacements.

If the company had used the Corporate121 personality compatibility system, the result would have shown that the people were not compatible and the cost would have been €325. I cannot say for definite that the two individuals were psychometrically tested but the possibility is very strong that they were.

How do you assess individuals?
We ask each person to complete a simple two page questionnaire that has 27 questions. This questionnaire gives us each person’s basic characteristics and how they feel about themselves at that time. How they feel about themselves will indicate whether they see themselves in-balance, under stress or under continual stress and how each effect the working relationship with a manager or co-worker.

How does Ireland compare when it comes to employee engagement?
Ireland would be in line with the global average. If I translate that into statistics, Ireland would have 16% (globally 14%) of its workforce actively engaged in their employer’s business. This means that they are giving the extra effort needed to help the business be more profitable.

Around two thirds of staff are passively engaged, where they are doing the job just to collect a pay cheque. But, most worrying, is the fact that 20% of the workforce is actively working against their employers business and influencing those who are passively engaged.

What factors influence employee engagement in the workplace?
People work better with people they like. Communications are better and peer pressure means that an employee won’t want to let down his or her friend, whether they are a co-worker or their manager. Corporate121 helps with this identification process.

Can your system be implemented at the CV/application form stage?
The Corporate121 system can be used at every stage from employing someone new, promotion, team building, conflict management, and appointments to the board or just forming a partnership.