New Insight Gained from Studying a US Road Construction Company
It’s no secret that we’re big on the personality side of safety. Through all of our research, we have clearly proven that differences in individual job performance can be tied to their unique personalities. A recent study we conducted on a US road construction company opened our eyes to a few new points that we thought we should share with our readers.
About the Study
In this study, 150 supervisor to executive level professionals were assessed on 6 key personality dimensions using our Workstyle & Performance Profile. Assessment results were cross-referenced with performance reports on each individual based on the following five areas:
- Safety
- Production
- Quality
- Leadership
- Overall Rating
Ultimately the study uncovered the following information taught us…
Dominance Dominates Performance
Across all performance indicators, those managers that scored highly Dominant vs. Non-Competitive on the WPP also scored highest in all 5 performance metrics. Thinking about the road construction industry as a whole, this may not come as a surprise due to the perceived “toughness” that is associated with road construction crews. The real surprise is in the fact that the sample group included professionals far removed from the job site, in Accounting, HR, and even the executive team!
Discipline, Organization, and Consistency Lead to Safety
In addition to high levels of Dominance, those managers who scored highly Regimented had the best crew safety ratings. In fact, the more likely Managers and Supervisors were naturally predisposed to following the rules, the higher their safety scores indicating a direct correlation between the two. Learn more about how a leadership profile assessment can help prepare managers for the greatest challenge in safety leadership.
Outgoing and Direct is a Great Combination
People with Outgoing personalities and a tendancy to be more Direct with their subordinates and peers did very well in their regular performance reports. The combination of having a natural courage to speak up and take charge with a more straight-to-the-point style was well respected at this US road construction company and therefore resulted in high performance.
Applying the Research
To learn how to apply the key recommendations for improving overall hiring, management, and coaching decisions at your workplace, click here to download this research study.
