Psychometric Profiling

What is Psychometric Profiling?

psychometric profilingPsychometric profiling is the use of a model to understand what drives a particular individual’s behaviour. Using the metaphor of an iceberg, profiling looks beneath the surface and helps us to understand an individual’s personality. It works by getting an individual to complete a questionnaire the answers to which are compared in a systematic way to a mass of data from other people who have answered the same questions.

It is often referred to as personality profiling or even as psychological testing, this latter term is not helpful as it implies the making of value judgements and a profiling exercise is not a “test” as such and the individual is not sitting an exam where he or she will pass or fail.

Psychometric profiling has a long history; there are many models on the market. Many are based on the observations of Carl Jung, this lead to the development of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI); in recent years other bodies and individuals have developed other useful models based on various approaches.

Since the psychometric models are all based on ‘norms’ of various sorts, interpretation of the results depends on an understanding of the underlying model. The profiles are therefore only made available via accredited people, who will usually be consultants (whether occupational psychologists or management development specialists, coaches etc).

Once you have “Sat” or “Taken” the “test” the accredited person then gives the report to the person being profiled and, on a one-to-one basis, explains how the model works, analyses the individual’s profile report and then discusses with them the implications in terms of personal development opportunities, career planning, etc.

Why do it?

Psychometric profiling can work at all levels within an organisation, for many different purposes, including:

  • Career development
  • Coaching
  • Conflict management
  • Leadership development
  • Personal development
  • Personality assessment
  • Recruitment and selection
  • Self-awareness
  • Talent management
  • Team development

Does it work?

In short, yes. Extensive research in recent years (most notably an academic literature review by Barrick and Mount drawing on some 24,000 profiles undertaken in a work context) has validated the ‘Big Five’ (Extraversion, Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience) approach. Coupled with the impact of PC and web technology, this has led to a significant increase in demand for new generation profiling tools.








What iWam does

The iWAM instrument is a unique online assessment tool designed to measure motivational and attitudinal patterns in the work-context that directly influence:

  • What you sense and experience from the world around you
  • How you interpret what you experience
  • How you behave and communicate as a result.

In other words, the iWAM helps explain, predict, and influence performance at work by assessing what you pay attention to, how you think, and how you prefer to behave.


How it can work for you

The iWAM report shows a person’s strengths and areas of development in the work context in terms attitude and motivation.  It also shows how this person might behave in various tasks, such as administration, customer contact or managerial tasks.

Our coaches are trained and qualified to administer the iWam instrument and to coach clients to use the results to develop their careers and anticipate and deal with any issues.

For individuals, the report helps them to understand what motivates them and what makes a good day at work.  Why some tasks are “easy” and others require more effort.

For organisations, we can produce team reports combining the individual preferences to give a single report demonstrating the team’s strengths.  These reports assist teams in seeing and appreciating the diversity of strengths within the team so that points of difference are seen as strengths and managers can appreciate how to motivate individual team members and therefore be more effective as managers and leaders.


How is the iWAM different to other assessments?

It is targeted

The iWAM produces unique and powerful results by focussing on the metaprogramme filters.  Unlike tests that measure traits such as personality, the patterns assessed by the iWAM are context specific.  We all know people who are highly organised at work, but chaotic at home!  By keeping the context solely focussed on work the report can be highly specific, avoiding the “broad brush” approach adopted by other tools.

It improves communication

iWAM explains the implications of the results in terms of work relationships and communication For each pattern measured, iWAM recommends motivational language to be used – or avoided – for effective communication.

It shows how you are perceived by others, and how to adapt in order to be better understood

iWAM compares one’s results to a standard group (people who have taken the test in your work country) to provide invaluable information about how others actually see us.

No boxes and no letters

Unlike other tests, the iWAM does not put people in boxes: each person has a unique fingerprint of motivational and attitudinal patterns.


Find out more about how iWAM works and see some examples here


Discover iWAM





EBW Psychometric profile tool

The EBW Emotional Intelligence Model was designed in and for the occupational domain and focuses on the emotions and underlying behavioural traits that predict occupational performance.It is a practical, work based model of Emotional Intelligence (Business Emotional Intelligence or Business EQ) that helps individuals and teams understand why people behave the way they do and how to maximise their engagement with, and performance at, work.The key to the model is self awareness and awareness of others; how this explains peoples’ capability to manage their emotions and behaviours and what effect it has on their potential and their performance.

The practical, straightforward approach of the EBW Business Emotional Intelligence model makes it ideal for leaders and teams to quickly understand how critical emotions and behaviours impact on the success of themselves and others. The EBW Emotional Intelligence model’s engaging and accessible business language ensures it can be used across industries and cultures.

The EBW model has eight main scales that focus on Business Emotional Intelligence that predicts success. The summaries of these are described below:

  • Decisiveness: Willingness to make decisions, the need for control and the level of comfort with decision making responsibility.
  • Motivation: Level of energy, passion, drive and enthusiasm for work, being optimistic and positive, the need for achievement and challenge.
  • Influence: The drive to influence others and persuade them, to be heard and have an impact.Adaptability: The desire for, and enjoyment of, variety in the workplace; the capacity to keep an open mind and be flexible with different and creative approaches.
  • Empathy: The ability to recognise, be sensitive to, and consider others’ feelings, needs and perspectives. The need to understand, to help, and work with others.
  • Conscientiousness: (Sub-scales Structure and Rules): The need to plan and have structure, be diligent and meet deadlines; the level of comfort with conforming and following the rules.
  • Stress Resilience: (Sub-scales Resilience & Emotional Control): The capability to relax and deal with the day to day pressures of work; the level of comfort with showing and managing emotions e.g. can control/hide temper when provoked.
  • Self Awareness: This scale is an index of the extent to which an individual’s EBW scores is likely to correspond with the way that others would score them on the EBW scales.

The EBW is an excellent Psychometric Profiling system that assesses an individual’s or a team’s Emotional Intelligence and potential for success. It’s one of the best coaching tools that we have found for kick starting a coaching relationship. Coaching that is about adding measurable value and realising the full potential of individuals and the organisation’s human capital.

Contact us for additional information.


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