Build Effective Teams with Expert Behavioural Assessments
“Behaviour is the mirror in which everyone shows their image.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goeth
Understanding how people behave at work is crucial for building strong teams and making sure everyone is in the right role.
Behavioural assessments are tools that help us see how people communicate, work together, and handle challenges.
When employers use these assessments, they can create teams that work better, solve problems faster, and achieve more.
What Are Behavioural Assessments?
Behavioural assessments are tests or surveys that show how someone acts in different situations at work. These tools look at things like:
- How a person likes to communicate
- What motivates them
- How they handle stress or conflict
- Whether they prefer working alone or in a group
By understanding these things, employers can make better decisions about hiring, team building, and leadership development.
Why Are Behavioural Assessments Important for Team Effectiveness?
Teams are made up of people with different personalities and work styles. Sometimes, these differences can cause misunderstandings or conflicts.
Behavioural assessments help teams:
- Understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses
- Communicate more clearly
- Avoid unnecessary conflicts
- Work together more effectively toward common goals
When everyone understands how their colleagues think and act, it’s easier to trust each other and get things done.
Benefits of Behavioural Assessments
Behavioural assessments offer many advantages to employers and teams:
- Find the Right Fit: Employers can match people to jobs where they will be happiest and most productive.
- Improve Communication: Teams learn how to talk to each other in ways that work for everyone.
- Boost Engagement: When people feel understood and valued, they are more likely to enjoy their work.
- Increase Productivity: Teams that work well together get more done in less time.
- Resolve Conflicts: Understanding different behavioural styles helps prevent and solve disagreements.
- Support Leadership Development: Leaders can learn how to motivate and support each team member effectively.
How Behavioural Assessments Work
There are many types of behavioural assessments. At Julie Allen Consulting, I use a mix of proven tools and custom solutions to help teams succeed:
Thomas International’s Personal Profile Analysis (PPA):
This assessment gives clear insights into how someone behaves at work. It’s useful for hiring the right people and helping current employees grow.
Thomas Teams:
This tool helps leaders see the strengths and challenges of the whole team. It shows where the team works well and where there’s room to improve.
Tailored Workshops:
I lead workshops that focus on team building, communication, and problem-solving. These sessions are designed to address the specific needs of your team.
Why Use Behavioural Assessments in Your Organisation?
Behavioural assessments are not just about hiring. They are powerful tools for ongoing team development. Here’s why they matter:
Spot Team Dynamics Issues Early:
Sometimes teams struggle because of hidden problems, like poor communication or personality clashes. Assessments help uncover these issues before they become bigger problems.
Build a Positive Work Environment:
When people feel understood, they are happier at work. This leads to lower turnover and higher morale.
Drive Better Business Results:
Teams that understand each other can focus on their goals and deliver better outcomes for your business.Want to see how behavioural assessments can help your team?
Download a sample report to learn more about the insights you’ll gain.
Real-Life Example: Davy Group
Davy Group is Ireland’s largest stockbroker, wealth manager, asset manager and financial advisor and has offices in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Galway and London. Davy offers services to private clients, small businesses, corporations and institutional investors.
In early 2024, Davy partnered with Julie Allen Consulting to design and deliver a bespoke six-month development programme – ‘Powered by Us’.
A total of 21 team members took part. Each participant completed a Personal Profile Assessment (PPA), followed by an individual feedback session. The programme also included five tailored workshops focusing on key areas such as:
- Teamwork and communication
- Building resilience
- Adapting to Change
- High-performance team dynamics
- Problem-solving and decision-making
The personalised nature of the programme ensured that it addressed the specific needs of the team and aligned with Davy’s business goals.
Since then, Davy has used the PPA with new Interns and other teams to help individuals better understand their work preferences, communication style and behaviour under pressure. This has enabled these individuals to tailor their approach with colleagues to work better together.
Lasting Impact
The programme created a foundation for continuous development at Davy. The PPA tool has since been rolled out to interns and other teams, enabling individuals to:
- Understand their own work and communication preferences
- Recognise behavioural patterns under pressure
- Adapt their approach to collaborate more effectively
- Increase in team engagement
- Reduced attrition
- Build on the learnings from ‘Powered by Us’
This has led to measurable improvements in teamwork, communication, and overall performance.
Client Testimonial
“Julie Allen designed and led our ‘Powered by Us’ learning and development programme in our Belfast office, tailored specifically for our Client Service Teams. The initiative was a first of its kind for us. Throughout the 6-month programme, we delved into a range of crucial topics customised for our audience, including personality profile assessments, resilience building, change adaptation, team performance enhancement, effective problem-solving, decision-making, and empowerment strategies. This tailored approach has left a lasting impact on both our people and our business.” Patricia Black, HR Manager
Supporting adaptability, resilience and openness to change
Over the last 25 years I have partnered with medium to large organisations to carry out the following services: