Practitioner’s Guide

| Practioner’s Guide

About Hogan
Hogan Assessment Systems is the world leader in predicting workplace performance using personality.
Grounded in decades of science, Hogan helps businesses dramatically reduce turnover and increase
productivity by hiring the right people, developing key talent, and evaluating leadership potential.

Drs. Joyce and Robert Hogan challenged decades of academic tradition and criticism to become the
first to demonstrate personality’s impact on organizational effectiveness. Our flagship assessment, the
Hogan Personality Inventory, was the first measure of normal personality designed specifically for the
business community, and the Hogan Development Survey, which describes the dark side of personality,
was the first assessment to identify performance risks outside the standard model.

Founded in 1987, Hogan’s history is defined by the business applications of personality. We are a
multidisciplinary consulting firm that combines the science of personality assessment with practical
business experience to select and develop employees. In the beginning, our goal was to take personality
assessments to business world. Today, we continue to be the leader in providing personality-based
measurement to business using well-researched inventories, informative and customized reports, and
expert consulting services. With products and services in 57 countries and 46 languages, what began
as a small startup has evolved into the industry leader serving more than half of the Fortune 500.

About Sirota
Leading organizations around the world choose to partner with Sirota for their organizational
assessments and employee survey programs. Sirota’s client partnership approach, action orientation,
long-term perspective, and thought leadership produce a superior client experience and clear business
results.

Sirota identifies where organizations need alignment in order to take action and drive change, and
how worker potential can be unlocked to drive performance. Using the Dynamic Alignment™Model as
a framework, we start at the overall organization level - identifying where strategy, culture, and people
are misaligned. We then work with leadership to ensure they see critical issues more clearly, and
address them in a way that strengthens culture and drives lasting performance. Additionally, we provide
front-line managers with the guidance, tools, and resources they need to sustain employee motivation
and unlock the potential of their people. And, we enable HR to support those efforts and drive positive
change.

Founded in 1972, Sirota is a privately held company of survey research and organizational performance
experts focused exclusively on conducting attitude research and driving action through effective
data utilization. We are known not only for our expertise but also for our independence, objectivity,
and ability to handle complex assignments. In over forty years of work, Sirota has compiled a robust
normative database, leading tools and technology, and a profound understanding of how to develop and
execute successful survey research programs. We can help you build a partnership-driven culture, an
enthusiastic workforce, and effective leadership and management practices that will drive performance.

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Engaging Leader Framework

The Engaging Leader report is based on the Hogan Personality Inventory, the Hogan Development
Survey, the Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory, and the Sirota Dynamic Alignment Model.

A manager will take the HPI, HDS, and MVPI, and their subordinates will take an engagement survey
based on the Sirota Dynamic Alignment Model.

Bright and Dark Values and

side Personality Motivations
Assess the manager
(HPI/HDS) (MVPI)

Team
Manager
Effectiveness and Ask the team
Effectiveness
Engagement

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Hogan Leadership Value Chain

Engaged employees are energized, proud, enthusiastic, and have positive attitudes at work.
Organizations whose employees are engaged show higher returns on assets, are more profitable,
and yield nearly twice the value of their shareholders compared to companies characterized by low
employee engagement. On the contrary, it is estimated that disengaged employees cost U.S. companies
more than $450 billion per year according to Gallup’s “State of the American Workplace” survey.

The bottom line is leadership creates engagement, higher employee engagement equals better
organizational performance, and lower employee engagement equals worse organizational
performance, and it all starts with personality.

Personality

Behavior Values Judgment

Structure & Rewards & Staffing &

Consideration Sanctions Strategy

Trust Culture Decisions

Engagement

Business Unit Performance

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HPI | The Bright Side of Personality

The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) describes normal, or bright-side personality – qualities that
describe how we relate to others when we are at our best. Bright-side personality predicts leadership
performance across all organizational levels and industry sectors.

The HPI was developed in the 1980s in the context of socioanalytic theory. Within this model, getting
along with and getting ahead of others are seen as the dominant themes in social life. Comprised of
seven primary scales, the HPI captures key behavioral tendencies relevant to these life themes and are
based on the Five Factor Model of personality.

HPI Primary Scales

Scale name Low scorers tend to be High scorers tend to be

Adjustment open to feedback calm
candid and honest steady under pressure
moody and self-critical resistant to feedback
good team players energetic
Ambition willing to let others lead competitive
complacent restless and forceful
good at working alone outgoing
Sociability quiet talkative
socially reactive attention-seeking
direct and frank friendly
Interpersonal Sensitivity willing to confront others warm
cold and tough conflict averse
flexible organized
Prudence open-minded dependable
impulsive inflexible
practical imaginative
Inquisitive not easily bored quick-witted
uninventive poor implementers
hands-on learners interested in learning
Learning Approach focused on their interests insightful
technology averse intolerant of the less informed

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HDS | The Dark Side of Personality

The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) describes the dark side of personality, which are qualities
that emerge when people are stresses, bored, or simply not paying attention to their behavior that
hinder productivity, damage reputations, and derail peoples’ chances of success. The HDS is the only
personality assessment that identifies critical blind spots that lead to career derailment.

When the pressure’s on, the line between strength and weakness isn’t always clear — drive becomes
ruthless ambition, attention to detail becomes micromanaging. Dark-side behavior alienates
subordinates and prevents managers from keeping their team engaged. Organizations around the
world rely on the HDS to identify these 11 potential derailers that disrupt or interfere with effective
performance.

HDS Primary Scales

Scale name Low scorers may seem High scorers may seem
to lack passion easily annoyed
Excitable
to lack a sense of urgency emotionally volatile
naïve mistrustful
Skeptical
gullible cynical
overly confident too conservative
Cautious
to make risky decisions risk adverse
to avoid conflict aloof and remote
Reserved
too sensitive indifferent to others’ feelings
unengaged uncooperative
Leisurely
self-absorbed stubborn
unduly modest arrogant
Bold
self-doubting entitled and self-promoting
over controlled charming and fun
Mischievous
inflexible careless about commitments
repressed dramatic
Colorful
apathetic noisy
too tactical impractical
Imaginative
to lack vision eccentric
careless about details perfectionistic
Diligent
easily distracted micromanaging
possibly insubordinate respectful and deferential
Dutiful
too independent eager to please

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MVPI | The Inside of Personality

The Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI) describes personality from the inside – the core
goals, values, drivers, and interests that determine what we desire and strive to attain. While normal
personality describes how a person is likely to lead, values describe why they are likely to lead that way.

Values impact every aspect of peoples’ careers. Comprised of 10 primary scales, the MVPI identifies
what motivates people to succeed and in what type of position, job, and environment they will be the
most productive, making it a powerful tool that can be used throughout the employee lifecycle.

MVPI Primary Scales

Scale name Low scorers tend to High scorers tend to

to be indifferent to praise and feedback appreciate feedback
Recognition
like to be left alone to work want to be noticed
not care about being successful want to be more successful
Power
not want to make a difference want to make a difference
be serious and businesslike seek pleasure and fun
Hedonism
always working want to enjoy work
believe in self-reliance want to help the less fortunate
Altruistic
think people should help themselves want to improve society
prefer to work alone need social interaction
Affiliation
enjoy their own company want to be included
want to change the status quo respect hierarchy and authority
Tradition
value innovation and progress value the lessons of the past
take chances need structure and predictability
Security
embrace risk avoid risk
be unconcerned about money want to make money
Commerce
value self-development value materialistic outcomes
value substance over style be interested in creative self-expression
Aesthetics
care about functionality be concerned about the look and feel
make quick decisions based on experience prefer rational, data-based decisions
Science
trust intuition over data challenge authority

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HPI, HDS, and MVPI

In order to understand how effective a leader will be, it’s important to know three important things
about that person. First, what does the person want out of life? That is determined by a person’s values
(MVPI). Second, how will they get what they want in life? Assessing bright-side personality helps us
predict that (HPI). Third, what will get in their way? That’s were dark-side personality comes into play
(HDS). Therefore, using all three assessments plays a vital role in determining how effective leaders will
be in keeping their employees engaged.

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The Dynamic AlignmentTM Model

To succeed in the 21st century, companies must do two things: continually adapt to an ever-changing
business environment, and effectively align leaders, managers, and employees around a clear and
compelling strategy. When people are working toward a common purpose, as part of an enthusiastic
workforce built on a foundation of shared values and partnership principles, and with systems and
processes that are flexible and adaptive, organizations and individuals can reach their full potential and
achieve unprecedented levels of performance. We call this Dynamic Alignment.

To create Dynamic Alignment companies must:

1. Architect a strategic plan that establishes clear goals, structures, and accountabilities that
drive performance

2. Enable employees to execute on strategy through flexible and participative systems, process,
tools, and resources

3. Unlock workforce potential and sustain employee enthusiasm by ensuring leaders and
managers meet the achievement, camaraderie, and equity needs of their people

4. Elevate leadership and management practices by ensuring leaders and managers live the values
and model the behaviors that promote a partnership driven culture

Strategy
ct En
ite
ch

ab
Ar

le

Leadership Employees
Performance
ck
Ele

at
lo

e Un
v

Managers

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Key Value Proposition

Leader Decisions & Climate & Employee

Performance
Personality Behaviors Culture Engagement

Who You Are How You Behave

How You Affect Your Team

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Pages 1-2: Introduction

Pages 1-2 illustrate the overall concept of the Engaging Leader report. A manager will learn why
engagement is important and how a leader’s personality directly impacts their employees engagement.
The goal of pages 1-2 is for a leader to take ownership over their own behaviors, driven by their team’s
engagement, and how that impacts the overall engagement of their team.

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Page 3: How to read this report

Page 3 of the Engaging Leader report helps the manager understand the overall structure of their
results and how to interpret each score. The report consists of six sections:

Who you are: 1. Values

How you behave: 2. Clear Goals and Vision

3. Effective processes (Performance Enablement)

4. Positive Team Climate

5. Agile & Open Culture

How you affect your team: 6. Team Effectiveness

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Page 3: How to read this report (continued)

How to read team survey scores

The Sirota team survey scores are rated by subordinates in three categories.

How to read Hogan scores

The Engaging Leader report does not contain information about how to read Hogan HPI, HDS, and
MVPI scores. The value for the manager is in the interpretive text, so emphasis on Hogan scales
scores is minimized. The goal of this report is for leaders to understand how their individual behaviors
are impacting their team’s overall engagement and effectiveness, and not to spend too much time
deciphering scores. It is up to the practitioner to provide extra value around Hogan score interpretation.

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Page 4: Values - Who you are

The values section of the Engaging Leader report helps candidates understand their key motivators in
the workplace, and what motivational factors are not important, potentially leading to blind spots. A
manager’s ability to engage followers is heavily impacted by how his or her values align with the values
of his or her followers.

Individuals can have several high or low values, but when it comes to considering what a manager
prioritizes in day-to-day work, we can learn the most from the rank order of their values.

The Engaging Leader report pulls the top three values from the MVPI in the Driving Values section, and
his or her bottom three values in the Indifferent Values section.

Driving Values

A coach or facilitator should help managers consider that they create a team climate and culture
around the values that are important to them, which may or may not be motivating to each individual
employee. The team climate they create will have a system of economics in which behaviors promoting
a manager’s driving values are promoted and behaviors diminishing the manager’s driving values are
negatively reinforced.

Indifferent Values

From the perspective of prioritization, a manager’s indifferent values will be the values he or she
emphasize the least. This can be very disengaging for individual followers who are driven by these
values, and can be areas of potential weakness in team effectiveness.

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Page 5: Clear Goals and Vision - How you behave

The Clear Goals and Vision section shows how the manager’s team perceives his or her ability to
connect the dots between the company vision and the team’s goals in order to inspire the team to
perform better.

HPI Ambition - As a general rule, managers who score higher on the Ambition scale will be more
engaging. Managers who score higher on Ambition will work harder to communicate effectively, set and
articulate vision, mission, and strategy, and connect individual roles to overall organizational objectives.

HPI Prudence - Overall, leaders who score higher on Prudence tend to be more engaging. Highly
Prudent managers will set effective plans for their teams, communicated diligently about organizational
goals, and create good organization and accountability structures.

HPI Learning Approach - Managers who score higher on Learning Approach tend to stay up-to-date
on trends and new information in their area of expertise, and they are more likely to analyze and
synthesize that information to apply to business vision and strategy.

HDS Reserved - Leaders who score high on the Reserved scale often fail to create and inclusive
environment by seeming tough and uncaring, may fail to communicate vision and connect people due to
lack of communication, and may fail to connect individual employees with the overall mission and vision
due to social withdrawal.

HDS Imaginative - High Imaginative managers often disengage their subordinates by failing to bring
them along in understanding their vision, switching gears too often and too quickly, and setting
ineffective plans for implementation.

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Page 5: Clear Goals and Vision - How you behave (continued)

Brings People Along

This dimension refers to your ability to make people feel that they can work effectively together towards
a common goal

• My immediate manager involves me in decisions that affect my work

• My immediate manager gives me a clear picture of the direction the company is headed

• My immediate manager/supervisor communicates effectively with our team.

Inspires with Vision

This dimension refers to the degree to which you can translate the company’s goals and vision in a way
that inspires your team to perform

• My immediate manager articulates the organization’s strategy and goals in an effective way

• My immediate manager inspires me to do my best

• My immediate manager communicates in a way that makes me feel confident about the future of this
organization

Sets Effective Plans

This dimension refers to your ability as a leader to establish effective plans and link each member’s
contribution to the team goals

• My immediate manager regularly establishes effective plans for our team

• My immediate manager ensures I understand how my work contributes to achieving the goals of the
team

• My manager manages and prioritizes the work for our team effectively

Clear Goals and Vision

This dimension refers to your ability as a leader to bring people along, inspire with vision, and set
effective plans

• My team has a clear sense of direction (i.e., goals and priorities have been well defined)

• Where I work, the work is well organized (smooth work flow, good methods and procedures, etc.)

• On my team, we are clear about who is responsible for what

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Page 6: Performance Enablement - How you behave

The Performance Enablement section refers to your team’s perception of your ability to drive
performance by creating efficient processes, making timely decisions and holding the right people
accountable.

HPI Adjustment - In general, managers who score higher on the Adjustment scale will be more
engaging to their followers. Higher adjustment managers will tend to stay optimistic and remove
obstacles for their team, be more objective in their decision-making related to performance and
accountability, and enable cooperation and conflict resolution within and outside of their teams.

HPI Interpersonal Sensitivity - As a general rule, higher Interpersonal sensitivity managers tend to
be more engaging. Leaders who score high on interpersonal sensitivity are more likely to communicate
proactively and be readily available to subordinates, facilitate cooperation and collaboration through
building strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, and will effectively manage conflict.

HDS Leisurely - Leaders who score high on the Leisurely scale tend to disengage their followers by
failing to have necessary conflicts, hold people accountable, set clear expectations or make decisions in
a timely way.

HDS Skeptical - High Skeptical leaders tend to disengage employees by allowing cynicism and grudges
to get in the way of giving effective feedback, making objective decisions, encouraging inter-team
collaboration, and managing and resolving conflicts.

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Page 6: Performance Enablement - How you behave (continued)

Builds Bridges

This dimension refers to the degree to which you enable cross-team collaboration and networking in
order to drive performance

• My immediate manager enables cooperation between our team and other teams
• My immediate manager builds strong networks and relationships throughout the organization
• My immediate manager is effective at managing and resolving conflicts
Drives Performance

This dimension refers to your ability to remove barriers to performance while holding people
accountable for results

• My immediate manager clearly communicates what is expected of me

• My immediate manager works to remove obstacles that impede our work processes
• My immediate manager holds people accountable for their performance
Empowers Others

This dimension refers to the extent to which you can make and delegate decisions appropriately in order
to empower your team to perform

• My immediate manager/supervisor delegates responsibility when it’s appropriate

• My immediate supervisor is accessible to me when I need him/her
• My immediate manager makes decisions in a timely and effective way
Performance Enablement

This dimension refers to team members’ perceptions of empowerment and performance.

• I have enough information to do my job well

• On my team, we make decisions without undue delay
• On my team, we regularly discuss how we can improve the way we do things

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Page 7: Positive Team Climate - How you behave

This Positivie Team Climate section refers to your ability as a leader to create a fair and inclusive
environment where people feel that they can develop professionally while maintaining a healthy work/
life balance.

HPI Interpersonal Sensitivity - Managers who score higher on Interpersonal Sensitivity will create
a better climate for employees by treating employees fairly and respectfully, encouraging teamwork,
creating an inclusive environment, and showing empathy for employees.

HPI Sociability - High Sociability managers tend to be more present for employees, encourage
teamwork and collaboration, and build better relationships with employees.

HPI Prudence - Higher Prudence managers tend to create better team climates for their employees by
giving more consistent coaching and guidance, providing effective feedback, and creating a diplomatic
and respectful work culture.

HDS Excitable - Higher Excitable managers tend to negatively impact the team climate by becoming
upset and discouraged upon minor setbacks, being insensitive to employees’ needs, being unsupportive
during times of stress, and focusing more on the team’s failures than successes.

HDS Diligent - Highly Diligent managers will often disengage employees by micromanaging, failing to
delegate, delaying decision-making, and obstructing new ideas or relationships.

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Page 7: Positive Team Climate - How you behave (continued)

Ensures Equity & Fairness

This dimension refers to you ability to treat your team with equity and be sensitive about their work/life
balance

• My immediate manager treats me with respect and dignity

• My immediate supervisor is sensitive to the need for balance between my work life and personal life
• My immediate manager treats employees fairly
Inspires Achievement

This dimension refers to your ability to make your team feel supported in doing a good job and
developing professionally

• My immediate manager supports my professional development

• My immediate manager gives me sufficient coaching and guidance
• My immediate manager recognizes me when I do a good job
Promotes Camaraderie

This dimension refers to your ability to create an inclusive environment that fosters collaboration from
all team members

• My immediate manager encourages teamwork and collaboration

• My immediate manager creates an environment where all team members feel welcomed and included
• My immediate manager celebrates our team’s successes on a regular basis
Posıtıve Team Clımate

This dimension refers to team members’ perceptions of aspects of positive team climate.

• I receive enough feedback on how well I do my work

• Where I work, we feel part of a team that works together
• I can maintain a reasonable balance between my personal life and work life.

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Page 8: Agile & Open Culture- How you behave

The Agile & Open Culture section shows a manager their team’s perceptions of their ability to create an
open culture where employees feel equally challenged and supported in order to improve their own and
the team’s performance.

HPI Ambition - A high Ambition manager tends to create a more agile and open culture of engagement
because they drive for innovation and higher standards for their team, offer team members stretch
assignments, and have a bias for action.

HPI Inquisitive - Higher Inquisitive managers tend to be more open to new and creative ideas, value
diverse opinions, are agile and flexible to new environmental demands, and tend to have a bigger-
picture view that is oriented toward innovation.

HDS Cautious - Higher Cautious managers tend to disengage employees by stalling innovation, making
slow decisions, fearing new ideas and diverse opinions, and hesitating to give employees challenging
assignments and opportunities to fail.

HDS Skeptical - High Skeptical managers tend to disengage followers by being suspicious of new and
diverse opinions, being cynical about organizational politics and values, being suspicious of employee’s
ability to exceed expectations, mistrusting employees’ ideas, and creating an environment of mistrust.

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Page 8: Agile & Open Culture- How you behave (continued)

Lives the Values

This dimension refers to your ability to “walk-the-talk” and inspire trust in your team

• My immediate manager lives the company value

• My immediate manager’s actions are consistent with what he/she says.
• I trust my immediate manager
Raises the Bar

This dimension refers to your ability to challenge your team in order to develop to their full potential
and raise team performance

• My immediate manager creates challenging assignments and growth opportunities.

• My immediate supervisor gives me feedback that helps me improve my performance
• My immediate manager encourages me to challenge the status quo and find better ways of doing
things
Inspires Innovation

This dimension refers to your ability to invite and use diverse ideas in order to find new ways of doing
things

• My immediate manager listens to my ideas and opinions

• My immediate supervisor takes action on employee ideas and opinions
• My immediate manager values diverse ideas and perspectives
Agile and Open Culture

This dimension refers to team members’ perceptions of participation and inclusion.

• My team has a climate in which diverse perspectives are valued

• My team exhibits flexibility when priorities change
• I feel free to speak my mind without fear of negative consequences

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Page 9: Overall Effectiveness and Engagement- How you affect your team
This final section of the report refers to the overall climate that you have been able to create within
your team. It reflects your team’s attitudes about working as part of your team and their levels of
engagement.

• Who you are: Values

• How you behave: Four components of Dynamic Alignment Model
• How you affect your team: Overall team engagement and effectiveness

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