WorkCookie - Get Ahead with Industrial/Organizational Psychology in the Workplace

We discussed the role of personality assessments in the workplace, what they do well, where they fall short, and how they should be used responsibly. We also broke down the science behind testing, the risks of misuse, and how organizations can apply these tools in a way that adds real value.

In this episode: Nic Krueger, Tom Bradshaw, LindaAnn Rodgers, CT Sanders, Josh Strauss, Natasha Desjardins, Brendan Grech, Lee Crowson, Dr. Jagadesh Chander
 
I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job
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References
 
Krishnamurthy, R., Hass, G. A., Natoli, A. P., Smith, B. L., Arbisi, P. A., & Gottfried, E. D. (2022). Professional Practice Guidelines for Personality Assessment. Journal of Personality Assessment, 104(1), 1–16.  https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2021.1942020
 
Paradigm Personality Labs. (2024, October 22). When and how to use Big Five and MBTI personality assessment tools.
https://paradigmpersonality.com/resources/big-five-and-mbti-personality-assessment-tools/
 
Serapio-García, G., Safdari, M., Crepy, C., Sun, L., Fitz, S., Romero, P., Abdulhai, M., Faust, A., & Matarić, M. (2025). A psychometric framework for evaluating and shaping personality traits in large language models. Nature machine intelligence, 7(12), 1954–1968.  https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-025-01115-6
 
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. (n.d.). Personality tests.
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/other-assessment-methods/personality-tests/

We discussed how personality insights can strengthen the selection process and lead to better hiring decisions. Beyond skills and experience, we explored how personality influences job fit, team dynamics, and long-term success.

We also addressed common mistakes organizations make when trying to incorporate personality into hiring.

In this episode: Nic Krueger, Tom Bradshaw, LindaAnn Rodgers, Natasha Desjardins, Lee Crawson, Ian Sideritis,Dr. Jagadesh Chander
 
I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job
Visit us https://www.seboc.com/
Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI
Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events
 
References
Canadian Psychological Association. (2025). PSYCHOLOGY WORKS fact sheet: Pre-employment personality assessment in personnel selection. Canadian Psychological Association. https://cpa.ca/docs/File/Publications/FactSheets/FS_PersonalityAssesment_EN_2025.pdf
 
Harel, A. (2024). Behavioural Assessment Test: The Problems Using Personality Tests For Hiring. Retrieved from https://vervoe.com/personality-tests-hiring/
 
Matsuura, A. (2024). Personality assessments in the workplace: harmful or helpful? Retrieved from https://universe.byu.edu/2019/12/11/personality-assessments-in-the-workplace-harmful-or-helpful/
 
Youngman, J. F. (2017). The use and abuse of pre-employment personality tests. Business horizons, 60(3), 261-269.

We discussed what personality really means in a workplace context, and why it matters more than most organizations realize. From daily interactions to long-term performance, personality shapes how people think, behave, and respond to challenges.

We also explored how understanding personality can improve teamwork, leadership effectiveness, and overall organizational outcomes.

In this episode: Nic Krueger, Tom Bradshaw, Natasha Desjardins, Christine Mikhail, Paulette Elliott, Dr. Jagadesh Chander, Peter Demusi, Mayme Doubmia, Lee Crowson

 

I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job

Visit us https://www.seboc.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI

Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events

 

References

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Personality. In APA dictionary of psychology. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from

American Psychological Association. (2018, February 13). Personality: Where does it come from and how does it work?

Anaya, B., & Pérez-Edgar, K. (2019). Personality development in the context of individual traits and parenting dynamics. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology.

Le, K., Donnellan, M. B., & Conger, R. (2014). Personality development at work: Workplace conditions, personality changes, and the corresponsive principle. Journal of Personality, 82(1), 44–56.

McCornack, S. (n.d.). A catalog of 550 words used to describe individual traits of character. Ideonomy.

We explored the critical role I/O psychologists play in guiding organizations through culture change, particularly when facing resistance from employees or leadership.

We also examined common barriers to change, including skepticism, change fatigue, and misalignment of values, and how these challenges can surface during transformation efforts.

In this Episode: LindaAnn Rogers, Tom Bradshaw, Lee Crowson, Nic Kruger, Bijou Attey, Natasha Desjardin 

I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job

Visit us https://www.seboc.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI

Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events

What if culture wasn’t a buzzword, but a measurable system you can diagnose, design, and optimize to directly improve employee wellbeing?

We discussed how organizations can assess and intentionally shape culture to support employee well-being. 

I/O Career Accelerator Course: https://www.seboc.com/job

Visit us https://www.seboc.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/sebocLI

Join an open-mic event: https://www.seboc.com/events