Breaking new ground in psychometrics

PwC Global Innovation Challenge 2018 Winner. Globally, businesses continue to report on the frenetic hunt for the right talent. It’s a search beyond simply looking for the right blend of hard and soft skills. Companies need to identify the right talent which aligns to their culture. PwC drew on the latest in technological advances to develop a game-based psychometric assessment which models the company’s values with the candidates to ensure the right fit - bringing greater insights enabled by technology.

Setting the scene

In a competitive talent environment, both candidates and organisations face critical tests. The recruitment experience - how a potential candidate is assessed and engaged with can make a vital first impression with potential recruits. At the same time, companies need to make vital assessments to consider the best person and job fit. Increasingly, both want to consider the alignment between values and a company’s culture. It’s critical to how people integrate with existing teams, and corporate values.

Technology offers traditional psychometric testing approaches the opportunity to evolve and respond. 

To tackle this issue, a PwC South Africa team drew on the latest in technological advances to develop a game-based psychometric assessment which measures an individual’s personal values. It enables companies to understand how well someone could fit into their workforce.

"Game based assessments are emerging as a leading HR trend, offering a unique, novel experience to users and a faster and more efficient process for practitioners."

David Ambler,People and Organisations team, PwC South Africa

How we helped

While there’s already a trend towards “gamification” in psychological testing, most existing tools assess cognitive measures like problem-solving and understanding text. PwC’s solution breaks new ground by gamifying behavioural aspects based on personal values – an approach that makes it unique.

Infusing the knowledge of psychologists with the expertise of technical developers and creatives enabled the solution to directly target clients’ needs.

Impact and potential

Clients’ experience to date with the tool shows it creates a better outcome both for the potential recruit and prospective employer. The incorporation of game design helps with eliciting a more positive user experience and reduces test-taker anxiety, generating more natural candidate responses, while also giving more useful outputs to employers to understand whom they should recruit and why.

User reviews are showing an 80% satisfaction rate – and clients’ rising interest and excitement around the solution have been increased still further by its winning “most innovative product” in PwC’s Global Innovation Challenge 2018.

Innovation is in our DNA

PwC’s Global Innovation Challenge is just one example of how at PwC innovation is a mindset, not a technology. Over 2,400 PwC innovators took part, with 180 submissions, across 74 territories. We are commercially and client focused, leveraging what we know, through technology to deliver new ways of working, services, and products. It’s part of our global culture of innovation. Find out more from PwC's global Chairman Bob Moritz at Slush Helsinki, the world’s leading start up event.

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