What is the Big Five?

Dec 15

You can find all manner and type of personality test online. From Hogwarts House tests, to the wildly-popular Myers-Brigg and Enneagram types, to the Buzzfeed quizzes of “what taco are you,” humans have created millions of ways to categorize one another.

Today we’re talking about the WorkPlace Big Five.

First, what is the WorkPlace Big Five?

It’s a trait theory of personality that measures your score on five independent and distinct traits, which include:

C - Consolidation

A - Accommodation

N - Need for Stability

O - Originality

E - Extraversion

Each trait is independent; someone high in one trait is not necessarily high in any other trait.

Each Trait in Detail

Consolidation - People high in consolidation are concerned about order and structure. They are more likely to delay gratification, focus on long-term goals, and avoid procrastination.
Accommodation - People high in accommodation maintain harmony in their groups, concerned with how their behaviors impact others. They care about the feelings of others and prefer working cooperatively on teams.
Need for Stability - People high in need for stability are prone to experiencing negative emotions like anxiety, worry, anger, or sadness. They may get upset and rattled easily.
Originality - People high in originality are eager for new experiences. They are interested in creative, innovative, and nonconventional approaches to life and are likely to enjoy travel, the arts, and abstract thinking.
Extraversion - People high in extraversion derive energy from being in groups. They find it easy to make new friends and are energized by regular interactions with others.

What makes it unique?

Why should you care about the WorkPlace Big Five? It’s not the most fun test; there aren’t cute little characters for each type. (Because, there aren’t really types; you get scored as “high, mid, or low” in each trait.) There are many personality tests out there (DiSC, Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, to name a few). However, the Big Five is unique (and uniquely valuable) in several ways.

Unlike most personality tests that label people with a specific “type,” the Big Five scores you on each of the 5 traits are low, medium, or high, providing test takers with a customized and nuanced report.
The Big Five compares your scores to the normed scores of others, which helps you see how you compare to the average scores of other people.
It is the most trusted framework for describing personality due to being backed by evidence (studies on large populations, twin studies, and longitudinal studies). It is used by scientists and researchers to describe individual personality and disposition.

How can it help you?

Dawn Sipley at Sipley the Best is a Certified Administrator with Paradigm Personality Labs of the WorkPlace Big Five. We provide you with the assessment, a 25+ page report, and an in-depth, 1-hour debrief to discuss what your scores means for success at work and in your long-term career trajectory.

For Employers

Understand your strengths as an entrepreneur, business owner, and manager.
Gain insight into your weaknesses and how these impact your business and teams.
Discover unrecognized blind spots.
If testing your team: leverage the untapped strengths of your employees to build a high-performing team.

For Job Seekers

Find direction in your job search with the knowledge of what roles complement your strengths and personality.
Answer the “strengths and weaknesses” interview question with clarity and confidence!
Understand your own tendencies so you can better collaborate with teams of different personalities.

Ready to get Big Five tested or purchase the test for your team?

Contact us at Dawn@sipleythebest.com or call 407-383-2411. As a Certified Administrator, we provide the complete assessment, which includes not only results for each user but also a detailed report of how you can maximize your performance and relationships at work by understanding your traits. Dawn can also provide a debrief and coaching session with individuals or groups to help you interpret your results and take action to improve your professional life and career.