Many companies are adopting multi-rater and 360° surveys as a crucial part of their performance evaluations, employee training, and leadership development initiatives. These tools offer significant advantages, particularly in the realm of training and development. This whitepaper delves into multi-rater profiles within the context of Interpersonal Effectiveness Training (IET) and specifically focuses on some of the most prevalent IET models, including DiSC, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and SOCIAL STYLE, while examining their use of multi-rater and self-rater profiles. MBTI and DiSC rely on self-perception profiles, collecting responses exclusively from program participants. In contrast, SOCIAL STYLE predominantly employs multi-rater profiles, though self-perception-only profiles are also an option.
Self-perception profiles are a convenient and cost-effective way to introduce IET concepts. However, multi-rater profiles can add substantial value to the insights gained. With multi-rater profiles, an individual’s colleagues complete a survey about the participant alongside the participant’s self-perception profile. By amalgamating multi-rater feedback, SOCIAL STYLE identifies how a person’s behaviors truly impact others. This combined perspective of self-perception and others’ perceptions enables a more precise understanding of an individual’s working style and relationships.
TRACOM’s research has shown that over 50% of the time, individuals perceive their SOCIAL STYLE differently than how others perceive them. This discrepancy, while perhaps comical on a personal level, holds significant implications for organizations. Achieving an accurate understanding is not unique to users of the SOCIAL STYLE multi-rater instrument; MBTI and DiSC tools also measure subjective insight into self-perception, which can change over a relatively short period. Research by Howes and Carskadon found that many participants exhibited substantial differences in retests compared to their initial MBTI assessments, receiving very different type profiles. Research from the Hay Group highlights the correlation between high performance and accurate self-awareness, emphasizing that as individuals rise within an organization, they tend to overrate themselves, potentially developing blind spots that hinder their effectiveness as leaders.