Working Styles Assessment™ (WSA™)
Melissa A. Messer, MHS and Heather Ureksoy, PhD
The WSA assesses a person’s work-related personality traits—the traits that are related to effective job performance.
Features and benefits
- The only workplace personality assessment that uses the current Occupational Information Network (O*NET) terminology—The personality traits measured by the WSA can be compared to the traits associated with hundreds of current occupations listed in the O*NET database.
-
Measures 18 constructs, including all 16 working styles defined by the O*NET. These constructs are grouped in five general categories: Drive, Interpersonal skill, Adjustment, Responsibility, and Problem-solving skill.
| Drive |
| Achievement |
Set challenging goals and work hard towards their completion; goes beyond expectations; excels in multi-tasking. |
| Initiative |
Identifies opportunities to learn and advance; displays willingness to engage in new activities, responsibilities and challl and an responsibilities and challenges. |
| Persistence |
Sees tasks through to completion, despite frustrations and problems that may occur ; rarely leaves tasks incomplete. |
| Confidence |
Possesses self-assurance; clearly articulates ideas and opinions; acts decisively and without undue hesitation. |
| Interpersonal Skill |
| Leadership |
Succeeds at leading groups and managing others; takes charge and leads the effort of others. |
| Cooperation |
Acts as a team player, enjoys helping others succeed; resolves conflict between co-workers. |
| Concern for others |
Shows care and empathy; is sensitive to the feeling of others. |
| Social orientation |
Is friendly and outgoing; enjoys working in a group. |
| Adjustment |
| Self- Control |
Show patience and controls emotions; performs well in spite of a negative mood. |
| Stress Tolerance |
Remains calm in stressful situations; accepts criticism with poise. |
| Adaptability |
Enjoys engaging in a variety of different tasks; is comfortable with changes in the work environment. |
| Responsibility |
| Dependability |
Is punctual and responsible, fulfils commitments. |
Attention to detail
|
Is detail orientated; precise, and organised; checks work for errors. |
| Integrity |
Follows the rules; is truthful and ethical. |
| Conscientiousness |
Possesses self-discipline; is deliberate, organised, and thoughtful. |
| Problem solving skill |
| Independence |
Remains self-reliant; makes decisions and completes tasks without supervision. |
| Innovation |
Is creative and original; produces alternatives and new ways of doing things. |
| Analytical Thinking |
Approaches problems in a methodical manner; solves problems logically by analysing relevant information. |
Table 1: Working Style Assessment Global Constructs and Scales
Applications and settings
Test structure
Technical information
- Standardization sample consisted of 739 individuals ages 17-70 years; the sample was closely matched to the U.S. population according to gender, race/ethnicity, and education level.
- Internal consistency coefficients were generally high, ranging from .61 to .92 across all age groups; test-retest reliability ranged from .71 to .88. High inter-scorer agreement was found.
- Face validity was strong, and intercorrelations were strong between constructs within each category (i.e., drive, interpersonal skill, adjustment, responsibility, and problem-solving skill).
|
