Neumen Consulting

Game-Based Integrity Assessment in Hiring Imagine assessing candidates’ integrity, teamwork, and decision-making skills in immersive, interactive scenarios. Game-based assessments are redefining talent evaluation, offering a dynamic approach that reveals not just what candidates know but how they act under real-life pressures. By incorporating gameplay elements, organizations can gain a deeper understanding of a candidate's personality, strengths, and values. Game-based assessments stand out from traditional methods, with candidates reporting that these assessments feel fairer and reduce anxiety, allowing them to demonstrate their abilities through behavior rather than written responses alone. This approach not only enhances the candidate experience but also offers organizations an innovative way to identify and attract talent with both the skills and values that align with their mission. There are 3 types of game-based assessments suitable for measuring integrity: 1. Behavioral games evaluate attributes like integrity, communication, teamwork, leadership, and conflict resolution—qualities crucial for most roles.  2. Situational judgment games challenge candidates with realistic scenarios, testing their decision-making skills in moments that mirror real-world dilemmas.  3. Simulation games go even further, immersing candidates in real-life situations to assess how they respond to practical challenges and solve problems under pressure. An example of such assessment game is “Building Docks” (see image below). It was developed by the VU Amsterdam Leadership Lab in collaboration with LTP Business Psychologists. In this game, participants take on the role of a port company manager, navigating complex scenarios that test integrity and ethical decision-making. As players make choices, they reveal how they prioritize honesty, humility, and responsibility—qualities that translate into the workplace and beyond. Ready to foster a culture of integrity and build a high-performing team? 👉 Sign up for a free demo and explore how game-based assessments can support your hiring goals by uncovering candidates with the qualities that matter most to your organization. #GameBasedAssessment #Integrity #HiringInnovation #TalentAcquisition 

The Dark Triad: predictor of counterproductive work behavior     ✅ In personnel selection assessments, the focus is usually only on positive characteristics, such as achievement motivation, intelligence, and desirable personality traits. A pitfall of this positive focus is that negative factors, that can lead to counterproductive work behavior and reduced work performance, remain underexposed.     ⚠️ In recent years, both in science and in the field of organizational psychology, there is a growing attention for work behaviors that lead to dysfunctional outcomes. The most important and best-researched personality traits that are related to these behaviors are narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy, which have become known as the dark triad.     📈 Many studies show that the dark triad represents negative, problematic interpersonal characteristics that increase the likelihood of counterproductive work behavior. Employees with dark triad characteristics are primarily focused on their own individual advantage and therefore show little constructive behavior towards colleagues or the organization.     ⚙️ The Dark Triad of Personality (TOP) is a scientifically based instrument which measures work-related aspects of the dark triad of personality, making it appropriate for use in organizations. The TOP offers insights that are useful in any selection process, and often as part of development, particularly in leadership positions.     🚀 Are you ready to face the “dark side” of your candidates? Let us help you! Sign up for a free demo and explore how the TOP can help you detect potential derailers that can lead to serious financial and personal implications for your organization.     #DarkTriad #Narcissism #Machiavellianism #Psychopathy #Personality #TOP #Selection 

Practical Tools to Measure and Foster Integrity in the Workplace Integrity is the foundation of trust, leadership, and organizational success. To assess and nurture it in the workplace, organizations can rely on scientifically validated tools that measure ethical behavior and moral values. These methods provide valuable insights into how individuals make decisions and align with core ethical principles, offering actionable ways to promote a culture of integrity. For example, Ixly’s Ethical Dilemmas Test and Moral Values Test are two tools that help uncover how individuals approach decision-making and align with ethical principles: Ixly Ethical Dilemmas Test:  This test provides scenarios that reflect real-world challenges, revealing how individuals navigate complex or ambiguous moral situations. The insights can guide decisions about hiring, development, and leadership strategies. Ixly Moral Values Test:  Focused on understanding the values that underpin ethical behavior, this assessment connects with key personality traits. It’s a valuable resource for identifying alignment with organizational values and recognizing potential risks. These tools are examples of how assessments can help organizations:  Minimize ethical risks in hiring and leadership.  Foster personal growth by providing individuals with actionable feedback.  Enhance HR strategies to align candidates with organizational culture and values.    When implemented effectively, integrity assessments strengthen trust within teams, reduce workplace conflicts, and promote sustainable, value-driven cultures. Leaders who demonstrate integrity set the tone for their organizations by modeling trustworthy, honest, and consistent behavior—creating a ripple effect of ethical standards across the workplace. Would you like to learn more about how these tools can help your organization foster a culture of integrity? Let us guide you! Sign up for a free demo to explore tailored solutions that empower your team to excel in both ethical values and professional skills. #IntegrityInLeadership #WorkplaceCulture #EthicsInBusiness #ValuesDrivenLeadership 

Vincent van de Belt feeling great 😄

Building Integrity with HEXACO When it comes to integrity screening, there are two main types: overt and covert tests. 🔍 Overt tests directly ask questions about an individual's honesty and ethical beliefs. While straightforward, overt tests can sometimes be limited as candidates may hesitate to be completely transparent, especially on sensitive topics. 🧠 Covert tests, like HEXACO, take a different approach. Rather than asking directly about honesty, HEXACO uses personality-based questions to gauge traits indirectly related to integrity, such as sincerity, fairness, modesty, and lack of greed. This covert style makes it challenging to “fake” responses, allowing employers to gain a deeper and more authentic understanding of a candidate's character. Plus, these assessments offer a more comfortable and less confrontational experience for candidates. Why HEXACO Stands Out:  HEXACO is a comprehensive personality assessment in which the core trait of integrity—Honesty-Humility—plays an integral role. In this sense, HEXACO is clearly much more than just an integrity test. By examining a wide range of traits, it provides insights into ethical behavior, interpersonal dynamics, and organizational fit. HEXACO’s Six Dimensions:  Honesty-Humility: sincerity, fairness, and modesty over manipulation  Emotionality: empathy and emotional sensitivity  Extraversion: energy, sociability, and assertiveness  Agreeableness: patience and tolerance  Conscientiousness: organization and responsibility  Openness to Experience: curiosity and creativity A strong Honesty-Humility score in HEXACO aligns with ethical behavior and integrity, helping to build a team that embodies trust and dependability. By covering more than integrity alone, HEXACO offers a nuanced view of personality, making it invaluable for hiring and development.  Ready to foster a culture of integrity? 🤝 👉 Sign up for a free demo and explore how HEXACO can help you build a team with both the skills and values your organization needs. #Integrity #HEXACO #PersonalityTesting #EthicalHiring #WorkplaceCulture #HRTools #TalentAcquisition #EmployeeScreening #HiringSolutions #HonestyHumility #WorkEthics 

Lyuba Ivanova explaining the add value of Lumina Learning personality tool. Well done!

Putting Integrity to the Test: How Situational Judgment Reveals True Character What are SJTs? Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) are all about real-life scenarios. Picture this: instead of answering abstract questions, candidates are given situations they might actually face on the job, along with a few options for how they might respond. From there, assessors can get a better sense of how candidates would handle real-world problems, especially those requiring good judgment and ethical decision-making. SJTs are particularly useful when it comes to integrity because they present test-takers with ethically complex, often high-stakes situations. Rather than gauging technical skills or general personality traits, SJTs target non-cognitive skills, like ethical standards and interpersonal abilities. For roles where honesty, responsibility, and ethical decision-making are essential, SJTs offer a practical way to predict how candidates will behave when facing difficult choices. Imagine a scenario for an accountant at a financial firm: You're part of a small team working on a report due tomorrow. Late in the evening, you notice a mistake in a key data point that could change one of the report’s conclusions. Your team lead, Sam, has already reviewed and approved the report, and everyone is ready to submit it. You know that fixing the mistake will require extra work and might frustrate Sam, who had emphasized meeting the deadline above all. Options: 🤔 Bring the error to Sam’s attention immediately, even if it means working late to fix it. 🤔 Submit the report as is, trusting that the mistake is minor enough not to affect the overall findings. 🤔 Fix the error yourself and resubmit the report quietly without telling Sam. 🤔 Raise the issue with the team to discuss whether fixing it is worth the delay. Each response option sheds light on the candidate’s integrity, decision-making style, and willingness to confront difficult situations. Their choice provides a valuable window into how they’d handle ethical dilemmas on the job. Using SJTs to assess integrity is powerful because it’s not just theoretical—these tests mirror real pressures and ethical challenges candidates could face. This approach doesn’t just reveal what they say they’ll do; it shows how they think, prioritize, and act in complex situations, offering a more genuine view of who they are as potential employees. Ready to foster a culture of integrity? 🤝 👉 Sign up for a free demo and explore how SJTs can help you build a team with both the skills and values your organization needs. #IntegrityInAction #SituationalJudgment #EthicalHiring #WorkplaceEthics #BehavioralAssessment #DecisionMaking #ProfessionalIntegrity #HiringTrends #JobAssessment #WorkplaceValues 

The Role of Integrity Tests in Building a Trustworthy Workplace In our previous posts, we explored what integrity means and why it’s essential for organizations. Now, let’s dive into the role of integrity tests. Integrity tests are tools designed to assess whether an employee might engage in behaviors that could harm the organization. By identifying potential risks, these tests help reduce problems like theft, absenteeism, and dishonesty. While not a perfect solution, integrity tests positively impact the workplace by limiting these behaviors and safeguarding productivity and profitability. Beyond detecting ethical risks, integrity tests evaluate key qualities such as trustworthiness, responsibility, and work ethic. Research shows that employees who score well on these assessments are often more productive in their roles. In recruitment, ethics tests also help identify early signs that a potential employee might: 👉 Steal from the company or customers  👉 Lie for personal gain or to cover mistakes  👉 Overlook unethical behavior or avoid accountability  👉 Cheat on assessments  👉 Mistreat colleagues  👉 Miss work frequently In upcoming posts, we’ll discuss different types of integrity tests. Stay tuned—and sign up for a free demo to discover integrity testing solutions tailored to your organization’s goals! Do you want to foster a culture of integrity in your organization? Let us help you! Sign up for a free demo and explore solutions that best fit your organization’s goals, empowering you to build a team that excels in both skills and ethical values. #IntegrityInHiring #WorkplaceCulture #EthicsTesting 

Measuring the Dark Triad is a crucial step in preventing derailed behavior. At Neumen, we firmly believe that most people are inherently good and eager to grow and develop. However, it’s equally important to ensure that your efforts and resources are not directed toward the small minority who prioritize self-interest over the well-being of others. Understanding these dynamics is key to fostering a productive and trustworthy environment.

Integrity Testing in Hiring: Results of our research At Neumen, we recently partnered with Lyuba Ivanova from Leiden University to explore how integrity testing is used in hiring—and the results are intriguing! 🌍 Our research reveals that organizations outside the Netherlands are embracing integrity testing three times more than Dutch companies, and they report higher satisfaction. Non-Dutch respondents also face fewer issues, possibly due to greater familiarity with the tests, while Dutch organizations encounter recurring challenges. This disparity suggests that Dutch companies may be missing a powerful opportunity to enhance hiring effectiveness. The main concern among respondents is reliability and validity—though robust academic research backs the effectiveness of these assessments. So, what’s driving the hesitation in the Netherlands? Cultural factors? Familiarity? Or simply preference? These findings invite a deeper conversation on how integrity testing could enrich recruitment practices everywhere. Are there unexplored opportunities or insights we’re overlooking? Do you want to foster a culture of integrity in your organization? Let us help you! Sign up for a free demo and explore solutions that best fit your organization’s goals, empowering you to build a team that excels in both skills and ethical values. #HR #TalentAcquisition #IntegrityInHiring #GlobalRecruitment #ValuesDrivenHiring #ResearchInsights #WorkplaceCulture