Choosing a workplace personality test starts with the purpose. A manager planning a team discussion needs a different kind of result from an employer evaluating a hiring assessment. Check what the tool measures, who the report describes, and what you will do after receiving it.
This guide explains ten assessments and frameworks that appear in workplace conversations. It is a practical shortlist, not a ranking based on employer usage data. Some entries describe individual traits or preferences, Belbin describes behavioral contributions, and TeamDynamics describes shared team behaviors.
Choose the purpose before the assessment
For team development, define the next conversation: communicating better, applying talents, sharing project responsibilities, or agreeing working habits. Inspect sample reports and the available team tools. For hiring, evaluate the specific product’s intended use and the evidence relevant to the role; a development report does not automatically support selection.
Tell participants what will be measured, how results will be used, and what they will be asked to share. Build time into the session for questions and real examples. A useful outcome is an agreement about the work, rather than a set of labels.
#1. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
MBTI describes four pairs of personality preferences and sixteen types. It can support conversations about receiving information, interacting, and considering decisions. MBTIonline Teams offers individual and team reports and a self-guided experience.
The provider states that MBTI is not intended for hiring, job placement, or team assignments. Ask people what helps them contribute, and plan the work around their skills and the task. See our MBTI team-building guide.
#2. DiSC assessment
DiSC explores individual behavioral styles through Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. Different providers offer different reports. Everything DiSC includes workplace learning, facilitation, and Catalyst group tools.
Use it to discuss how colleagues can adapt communication and respond to different working styles. Check the specific edition and platform rather than assuming every DiSC test includes the same features. Our DiSC alternatives guide compares other approaches.
#3. TeamDynamics
TeamDynamics measures shared behaviors across Communicating, Processing, Deciding, and Executing. In Pro, participants describe how the team works. Their completed responses contribute to the shared profile. Personal preferences separately inform private CoDynamics and do not determine the team result.
Use it when you want to discuss the team’s everyday habits: how updates reach people, what information shapes decisions, who decides, and how plans change. Pro includes a Team Profile, individual CoDynamics, a Manager Report, and a Team Discussion Guide. Pro costs $39 per participant once; Solo costs $29 once for one person’s view of their team.
#4. Big Five personality traits
The Big Five is a framework describing Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, often remembered as OCEAN. It is not one standardized commercial product. Vendors differ in instruments, reports, support, and intended use.
For team development, ask participants how a trait description relates to actual working preferences. A trait score alone does not establish someone’s skill or the team’s shared behavior. See our Big Five manager guide.
#5. StrengthsFinder (Gallup CliftonStrengths)
CliftonStrengths identifies talent themes for development. Top 5 highlights five leading themes; CliftonStrengths 34 provides the full ranking. Gallup also provides a Team Grid for discussing colleagues’ talents together.
Use it to ask where people want to apply a talent and how they might partner on a project. Keep responsibilities grounded in experience and interests. Our StrengthsFinder manager guide includes workshop activities.
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#6. 16Personalities
16Personalities describes its own NERIS model, with five scales and familiar four-letter codes plus an additional letter. It is distinct from the official MBTI assessment. Similar-looking type labels do not make the instruments interchangeable.
It offers a starting point for self-reflection and also advertises team assessments. Confirm the actual product and reports you plan to use. In a team conversation, invite people to explain their own preferences and avoid treating a type description as a prediction of performance.
#7. Hogan Assessments
Hogan is a provider with several assessments. The Hogan Personality Inventory describes everyday personality characteristics relevant to work; other Hogan instruments have different purposes.
Compare the actual instrument and reporting package, whether your goal is development or selection. Ask who will interpret the report and how its findings relate to the intended context. A provider’s product family should not be treated as one interchangeable personality test.
#8. Belbin Team Roles
Belbin describes nine clusters of behavioral contributions. People can contribute through several roles. Observer Assessments can add colleagues’ perspectives to the Self-Perception Inventory.
Belbin also offers Team Reports for discussing the group’s contributions. Use the result to explore project responsibilities and where support is needed, then check that interpretation with the team. See our Belbin alternatives guide.
#9. Enneagram
The Enneagram offers nine types as a framework for reflecting on motivations and growth. Providers and assessment formats vary.
Use it for a reflective conversation where participants choose what to share. Avoid assigning a type to someone else or presenting a type as a diagnosis of a workplace problem. Explore our Enneagram alternatives guide for other options.
#10. Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment
The PI Behavioral Assessment explores behavioral drives. Predictive Index offers products for hiring and team development; confirm the specific platform, reports, and intended application.
For a team session, review which collaboration questions the reporting package can support. For selection, evaluate the actual role and product rather than borrowing assumptions from a team-building guide. Do not infer the whole team’s shared habits from one person’s behavioral result.
Compare the ten options by purpose
| Assessment or framework | Main focus | Check before choosing |
|---|---|---|
| MBTI | Personality preferences | Individual or team edition; development purpose |
| DiSC | Behavioral styles | Provider, workplace report, platform and facilitation |
| TeamDynamics | Shared team behaviors | Pro for participant observations; Solo for one person’s view |
| Big Five | Five broad traits | The actual vendor and instrument |
| CliftonStrengths | Talent themes | Top 5 or 34; team discussion support |
| 16Personalities | NERIS traits and type descriptions | The specific individual or team product |
| Hogan | Measures vary across instruments | The instrument, reporting package, and interpretation |
| Belbin | Behavioral contributions | Self-perception, observer feedback, and team reporting |
| Enneagram | Motivations and reflection | The provider and how participants will share |
| Predictive Index | Behavioral drives | The specific hiring or team-development product |
Turn the assessment into a working agreement
- Name the question. For example: “How can we surface risks before a decision?”
- Explain the purpose and sharing. Give participants time to understand their own reports.
- Discuss a real example. Ask what fits the team’s experience and what needs more context.
- Choose one change. Name the action, owner, and review date.
- Review the experiment. Ask whether the change helped and what should happen next.
For example, a hypothetical team could circulate options before a decision meeting and record who makes the final call. That is an action to test, not evidence that a particular assessment guarantees better results.
Choose around the teamwork you want to improve
Individual assessments can support useful development conversations. TeamDynamics gives you a shared view of this team’s working habits and discussion slides to help turn the result into a practical agreement.
Start by inspecting a sample Team Profile and choosing the tool whose actual reports match your purpose.
