Increase work performance and employee happiness through Gamification
At WayFinders we use a brain test to assess the capabilities and potential of candidates. We’re often asked ‘do you do an IQ test? The answer is clear. No!
Brain test or IQ test
When the so-called IQ tests are used in HR processes, they are often reasoning tests. Think of the verbal, numerical and abstract tests. Such tests make far-reaching statements about someone’s intelligence. However, they only work with absolute meanings and do not take the context into consideration. Besides reasoning, there are many other brain functions that are important for our performance in the workplace.
Think of the manager who has to make quick choices or the assistant who has to work very accurately and with great concentration. Or the project manager who has to be stress-resistant and anticipate quickly. These are things that do not come out of a reasoning test, but do offer relevant insight into how someone will function in a particular role or context.
There are of course many other IQ tests from a clinical context that provide little insight into performance in the workplace. Once again there is a clear difference with the brain test, which does establish the link to the context at work.
Why a brain test?
Behaviour and performance have their origins in the brain, so the brain is a treasure chest of information for selecting or developing employees. A person’s brain is as unique as a fingerprint: each brain has its own combination of strengths and natural preferences. The interaction between these preferences and the environment leads to behaviour.
Mapping out a person’s brain profile allows us to gain insight into a person’s predisposition and thus into their behaviour. It provides us with information about the ease with which someone can adapt and the extent to which someone is cognitively agile. These skills will become very important in the future to guarantee the continuity of organisations and employees in an era where people refer to the 4th industrial revolution.
The result of this brain profile in itself cannot be trained, but understanding it teaches us a lot about how we can facilitate people’s development and how they can be supported to increase productivity in the workplace. There are methods that claim that the brain can be trained on the basis of a left- or right-hand dominant brain profile, but there is no evidence of this in research.
The long-standing discussion about discriminating factors in IQ tests – mainly regarding culture and origin – does not apply to the brain test. IQ tests have a low face validity; research shows that participants have little confidence in their reliability. The brain test is gender neutral and age has no impact on the result. Playing games also minimises discrimination on the basis of language use.
Brain profile at WayFinders
We map out which cognitive skills will be most relevant in a job and in the future. We compare this to a person’s unique brain profile and check the fit between both of them. All this is done on the basis of 4 games, 45 minutes. The result is a personal cognitive talent profile, a translation into daily behaviour and tips to improve performance in the future. The brain profile can be used both as an assessment game and as a development tool.
Do you know the top talent in your organisation? Do you want to give your employees insight into their own abilities? Looking for the right profiles? Enjoy our special offer now and gain insight into the brain profiles in your organisation!
You will receive an extensive report, including:
- Personal cognitive talent profile: general overview, visual representation, explanation per cognitive skill
- Translation of cognitive skill to concrete day-to-day behaviour
- Tips to improve performance in the future
- An additional conversation with personal advice regarding your development is also possible.
Want to know more? Read more about the Brain profile here or request one now by clicking on the button below.