Unlock personality insights with the Hogan Development Survey

Wouldn’t it be fantastic to identify risk behaviours before you hire or promote people? That’s where the Hogan Development Survey comes in.

Let’s look at the Hogan Development Survey, its uses and what personality traits it can reveal.

The Hogan Development Survey (HDS) was developed by Hogan Assessments (Drs Robert and Joyce Hogan) in 1997. It consists of 168 questions and takes about 15–20 minutes to complete, although it isn’t a timed test. It’s frequently used to assess candidates during a hiring process.

Unlike other personality assessments, the HDS solely focuses on traits that may cause future workplace issues, friction within an organisation and performance risks. Under normal circumstances, elevated scores on the HDS can be strengths, but in times of stress, they can cause problematic behaviours. Results are presented from the perspective of colleagues.

The survey does not include questions concerning sexual preferences, religious beliefs, illegal behaviour, racial attitudes or attitudes about individuals with disabilities.

Respondents are evaluated based on 11 personality scales, and scores are measured as a percentile against others. A high HDS score indicates an increased risk. Hogan Development Survey answers are presented on a four-point Likert scale. 

For example, this is what HDS questions look like:

I like taking risks.

People sometimes take advantage of me.

I go straight for the goal.

I like to keep things in control

The Hogan Development Survey is one of five assessment tools that together provide a detailed picture of any job candidate. The other surveys include:

The Hogan Development Survey is the only personality survey assessment that measures potential negative traits and possible barriers to career success. The survey results reveal what Drs Hogan call “the dark side of personality”. These detrimental personality traits show up during times of high stress, boredom or fatigue and may impede work relationships, hinder productivity, limit career potential and affect leadership style and actions.

The HDS measures dark-side personality characteristics along 11 personality scales. The higher the score, the more likely a person is to behave in a certain way when stressed. These primary scales identify what behaviours are most likely to derail someone in their career. The scales are divided into three clusters. 

Cluster A (Moving Away – managing insecurities by avoiding others)

High scores across Cluster A indicate people who prefer to distance themselves from problems. They avoid risk and tend to have a negative attitude and outlook. 

The Excitable scale measures the ability to work under pressure, teamworking skills and interpersonal skills. Under pressure, people who rank highly on this scale tend to be moody, difficult to please, easily frustrated and emotionally volatile. 

Example scale item: My mood can change quickly.

The Sceptical scale measures the degree to which an individual is argumentative. A high rating indicates that they are distrustful, cynical, suspicious, focused on the negatives and sensitive to criticism.

Example scale item: There are few people who I can really trust.

The Cautious scale assesses a person’s ability to make decisions, adapt as necessary and take control of situations. Add stress to this, and the resulting behaviours are unassertiveness, resistance to change, fear of embarrassment and pessimism.

Example scale item: It is difficult for me to be assertive.

The Reserved scale measures interpersonal, teamworking and communication skills. The reserved individual may be aloof, ignorant of social cues and a poor listener. They generally prefer to work alone and are perceived by others as uncaring and unrewarding to work with.

Example scale item: I prefer spending time by myself.

The Leisurely scale looks at assertiveness, the ability to adapt and the overall work ethic. These individuals appear to be cooperative on the surface, but they want things done on their own terms. They can be irritable, stubborn, and bad-tempered. They’re hard to work with because of their procrastination, tardiness and reluctance to work in a team environment.

Example scale item: I ignore people who don’t show respect.

Cluster B (Moving Against – managing self-doubts by intimidating others)

Those with high Cluster B scores are risk-takers and are often charismatic but self-absorbed. They will do what’s best for themselves rather than what’s best for the organisation.

The Bold scale assesses self-confidence and the willingness to take responsibility. These individuals are arrogant and opinionated, make risky decisions and may blame others for their shortcomings. They are demanding and unable to learn from their mistakes.

Example scale item: I do most things well.

The Mischievous scale measures the bias towards risk-taking and testing rules, intuitiveness and impulsivity. They may be seen as charming, excitement-seeking nonconformists who lack commitment. They make bad decisions motivated by pleasure without evaluating the consequences.

Example scale item: I have few regrets.

The Colourful scale looks at listening skills, productivity and attention seeking. High scores on this scale indicate that the individual tends towards the dramatic. They want to be the centre of attention. They tend to be easily distracted and disorganised. Although engaging, they are also impulsive, distractible and disorganised.

Example scale item: Other people pay attention to me.

The Imaginative scale measures creativity, foresight and the ability to influence others. High scores on the Imaginative scale indicate creative, eccentric individuals who may have great ideas but whose quirkiness may be very distracting. 

Example scale item: I am creative about my appearance.

Cluster C (Moving Towards – managing insecurities by building alliances)

Individuals with high scores in the two dimensions that make up Cluster C tend to work hard to fix problems or resolve stressors. They don’t cause conflict but aren’t able to effectively express their opinions.

The Diligent scale measures attention to detail, productivity and the ability to delegate tasks. High scores in this dimension indicate that the individual is a meticulous planner with great attention to detail but that they are hard to please and tend to micromanage because others don’t meet their expectations. They are seen as picky and critical perfectionists.

Example scale item: I take pride in organising my work.

The Dutiful scale measures the ability to conform, the tendency towards compliance and decision-making skills. A high score indicates an individual who is eager to please but reluctant to act independently or contradict others. They are polite and easy to work with but cannot be relied upon to think critically. They are excessively careful to please superiors.

Example scale item: I leave the big decisions to others.

The Hogan Development Survey is generally used for predicting success in the workplace and is exceptionally useful in evaluating a candidate for a leadership position where personality compatibility is crucial. It’s often used when hiring managers.

HDS can be used in management development programmes or leadership coaching to pinpoint areas that need to be addressed. 

It can also be utilised when building effective teams by addressing dysfunctional behaviours that hinder working relationships. “Dark side” traits will upset team dynamics and prove detrimental to the team’s performance. 

HDS helps predict barriers to career success, identify problems not detected during an interview and identify areas for coaching. It can also help predict how an individual will act in a variety of situations.

HDS reports provide in-depth insights such as:

The HDS identifies behaviours that can have a negative impact on an individual’s ability to work cooperatively and the dysfunctional patterns of behaviour that may emerge in work settings. The assessment can be used to identify areas where the candidate may require coaching, development and training to become more self-aware and effective.

The Hogan Development Survey is one of five personality assessments that can be used to identify potential areas of friction for employees, especially those in line for leadership positions. By discovering these traits through the HDS, an employee or candidate can become more self-aware and respond positively to coaching and training opportunities.

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