Can Personality AI Help You Predict Employee Needs and Drivers?

Effective communication in dynamic office scenarios can be a complex task, especially considering the myriad personality types comprising your workforce. Could personality AI address this challenge? In an exclusive with Greg Skloot of Crystal, we delve into:

• What is personality AI?
• Use cases of personality AI in HR
• Business benefits you could expect from this technology

The global market for artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly growing, expected to reach $118.6 billion by 2025Opens a new window . The number of AI startups in the market is increasing as each explores cutting-edge innovations in how cognitive technology could help users in their personal and professional lives. One of the latest trends in this space is the rise of personality AI, which lets you assess an employee/colleague/customer’s personality by scanning publicly available information and conversation patterns.

So, what does this mean for HR practitioners looking to tailor employee experiences as per individual personality? We spoke to Greg Skloot, co-founder, president, and COO of CrystalOpens a new window , a company that pioneered the use of personality AI in work scenarios. He shared valuable insights on what personality AI means for your HR function, and how to leverage its potential.

Learn More: The Integration of AI into HR – The New Psychological FrontierOpens a new window

What Is Personality AI and What Are Its Benefits?

The modern workplace is made up of multiple personality types, all acquiring a different approach to communication, engagement, and productivity. HR must be acutely aware of employee personality when designing strategies and solutions. But for large workforces and newly onboarded teams, this can be challenging. As a result, communication becomes inefficient, falling short of the desired goals and impacting interpersonal relationships in the workplace.

This is where personality AI can play a massive role. A personality AI platform generates insights on each employee and suggests the right mode of communication with them.

“Personality AI is a new technology that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict someone’s personality from publicly available information. Personality AI uses text samples (like a resume or LinkedIn profile) to help you easily understand how to best interact with someone,” explains Skloot.

So, how can this help HR? Skloot highlights three clear benefits:

1. Empathy

It can be hard for HR to empathize with someone who has just joined the organization or is located at a different site. Personality AI unearths data into each employee’s behavior and what motivates them. “When you have helpful insights into someone’s personality – why they act, speak or think the way they do – you can understand and identify with them more,” Skloot says.

2. Relationship-building

We all know that the right thing said at the right time can make all the difference to a relationship. Personality AI equips you with actionable recommendations, guiding conversations on the right path. “This can lead to a boost in company morale, engagement, and long-term loyalty,” comments Skloot.

3. Teamwork

Every team will have a diverse composition, with each employee contributing a unique set of skills and personality traits. Personality AI gives managers the requisite data to assemble teams with the perfect balance of capabilities and perspectives.

Skloot tells us why this is so important: “Though each person also has their own blind spots, the strengths of other team members are more likely to naturally compensate them when the group is well-rounded.”

If you’re looking to weave personality AI into your HR technology stack, it’s important to know exactly where it could make a difference. Here are a few use cases where you could expect personality AI to change the game.

Learn More: Personality Based Engagement – Tips and Tricks on Meeting an Employee’s Individual NeedsOpens a new window

Key Use Cases of Personality AI in HR

Crystal’s personality AI technology isn’t just about improving employer productivity via communication. From internal stakeholders and contingent workers to your customers and channel partners, communication is now the operational backbone of any company. Aligning your communication approach to the unique personality of an individual can significantly boost the effectiveness, impact, and impression made via the conversation. Here’s why this makes sense specifically for HR:

1. Gauge a candidate’s personality before you reach out

According to LinkedIn, 70% Opens a new window of the global workforce comprises passive candidates! This means that as a recruiter, you must be equipped with a highly targeted communications strategy when interacting with talent, ensuring that you can convert them into valuable employees. Personality AI can extract data from public LinkedIn profiles to give you a quick glance at a candidate’s personality and the communications tactics most likely to convert them into interested applicants.

2. Empower your managers with leadership skills

Not every manager will be equally skilled at communicating with their reportees. As a result, ineffective communications could be holding back productivity and impeding the work culture — in extreme cases, it could even lead to conflicts in the workplace. Personality AI can be integrated into workplace conversation apps such as Slack to give your managers instant advice on the best practices for communication. The AI tool will analyze the employee being spoken to, suggesting helpful tips as per their personality type.

3. Take intelligent decisions, in the moment

Modern workplaces are highly dynamic, requiring HR and team leaders to make on-the-spot decisions without being able to check detailed employee profiles, portfolios, or performance reviews. That’s why the mobile capabilities of personality AI are so important – it offers invaluable insights on every employee before you make a big decision, from any device, at any location.

Learn More: Employee Experience, Jobs and Skills – How AI will Impact HROpens a new window

Looking Ahead: How Personality AI Could Drive Your Bottom Line

Apart from the obvious benefits like smarter customer management and increased employee productivity, AI could also ensure there’s a smart mix of personalities in the workplace. Using personality AI, you could avoid hiring candidates with identical profiles, ensuring diversity. We all know that diversity and inclusion in the workplace is good for businessOpens a new window , and Skloot firmly agrees.

“Take our team at Crystal, for example. We have a wide range of personalities – no two are the same. So while I may not have a knack for brainstorming new, inventive ideas, I know that my co-founder, Drew, is likely to passionately think them up on a regular basis. Similarly, Drew tends to have a harder time handling day-to-day operations at Crystal. Luckily, my personality makes me a good fit for managing people and keeping track of the details,” he mentioned.

Clearly, this is a promising area for innovation and new tech-developments for 2020 and beyond. Companies like Crystal, with its personality AI platform, and IBM, with its Watson-based Personality Insights servicesOpens a new window , are already setting the foundation upon which this technology can be leveraged. Through personality AI, HR will be able to redefine workplace communication and strengthen relationships like never before, setting their organization on an incredible growth path.

Do you think personality AI could revolutionize the future of HR? Tell us on FacebookOpens a new window , LinkedInOpens a new window , or TwitterOpens a new window . We are waiting to hear about your perspective!