Summary

  • Self-reporting tests can feel comfortable but often distort reality, reinforcing bias rather than revealing new understanding.
  • When people only describe themselves, teams risk becoming echo chambers that shut out external perspectives.
  • Measuring observable behaviour — especially through feedback from others — produces richer, more accurate results.
  • Always ask key questions before choosing a test: Why are we testing? What does it measure? What’s the evidence base?
  • Real growth comes from combining self-perception with others’ observations to uncover how people truly contribute to their teams.

How do you choose a behavioural or psychometric test?

There are three key questions to ask before you begin.

When organisations consider psychometric or behavioural tests, they should begin by asking:

  • Why are we testing? What outcome do we hope to achieve, and how well will different tests help us reach that outcome?
  • What exactly does the test measure? Some tests mix up behaviour (what people do) and personality (what people are).
  • What is the research behind it? Is there a solid theoretical basis? Does the test align with our organisation’s values? Are real-world results available?

If you know your goals, you’re more likely to select a test that gives real return on investment (ROI).

Self-reporting is not the 'safe option'

Many people are uneasy about tests because they worry about being “boxed in” or judged.

So organisations often choose self-reporting tests in hopes of making the process less threatening – the idea being: “If someone evaluates themselves, they won’t feel judged by others.”

But this approach has drawbacks.

  • The results reflect only the person’s own view of themselves — and that view may be skewed or incomplete.
  • The potential for real learning is limited if the individual lacks self-awareness.
  • The process can become a mere “tick-box” exercise, with little buy-in from employees.
  • If everyone just reports on themselves, underlying issues persist because nobody is provoking new viewpoints – the team stays in its own echo-chamber.

As Dr Meredith Belbin himself warned...

“These tests … rely on self-reporting. Most participants respond favourably … since it is their own inputs that have been processed and fed back to them. … Self-awareness and knowledge are at risk of becoming a closed system into which the perceptions of the external world fail to break.”

Meredith Belbin, Team Roles at Work, 1993

In other words: without external perspectives, the test results simply mirror how people already see themselves – and may ignore how others actually see them.

 

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Measure behaviour. Use observer feedback.

To make the most impact – to help people grow, and teams work better – focus on observable behaviour rather than just personality traits. Behaviour can be seen by others and linked to real-world examples, offering a more democratic and evidence-based approach.

At Belbin, observer assessments (short surveys completed by colleagues and managers) are a core part of the process.

The individual’s own view is combined with external feedback so that they don’t just “see themselves in the mirror”, but see how they show up in their team context.

Observer feedback in Belbin reports


What this means in practice:

  • Show individuals how they are actually perceived by colleagues and managers.

  • Highlight strengths others see (which the individual might not know about).

  • Identify what might be preventing the individual from being recognised or promoted — and offer ways to address it.

  • Clarify why they get on better with some people than others, and how the team’s culture might be affecting performance.

 

Belbin Individual Report Comparing Self And Observer Perceptions Showcase

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