What are we researching?
People differ in personality, cultural background, abilities and interests. We study how such differences are related to, among other things, a person's work motivation, performance and resistance to stress. For example, what is the best measure of personality to predict performance? How do cultural differences affect communication between colleagues?
Why are we doing this research?
Individual differences between people have a relevant influence on behaviour in the workplace (and beyond). Understanding differences between people is essential for predicting how people will behave. This kind of information is, among other things, useful in personnel selection in organisations. But it is also important to put people in organisations in places that best fit their character and skills.
How does our research make an impact?
The knowledge and expertise gained from our research are used in practice in various ways, such as improving personnel selection procedures in organisations. Various organisations, such as the National Police, the Ministry of Finance and the Judicial Council, have asked the experts from the research group to evaluate their selection procedures and give advice on selection. For example, questionnaires developed by the research group that measure individual differences between people are used by selection and assessment agencies and consultancy organisations. In addition, the knowledge obtained is conveyed to the public in various ways, including in newspaper articles and radio programmes.