Assessing behavioural signatures in multiple, speeded assessments to illuminate intraindividual patterns of behaviour across situations

Abstract

Recently, multiple, speeded assessments (MSAs) have emerged as an attractive selection and assessment method that confronts candidates with a large set of job‐related behavioural simulations. This study draws on the theory of behavioural signatures (Mischel & Shoda, 1995, Psychological Review , 102 , 246) to argue that there is untapped potential in MSAs. Besides obtaining information on candidate's mean level, it also allows assessing their intraindividual patterns of behaviour variations (“behavioural signatures”) across these simulations. We predicted that an assessment of behavioural signatures represents substantive information and improves the prediction of future performance above and beyond mean scores. Data were obtained from a sample of 96 junior managers who were rated by assessors on four interpersonal dimensions in an MSA that contained 18 short interpersonal role‐plays. Results showed that participants can indeed be characterized by unique intraindividual patterns of behaviour variations across the role‐plays and that participants differ in terms of these behavioural signatures. Moreover, between‐person differences in behavioural signatures matter because, for submissiveness, affiliation and quarrelsomeness, they predict supervisory ratings of communication skills above and beyond participants' mean levels of submissiveness, affiliation and quarrelsomeness. The conceptual, research and practical implications of introducing the notion of behavioural signatures in assessment contexts are discussed.