What is behavioral mapping
Behavioral mapping is an HR resource to make the selection process more accurate and to improve people management, develop talent and count on maximum productivity.
Does your company still not do the behavioral mapping of candidates and employees and doesn’t even know how to do it?
The behavioral profile concerns the way each professional thinks and acts in a given situation. It is not a “crystal ball”, it is a process of strategic people management that can be applied by your HR.
In this post, you will learn about behavioral profile mapping, from concept to application, to find out why and how to use this tool in your company.
Behavioral mapping is a process that allows HR to identify patterns of behavior and to know the profile of each professional in the company.
The “design” of the behavioral map is based on the application of different techniques such as tests, interviews, simulations and group dynamics .
Each of the techniques applied allows HR to present situations to professionals and understand how each one thinks and reacts in each context.
What is behavioral profiling
As we said earlier, the behavioral profile is the way a person acts on a day-to-day basis , whether in everyday situations or not. An assessment that applies to the professional context.
The discovery of a professional’s profile is based on four predominant profiles:
- executor;
- communicator;
- planner;
- analyst.
Each behavioral profile indicates a predominant behavior pattern or trend.
This concerns different factors such as professional performance, socio-emotional skills and even the appropriate training model for the development of the worker.
We recommend that you check out the article in which we point out the benefits of knowing the behavioral profile of employees . The reading will allow you to understand the predominant characteristics of each profile.
The importance of mapping
A survey carried out by Page Personnel shows that 9 out of 10 workers are hired based on their technical profile and fired based on their behavioral profile .
Over the years, companies are learning to value the human side of work relationships more.
Something that has even modified people management and allowed the existence of a more strategic HR.
Technical skills, known as hard skills , are still important.
However, soft skills such as emotional intelligence, adaptability and empathy have been increasingly appreciated.
A professional with an excellent resume may, in the end, not have the behavior expected by the company.
Something that results in a series of stresses until culminating in contractual termination.
Understanding the importance of behavioral mapping and applying it allows the company to:
- have more assertiveness in your selection process to assemble teams that meet the needs of the organization;
- contribute to the development of the talents that already make up the staff, making the most of their potential.
It is increasingly clear to top management the importance of human capital in companies.
The success of an enterprise depends directly on the people who participate in it daily.
Therefore, choosing well and better directing the performance of hired professionals is essential . Something that becomes possible from behavioral mapping.
How to do behavioral mapping
Once you understand the importance, you probably already want to know how to do the behavioral profile map to find out what kind of task you have ahead of you, right? Come on!
Mapping has three essential points:
- Note;
- application of techniques;
- consolidation of results.
Next, we will present some options that your company can adopt.
1-Observe the attitudes of the employees
Not always all the characteristics of a professional are evidenced in a test or behavioral interview. Therefore, observing the worker in the face of a real situation makes a difference.
With its expertise , HR must be prepared to apply evaluation and analysis techniques that are not easily circumvented by professionals.
Saying this does not mean that a candidate or employee will, in bad faith, attempt to deceive the company.
The thing is, when we know we’re being tested, we don’t always act so naturally .
Therefore, first of all, one of the most important strategies for behavioral mapping is observation.
Observing employees in their day-to-day work is essential to know their way of thinking and acting.
The exercise allows you to assess factors such as organization, communication, productivity, relationships and more.
Tip! Group dynamics and simulations can be a good resource to create better behavioral observation opportunities for HR analysis.
2-Apply a behavioral profile test
The behavioral test favors both self-knowledge and an assessment of behavior trends and of each professional.
It is a behavioral diagnosis that allows the company to:
- do profile mapping;
- identify the skills needed to perform activities;
- assess whether or not there is compatibility between the profile of a professional and a strategic position;
- promote the integration of employees with different skills to form a diverse and productive team;
- discover new leaders;
- help employees develop emotional intelligence and other soft skills at work through self-awareness;
- better direct tasks and responsibilities in more challenging times, such as an eventual crisis.
Tests for behavioral mapping can follow different methods, such as printed questionnaires or the use of software designed for this purpose.
In any case, it is possible to rely on objective and/or subjective questions, and even complement the test with other techniques.
It is up to HR to better study the possibilities and define the most appropriate path to follow.
3-Take a STAR Behavioral Interview
The interview is commonly a technique used during selection processes. The STAR methodology can be chosen so that behavioral mapping leads to better hiring.
The idea of the methodology is to allow HR to identify how a candidate would react to a given situation. Look:
- Situation : identification of the event to be faced and its context;
- Task: the interviewee’s responsibility or role in the face of the event ;
- Action : how the interviewee acted (or would act) to deal with the event in question; what were the thoughts, strategies and attitudes;
- Result : what were the results and lessons learned from the whole situation.
The purpose of the STAR methodology in an interview is to know how a professional thinks and behaves.
Do you understand why this is a good technique for behavioral mapping?
It is worth knowing, interviews can also be done with employees, people already hired by the company. Profile assessment is not restricted to the hiring process.
4-Conduct a DISC behavioral analysis
The application of the DISC methodology is a common choice for those who want to do behavioral mapping of employees.
Created from the studies of William Moulton Marston, an American psychologist, the methodology is based on objective questions.
Its proposal is to discover characteristics such as people’s strengths and motivations, as well as the best ways to manage them, strengthening their self-esteem, enhancing their abilities and reducing their flaws.
It is possible to apply the methodology through the DISC profile test that evaluates professionals based on the following characteristics:
- Dominance : executor profile
- Influence : communicator profile;
- Stability ; profile planner;
- Compliance : analyst profile.
The methodology can be applied during the selection process and with the aim of better managing employees and even relocating them in the company, based on their skills and abilities.
What are the benefits for your company?
The importance of behavioral mapping is something that becomes clearer when one understands the benefits involved.
From what we have shown so far, you may have already noticed that mapping is interesting, but it is not so simple to adopt. Therefore, we have some points to highlight.
1. Increase in productivity
Behavioral mapping allows employees, newly hired or not, to have assignments that are more consistent with their profile and skills.
This results in professionals performing tasks they know how to do well, with more confidence and motivation . Something that positively impacts your productivity.
2. Improved motivation
Since we mentioned it, it is worth noting that behavioral mapping makes employees realize that the company knows their strengths and values them.
This recognition, which translates into the adequacy of the tasks performed, contributes to more motivated employees.
3. Building stronger teams
Behavioral mapping allows HR and leadership to get to know the company’s employees better.
With this, in addition to readjusting tasks, they can restructure teams in order to make them stronger through the union of professionals with complementary skills .
4. Improved cultural fit
Cultural fit refers to a professional’s ability to align with the company’s culture, values and mission.
When HR uses behavioral mapping in the recruitment and selection process, it increases the chances of successfully promoting this alignment.
Thus, he starts to make more accurate hires that have a positive impact on the entire team.
5. Improvement of relocation processes
Internal recruiting is a process that allows the company to keep its talents but shift them to other functions.
The idea is to identify potential in employees that allow them to perform new functions with even more quality.
Profile mapping makes this process more accurate, preventing wrong changes from harming workers and the company as a whole.
6. Signaling the need for training
The training and development of people is also an HR attribution. By getting to know employees better through mapping, it is possible to identify issues that need to be improved.
If a team lacks performers, for example, and an employee demonstrates that potential, a development program can solve the problem.
7. Improved conflict management
Behavioral mapping helps HR and leadership understand how to best deal with each employee .
With this, it becomes possible to define more adequate strategies for the management of internal conflicts, and also for other necessary communications.
The point is that the company comes to know how to address employees in a more objective and effective way.
8. Reduction in turnover
All these advantages linked to behavioral mapping increase employee satisfaction and the organizational climate.
With this, the company can see a reduction in turnover since a more pleasant environment tends to prevent professionals from seeking new opportunities.
How to use mapping in management
We’ve already talked about how to do behavioral mapping from the perspective of the tools your company can use.
Now, let’s talk about how to use this map in people management, that is, bring a more practical view of the application of this resource by HR.
1-Recruitment and selection
Throughout the post, we mentioned different points that fit in the junction between the recruitment and selection process and behavioral mapping.
Finding good candidates can be quite a challenge. In addition to technical skills, HR needs to find professionals whose profile fits that of the team and the company’s culture.
That’s why we have a post that teaches you how to use the behavioral profile in the selection process , as it can make all the difference.
2-internal relationships
Human capital, that is, employees, are the focus of people management carried out by a strategic HR .
Understanding the needs of each professional and knowing what the company can do to meet them is important.
The idea is not simply to please, but to create conditions for each worker to reach their maximum potential.
With behavioral profile mapping, HR gets to know all workers better, being able to better direct the relationship between employees and the company .
This increases the feeling of well-being among the team, favors the organizational climate and motivation. As a result, results improve.
3-Productivity
Motivation and ability to produce go hand in hand. Therefore, HR needs to know that it is possible productivity from the behavioral profile”>to encourage productivity based on the behavioral profile of employees.
The idea goes through points that we have already presented and that have to do with discovering how each worker can contribute more and better to the company.
4-Planning and Integration
As already stated, behavioral mapping allows HR to build stronger teams.
Knowledge about the profile of each one makes it easier to plan teams considering the proposal to combine competencies.
Another factor that can be considered are common values and profiles with the aim of favoring integration and teamwork.
5-Self-knowledge and self-assessment
Last but not least, behavioral profile mapping tests are great self-assessment tools.
Through them, professionals can get to know each other better, have more clarity about their personality and how it influences their daily work.
Thus, they can begin to better understand their own competencies, strengths and weaknesses and know how to use them or what to improve.
