Scientific Background of the PPA
 

The PPA is based on the theories of Jung and Cattell who stated that an individual's personality can well be described as a combination of traits. In a trait two properties having empirically determined to be opposite of each other are placed on opposite ends of a scale. For example: extravert vs. introvert, emotionally stable vs. neurotic, sensible & down-to-earth vs. intuitive & creative. Jung employed four traits, whereas Cattell employed many more and assigned strange sounding names to the extremes as harria, premsia, threctia, etc. This philosophy combined with a fresh look on the current labor market produced over 50 properties (over 25 traits), in which the traditional properties - the so-called intrinsic properties - constitute the framework. The "modern" characteristics - the task-oriented properties (e.g. leadership, decision-making, responsibility, etc) and the social orientations (e.g. commercialism, generalism) - are positioned over the matching intrinsic properties in the framework and form the theoretical basis for the PPA. 

extraversion introversion
thinking feeling
sensing intuition

 
Tridimensional personality profile
 
1. Success-factors
intrinsic properties  

During the analysis candidates choose from four options the most and the least matching traits. By this method, all candidates will obtain a series of success-factors and aspects of development at the end of the analysis. It concerns the intrinsic properties (intrinsic=essential): initiative, accuracy, creativity, empathy, sense of humor, team spirit, appearance, overview, autonomy, persistence, etc. This group of properties constitutes the first (and deepest) personality layer.  

2. Professional Profile 
task-oriented properties - competences

The professional profile consists of task-oriented properties deriving their significance from typical work situations. These task-oriented properties are the result of a proper combination of underlying intrinsic properties: leadership, decision making, responsibility, work-motivation, ambition, enterprising attitude, commercialism, etc. The task-oriented properties constitute the second personality layer.  

3. Determining the personal typology
social orientations  

Eventually, all intrinsic and task-oriented properties are linked together, resulting in the "social orientations", thereby constituting the third personality layer. A social orientation tells you what kind of (basic)-type a candidate is: intellectual, artistic, professional, social, specialistic, generalistic, practical, conformistic, commercial and entrepreneurial. 


 
What makes the PPA so unique? 
 

The PPA creates an tridimensional personality profile: a candidate's personality will be described in terms of all professionally relevant properties (in width) at three levels/dimensions (in depth). The multi-dimensional aspect allows the PPA to widen the perspective on personality, thereby giving a glance of the candidate's Personal Potential, revealing his/her previously unknown talents and career opportunities.

Macro level
  • At this level there are 10 social orientations (SO's) 
  • The candidate's personal typology consists of 3 a 4 SO’s 
  • Makes the connection between personality and the labor market 
Meso level
  • At this level there are 10 task-oriented properties or competences 
  • The candidate's professional profile consists of 3-4 task-oriented properties (competences) 
  • Makes the connection between personality and work-environment 
Micro level
  • At this level there are 50 intrinsic properties 
  • The candidate's SW-analysis consists of 10-20 success-factors and of 10-20 aspects of development 
  • All intrinsic properties are mutually connected by the task-oriented properties and the SO's 
 
Example: Profile of a Sales Manager 
 
 
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