As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in the way we work, the conversation is shifting.
The question is no longer simply, what can AI do? It is also, what will humans need to do exceptionally well?
Hogan research highlighted five human capabilities expected to become increasingly valuable in an AI-enabled workplace:
- Judgement
- Interpersonal skill
- Originality
- Adaptability
- Character
For organisations thinking about leadership, talent and workforce capability, these five areas raise an important question: can we understand them through personality?
The answer is yes, but with an important caveat.
None of these capabilities can be reduced to a single personality dimension. They are complex workplace behaviours that emerge from combinations of personality characteristics, motivations and behavioural tendencies.
That is where a comprehensive personality framework such as the frameworks underpinning Hogan’s personality assessments becomes particularly valuable. Rather than searching for a single score that represents “good judgement” or “adaptability”, we can examine the broader patterns that influence how an individual is likely to approach decisions, relationships, change and responsibility.
Judgement: Understanding how people make decisions
Judgement is perhaps the most complex of the five capabilities.
There is no single Hogan scale that tells us whether somebody will consistently exercise good judgement. Instead, personality helps us understand the tendencies and potential biases that shape how a person approaches decisions.
For example:
- Higher Bold may be associated with greater willingness to take risks and assume positive outcomes.
- Higher Colourful may increase the attraction of decisions that create visibility, impact or attention.
- Higher Cautious may contribute to hesitation when decisions involve uncertainty or potential downside.
- Higher Learning Approach may increase the desire to gather information and build understanding before acting.
Two leaders may reach the same decision for very different reasons. One might move quickly because of confidence and optimism, while another might act only after extensive analysis. Both approaches can be effective in the right environment and problematic when overused.
Personality data therefore gives organisations a richer way to explore the question: what is likely to influence this person’s judgement, particularly when the situation is ambiguous, high-pressure or unfamiliar?
Interpersonal skill: The personality foundations of EQ
As technology takes on more analytical and transactional activities, the ability to work effectively with other people is likely to become even more valuable.
Within the Hogan framework, two scales are particularly important when considering interpersonal effectiveness:
- Adjustment
- Interpersonal Sensitivity
Together, these provide a strong foundation for understanding emotional intelligence.
Adjustment provides insight into emotional stability, resilience and the way an individual is likely to respond under pressure. Interpersonal Sensitivity reflects tact, warmth, consideration and attentiveness to others.
Other personality characteristics can add further context.
For example, Sociability may support networking and relationship building, while very high levels may also create a tendency to dominate conversations or listen less. Reserved may influence whether someone appears distant or detached under pressure. Affiliation can help us understand the extent to which an individual values social connection and opportunities to interact with others.
This reinforces an important principle of personality assessment: effective interpersonal behaviour depends on how characteristics combine, rather than whether a person is simply “high” or “low” on one trait.
Originality: Where new ideas begin
Of the five capabilities, originality has one of the clearest personality patterns.
Two Hogan dimensions are particularly relevant:
- Inquisitive
- Imaginative
Inquisitive reflects curiosity, openness to new possibilities and an interest in ideas, while Imaginative captures the tendency to think creatively, unconventionally and beyond established approaches.
Together, these characteristics can provide useful insight into an individual’s propensity to generate novel ideas and challenge conventional thinking.
There is also an important watch-out.
The same characteristics that support originality can, at very high levels, produce ideas that are difficult to implement or disconnected from practical constraints.
For organisations, the goal is therefore broader than simply identifying “creative people”. It is understanding how originality is likely to show up, where it will add value and what conditions may help convert novel thinking into useful outcomes.
Adaptability: Curiosity, learning and willingness to change
Adaptability is frequently discussed as a critical future-of-work capability, and personality can tell us a great deal about how readily an individual is likely to respond to change.
The strongest Hogan indicator is Learning Approach.
People who are motivated to learn are more likely to actively seek information, build new knowledge and adjust as circumstances evolve.
A number of other characteristics can contribute to adaptability, including:
- Higher Inquisitive, reflecting curiosity and openness to new ideas
- Lower Bold, reducing overconfidence in existing assumptions
- Lower Cautious, supporting greater comfort with uncertainty
- Lower Diligent, allowing more flexibility around established processes and standards
- Lower Tradition, reducing attachment to established conventions
- Higher Science, supporting interest in evidence, analysis and emerging information
Again, the value comes from considering the combination.
Adaptability is more than being comfortable with change. It involves learning, questioning assumptions, experimenting with different approaches and letting go of practices that are no longer effective.
In an AI-enabled workplace, these behaviours will become particularly important as roles, systems and expectations continue to evolve.
Character: Integrity when choices become more complex
The final capability is character.
As AI creates new possibilities for speed, scale and automation, organisations will continue to rely on people to make choices about how those capabilities should be used.
The team highlighted integrity as a central component of character, including being true to one’s word, treating people fairly and avoiding double-dealing.
Two Hogan scales are especially relevant:
- Higher Prudent
- Lower Mischievous
Higher Prudence is associated with reliability, responsibility and adherence to standards, while lower Mischievous can indicate less willingness to bend rules, test boundaries or take advantage of others for personal gain.
Motivational values also provide useful context.
Within the MVPI:
- Lower Hedonism may reduce the tendency to prioritise what is easiest, fastest or most immediately rewarding.
- Higher Altruism may increase consideration of the impact decisions have on other people.
These insights matter because character often becomes most visible when there is tension between competing priorities.
Policies and governance frameworks remain important, but organisations also need people who can exercise sound ethical judgement when the answer is not obvious.
From individual scales to patterns of behaviour
The most important takeaway from these five capabilities is that personality should not be treated as a collection of isolated scores.
Judgement is not one scale.
Interpersonal skill is not one scale.
Originality, adaptability and character are not single dimensions either.
They are multifaceted behaviours that emerge through the interaction of personality characteristics, values, strengths and potential derailers.
This is also why sophisticated personality assessment becomes more valuable as work becomes more complex.
A single trait may tell us something useful. A broader personality profile allows us to understand how different tendencies may work together, where strengths are most likely to emerge and where an individual may need greater self-awareness or support.
The human advantage in an AI-enabled workplace
AI will continue to change the activities people perform and the capabilities organisations value.
Yet the increasing importance of judgement, interpersonal skill, originality, adaptability and character points to something fundamental: the future of work will still depend heavily on understanding human behaviour.
Personality provides a powerful lens for doing that.
Through a deeper understanding of how people are likely to think, relate, learn, decide and respond under pressure, organisations can make more informed decisions about leadership development, selection, succession and workforce capability.
The opportunity is therefore greater than identifying whether someone “has” a particular future-ready capability.
It is understanding the personality patterns that shape how they are likely to demonstrate it, where it may become a strength, and what could get in the way.
As AI capability increases, that depth of human insight may become more valuable than ever.
