Have you ever come across a Values profile that looks like someone dumped a can of blue paint across it? We are talking about those profiles that have 8-10 elevated values (>65%) on the MVPI. We typically expect to see just a few higher values on the MVPI, so what does it mean when all values are high?
There are three schools of thought around high MVPI profiles. The first is that these types of individuals tend to be very passionate about a wide variety of things; thus, their high level of interest across the ten scales. Sometimes, we see this with individuals who are younger in their career; they may want a lot of different things to fulfill all their desires. This approach embraces the belief that these individuals will be hard to satisfybecause they will always be wanting more. Conversely, the second school of thought is that these high scorers will be easily satisfied because one or more of their values is bound to be fulfilled given their wide interests. The third school of thought is that these individuals are unsure of their motivating factors across the various dimensions on the MVPI, and consequently may respond in a manner that indicates they are interested in many things.
To delineate which framework these individuals might fall into, it is helpful to look at the “Identity” subscale on the HPI Ambition scale. Those scoring higher on this subscale likely have a clear idea of where they want to go in their career, and although they may have many different passions, they have probably found channels to fuel each of these values. Alternatively, an individual scoring low on “Identity” may be struggling to set future career goals and have an unclear understanding of to set and obtain goals around what they want out of life.
When interpreting this type of profile, it is important to help the individuals understand what values are most important to them and how they go about getting those values met in or outside the work environment. If an individual is not getting particular needs met either inside or outside of work, this may be an area to explore further. Ask the individual if there are other ways that he/she could get a particular need met. For example, if an individual is high on Affiliation, but works from home most of the time, encourage him/her to work from a coffee shop periodically or take occasional breaks to go to the grocery store or somewhere else where he/she can see and interact with other people. Another example might be if the individual is not getting all his/her values met at work, he/she may engage in activities outside of work. These could be certain hobbies or activities which would allow him/her to meet those needs that go unmet in the workplace.
The key coaching tip is to leverage these individuals’ strengths. Draw ties from their HPI results to identify which values align with their day-to-day strengths and ensure that they are getting these values met in their role. You can also draw ties with the HPI and HDS to determine if there are development opportunities for these individuals. For instance, this person may have very high passion for many different things, which may lead to a lack of focus, and potentially a lack of follow through, causing him/her to appear easily distractible to others. Look for high scores on the Learning Approach (HPI) and Imaginative (HDS) scales to determine if this might be the case.
Finally, when walking individuals through the interpretation of their MVPI results, discussing them in clusters might be a nice option. Much like the HDS, the MVPI can be divided into four clusters or factors: -Status, Social (Relationship), Financial (Predictability), and Decision-Making (Sense-making) that help us group the individual scales together and think of the groups more holistically. The Status cluster includes Recognition, Power, and Hedonism; the Social cluster includes Altruism, Affiliation, and Tradition; the Financial cluster includes Security and Commerce; and the Decision-Making cluster includes Aesthetics and Science. For example, if an individual is high on Recognition, Power and Hedonism, we might talk about these three values as a status cluster, meaning that this individual values work hard/play hard environments where he/she is able to assert influence and be recognised for a job well done. Individuals with many elevations on the MVPI may find it easier to digest the information contained in this assessment when you talk in terms of clusters instead of scale by scale.
