Understanding Conative Tests: Beyond Personality to Hardwired Drives
Discover how conative tests measure hardwired drives—not personality—to improve hiring, leadership, and team performance.
In the landscape of professional assessments, personality tests have dominated for decades. However, a different type of assessment—the conative test—offers unique insights that traditional personality assessments can't capture. These tests measure not who we are (personality) or what we know (cognitive), but how we naturally take action when faced with problems to solve.
Typing "conative" into your device will cause it to get red squiggly-lined, and maybe even autocorrected to "cognitive." But trust us, it’s a real word.
What is Conation and What Do Conative Tests Measure?
Conation comes from the Latin word "conatus," meaning "effort" or "striving." It represents our innate drive to act and solve problems—the natural, hardwired tendencies that influence how we approach tasks, make decisions, and interact with our environment.
While personality tests measure adaptable behaviors and preferences shaped by experience, conative tests measure more stable, innate drives that have typically been consistent since our teenage years. These drives represent how we are hardwired to work when free from external pressures.
Conative tests measure attributes such as:
- Natural pace and approach to tasks
- Innate tendencies toward structure versus flexibility
- Drive for precision and detail
- Motivation to influence outcomes or lead
- Need for social interaction versus independent work
- Adaptability to change versus preference for consistency
Benefits of Measuring Conative Traits
Understanding conative traits offers several advantages over solely relying on personality assessments:
1. Greater Stability Over Time
Conative traits tend to remain more consistent throughout adulthood, while personality can shift significantly based on environment, roles, and experiences. This stability makes conative assessments particularly valuable for long-term career planning and development.
2. Prediction of Natural Performance
Conative assessments help predict how someone will naturally perform in various environments. When someone's conative drives align with their role requirements, they often experience:
- Reduced stress and burnout
- Higher job satisfaction
- Better performance with less effort
- Longer tenure in roles
3. Insight Into Team Dynamics
Understanding the conative drives of team members reveals natural strengths and potential friction points, allowing leaders to:
- Optimize task allocation based on innate strengths
- Improve communication by acknowledging different working styles
- Create more balanced teams with complementary drives
- Reduce unnecessary conflict stemming from different approaches
Popular Conative Assessments in the Market
Kolbe A™ Index
One of the pioneers in conative assessment, the Kolbe A™ Index measures four "Action Modes":
- Fact Finder: How we gather and share information
- Follow Thru: How we organize and arrange
- Quick Start: How we deal with risk and uncertainty
- Implementor: How we handle space and tangibles
The Kolbe uses a 1-10 scale for each mode and focuses exclusively on these conative elements without mixing in personality factors.
Predictive Index
While Predictive Index doesn't specifically label itself a conative assessment, it measures what they call "drives" and needs through a two-list methodology. These drives—Dominance, Extraversion, Patience, and Formality—share similarities with conative factors, though they represent a blend of motivational and behavioral elements rather than pure conative traits.
Aptive Index: A Hybrid Approach to Assessment
Aptive Index represents a next-generation approach that combines elements of both conative and adaptive measurement, designed specifically for today's workplace challenges. The name itself—a blend of "adaptable" and "conative"—reflects this hybrid nature, measuring both hardwired drives and how these express themselves in workplace contexts.
Scientific Foundation
Aptive Index measures eight key attributes that research shows directly impact job performance and satisfaction:
Primary Attributes (ISCP)
- Influence: Drive to impact people, events, and outcomes
- Sociability: Drive for and energy gained from social interaction
- Consistency: Drive for stability, routine, and methodical approaches
- Precision: Drive for accuracy, adherence to rules, and attention to detail
Standalone Attributes
- Emotional Resonance: Ability to deeply connect with emotions
- Prosocial: Drive to support others and contribute to collective wellbeing
- Intensity: Natural pace and sense of urgency when approaching tasks
- Abstraction: Capacity for abstract thought and innovative problem-solving
The inclusion of Intensity as a distinct attribute is particularly valuable, as it measures a person's natural pace and sense of urgency independent from their preference for structure (Consistency) or detail (Precision). This distinction helps explain why some individuals can be simultaneously methodical yet quick-moving, or flexible yet deliberate in their pace.
User Experience Advantages
Designed for practical application in modern organizations, Aptive Index offers:
- Mobile-first platform design for easy access
- 8-minute average completion time versus 60+ minutes for many competitors
- Clear, actionable insights without requiring extensive interpretation
- Modern user interface following contemporary UX principles
Practical Implementation
Rather than purely theoretical insights, Aptive Index provides practical applications for:
- Hiring and selection decisions
- Team composition analysis
- Leadership development
- Conflict resolution
- Communication optimization
The Reality of Conative Assessments: Transparency Matters
While conative tests provide valuable insights, it's important to understand their limitations and proper context:
Stability vs. Rigidity
Conative traits are relatively stable but not completely static. They can shift subtly over time or in response to significant life events. The key distinction is that these shifts are typically:
- Gradual rather than sudden
- Limited in magnitude
- Often temporary during extreme circumstances
For example, someone might show slightly different conative patterns during major life transitions or periods of high stress, but their core tendencies generally remain recognizable.
Accuracy Trade-Offs
Shorter, more accessible assessments like Aptive Index prioritize practical usability and adoption. This creates inevitable trade-offs:
- Depth vs. Accessibility: More comprehensive assessments may provide deeper insights but require significantly more time and expertise to administer and interpret.
- Specificity vs. Applicability: Highly detailed assessments might capture nuanced variations but can become impractical for organizational use.
- Theoretical Purity vs. Practical Value: Some assessments maintain strict theoretical boundaries between conative, cognitive, and affective domains, while others like Aptive Index intentionally incorporate elements that have proven practical value for workplace applications.
Complementary, Not Comprehensive
Conative assessments should be viewed as one valuable tool in a broader toolkit for understanding human potential and performance, not as a complete solution. They work best when combined with:
- Skill and experience evaluation
- Cultural fit assessment
- Interviews and reference checks
- Performance data
Conclusion: The Future of Conative Assessment
As work environments become increasingly complex and dynamic, understanding conative drives becomes even more valuable. Modern assessments like Aptive Index reflect this evolution, combining scientific rigor with practical usability.
The most effective organizations recognize that conative assessment isn't about fitting people into rigid categories but about creating environments where everyone can contribute through their natural strengths while developing strategies to address areas of potential challenge.
By understanding the stable yet nuanced nature of conative drives, organizations can build more effective teams, reduce unnecessary friction, and create the conditions for both individual fulfillment and collective success.
Looking to explore how conative assessment could benefit your organization? Learn more about Aptive Index's modern, mobile-friendly approach to measuring innate drives and optimizing team performance at aptiveindex.com.
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We've all seen it: The perfect candidate on paper - impressive skills, stellar experience, glowing references. Then three months in, it's clear something's not clicking. They're struggling, the team's frustrated, and you're wondering how you missed the signs.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: We're asking all the wrong questions in hiring.
The Great Skills Chase
For generations, we've been obsessed with skills and experience. We scrutinize resumes, hunting for the perfect combination of certifications, tools, and past roles. But let's be honest - when was the last time a new hire walked in completely ready to go, with no need for training on your specific:
- Systems and tools
- Company processes
- Team dynamics
- Cultural norms
Yet we keep chasing the skills-unicorn while overlooking something far more fundamental: how people are naturally hardwired to work.
Understanding Hardwiring: The Missing Piece
Hardwiring represents the core drives and motivations that shape how someone:
- Processes information
- Makes decisions
- Solves problems
- Communicates with others
- Responds to pressure
- Approaches innovation
Unlike skills that can be taught or experiences that can be gained, these attributes are remarkably stable throughout someone's career. They're the foundation that determines not just if someone can do a job, but how they'll approach it and whether they'll truly thrive in the role.
The Hidden Cost of Getting It Wrong
The numbers are staggering:
- 46% of new hires fail within 18 months (Leadership IQ Study)
- Direct costs of a mis-hire range from 30% to 150% of annual salary (US Department of Labor)
- Up to 500% of annual salary when including comprehensive costs like recruiting, training, lost productivity, and culture impact (Society for Human Resource Management - SHRM)
- 80% of turnover is due to poor hiring decisions (Aptive Index research)
But these statistics only tell part of the story. The real costs run deeper:
- Disengaged employees going through the motions
- Team dynamics thrown off balance
- Innovation stifled by misalignment
- Culture eroding from within
The Hardwiring Revolution
Understanding hardwiring transforms how organizations:
Hire with Precision
Instead of gambling on resume keywords, you can predict how someone will actually perform in a role by understanding their natural drives and motivations.
Build Stronger Teams
When you understand how team members are hardwired to work, you can:
- Optimize communication patterns
- Reduce unnecessary friction
- Leverage complementary strengths
- Foster genuine collaboration
Develop Better Leaders
Leaders who understand hardwiring can:
- Adapt their management style effectively
- Build more cohesive teams
- Drive higher engagement
- Reduce turnover
- Increase innovation
Making the Shift
Ready to move beyond the resume? Here's how to start:
- Rethink Your Hiring Process Look beyond surface qualifications to understand candidates' natural drives and motivations.
- Map Your Team Understand the hardwiring of your existing team to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities.
- Align Roles with Nature Structure positions to leverage people's natural strengths rather than fighting against them.
- Build Understanding Foster a culture where different working styles are understood and valued.
The Future is Hardwired
In today's rapidly evolving workplace, understanding hardwiring isn't just an advantage - it's a necessity. Organizations that embrace this approach will:
- Build more resilient teams
- Drive higher performance
- Reduce costly turnover
- Create stronger cultures
- Unlock true innovation
The question isn't whether to make this shift, but how quickly you can implement it before your competition does.
Have you ever felt like everything in your life burned to ashes, forcing you to rebuild from nothing? That's exactly where I found myself several years ago—staring at the tattoo of a phoenix spreading across my chest, a permanent reminder of my personal cycle of destruction and rebirth.
But in that particular season of rebuilding, something profound happened. I discovered that the most powerful transformation doesn't come from changing your circumstances; it comes from changing how you understand yourself.
The Self-Awareness Delusion
Here's a startling truth: 90% of people believe they're self-aware, but only 10-15% actually are.
This massive gap isn't just interesting—it's dangerous, especially for leaders. When you lack true self-awareness, you're essentially navigating your life and career with a broken compass, convinced you're heading north while actually moving south.
True self-awareness isn't what most people think it is. It's not just acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses or recognizing when you're stressed. It's a much deeper, more nuanced understanding that operates on three distinct levels.
The Phoenix Framework: Three Levels of Self-Awareness
After years of working with executives and building businesses, I've developed what I call the Phoenix Framework—a three-level approach to achieving genuine self-awareness that can transform both your leadership and your life.
Level 1: Data - Knowing Your Behaviors
Most people stop here, mistaking it for complete self-awareness. This level involves recognizing your behavioral patterns:
- How you typically react in meetings
- Your communication style
- Your decision-making approach
- Your habits under pressure
This knowledge is valuable but limited. It tells you what you do, but not why it matters or what drives it.
Think of a leader who recognizes they tend to dominate conversations. They might work on talking less, but without deeper understanding, they'll likely replace one surface behavior with another without addressing the underlying dynamics.
Level 2: Impact - Recognizing Your Effect
This is where self-awareness begins to have real power. Understanding the ripple effects of your behaviors changes everything.
At this level, you recognize:
- How your actions affect others
- The unintended consequences of your communication style
- The organizational impacts of your leadership approach
- The emotional responses you trigger in different situations
When that same leader who dominates conversations understands that their behavior makes team members feel undervalued and less likely to share critical information, they're motivated to change in a way that simple behavioral awareness never could achieve.
Impact awareness transforms leadership because it connects behaviors to consequences. It's the difference between knowing you interrupt people and understanding that your interruptions are silencing the voices you most need to hear.
Level 3: Drives - Uncovering Your Core Motivations
This is the deepest and most transformative level of self-awareness. Here, you understand the innate drives and motivations that fuel your behaviors:
- What are your fundamental needs?
- What gives you energy versus what drains you?
- What hardwired tendencies shape your natural approach?
- What are you unconsciously seeking or avoiding?
Our dominating leader might discover they have a high drive for influence—a natural need to shape outcomes and direct conversations. This insight is powerful because it reveals that their need isn't wrong; it's just being expressed in a counterproductive way.
With an awareness of their drive, they can find healthier ways to satisfy that influence need—perhaps by focusing on asking powerful questions or by channeling their energy into strategic planning sessions where directive input is more valuable.
Why All Three Levels Matter
Each level of the Phoenix Framework builds on the previous one, creating a comprehensive understanding that transforms how you lead and live:
Data alone leads to surface-level behavioral tweaks that rarely stick.
Data + Impact creates meaningful motivation for change but may lead to suppressing natural drives rather than channeling them effectively.
Data + Impact + Drives allows for authentic transformation by helping you satisfy your core needs in ways that create positive rather than negative impact.
Rising From Your Own Ashes
The phoenix doesn't just rebuild itself identically after burning—it emerges as something new and more powerful. True self-awareness works the same way.
When you understand not just your behaviors but their impact and the drives behind them, you don't simply become a "better version" of yourself. You transform into something fundamentally more effective and authentic.
For me, that tattoo across my chest became more than just a symbol of surviving difficult times. It became a daily reminder of the continuous cycle of self-discovery and reinvention that powers genuine growth.
The most profound leadership tool isn't found in business books or management theories. It's found in the mirror—but only when you know how to look beyond the surface to see the complete picture of who you are, how you affect others, and what truly drives you forward.
Are you ready to rise from the ashes of self-unawareness?
Finding Common Ground
Across the political spectrum, there's broad agreement on these fundamental principles:
- The best person for the role should get the job
- Talent and potential exist in every community
- Hiring decisions should be based on objective criteria
- Unfair advantages or disadvantages shouldn't determine outcomes
- Organizations perform better when they hire the right people
The challenge isn't in these shared values – it's in how to achieve them in practice.
The Power of Data-Driven Hiring
This is where the science of psychometric assessment offers a path forward. By focusing on measurable, innate attributes that predict job success, we can help organizations:
1. Define Success Objectively
Instead of relying on subjective impressions or traditional proxies like education and experience, we can identify the specific cognitive and behavioral traits that drive success in each role. These attributes don't care about demographics – they care about how someone is naturally wired to work.
2. Standardize Evaluation
When every candidate completes the same scientifically validated assessment, measuring the same job-relevant attributes, we create a level playing field. The assessment doesn't know or care about a candidate's background – it measures their innate capabilities.
3. Remove Human Bias
By providing objective data about job-relevant attributes, we reduce reliance on individual opinions or unconscious biases. The numbers don't play favorites – they simply show how well someone's natural drives align with role requirements.
4. Focus on Potential
Rather than overemphasizing past experience or credentials, attribute-based assessment helps identify candidates with high potential who might be overlooked by traditional screening methods. This naturally expands the talent pool while maintaining focus on merit.
Real Results Through Scientific Rigor
Our validation studies demonstrate that focusing on innate attributes leads to:
- Higher performance ratings
- Increased retention
- Greater job satisfaction
- Improved team dynamics
Importantly, these results hold true across all demographic groups because we're measuring fundamental aspects of how people are wired to work – attributes that exist independent of background or circumstance.
Moving Forward Together
Rather than debating abstract concepts or political positions, we can focus on the practical goal we all share: getting the right people into the right roles. By using objective, scientifically validated data to identify and match talent with opportunity, we create better outcomes for:
- Organizations that want high performers
- Candidates who want fair consideration
- Teams that want capable colleagues
- Leaders who want strong results
This approach transcends political debates because it focuses on what actually predicts success in the role. It's not about quotas or preferences – it's about using better tools to identify and select talent based on merit and potential.
The Path Forward
As we move into 2025 and beyond, organizations have an opportunity to rise above political divisions and focus on what works. By adopting scientifically validated, attribute-based assessment tools, we can:
- Make better hiring decisions
- Reduce reliance on biased processes
- Expand access to opportunity
- Drive better business results
This isn't about politics – it's about performance. It's about using the best available tools to identify and select talent based on what actually matters for success in the role.
The future of hiring isn't about picking sides in political debates. It's about leveraging science and data to make better decisions that benefit everyone involved. That's something we should all be able to get behind.