Gallup Test
The Gallup Test, formally known as the CliftonStrengths assessment, is an evaluation tool designed to identify individual strengths and aptitudes. Developed by educational psychologist Donald Clifton and first released in 1999, the assessment emphasizes a strengths-based approach, encouraging individuals to focus on their positive qualities rather than their weaknesses. Widely adopted by over 90% of Fortune 500 companies, the test serves not only in corporate settings for workforce development but also in educational institutions for team-building and aptitude identification.
Participants engage with the test by answering 117 paired questions within a set time frame, which helps produce a personalized profile highlighting their unique strengths through 34 defined themes. These themes are categorized into four major groups: strategic thinking, relationship building, influencing, and executing. A recent addition, the CliftonStrengths Top 5 Report, offers more detailed insights into a test-taker's top strengths and practical guidance for applying them in various contexts.
Research from the Gallup Institute suggests that a strengths-based approach can lead to significant improvements in profitability, sales, and employee retention. However, the effectiveness of the Gallup Test largely depends on how the results are interpreted and utilized. With millions of individuals having taken the assessment, it has become a prominent tool for personal and professional development.
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Gallup Test
The Gallup Test is an assessment tool widely used by employers and organizations to identify individual aptitudes and areas of strength. It is formally known as the CliftonStrengths assessment, which recognizes educational psychologist Donald Clifton, the test's principal creator. Clifton led the assessment's development at the Gallup Institute during the 1990s. The test integrates a positive approach into its framework, guiding test-takers to connect with and build on their strengths instead of basing their self-improvement efforts on specifying and correcting flaws and weaknesses.
According to the Gallup Institute, more than 90 percent of US Fortune 500 companies have used the Gallup Test to identify and develop the leading skills of their workforce members. The US Chamber of Commerce also notes that the Gallup Test is widely used as a team-building and development tool, and as an aptitude-identifying tool in educational institutions.
Overview
Clifton began his research into strengths-based psychology during his research career at the University of Nebraska. He founded the institution's Nebraska Human Resources Research Foundation in 1949, embracing strengths-based psychology after noticing that practically all existing research literature at the time maintained an exclusive focus on psychological and developmental flaws, shortcomings, and abnormalities.
In 1969, Clifton left the University of Nebraska to found Selection Research, Incorporated (SRI). SRI merged with the Gallup Institute in 1988, bringing Clifton into the Gallup fold. Gallup went on to release its first version of the Gallup Test, known as the Clifton StrengthsFinder, in 1999. A revised version of the test was released in 2007 alongside the Gallup-published book StrengthsFinder 2.0, which detailed the technical aspects of the test's methodology. In 2012, Gallup made the CliftonStrengths test available to the public using a direct-to-consumer model, marking its emergence as a standard assessment tool among institutional organizations and employers.
The CliftonStrengths Gallup Test gives subjects half an hour to answer 117 paired questions in an online format. The questions consist of paired statements that prompt the test-taker to select the statement that best describes them and rank its applicability on a scale ranging from “neutral” to “strongly describes me.” Test subjects have 20 seconds to submit their responses to each prompt, with the test recording a non-answer and automatically moving on if no response is provided within the allotted time.
After the test-taker completes all 117 questions, the CliftonStrengths Gallup Test analyzes the results and provides the test subject with a personalized profile. The profile describes the test taker's strengths using a set of thirty-four characteristics known as “themes,” which are arranged into four primary groups, including strategic thinking, relationship building, influencing, and executing. Results profiles describe the test-taker's strengths in terms of what the test calls “Signature Themes,” which describe the precise combination of aptitudes unique to each subject. In 2024, Gallup introduced the CliftonStrengths Top 5 Report, which is a detailed summary that accompanies the test results to provide precise information concerning the test taker’s top five strengths. This addition aimed to make the test results more applicable in everyday situations. Practical, actionable steps are provided to guide the test taker in combining their top talents in useful ways.
According to the Gallup Institute, more than 34 million people had taken the CliftonStrengths Gallup Test by the mid-2020s. The institute reported around that time that strengths-based approaches to human resource development were associated with a 29 percent increase in profitability, a 19 percent increase in sales, and a 72 percent reduction in organizational attrition rates. However, the way test results are interpreted and used determines much of the test's efficacy.
Bibliography
“CliftonStrengths Online Talent Assessment.” Gallup Institute, www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
“How the CliftonStrengths Assessment Works.” Gallup Institute, 2022, www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253676/how-cliftonstrengths-works.aspx. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
“How Organizations Use CliftonStrengths.” Gallup Institute, www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253808/cliftonstrengths-for-organizations.aspx. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
Johnson, Jamie. “What Is the CliftonStrengths Assessment, and How Does It Work?” U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 21 July 2021, www.uschamber.com/co/grow/thrive/cliftonstrengths-assessment. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
"The Launch of the New CliftonStrengths Top 5 Report." Gallup Institute, 8 Jan. 2024, www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/547859/launch-new-cliftonstrengths-top-5-report.aspx. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
“Learn about the History of CliftonStrengths.” Gallup Institute, www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253754/history-cliftonstrengths.aspx. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.
“What Are the 34 CliftonStrengths Themes?” Gallup Institute, www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253715/34-cliftonstrengths-themes.aspx. Accessed 20 Nov. 2024.