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At one point, Marriott's personality assessment was supplied by Kronosa human resource software company. Kronos became a larger presence in the personality assessment arena after acquiring Unicrua firm that specialized in such tests. Kronos/Unicru has supplied personality assessments for a number of companies other than Marriott, including Best Buy, CVS, Walmart, and Kroger. Its assessment appears to measure four of the Big Five dimensions, including the agreeableness and conscientiousness facets that Marriott emphasizes most. Below are some sample items from the assessment, based on reports of those who have experienced it. All items use a Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree response scale.

You do things carefully so that you don't make mistakes. (conscientiousness)

You are a friendly person. (agreeableness)

You show it when you are in a bad mood. (neuroticism)

You chat with people you don't know. (extraversion)

An assessment developer at a competing firm, Development Dimensions International, summarizes such tools this way: "You might find yourself in a job incompatible to your personality type and values . . . The more honest you are with these types of tests, the better off you are in the long run."* Of course, that viewpoint is less salient to the people who are trying to land jobs, especially in competitive sectors or difficult economic times. Admits a CEO of another assessment administrator, "If a candidate fails the test, the companies often won't take the time to interview them."*

Is Marriott right to focus on agreeableness and conscientiousness, regardless of who it partners with in creating the assessment? Research that occurs in the hotel industry suggests that it is. One study, published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management, assessed the Big Five for almost 200 employees in multiple hotel chains in the state of Washington. The findings of the study showed that agreeable and conscientious employees were more self-confident about their job performance, with those dimensions having stronger effects than the other three members of the Big Five. It seems likely that such self-confidence would be critical to Marriott employees, especially as they rose up the ranks of the company

Reference:

Organizational Behavior: Improving Performance and Commitment in the Workplace By: Jason A Colquitt