Question 1

How is this actually different from personality testing?

Accepted Answer

Traditional psychometric tools focus on personality traits — how individuals tend to behave, communicate, or respond in different situations. These can be useful, but they primarily describe observable patterns.

The Values Alignment Index takes a different approach. It focuses on underlying motivations — what people believe is important, what they prioritise, and how they make decisions when faced with trade-offs.

This distinction matters. Two individuals may display similar behaviours but be driven by very different values. Equally, people with very different personalities may be aligned in what matters most, which often has a greater impact on how effectively they work together.

In practice, culture is shaped less by behavioural style and more by shared priorities. This is why understanding values provides a deeper, more actionable lens than personality alone.

Question 2

Doesn't this still end up labelling people?

Accepted Answer

This is a valid concern, and one that applies to any framework that attempts to simplify human behaviour.

The Values Alignment Index does describe each person’s values orientation and the archetype they align with most closely, but it is deliberately designed to avoid reducing anyone to a fixed category: an archetype is a starting point for conversation, not a type you are. The greater value lies in the patterns of values across groups — teams, functions and organisations.

The purpose is not to define who someone is, but to understand how different motivations interact. Where there is strong alignment, teams often move quickly and cohesively. Where there are differences, those can either create friction or, when understood, lead to better decisions.

Used well, the tool encourages curiosity and dialogue. Used poorly, it could become reductive — which is why how it is applied matters as much as the insight itself.

Question 3

Does values alignment risk reducing diversity?

Accepted Answer

No — and this concern often stems from a misunderstanding of what values represent.

Research into human values shows that people across different cultures and countries share a common set of core values. What differs is how those values are expressed, shaped by background, experience and context.

This means individuals can share similar underlying motivations while being highly diverse in perspective, thinking and lived experience. In fact, alignment at the level of values often enables diversity to function more effectively. It creates a shared foundation that allows people to challenge, contribute and collaborate without unnecessary friction.

It is also important to distinguish between diversity and misalignment. Diversity relates to difference in perspective and experience. Misalignment occurs when there is a disconnect in priorities or expectations that makes collaboration harder.

The aim is not uniformity, but clarity — understanding where shared motivations support cohesion, while allowing for a wide range of viewpoints and approaches.

Question 4

Can this actually change organisational culture?

Accepted Answer

On its own, no assessment changes culture.

Culture is shaped by leadership behaviour, organisational systems, incentives and everyday decisions. Without changes in these areas, insight alone will not lead to meaningful transformation.

What the Values Alignment Index provides is visibility. It makes underlying patterns explicit — where alignment exists, where tensions sit, and how people experience the organisation in practice.

This clarity allows leaders to make more informed decisions about how they lead, structure teams and reinforce behaviours. The change comes from what is done with the insight, not from the tool itself.

Question 5

What is the practical value? What actually changes?

Accepted Answer

The value of the insight lies in how it informs decisions across the organisation.

Leaders can use it to better understand where teams are naturally aligned and where differences may need to be managed more intentionally. It can highlight why certain collaborations work well, while others experience repeated friction.

It also provides a clearer lens for leadership development, succession planning and organisational design — helping ensure that decisions are based on how people actually think and prioritise, rather than assumptions.

If the insight does not influence decisions, then it has limited value. Its purpose is to support better judgement, not simply provide analysis.

Question 6

What is the Values Alignment Index?

Accepted Answer

The Values Alignment Index is a research-informed assessment that measures the underlying human values that drive behaviour, decision-making and workplace culture.

It provides organisations with a clear, evidence-based view of how aligned individuals, teams and leadership are in their core values, and what that alignment means for commitment, retention and collaboration.

Question 7

What do you actually measure?

Accepted Answer

The Index measures core motivational values — the principles that guide what people believe is important and how they prioritise decisions.

These are not behaviours or personality traits, but the drivers behind them, particularly in situations involving trade-offs such as stability versus change, individual success versus collective good, or autonomy versus structure.

Question 8

What do organisations get from it?

Accepted Answer

Organisations receive insight at both team and organisational level, including patterns of alignment and divergence, areas of potential friction, and differences in how culture is experienced across the business.

This enables more targeted conversations, more effective team design, and a clearer understanding of how culture operates in practice rather than how it is intended.

Question 9

How long does the assessment take to complete?

Accepted Answer

The assessment is designed to be concise and typically takes around 8–10 minutes to complete.

This balance ensures it is accessible and easy to complete, while still producing meaningful and reliable insights.

Question 10

Can people 'game' the assessment?

Accepted Answer

Like any self-report tool, responses reflect how individuals choose to answer.

However, values are less about what people think is "right" and more about what genuinely matters to them. Because the assessment focuses on trade-offs and priorities, it is harder to consistently present an artificially idealised profile.

At an organisational level, patterns across groups also make anomalies more visible.

Question 11

How do you ensure the data is reliable?

Accepted Answer

Reliability was tested independently in 2023 with 374 UK working adults. Internal consistency — whether the questions in each value pair measure the same thing — ranged from 0.63 to 0.77 (Cronbach’s alpha), which is acceptable for three of the four pairs and marginally below the usual threshold for the fourth. Every question also correlated significantly and in the expected direction with the matching items in Schwartz’s Portrait Values Questionnaire. Scores are norm-referenced against the validation sample, and we refine the norms as the dataset grows.

Question 12

Has the Index been independently validated?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A Chartered Occupational Psychologist assessed the Index for reliability and construct validity in 2023, using data from 374 UK working adults and Schwartz’s own instrument as the benchmark. The review concluded that the validity demonstrated is sufficient for use in practice and recommended further criterion-related work linking Index scores to workplace outcomes. We are building the dataset for that through live organisational use; it will take several years to accumulate the evidence needed, and we will publish the findings when we have them. A summary is available on request.

Question 13

Does the Index predict performance?

Accepted Answer

We are careful about this. The research shows values alignment reliably predicts commitment, intention to stay and discretionary effort, with only a small and largely indirect effect on task performance; it works mainly through trust and the quality of communication. Within teams the effects run in the same direction and are smaller. The Index measures alignment. It is a tool for building the conditions in which people commit, stay and give their best — not a performance predictor, and we do not sell it as one.

Question 14

What happens to our data?

Accepted Answer

All data is handled in line with GDPR-compliant processes.

Organisations retain control over their data, and individual responses are not visible beyond appropriate levels of reporting. Insights are typically aggregated to protect anonymity and encourage honest participation.

Question 15

Can values change over time?

Accepted Answer

Values are generally more stable than behaviours or attitudes, as they are shaped by life experience.

However, their expression and relative priority can shift depending on context, environment and organisational pressures. This is why periodic measurement can be useful to understand how culture is evolving.

Question 16

How should this be used in recruitment?

Accepted Answer

The tool is best used to inform, not dictate, recruitment decisions.

It provides insight into how a candidate's values may align with a team or organisation, but should always be considered alongside skills, experience and potential.

Used appropriately, it supports better conversations rather than acting as a filter.

Question 17

Do we need everyone to have the same values?

Accepted Answer

No. The goal is not uniformity.

The evidence is specific: teams suffer when members disagree about what matters in their work, and they benefit from differences in knowledge, experience and perspective. The aim is alignment on the values that matter most to the team, with diversity in everything else — and understanding where differences need to be actively managed to avoid friction.

Question 18

What if our organisational values don't match these values?

Accepted Answer

This is both normal and expected.

Organisational values are often aspirational and context-specific. The Values Alignment Index measures underlying human motivations, providing a more consistent lens for understanding how people interpret and act on those stated values in practice.

	Personality	Values Index®
Measures	Behavioural traits	✓Core beliefs & drivers
Reveals	How someone works	✓The shared values that underpin trust
Culture fit	Surface compatibility	✓Deep alignment
Framework	Varies by tool	✓Schwartz · 82 countries · 60,000+ people
Instrument	Varies by publisher	✓Independently assessed · n = 374
Trust insight	Not measured	✓Core purpose

Culture isn't built on personality
It's built on shared values

Who it's for

People want to work with people who share their values

What personality tests miss

The cost of getting it wrong

Aligned values build stronger businesses

Teams that share values hold together

Stronger commitment and retention

More discretionary effort

Trust is the mechanism

Better wellbeing

Built on Schwartz's validated framework

Reviewed by experts, built to stand up to scrutiny

How it works

Choose your Path

Simple, transparent pricing

Curious? Get your free basic values report

Isn't this just another psychometric?

The sceptical questions

How it actually works

Practical considerations

Find your archetype

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Culture isn't built on personality It's built on shared values