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 is deliberately designed to avoid reducing individuals to fixed categories. It does not assign types or labels. Instead, it highlights 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 how this alignment impacts performance 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

The Index is grounded in well-established psychological research into human values and uses structured questioning to capture consistent patterns in how people prioritise.

Reliability comes not just from individual responses, but from aggregated patterns across teams and organisations, which tend to stabilise and become highly informative.

Question 12

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 13

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 14

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 15

Do we need everyone to have the same values?

Accepted Answer

No. The goal is not uniformity.

Different values bring different strengths. The key is understanding where alignment supports cohesion, and where differences need to be actively managed to avoid friction.

Question 16

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
Predicts	How someone works	✓Who they trust
Stability	Shifts with context	✓Stable over time
Culture fit	Surface compatibility	✓Deep alignment
Evidence	Varies by tool	✓82 countries · 60k+
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

Aligned values build stronger businesses

Higher trust, faster decisions

Stronger
retention

Better engagement & wellbeing

More productive collaboration

Customer loyalty follows

Resilience in change

What personality tests miss

Built on Schwartz's validated framework

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Isn't this just another psychometric?

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