MCode vs Big Five
People are too unique and nuanced to be judged by personality traits alone. That's why MCode evaluates intrinsic motivation — what drives a person's thoughts, decisions, and actions and that powers their strengths and unique value.
I've taken all kinds of personality tests and nothing has been as accurate, helpful, or actionable as MCode.
Meaningful questions and answers
Rather than presenting statements and asking for an accuracy ranking, MCode asks individuals to share personal stories of achievement and fulfillment and asks questions about how they felt about those lived experiences.
Every question asked is about the stories shared and the role an individual played in each story.
Questions address different parts of their stories and experiences and answers rank satisfaction levels on a scale of 1-10.
Reliable and consistent results
Workplace assessments are used to support critical hiring and personnel decisions, which means results must be reliable, accurate, and trustworthy. That's why assessments measuring personality traits can be problematic.
Personality can change over time and with experience. Personality can also shift depending on the environment or situation.
Reliance on self-reporting of traits can lead to inaccurate results, as most answers are aspirational or based on perceived expectations.
Actionable insights and resources
For an assessment to be valuable, results must go beyond surface-level descriptions and deliver insights that are not just relevant to their work and life but also immediately actionable.
Confirm what they know to be true and gain language to clearly communicate who they are to others.
Gain new insights that explain what drives their best work and leads to showing up at their best.
Get personalized insights and resources that make applying their MCode faster, easier, and more fun.
Personality test vs. Motivational assessment
The Big Five personality assessment evaluates individuals based on 5 personality traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. MCode's 8 Motivational Dimensions provide a broader perspective and understanding of who someone is and what they need to succeed.
Specificity
MCode's 8 Dimensions are specific and focus on the underlying motivations that drive behavior and actions in particular situations.
Big Five: Big Five offers a broad overview of personality that influences general patterns of behavior.
Motivation
Identifies the reasons behind people's actions, providing insights into why they act, work, and maintain relationships in the ways they do.
Big Five: Assesses 5 personality traits that describe how people generally interact with the world.
Prescriptive
Offers a prescriptive approach, suggesting how individuals can align their actions with their core motivations for greater fulfillment and effectiveness.
Big Five: Can predict potential behavior based on personality traits but doesn't suggest how to optimize for fulfillment.
MCode vs Big Five Features Comparison
The science behind the Motivation Code assessment and the Big Five personality test reflects two distinct approaches to understanding human behavior. Both are grounded in psychological research but focus on different aspects of personality and motivation.
8 Dimensions shaped by a stacked ranking of 32 Motivations.
5 Personality Traits.
Result of continuous research started in the 1950s and first used with NASA in the early 1960s.
Originally developed in 1949. Expanded on by other researchers in 1967, 1981, and 1987.
Motivation-based. Focused on drivers of behavior and performance; what propels someone toward personal and professional fulfillment.
Trait-based. Focused on broad personality descriptors and adjectives, and understanding general behavioral tendencies.
Rooted in narrative psychology and the study of personal stories of achievement and fulfillment.
Rooted in psychological research, factor analysis, and the categorization of personality characteristics.
Individuals share personal stories and answer questions about their experiences using a 1-10 ranking of satisfaction.
Individuals self-report personality traits by reading general statements and ranking accuracy on a scale of 1-5.
The Motivation Code assessment experience is always the same and only available through Motivations AI.
Many companies offer versions of Big Five and your experience, results, and report vary from company to company.
Applicable in personal growth, career development, and team dynamics.
Applicable in clinical, social, and personality psychology.
Provides an understanding of how an individual is motivated to engage and why they behave the way they do at work and throughout life.
Provides an understanding of an individual's general disposition and how they might behave across different contexts.
Individuals may find it difficult to come up with or decide which four stories to share.
Personality traits aren't always consistent in personal and professional situations.
I've done plenty of personality and strengths tests in the past, but finding the motivations behind what drives those traits allows me to see myself in a whole new light.
Do you need a Big Five alternative? Not necessarily...
Big Five assessments offer a broad overview of personality traits but don't address the motivations that drive human behavior. The MCode assessment fills this gap by revealing the intrinsic Motivations that propel a person's engagement and performance.
Holistic Self-Awareness
Big Five outlines general personality traits and MCode reveals a stacked ranking of 32 Motivations mapped across a spectrum of 8 Motivational Dimensions. This blend provides a complete picture of the strengths and motivations that make each person unique.
Enhanced Recruitment
Personality traits identified by Big Five are relevant to job fit, while MCode examines how someone derives satisfaction and fulfillment from their work. Adding MCode ensures candidates' motivators align with organizational values and role requirements.
Tailored Development Plans
Big Five highlights personality-based strengths but someone can be using a strength and still not be engaged. MCode adds game-changing motivational awareness that allows leaders to create personalized development plans that drive peak performance.
Improved Team Building
Big Five helps leaders and teams understand personality-driven interactions. MCode enhances this by highlighting motivational concentrations and gaps, and predicting how team members who are motivated differently will work well together and where they may encounter friction.
Discover your MCode!
See what truly motivates you and experience work at its best.