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The Work Profile Questionnaire (WPQ) is a well-researched personality measure designed to assess work preferences and identify situations in which an employee is most likely to be effective. Respondents are asked to rate 100 adjectives and phrases describing their typical work behavior and attitudes on a 5-point scale ranging from "Very Accurately" to "Not at All."

Personality has a major influence on how people respond to each other and deal with the demands that work places on them. Since we all respond uniquely to differing work environments, it is important to understand the environment that best “matches” each individual’s personality characteristics. As a result, the WPQ is an excellent tool for both self-improvement as well as for coaching and employee development.

What the WPQ Measures

The WPQ describes an individual’s strengths and preferences on five broad dimensions:

	Communication Style is the way people relate to one another. At one end of the spectrum are extroverts, people who are socially outgoing, uninhibited, talkative and good at making and maintaining interpersonal contacts. In contrast, introverts prefer to be on their own. They are quieter, more reflective, and do not need constant interaction or communication with others to be effective or to feel fulfilled.
	Emotional Resilience also plays a key role in determining behavior. At one end of the emotional scale are those people who are calm, relaxed, unemotional, and secure. They are happy to work under pressure and may even find it stimulating. At the other end of the scale are people who are more apprehensive and find it difficult to make decisions as pressure increases.
	Organizational Focus looks at drive, determination, and motivation for success. Highly motivated individuals are driven, conscientious, competitive, independent, and decisive. People with lower levels of drive are less exacting and generally less committed to a conventional career. However, they also tend to be more willing to question traditional values and assumptions and look for different ways of solving problems.
	Relationships with Others measures how individuals relate to each other and reach decisions. Some people prefer a consensus-building approach to decision-making. Others prefer to make decisions independently, putting personal and business goals before the needs of others. A strong orientation towards the needs of others might be more appropriate in a sales or service position while a more independent goal-focused approach might be more important in managerial positions.
	Change Orientation looks at thinking style and how people generate solutions and approach new situations. People at one end of the scale have a creative thinking style and are often seen as individuals capable of generating innovative solutions to problems and finding new ways of doing things. At the opposite end are those persons who tend to have a more conservative attitude toward change and are more influenced by precedent and social influences.

The WPQ also assesses functioning in two important work contexts:

	Team Orientation examines how the individual relates in groups. This taps into how the individual interacts and communicates with work associates and engages in team work.
	Task Orientation looks at how the individual seeks to accomplish tasks and their preferred mode of approaching work and completing assignments and projects.

Work Profile Questionnaire, WPQ, and WPQi are copyrights and marks solely owned by The Test Agency.