The Thomas PPA is a forced-choice questionnaire where candidates are shown short statements and are asked to choose two trait adjectives from a list of four, one ‘most like’ and one ‘least like’ them. An individual’s choice of adjectives reflects their behavioural tendencies and personality in a workplace setting.

From this, a personal profile is created around four traits: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance. These traits are ranked in order to form one’s unique character. The Thomas PPA only takes 8 minutes to complete.

The PPA is based on Marston’s DISC theory which classifies an individual’s behavioural preferences and splits them into four factors: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Compliance (C).

While most people will show all four of these behaviour patterns at times, an individual will display one or more of them consistently in the workplace. This is because each person develops a behavioural style which places more emphasis on one preference and less emphasis on others.

The PPA provides a comprehensive assessment of an individual including their fears, motivators, values and behavioural style. It gives you insights into how someone is likely to perform under pressure, how they modify their behaviour in their current job and any frustrations or problems they may be facing.

The PPA can also be used as a tool to back up your recruitment decisions and identify behaviours that were not shown at the interview stage. Since the PPA makes employers aware of their employee’s work styles, it also improves people management through a greater understanding of why people behave the way they do.