– Interview with Professor David Scheffer, Head of Science PAWLIK Group.
"We need to assess people's development fields more precisely"
David Scheffer, professor of psychology, is one of the leading motivational researchers. Since March 1, 2022, the 52-year-old has been Head of Science at the PAWIK Group and will set up a Diagnostic Lab. The scientist explains in an interview what will be researched and developed there.
What exactly are you researching in the Diagnostic Lab?
We will focus on implicit motives. This is a gigantic field of research that has so far been neglected in psychology research. People make the majority of their decisions unconsciously. In the business environment, about 80 percent of all decisions are influenced by unconscious motives. Our goal is to measure implicit motives as precisely as possible and to derive specific recommendations for action in human resources development.
How do you go about it?
Artificial intelligence (AI) enables us to evaluate our potential analyses much more reliably and objectively than was previously the case. Because what's special about this AI is that it can interpret words in the context of other words.
Your AI can do that better than humans?
Interpreting language in context is a highly complex matter. AI can minimize misinterpretation in the analysis. Think of it as AI "measuring through" all the answers an employee gives in a potential analysis, word by word, and analyzing them in the context of the other words. You then get visible deflections, similar to physics, except that we're talking about personality traits here.
What other benefits do you expect from using AI?
In addition to greater speed, evaluations in foreign languages will be relatively easy with AI. So personnel diagnostics will be faster and internationally applicable. We will get more accurate information and be able to help many more people develop their potential in the company. I think this is a great opportunity.
How do companies benefit?
We are facing a decade of unprecedented transformation. Decarbonization and digitization combined with demographic change and an increasing shortage of skilled workers are forcing companies to assess the strengths and development areas of their employees ever more precisely, to find the individually appropriate job opportunities, and then to actively develop employees in these areas. The importance of personnel diagnostics will therefore increase enormously, because even now far too much potential remains unused due to a lack of fit.
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