Science-backed hiring: how to build high-performing teams

Science-backed hiring is the practice of using objective data, psychological research, and standardised assessments to predict a candidate's future job performance and cultural fit. By moving away from gut feel and towards evidence-based methods, you can significantly reduce turnover and build more cohesive, productive teams.

Key takeaways

• Evidence-based recruitment reduces unconscious bias and improves the quality of every hire.
• Work personality assessments help align individual natural preferences with specific team needs.
• Combining structured interviews with cognitive and personality data creates a more accurate success profile.
• High-performing teams require a balance of eight core work activities, from pioneering to auditing.

The high cost of hiring on a hunch

We have all been there – you meet a charming candidate with a stellar CV who 'feels' like the right fit for the office culture. You shake hands, sign the contract, and six months later, you are back at square one because the reality did not match the initial vibe. Traditional hiring methods, while familiar, are often riddled with unconscious biases that cloud our judgment. Whether it is the 'halo effect' where one good trait outshines everything else, or 'affinity bias' where we favour people who remind us of ourselves, these mental shortcuts lead to expensive mistakes.

The cost of a bad hire goes far beyond the recruitment fee. It impacts team morale, disrupts projects, and drains your most valuable resource: time. To move past the guesswork, modern HR leaders are turning to science-backed hiring. This approach treats recruitment as a data-driven discipline. It is about understanding the underlying psychological drivers of performance and using that intelligence to make decisions that stick. When we lead with science, we create a fairer process for candidates and a more stable foundation for the business.

Understanding the power of work personality

One of the most significant breakthroughs in modern organisational psychology is the mapping of work personality. This is not about general personality traits that describe how someone behaves at a party; it is about the specific work activities that an individual is naturally motivated to perform. At Compono, we have spent over a decade researching high-performing teams to identify the activities that actually drive results. We found that every person has a dominant preference for certain types of work, which we call their work personality.

When you understand these preferences, you can stop trying to fit square pegs into round holes. For example, The Doer is someone who thrives on practical, hands-on tasks and meeting deadlines with precision. If you place a Doer in a role that requires constant abstract strategy and very little execution, they will likely become frustrated and disengaged. Conversely, The Pioneer loves nothing more than exploring new possibilities and 'doing it differently'. By using science-backed hiring to identify these traits early, you ensure that the person you hire is naturally energised by the role's requirements.

The eight work activities of elite teams

Our research shows that high-performing teams consistently perform eight key work activities: Evaluating, Coordinating, Campaigning, Pioneering, Advising, Helping, Auditing, and Doing. A common mistake in recruitment is hiring for a specific skill set without considering the team's existing balance. If your team is already full of The Campaigner types – who are great at selling the dream and motivating others – but lacks The Auditor, you might find that while everyone is excited, the fine details are constantly slipping through the cracks.

Science-backed hiring allows you to conduct a gap analysis of your current team before you even post a job ad. You can identify exactly which work personality is missing to bring the group into balance. Perhaps you need The Evaluator to weigh up options and identify risks, or The Coordinator to bring structure and clear priorities to a chaotic project. By hiring for the 'team gap' rather than just a generic job description, you build a more resilient and versatile workforce.

Beyond the CV: the role of objective assessment

A CV tells you where someone has been, but it rarely tells you how they will perform in your specific environment. Science-backed hiring integrates objective assessments into the funnel to provide a deeper level of insight. These assessments measure cognitive ability and work preferences in a way that a standard interview simply cannot. It provides a level playing field where every candidate is measured against the same criteria, reducing the influence of subjective 'gut feel'.

For instance, The Helper might not be the loudest person in a group interview, but their natural empathy and focus on team harmony could be exactly what a fractured department needs. By using the Compono platform, you can invite candidates to complete a work personality assessment that takes only a few minutes but provides a lifetime of leadership data. This intelligence allows you to score and rank candidates in real time based on how well their natural preferences align with the role and the team they are joining.

Implementing a science-backed workflow

Transitioning to a science-backed hiring model does not mean you have to throw away your human intuition; it means you are giving that intuition better data to work with. Start by defining what success looks like for the specific role – not just in terms of KPIs, but in terms of the work activities required. Are they helping others (The Advisor) or are they managing complex details? Once you have this 'success profile', you can use it to guide every stage of the recruitment process.

Using a tool like Compono Hire helps you automate this process by embedding these insights directly into your recruitment workflow. You can see at a glance how a candidate's work personality fits the role, allowing you to focus your interview time on the most promising talent. This structured approach not only improves the quality of your hires but also creates a better candidate experience. People appreciate being understood for their strengths, and when you hire someone into a role that fits their natural 'work personality', you are setting them up for long-term success from day one.

Key insights

• Science-backed hiring uses data to remove the guesswork and unconscious bias from recruitment decisions.
• High-performing teams are built on a balance of eight distinct work activities, from pioneering to doing.
• Identifying a candidate's work personality ensures their natural motivations align with the daily demands of the role.
• Objective assessments provide a fairer and more accurate prediction of performance than traditional interviews alone.
• A structured, evidence-based approach significantly reduces employee turnover and boosts overall team engagement.

Where to from here?

• Explore: Compono Platform
• Talk to an expert: Book in a 15-minute chat to get a walkthrough of Compono.

FAQs

How does science-backed hiring reduce unconscious bias?

It relies on standardised data and objective assessments rather than subjective impressions. By measuring candidates against specific work personality traits and cognitive requirements, you ensure everyone is judged on the same evidence-based criteria.

What is the difference between a personality test and a work personality assessment?

General personality tests look at broad social behaviours. A work personality assessment, like Compono's, specifically maps an individual's natural preferences for the eight core work activities that drive team performance, making it far more relevant for hiring.

Can I use science-backed hiring for existing teams?

Absolutely. Mapping the work personalities of your current staff helps you understand team dynamics, manage conflict, and identify 'gaps' that you should fill with your next hire to improve overall performance.

Does science-backed hiring take longer than traditional methods?

While it requires an initial setup of success profiles, it actually saves time in the long run. By automatically ranking candidates based on fit, you spend less time interviewing unsuitable people and more time focusing on top talent.

Is a science-backed approach suitable for small businesses?

Yes, every business benefits from better hiring. For smaller teams, the impact of a single bad hire is even more significant, making the accuracy of science-backed methods a vital tool for sustainable growth.