How Insights Discovery can help boost engagement in the housing sector
Many of us, especially anyone who works in management, will have completed some sort of psychometric testing at some point. There are a wide range of tools to choose from, usually with the aim of shedding some light on how we do things and why and enabling us to work better with each other.
During my career, I’ve completed at least three different tests. Each has had its merits, and each has contributed something to my approach to my working life. But I guess this is where I have always found them quite limiting; wouldn’t it be great if the reach went further than how we work with other professionals and looked at how we work with our customers?
In my case, my ‘customers’ are tenants, residents and people making a home in social and supported housing.
Why Insights Discovery is a different (and better) approach to psychometric testing
When I came across Insights Discovery last year, I could see how the approach could be used with colleagues, customers and even in my home life. Before you lose interest, this is not a sales pitch, (well, not totally) but I do think it’s important to show how using the language and framework of Insights Discovery can be used to enhance how we engage with people.
Engagement with homemakers has been around for many years but was often seen as a ‘nice to have’. The Grenfell Tragedy hammered home that landlords weren’t doing enough to hear what people were saying, and even worse, not acting when concerns were raised. Through the Social Housing White Paper, the government is seeking a more structured approach to engagement and action. It’s a great step forward for the sector but there is still a lot of freedom in how it’s done, leaving some landlords struggling to get on the right foot.
Add to this the fact that homemakers cover the whole gamut of diversity. The English Housing Survey (2021/22) found that 30% of lead tenants in social housing were employed, around 40% of people living in social housing have a mental health problem, and 17% do not have access to the internet. Throw things like literacy levels, neuro-diversities and English being a second language into the mix and engaging with people becomes a very complex thing.
Insights Discovery looks at our personal style in easy-to-understand ways. Where I believe it superior to other tests is in its golden rule that everyone can adapt to every style depending on the situation, their own awareness, and a bit of practice. It also teaches us to identify different styles in others, even without the testing, allowing us to respond in a thoughtful and complementary way.
Although we can all adapt to every style, each person has a preferred style. One which they naturally revert to without thinking. I think this knowledge is useful when working with colleagues who ‘don’t get’ engagement, or struggle to engage with homemakers. Each style has something to offer, and it’s easier to sell engagement to someone if you know their style.
Another benefit of Insights Discovery is that it gives us all a framework and a language to use when we’re communicating with each other. It simplifies those coaching conversations where we need someone to ‘dial up’ a certain style so that they hear what someone is telling them, or they facilitate the right action. It means we can be prepared when we speak to a customer who relates better to a certain style. It means we’ll probably be more efficient.
So, I guess this did turn out to be a bit of a sales pitch! But I think the principles of what I’m saying apply regardless of the tool you use; I’m just saying that Insights Discovery is the best tool I have found so far.
As you might expect, I am an accredited Insights Discovery practitioner. If you’d like to know more, have a look at my website or feel free to get in touch for a chat.
