Introducing Wave® Focus Styles

This page is designed to help you understand how to approach the Focus Styles questionnaire. The questionnaire explores a person's motives, preferences, needs and talents within a work context. Research has demonstrated that Saville Assessment Wave® questionnaires are powerful predictors of a wide variety of performance and behaviour at work.

Focus Styles can help you:

  • understand your motives, preferences, needs and talents in a work context
  • find ways to make better use of your preferred working style in your current job role, or identify future job roles, environments and cultures suited to your style
  • increase your awareness of how your work style impacts on your experiences at work

Focus Styles can help employers:

  • understand the motives, preferences, needs and talents of their employees and applicants
  • place individuals in positions best suited to their style and the organisation's style
  • identify areas where individuals might benefit from further development

Completing Focus Styles

The questionnaire is presented in blocks of six statements which you are asked to rate on a nine-point scale, ranging from 1 - 'Very Strongly Disagree' to 9 - 'Very Strongly Agree'. Please enter your responses by selecting the appropriate rating for each statement. You must respond to every statement to progress to the next page.

If you give the same rating for two or more statements, these statements may be presented to you again. You will be asked to indicate which statement is most like you and which statement is least like you.

Example

I am the kind of person who...

Statement 1:needs to tell people when I disagree with them

Selected: Agree

Statement 2:is motivated by the opportunity to learn

Agree
Selected: Agree

Statement 3:wants to receive feedback on my performance

Unsure
Selected: Unsure

Statement 4:gets enjoyment from establishing rapport with people

Strongly Disagree
Selected: Strongly Disagree

Statement 5:finds communicating in writing enjoyable

Very Strongly Agree
Selected: Very Strongly Agree

Statement 6:likes working as part of a team

Very Strongly Agree
Selected: Very Strongly Agree

In the example, the respondent has indicated that they:

  • agree that they need to tell people when they disagree with them
  • agree that they are motivated by the opportunity to learn
  • are unsure whether or not they want to receive feedback on their performance
  • strongly disagree that they get enjoyment from establishing rapport with people
  • very strongly agree that they find communicating in writing enjoyable
  • very strongly agree that they like working as part of a team

Because the respondent has given the same rating to two pairs of statements, these are presented again and the respondent is asked to indicate which statement is most like them and which statement is least like them.

I am the kind of person who...

Statement 1:needs to tell people when I disagree with them

Least

Statement 2:is motivated by the opportunity to learn

Statement 3:finds communicating in writing enjoyable

Statement 4:likes working as part of a team

Most

How to approach Focus Styles

When completing the questionnaire, it is important you consider the following points:

  • When responding to each statement, be as discerning as possible by using the full range of responses, from 'Very Strongly Disagree' to 'Very Strongly Agree'.
  • Some statements are about being good at something whereas others are about what you prefer, need, or are interested in.
  • Please read each statement very carefully as what you are good at and what you feel you need may be very different.
  • Please be as honest as you can. There is no one right or wrong answer; job roles vary and there are many ways of being effective in any one job.
  • A number of response checks are built into the questionnaire to validate the consistency of your responses. Your responses will also be verified against other information collected.
  • Before you complete the questionnaire, you may find it useful to reflect on your own work style. You may also find it useful to consider any feedback you have received from others on your style at work.
  • Try to answer from a work perspective as much as possible.
  • The questionnaire is best completed when you are alert and free from interruptions.
  • If you have any special requirements, it is important that you make these known immediately to allow appropriate accommodations to be made.