Nova certified community

Q1: Can a person’s natural profile change over time?

A1: Recent studies in neuroscience, particularly the concept of neuroplasticity, show that personality can change over time. However, a person’s natural style tends to be the most stable and evolves naturally with life experiences. After a significant emotional event or a conscious choice to change, the change process may be more radical.

Q2: Is it possible to detect a mental health disorder by reviewing the Nova profile?

A2: We cannot detect mental health disorders from the profile. The Nova profile is a personality profile that was not designed or validated for use in mental health or psychopathology. We do not make any connections between behavioral preferences (colors and/or motivations) and a person’s mental health.

Q3: What to do when someone doesn’t recognize themselves in their profile?

A3: It’s essential to approach this with openness and empathy. Be curious and ask questions like: What mindset were they in when they completed the questionnaire? In which aspect do they specifically not recognize themselves? How do they perceive the preference/motivation where they feel disconnected? Remind them that the profile is not a label but a depiction of behavioral tendencies. You might suggest they have someone close to them read the profile, then revisit it when they’re in a calm state. Remember, your role as a certified guide is not to convince someone of their profile but to provide insights and let them decide. Someone who connects more with their adapted profile may have unconsciously created this role for various reasons, potentially as an unconscious survival strategy. Allowing time may help settle this. An hour of mentoring with a Nova expert can also be purchased to obtain personalized guidance on a specific profile.

Q4: Is it normal to have only one page discussing the colors that influence motivations, with a single color linked to the three motivations?

A4: Yes, this is normal. The colors/motivations combination only considers HIGH colors and motivations, those above 55%.

Q5: Does having more high motivations mean there’s a greater chance of being fulfilled, motivated, and engaged at work?

A5: While it’s intuitive to think that high and nurtured motivation could lead to fulfillment and engagement at work, there are no formal studies or direct correlations proving this link. It’s a hypothesis based on the idea that if someone’s core values and motivations align with their work environment, they’re likely more satisfied. Additionally, motivations are connected with values and life experiences, making it challenging to draw a direct, measurable connection, though trends have been observed across numerous profiles. Spranger’s “Types of Men” book doesn’t provide studies on this either, but his theory suggests that when someone’s values align with their environment, it can foster a sense of personal fulfillment.

Q1: What type of profile should be used to create a team profile for a synergy workshop?

A1: The Training profile. However, if individual coaching is planned, we recommend the personal profile.

Q2: The skill scale for the position doesn’t appear in the team profile. Is that normal?

A2: The skill scale for the position only appears in a job/candidate comparison profile.

Q3: Is an individual debriefing required before a team synergy activity involving multiple cohorts within an organization?

A3: An individual debriefing is not required during the first synergy meeting, which should focus on group profile discovery. Ideally, the strategy includes watching the Nova profile introduction video (19 minutes), allowing space for self-discovery, discussion, and understanding of the adapted profile. This is referred to as the Introduction or Nova Discovery phase. The team synergy activity follows as the next step.

Q4: What do you recommend if a member refuses to be included in the team?

A4: If a member does not wish to be included, the manager may need to find the right approach and arguments to encourage participation, perhaps by reassuring the member that personal areas of their profile will remain private.

If the member still declines, they should not be included in the team profile. However, if they are the only member not included, the other members will likely notice who is missing from the team profile.

An alternative option in this case is to print the team’s graphical summary, skill scale, strengths, and risks. For the natural and adapted team wheels, a screenshot without names at the bottom could be used. This makes the profile accessible to all without excluding the member from the team.

Q5: What should be done if a manager requests a team profile of their employees after the synergy activity has been canceled?

A5: It’s important to understand the manager’s intent in wanting access to the team profile, as this will also provide them with insight into each team member’s profile. This step ensures that profile usage aligns with a constructive goal. Additionally, each team member should first agree to let the manager view their profile. The active participation of team members in discussions around the profiles is crucial for accurate and nuanced interpretation, allowing each person to clarify how they approach situations and preventing assumptions without their input.

As profile analysis requires more than just reading, it’s recommended to take at least 45 to 60 minutes for profile interpretation.

Q1: What percentage should be considered for the match between the job profile and the candidate?

A1: At 70%, we enter the “green” zone, meaning a more favorable match between the profile and the position. It’s important to view the Nova profile as one step in an effective recruitment process. Beyond simply recommending whether or not to hire a candidate, the profile provides insights into the candidate’s strengths, areas for caution, and integration needs. It can also be beneficial to explore values and assess how well the work environment can support the candidate’s motivations. A candidate approaching the “green” zone is considered a strong match.

Q2: We overestimated the skill scale in the job profile. Can we reduce the scores without redoing the entire job profile?

A2: Unfortunately, the job profile must be redone, as it’s not possible to adjust percentages or go back to modify the importance ranking. For this reason, it’s recommended to complete the job questionnaire using the interactive PDF questionnaire (allow about 90 minutes), allowing careful consideration of each statement with the client and the ability to adjust the importance ranking if needed. Once finalized, the job questionnaire can then be completed in the portal to generate the job profile.

Q1: I’d like more information to better understand the diamond in the wheel of the 8 psychological types (personal profile).

A1: The psychological types offer a way to differentiate between colors. We don’t have just one psychological type, but rather an “expansion zone,” which represents areas where a person can operate comfortably. The “excellence zone” typically consists of three psychological types. This zone is represented by a triangle with two points, each indicating a specific psychological type. These two points are connected by a line (the hypotenuse) that faces a third psychological type.

The dark gray shape represents the natural style and is based on the client’s results of their natural behavioral preferences. The light gray shape represents the client’s adapted style, based on their adapted behavioral preferences.

The wheel also highlights the delta (gap) between the natural and adapted styles and helps identify complementary areas or potential tension points (opposing zones) between different psychological types.

In the “Documents (FR)” section of the portal, under the “Webinars” tile, you’ll find a webinar led by Marie-Noëlle Côté, offering explanations about the Nova wheel.
(See Nova master class with MNC from 5:30 for the personal profile wheel and from 24:30 for the team wheel, as well as Nova Team, Clarifications on the Nova Wheel.)

Q2: In the team profile, a respondent appears in two locations on the wheel. Why does this happen?

A2: The matrix selects the two dominant colors to determine the position on the wheel. For the wheel calculation, a color is considered dominant when it’s above 50%. If the two dominant colors are opposites in the adapted style (e.g., red and green), the respondent appears in two different positions. This often occurs for people with three or four dominant colors. For an exact position on the wheel that considers all four colors, a three-dimensional wheel would be necessary, which isn’t feasible on paper.

Q3: In the team wheel, three members are in the same position (e.g., 43) in their natural style, even though they don’t necessarily have the same color percentages. Is this normal?

A3: Yes, this is normal. Despite the millions of positioning possibilities across different profiles, we are limited to 96 positions. These three people at position 43 all have the same predominant colors in the same descending order—green, blue, yellow, and red.

Q4: On the team wheel, what’s the difference between the small number (e.g., the coordinator 6) and the number closer to the center (e.g., coordinator 84 or even 95)?

A4: There is no particular meaning. These numbers are assigned by the matrix simply to identify each position with the person’s name. The numbers start from the outside and increase as they move toward the center.

The wheel is useful in teams, as it provides a quick, overall view of the team members’ positions. However, it’s recommended to investigate further by examining each team member’s summary graphs for greater clarity and detail on each person’s strengths.

Q1: At what price can I sell a Nova profile?

A1: The resale prices for profiles are suggested prices and do not include the consultant’s consultation time. Nova Global has established a list of suggested resale prices to provide a reference point for consultants. Each certified consultant has the right to resell the Nova profile according to their own business model.

For further questions regarding suggested resale prices, please consult your Nova Portal: Documents, EN, Profiles, Suggested Resale Prices.