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Understanding different work styles leads to better teamwork

Consider a scenario in which you ask your employee to provide a report as soon as possible. As a period of time goes by, you tap your fingers impatiently on your desk. The report is still not in your hands. As your stress level continues to increase, the employee finally submits the report in the form of a lengthy, highly detailed spreadsheet. Your stress further heightens as you would have preferred a concise, bulleted format that provides a quick read of the information you requested. This scenario is one example of different personality styles in the workplace and shows why they can make -- or break -- the productivity and teamwork within an organization.

More companies are learning the value of educating employees on different work styles through the use of personality profiles and other assessment tools. Greg Cullen, manager of market strategy and research for Ceridian, shares his viewpoints about the importance of flexing to different work styles.

Flexing to others
"Learning to flex to others' work styles ensures that there is a productive outcome in the interaction that you have," Cullen says. "People can get hooked by their coworkers' personality style or words that are used. This may cause a reaction that can greatly hinder productivity. The only part of an interaction I can control is my half, so if I learn to flex to others' work styles, the interactions can improve. Flexing is a way of getting in sync with the other person by adjusting your behaviors to others' wants and needs."

This doesn't mean you have to change your work style. Flexing means you adjust your approach with each individual to make them more comfortable when working with you. For example, if your style is very direct and outspoken, it may be overwhelming for a quiet, introverted coworker to partner with you on projects. However, you can ease their anxiety by flexing to their work style. This requires stepping back to assess their personality and understanding how you can modify your behavior to "mimic" theirs. Adjusting little things can make a big difference in making the other person more comfortable when working with you. Maybe you lean forward and use lots of hand gestures when you talk, but the other person leans back in their chair and doesn't use their hands when they talk. To flex to this individual, you could lean back in your chair and minimize your hand gestures.

Pick your profile
Personality assessments are being used in a number of ways throughout the employee life cycle according to a November 2005 article from the Society of Human Resource Management titled Personality Counts. An example from the article was The Yankee Candle Company. It first used personality assessments as a leadership-team exercise in May 2003. Since then, the company has expanded their use of the assessments to assist with leadership development, individual development, team communications, conflict resolution, coaching and hiring. In addition, all final stage executive candidates at Yankee Candle take a personality assessment. New executives' profiles are shared with their direct reports and peers to help them understand their leader's work style.

A variety of different personality assessment tools are available on the market. Some of the more commonly used instruments for assessing personality and psychological characteristics include:

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Instrument
Fundamental to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is the concept of psychological type. This sorts psychological opposites into four opposite pairs, or dichotomies, with 16 possible combinations.

Kolbe System
This tool is built on the belief that an individual's "innate talents" are unchanging and constant. This is in contrast to the skills and learned abilities that change throughout our lives.

DISC Personal Profile System
The DISC Personal Profile System provides personality profile behavioral testing using four dimensions of normal behavior. It helps individuals assess to what degree they use each dimension of behavior in a situation.

The strength behind a reliable, time-tested assessment is the way it measures character and personality traits vital for continued success on the job. These traits can include persistence, coping with stress, handling rejection, need for approval and sociability. It is a measurement of the whole person and how they will handle the job, as well as interpersonal relationships with coworkers.

"There is not a good or bad style," adds Cullen. "Some people make the mistake of thinking that certain styles aren't as conducive to being successful in business as others. Flexibility is being aware of all the styles and what is needed to get in sync and choose behaviors that will move business forward instead of causing static."

Twelve steps to team success
Teams that are cohesive, productive, efficient -- and whose members enjoy doing their work and working together -- don't happen by accident. Productive teams make the best use of all their members' work styles. A work group begins to become a team when employees see their jobs not merely as what they are supposed to do, but as contributions to the group's success. Effective teams are productive, not because team members never disagree, but because they have worked out ways to resolve problems when they occur. They are efficient because their managers make sure to use each member's skills and insights, rather than letting the team be dominated by the most verbal, most aggressive or most popular personalities.

Counselors with Ceridian LifeWorks recommend the following 12 steps to help build an effective and cohesive team:

1. Clarify the team's common goals and purposes.
2. Clarify each person's role in achieving the common purpose.
3. Clarify the needs of the team's external or internal customers or clients.
4. Don't stifle conflicts when they arise, but allow them to come to the surface.
5. Work out effective ways to resolve conflicts based on the needs of the specific team.
6. Make sure you are still the manager by holding employees responsible for meeting goals or helping to solve problems.
7. Make sure team meetings aren't management-centric. This allows for the development of team synergy.
8. Allow team members to provide input into their jobs by encouraging them to make suggestions.
9. Make sure there is room for minority or unpopular views.
10. Appraise and reward the team as a whole.
11. Appraise and reward each employee individually and include a review of their teamwork.
12. Celebrate team milestones and successes.

"An individual's work style, skills and interests can help complement the team," Cullen explains. "A project team could include people who like the day-to-day monitoring versus creative people who like to brainstorm. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't manage the project monitoring if you are a creative type, but you need to find the best time to do the tasks you don't like since they are often energy draining. Understanding your personality style not only helps you to work better with others, it also can help you understand your work method so that you can be more productive."

Ceridian Management Line
At Ceridian, we know that managers can face complex work-related issues and interpersonal conflicts among their workforce. Ceridian Management Line can offer you toll-free consultation with a dedicated team of management consultants any time -- day or night. Our "whole-life" perspective allows managers to integrate job performance into a holistic life plan, simultaneously enhancing both personal satisfaction and work contribution. Ceridian Management Line also gives you access to comprehensive online resources on management topics. Contact your Ceridian representative for more information.