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The Full Spectrum
Volume 1 Issue 2 February 2005
In Focus: Temperament (Personality) Theory
Welcome
Nowhere is the clash of personalities more evident than in the workplace. Anywhere outside the workplace, we can usually either avoid people with whom we don’t see eye-to-eye or our interactions with them are short enough to bear, such as being served in a restaurant. At work however, the colleagues we disagree with, clash with, are always there. Often it seems we are paired with them on projects, we take the same coffee break; our paths cross unavoidably. Is it possible to enjoy working with these people who are so different from us? What insights might help?
Temperament, or personality, theory has long been a favourite model for understanding where other people are coming from with different behaviours, views, and priorities. Applying this model has always made it much easier for me to interact respectfully, gain cooperation and see results with individuals who do not share my view of the world. This issue of The Full Spectrum explores the ways personality – ours and theirs - can affect the work we do. The tips below will hopefully provide you with insights into the collegial relationships you find most difficult to deal with. As you can see, we have added a new feature this month - our Cartoon Corner - for a 'light' look at the topic in focus.
If you have a question or a story that you’d like to share with us, please drop us a line at Inquiries@kscopic.ca.
Cartoon Corner*
Here's one way to put a team together. Keep reading for another suggestion that uses each person's skills more effectively! *Used with permission
Tempering Temperament: Different Personalities on the Team
Just what is Temperament Theory? In his book People Patterns: A Modern Guide to the Four Temperaments, Steven Montgomery describes temperament as “an inherent personal style, a predisposition that forms the basis of all our natural inclinations: what we think and feel, what we want and need, what we say and do.” Temperament theory has been around since Plato and Aristotle and is divided into four sets of characteristics or ‘types’. Different theorists have applied different terms, however the characteristics of the four types are largely similar.
Modern temperament theorists include Carl Jung, Myers-Briggs, David Keirsey, Don Lowry (True Colors®), Linda Berens and Lynda McKim (Personality Dimensions™). Each theorist has built on existing materials and, in some cases, has developed additional tools that complement our understanding of temperament. For example, Introversion and Extraversion are part of Personality Dimensions™ and, while not a part of temperament theory, are very helpful for understanding individual motivation and work style. So just how does all this affect us? The way we interact with our colleagues, suppliers, supervisors and staff – from the words we choose to the actions we undertake to the way we seek recognition – is generally predictable and explicable given knowledge in temperament theory. As supervisors and managers, temperament theory offers strategies for effectively managing a team’s resources, efforts and motivation. Temperament theory can also help us work more effectively with our peers.
Personality Dimensions™ (PD) is Canadian model of temperament and the model that Kaleidoscopic most often uses because of its Canadian content, validity studies and representation of diversity. Any good model of temperament will share another characteristic of PD – recognizing that each of the four types is within each person, valuing those strengths and understanding the challenges associated with each type, and not attempting to fit the individual into an ideal mould.
It is important to remember, as with any tool, that this model is one of a number of ways of approaching differences. It is not intended to be “the final answer”. It should be used as a guide for building understanding about our own and others’ behaviours and learning how to work together more effectively. The model is not something to hide behind as an excuse for behaviour (“I had no choice; it’s my temperament.”) but rather is an opportunity to explain that motivations, that were previously a mystery, behind the behaviours. For example, the Senior Manager who seems to be out of touch with what it will take to implement a plan might be of a primary type that excels at big picture visioning, an extremely valuable skill in their position.
One of the interesting phenomenons with the Personality Dimensions™ model in particular is the new vocabulary that it presents. Teams begin to use the four types in the model when referring to breaking down a particular project by task and matching individuals with the natural skill set to the tasks (see Team Tip). Individuals also use the model when challenges arise with their colleagues, referring to the type’s characteristics they are exhibiting that are challenging, as opposed to focussing on the person. The new vocabulary offers a neutral way to address those differences, without confrontation, and in a way that everyone understands – a powerful conflict prevention tool.
Kaleidoscopic’s one-day Tempering Temperament: Personality Dimensions™ for Managers course gives supervisors and managers an understanding of the four personality types and ways to effectively manage them. For more information on holding this course at your workplace, contact Kaleidoscopic at Inquiries@kscopic.ca
Case Studies
Case Study 1: Don't Take it Personally
A small organization had an individual in the administrative assistant role that was detail-oriented, punctual and effective at managing deadlines. A great fit for the position. One of her responsibilities was collecting expense reports from all the staff with face-to-face client meetings on a monthly basis. Some of the staff required more reminders than others. The administrative assistant found herself speaking with about four staff members on a regular basis and needing to follow up several times before receiving the required documentation. On their part, these staff placed higher value on the face-to-face client time aspect of their job and were annoyed to have repeated follow up calls on the same subject.
When the whole team had the opportunity to participate in the Personality Dimensions™ session as part of a staff retreat, the light bulbs over several team members’ heads were practically visible in mid-air. The facilitator was able to moderate a discussion about how the personality differences were playing out in the workplace, and to point out that each person was in a position that was well suited to her skills. The administrative assistant was great at detail and collecting the documentation in a timely manner was important to the organization’s smooth financial functioning. She would not have been happy in the field meeting with clients. The other staff excelled at the face-to-face aspects and admitted they would neither have enjoyed nor been good at the administrative details. It became much easier for each of these individuals to work together with this new perspective on each other’s behaviour. The administrative assistant realized that the late expense reports were due to a different perception of value and the staff members realized that the repeat follow up calls they received were so that the administrative assistant could meet her deadline. All parties realized the behaviours had not been personal.
Case Study 2: Only One Piece of the Puzzle
A small team of only 10 people had been together for several years without much turnover and the manager felt that the whole team was losing some of their professionalism with each other because of being too comfortable together. As part of a team retreat, a Personality Dimensions™ session was conducted. The results were interesting: two of the four temperaments (Authentic Blue and Organized Gold) were represented by eight of the ten individuals! One of the types was not represented as a primary skill set at all (Inquiring Green), and the other two individuals were the final type (Resourceful Orange).
As the group worked through a couple of exercises, it became apparent that the similarities in temperament were contributing to some of their challenges as a group, along with a couple of other factors. The team was largely composed of women – only two men were on the team – and the group ranged in age from late 20s (Generation X) to late 50s (Baby Boomers). These gender differences and generational differences were also contributing to their team dynamics. For example, the late-Baby Boomer manager felt that because of the length of time the group had been together conflict and differences that should not have been brought up in the workplace at all were in fact being broached. She saw this as a lack of professionalism, coming specifically from the Generation Xers. What is interesting to note is that her generation tends to avoid conflict at work and her temperament type is less comfortable with conflict than the other temperaments. Generation Xers tend to have a more open approach to conflict in the workplace than do late Boomers. Additionally, the Generations Xers on her staff were also of another temperament that was not uncomfortable with conflict. Being able to see both of these layers provided a bigger picture that helped the whole team work more productively together.
Team Tip
Once a temperament tool has been introduced to your workplace, one of the ways to ensure the information is put to good use is to keep it current for your team. At the Canadian Securities Institute, Allen Bessel, SVP Sales & Marketing, did just that with his team following a Personality Dimensions™ workshop at their team retreat. Allen spoke with his senior management team and together they worked to ensure meeting agendas appealed to all four temperaments. They also referred concretely to the temperament theory model as a way of breaking down projects into tasks and, where possible, assigning individuals based on their temperament skills. Allen and his team were able to leverage the knowledge they’d gained at the retreat into new ways of approaching their daily work. What would keep temperament theory current for your team?
If you would like to help your team achieve peak performance, contact Kaleidoscopic at
March "In Focus" - Age Diversity |
