Team construction - Why Can't We All Get Along?

When team members clash, disaster strikes. Task deadlines are missed, Hr referees team members, the boss is angry for a week, and the raises everyone expects vanishes in the face of discord.

These clashes typically occur because the team's personalities get in the way. Each team member has their own unique personality mix which contributes to their capability to communicate, work under stress and make decisions. Wouldn't it be great if the team could harness their personality for effective sessions rather than battling sessions?

Team Building Training

Personality is defined as a range of emotion, idea and behavior patterns unique to a person.

Personality tests have been around for years. There are many types and variations, Briggs-Meyer, Enneagram, Keirsey-Bates, Hippocrates, Spangler, Jung, etc.

Most cut off personality into four categories. In this article, I will be discussing the Keirsey Temperament types: Artisan, Guardian, Rational, and Idealist.

Statistically the workplace is made up of the following mix:

Personality Type (% of the population)

Guardian: 40-45% Artisan: 35-40% Rationalist: 5-7% Idealist: 8-10%

Of course this is based on citizen statistics and your workplace may be different, depending on the type of worker targeted. In an accounting firm; the estimate of Guardians would be higher, in a graphic construct company; the estimate of Artisian's would be higher, etc.

Which personality is getting in the way of meeting the Task deadline? No bet here, has to be the Guardian personality.

Guardians

Guardian personalities make up 40-45% of the citizen and populate the science, technology, and engineering fields. These personalities pay attentiveness to information and furnish a part of security to projects. They are the ones who make sure that "i"s are dotted and "t"s are crossed.

Guardians are great listeners and love the details. They make sure that any new proposal contains adequate data to act.

On the flip side, this worker can sometimes come to be so cautious that projects end up delayed while they ensure themselves that all things is complete. They trust their judgment and are reluctant to trust others.

This is also the worker who loves to remember when... And you can always count on them to ask you where you were when man landed on the moon or when Jfk died.

Supervisors can get good performance from a Guardian if they:

Encourage him/her to speak their mind. Teach them to delegate responsibility. Provide all the data to make a decision. Check on them often when under a deadline. Respond respectfully to their questions.
Guardians in Brief

Value to the Team: Guardians are detail-oriented.
Major Strength: Accurately analyzes data.
Major Weakness: Cautious, loses sense of time.
Communication: Good listener
Emotional Response: Measures his/her response. Sensitive.
Decision Making: Reluctant to commit, needs lots of evidence
Behavior Under Stress: Guardians, when faced with high levels of stress, will avoid the stressor.
Being a good Team Player: Guardians need to speak their minds. They will feel more empowered and a member of the team.

Guardian Personalities

Colin Powell Martha Stewart Mother Teresa Warren Buffet Sam Walton Ed Sullivan President Gw Bush

For more on Teams and Personality, see the second article in this series: Team building Artisans

Team construction - Why Can't We All Get Along?