Author: Nicola Richmond
Recently, my sister-in-law shared with me her experience of completing a personality profile, she joked "we need to give one of these to the rest of the family for Christmas!" Not that I’d advocate for that necessarily (!) but it did get me thinking about how understanding personality profiles can hugely improve team dynamics and interactions. Here are 3 simple and effective ways you can use personality profiles to build and enhance your teams performance:
1. Switch-up Communication Styles
Communication styles vary widely. Some people like to dive right in and get straight to the point, others prefer to ponder and think before they respond. It’s super easy to understand individual differences in communication styles using personality profiles, and your team can use this knowledge to really inform and modify how they interact with each other. Just as importantly, they can use each other to help tailor communications to specific audiences or stakeholders based on how the message might be best received. (LePine, Podsakoff & LePine, 2005)
2. Play to Individual Strengths
Everyone has unique personality strengths. Identifying these through personality assessments allows you and the team to assign roles or tasks that better play to people’s strengths. For example, creative thinkers can spearhead brainstorming sessions, or detail-oriented individuals can handle intricate planning and organisation. This approach not only boosts efficiency in your team, but also enhances overall job satisfaction with individuals. (Judge & Bono, 2001)
3. Handle Conflicts Like a Pro
Conflicts are a natural part of any group dynamic (families included!). Understanding how different people handle disagreements based on their personalities can lead to more effective conflict resolution. Some people might prefer to address issues directly, while others need time to reflect. Knowing these tendencies helps in managing conflicts more smoothly, reducing tension, and creating a more harmonious environment in your team. (Thomas & Kilmann, 1974)
Summary
Integrating personality profiles into team-building can make a huge difference, and most people are often really curious about understanding their team mates a bit better too. Amongst other things, these insights can really kickstart communication skills, help identify strengths and support conflict management.
Give it a try and see how a little personality insight and understanding can transform your teams dynamics. And if you’re feeling really brave try introducing personality profiling to your next family get together!
References:
LePine, J. A., Podsakoff, N. P., & LePine, M. A. (2005). A Meta-Analytic Test of the Relationships Between Communication Competence and Team Effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(5), 1207-1220.
Judge, T. A., & Bono, J. E. (2001). Relationship of core self-evaluations traits—self-esteem, generalised self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability—with job satisfaction and job performance: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(1), 80-92. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.86.1.80
Thomas, K. W., & Kilmann, R. H. (1974). Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument. Consulting Psychologists Press.
Photo credits: Unsplash.com (Vlad Hilitanu)
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