High-performing teams can provide an undeniable advantage over the competition. However, most managers will tell you that although it is easy to put together a team with great potential, they rarely perform at their maximum capacity. Why? Because you’re doing it wrong.
Most managers put their resources into finding the right mix of functional roles in a team – roles dictated by people’s titles and reflect their hard skills (accountant, designer, engineer, etc.). However, they often neglect to balance the team’s psychological roles. Psychological roles are dictated by people’s personalities. There are five psychological roles to which people naturally gravitate: results, relationships, process, innovation, and pragmatism.
- Results – Individuals who gravitate toward the results role take responsibility for managing the team. They are comfortable taking charge, and are needed to communicate ideas, work processes, individual contributions, progress, and problems to the team.
- Relationships – Team members in the relationships role tend to be concerned with harmony and cooperation. They may also be the champion of the customer and stakeholders – someone who empathizes and understands how those outside the team will see things. Personally, they tend to be upbeat, gregarious, and outgoing.
- Process – Individuals who naturally focus on process are concerned with implementation, the details of execution, and the use of systems to complete tasks. They are reliable, organized, and conscientious about following rules and protocol.
- Innovation – Team members who gravitate toward the innovation role anticipate problems, and recognize when the team needs to adapt. They spot trends and patterns quickly, enjoy solving problems, and generate creative solutions.
- Pragmatism – Team members who are drawn to the pragmatism role are practical, somewhat hard-headed challengers of ideas and theories. They promote realistic approaches and aren’t easily swayed by the need to preserve harmony or innovation for its own sake.
To find out more about how to find the right balance of personalities for your team, check out our complimentary eBook, Dysfunctional Team? It’s Your Fault.