Future Workplace
Zürich, May 23, 2019
High-performing teams are constituted of people with diverse backgrounds, diverse work styles and diverse personality profiles. Depending on a team’s mission, the ideal mix will look different. Do you know the profile of your team? Creating a powerful team starts with insights.
As part of the Advance Future Workplace series, we teamed up with Deloitte to explore a tool that helps understand different personalities and work styles in order to empower diverse teams. It’s called “Business Chemistry” and has been developed by Deloitte with the goal to strengthen teams and enhance business relationships. The methodology identifies four different personality types, each characterized by a pattern of behaviors and preferences. Understanding similarities and differences enables individuals and teams to flex in order to better accommodate different styles and increase team performance.
Business Chemistry offers a different perspective on diversity. It supports inclusion by exchanging with others in a way that resonates with their personal style. Talking openly about such styles and potentially associated stereotypes leads to “AHA” moments and reduces bias by building understanding of opposite personality styles. Exploring the different types and traits of Business Chemistry, we learned how to both strengthen and challenge us in our work together and with others. It included also specific tips for interacting with others who are similar to and different from you.
Take the gender discussion beyond gender
According to stereotypical beliefs, you would expect women to be integrators and men to be drivers. The truth is that there are no such clusters. The 4 personality types are equally distributed among the genders. Therefore, it is more effective to understand the personality traits of the person you have in front of you instead of generalizing and allocating certain behaviors to gender. That way you can use personality styles to increase inclusion in your company.
Use personality types to diversify your team and break up silos
Experience shows that certain personality types are more common in certain functions. In HR for instance, we often find integrators, in finance rather guardians etc. Since diversity is better everywhere, think about using personality types to add the right person to the team the next time you recruit. You can also adjust the setup of teams according to the task or situation. Breaking the silos would mean better results!
Only what is understood, can be addressed
There are no right or wrong profiles. Assessing the personality styles of your employees is key. Focus on strengths, communicate openly about the personality style of each person and use it to put more powerful teams together, to resolve conflicts and increase performance.
A very warm thank you goes to Deloitte for sharing such valuable insights and for making this event possible.
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