Office Horrorscopes
Personality clashes happen in both our working and personal lives; we come across people with whom we just ‘click’ and those we try to avoid at all costs.
Just as certain zodiac signs are said to complement or clash with one another, the same principle applies to employee types.
Although we take time when developing new personal relationships to be absolutely sure that the person is the right ‘fit’ for us, can the same be said for the time and effort invested in identifying and recruiting the right people for our workplaces?
Karen Williams, Principal of Brisbane-based Organisational Change Management Specialists Message Stix, says no.
“More than ever, organisations are desperate to appoint candidates in order to fill a void, without giving much thought to achieving the right organisational fit,” Karen said.
According to Karen, the secret for recruiters and managers alike is to clearly identify the core skill set that is required when a vacancy needs to be filled, as well as look at the wider office dynamic to assess what personality type is the best fit for a team.
“Recruiters need to keep focussed on the wider organisational culture and be crystal clear about the personality type they want to attract.”
“Wrong decisions contribute to high staff turnover which has the potential to cause major economic losses to a business in terms of lost time, productivity, revenue and even customer dissatisfaction,” Karen said.
For organisations to break the continuous cycle of “recruit/interview/appoint”, Karen said they need to be mindful of how a candidate’s personality will affect the existing dynamic of the company.
Ms Williams said inventories such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Dr. Meredith Belbin’s Team Role Inventory have become essential tools for identifying the ideal employee based on their ‘organisational fit’.
“All potential employees are on their best behaviour and aim to impress; it is not until they have been offered the job and settle into their new role that some of their true personality traits surface,” Karen said.
Remember, it may take a little to find your ‘perfect match’, but the time investment is worthwhile.
Karen said Belbin’s Team Role Inventory reveals both a potential employee’s personality and how they would typically interact with others, to identify good and bad matches.
Below is a general description of typical personality types that can be found in any office; those that work together best and those who have the potential to clash.
The Ideas Man/Woman
• Often unorthodox, innovative in approach
• The office extrovert
• ‘Out there’ dress style
• Quick thinking, problem solver
Best Match: The Optimist
Don’t Go There: The Perfectionist
The All-rounder
• Diplomatic
• Great at keeping the peace
• Quiet achiever
Best Match: The Perfectionist
Don’t Go There: The Chief
The Doer
• Delivers the goods
• Loves to ‘roll their sleeves up and get their hands dirty’
• Extremely loyal
• Passionate team player
Best Match: The Chief
Don’t Go There: The Ideas Man/Woman
The Optimist
• Adept at seeing the bigger picture
• Confident, stable and mature
• Recognises team strengths and delegates
• Very popular
Best Match: The Perfectionist
Don’t Go There: The Ideas Man/Woman
The Chief
• Thrives on pressure and challenge
• Always active
• Charge through obstacles
• Push / pull team members along
Best Match: The Optimist
Don’t Go There: The Perfectionist
The Perfectionist
• Almost obsessive-compulsive
• Strong need for accuracy
• Can’t let go of projects or responsibility
• Quite intimidating
Best Match: The All-rounder
Don’t Go There: The Perfectionist
by Karen Williams
Change Management Expert
http://www.messagestix.com.au
