Trusting your instincts can be powerful, but there are moments when overriding your gut feeling is crucial for building an effective team.
When choosing new team members, it’s natural to gravitate towards individuals who share your views and preferences – essentially, people who are like you.
While this might seem like a safe bet for harmony, continuously hiring in this manner can lead to a homogenous team. This lack of diversity can result in ‘groupthink,’ where similar perspectives dominate, potentially leading to poor decision-making.
To create a balanced team, it’s essential to embrace diversity in outlooks, even if it means recruiting individuals who are quite different from yourself.
Historically, teams were formed based on job titles and competencies – someone from finance, a general manager, a product specialist, etc. However, effective teams today are also built on a balance of personalities.
The five roles
Hogan describes five psychological roles that are usually found in effective teams, which may be performed by one or more of your team members to differing degrees. Each role brings positive benefits to the team, but can also become negative if over-represented.
Results
Individuals in this role focus on achieving goals, driving tasks, and leading initiatives. They are confident and energetic, often taking charge. However, too many Results-oriented individuals can lead to competition and a reluctance to consider alternative viewpoints.
Relationships
These team members are sociable, sensitive, and often the glue that holds the team together. They ensure everyone is heard and maintain team harmony. However, they might prioritise team empathy over results, potentially hindering progress.
Process
Process-oriented individuals bring organisation, attention to detail, and a focus on high performance and compliance. The downside is that they can become inflexible and prone to micromanagement if this trait is overemphasised.
Innovation
Innovators are the creative minds, constantly generating new ideas. While their creativity is valuable, they may become impatient with the implementation phase, finding the detailed execution of ideas less engaging.
Pragmatism
Pragmatic team members are practical and task-focused. They are cautious about new ideas and can bluntly challenge others, which might cause friction. Their practicality is essential, but too much can stifle innovation.
Assessing team members
Different teams require different balances. For example, a design team might need more Innovators but should have a Results-focused individual to maintain direction. Conversely, a financial audit team would benefit from a mix of Process-oriented and Pragmatic individuals.
To achieve a balanced team, consider formal personality assessments, such as the Hogan Personality Inventory. This tool scores individuals on various scales, creating a map of the proposed team’s psychological diversity. It helps in understanding how well potential team members can collectively deliver the five roles mentioned above.
Partner this qualitative analysis with dedicated team effectiveness work with a consultant, and you’ll develop a team with the right balance of both qualities and skills to achieve peak performance.
Monitoring and maintaining team balance
Once a team is established, periodic assessments can ensure that the team remains balanced and identify if new members are needed to address any psychological gaps. These assessments can also detect ‘derailments’ – behavioural issues arising from stress or pressure, causing team members to become dysfunctional. For instance, a highly Bold individual might become overly arrogant, or a creative person might become disruptive.
Consultants play a key role in addressing such derailments. They help teams recognize and manage these behaviours, coaching them to take proactive measures to restore balance and maintain effectiveness.
Building a team that excels requires a thoughtful blend of personalities and skills. By understanding and applying the principles of psychological diversity, you can create a team that not only performs well but also remains adaptable and resilient in the face of challenges.
So, how’s your team profile? Take a closer look and ensure you have the right mix for success.