In the last few years, the approach to work has changed dramatically. We don’t need to work from 9 to 5 (or at least not everyone), we don’t need cubicles as much as we did in the past, and we don’t need (want) to climb the corporate ladder.
Flexible hours, open spaces, and diplomatic structures are the new way of life. However, there is one thing that hasn’t changed – the need for a good team made up of people with different work styles.
Today’s work environment encourages variation not only in cultures but also in the approaches individuals take to their roles. Appreciating and resolving these different work styles is essential in business perspectives in this age where professional practices change at a very high rate. Working with a diverse group of people who have different working styles promotes quicker adaptation, better creativity, and a more inclusive atmosphere where everyone’s opinion counts.
We all have our preferred ways of thinking, speaking, or analyzing, which is a good thing. For a team to thrive, different people and ideas are needed. When you bring these various approaches together in the right way, you can create a harmonious balance. This means that no aspect of a project is overlooked and that every opportunity for growth is seized.
What is a work style?
Work style is the foundation on which businesses grow, operate, and thrive. It refers to the way we think, organize, and structure our work.
Are you the type of person who talks before you think? Or perhaps look before they leap? How much information and time do you need before doing something?
Everybody is different. If we all had a similar vision and approach when it comes to completing projects (or in life, for that matter) we wouldn’t accomplish much. If Jake, Clare, and Sophie had an intuitive, big-picture kinda approach to completing a project, then we would never get things done.
It’s really important to understand the different work styles of your team members and what they’re good at, so you can work better together and get things done more efficiently. Teams can make the most of the different skills and experience of their members, and avoid any unnecessary conflict. So, you’ll often find that businesses and leaders who value different working styles have better communication, more creative ideas and more efficient processes.
What’s more, effective leaders don’t just recognise the different work habits, they also work towards a consistent approach to assignment practice. For every task, there’s someone whose skills can be used to their fullest potential, making the most of their strengths. For example, an analyst might be great at crunching numbers, while a leader excels at strategy and decision-making. So, you can use these different working styles at different levels.
Let’s dive in and check out all the different working styles that are out there.
8 Main working styles
The Leader
These are the ones that take risks, spark energy, and stimulate others. They see the big picture and embrace the vision of the organization. The leaders create opportunities and make decisions, they don’t like repetition and want new challenges, and they don’t fixate on small details.
This group of people wants to win and see results using logic. They might come across as too authoritative while following thought leadership. If you are an entrepreneur, you probably belong to this category.
A leader is usually someone who follows the instincts of an innovator, especially when change is needed and decisions need to be made quickly. One example is business expansion, which requires bold creativity and a willingness to take risks. In a business setting, for instance, this type of leader thrives in high-pressure situations where the stakes are high and the outcome is crucial. They also inspire people to take action and encourage them to push their boundaries. Leaders love the chance to come up with a mission and vision, and they’re great at working out who’s going to make it happen. An innovative organization must have leaders who can make things happen.
The Independent
This working style refers to the people who are flying solo. They are the master of their show and they find it challenging to cooperate with others. The independent workers do not want a lot of supervision and prefer doing things on their own, following their gut. This category is usually reserved for the creative ones. They are known for being efficient, productive, and disciplined.
Independents value their autonomy and often blaze new trails in their respective fields. They like to work in environments where they have personal freedom and can make decisions without interference. Self-reliant people are usually assessed and supervised for little or no time, even though they often go above and beyond what’s expected of them. They tend to work alone or with very little help from others, and they’re often extremely productive. However, they can sometimes be seen as difficult or even antagonistic. They perform best at what they do when they’re allowed to do so without being monitored too closely.
The Operator
These are the people that everybody loves. The independent ones love to work on their own, but these guys here want to be surrounded by people and work within a group. They are diplomatic and professional communicators who thrive on feedback. They are cooperative, pragmatic, stable, and thorough.
The operators prefer to work on projects with others so that they can share the responsibility. Their style is strategic, collaborative, and organized. They don’t like ambiguity, sometimes they can get overly cautious, and they want to follow plans and structures. If you are someone who works in HR you belong in this category.
Operators tend to thrive in roles that require a lot of collaboration. They’re often the ones who bring the team together. They help keep the group on track by making sure everyone’s on the same page, which keeps things stable and balanced. They tend to operate in a way that’s reliable and orderly, with a clear set of rules in place. Even though they work well with others, operators tend to perform best in an environment where goals and processes are already in place. They’re great at bringing together different opinions, which is a real asset in a team environment.
The Status Quo Defender
If you are a defender of the status quo it means that you want stability and order. You are not into risks, you are detail-oriented, you value tradition, and resist changes. The defenders would look before they leap and they are thoughtful.
However, this means that they want to avoid conflicts and be sensitive to criticism. When you work with the defenders, you should bear in mind that they are steady, patient, and precise. They prefer repetitive work and it takes them time to get close to new people.
For example, defenders are typically more reliable and at ease in situations where there’s a clear structure and a certain degree of predictability. They tend to work systematically, following known and tested processes and procedures. They tend to be against big changes and usually need a lot of time to get to grips with new challenges. Statutory Protectors are best suited to roles where accuracy and dependability are key. They prefer to work on improving existing processes rather than creating new ones. They tend to stick to the status quo, which is great for stability within the company.
The Altruist
If you are supportive, emotionally aware, and expressive, then you belong to this work style. The important thing about this group of people is to nurture good connections with their colleagues. They seek harmony and want to celebrate success with their team. We could say that they thrive on collaboration and not on competition.
They might get frustrated by stagnation, are overly cautious, and are slower when making decisions. They are natural team players who contribute to a teamwork culture.
Altruists are the most appreciative of interpersonal relationships and have no trouble filling roles that require a lot of emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. People like this usually work in teams and really thrive on working together. They’re seen as the emotional support of the group, and they bring a lot of enthusiasm and positivity to the team. But their need to bond can also have a negative effect, leading to burnout, especially if a member is emotionally invested in the group. Altruists do best in environments where respect and understanding are the norm.
The Analyst
These guys are deliberate, they anticipate problems and follow through. They want to collaborate with others, but they can also work quietly on their own. We could say that they are the stable force within a team. They can be quite straightforward but also sensitive to criticism. They are also uncomfortable working under pressure and want to have a communication plan they can follow.
Analysts often end up taking on the roles of strategists and fixers. They tend to be quite analytical in their approach, preferring to wait until they have all the information they need before making a decision. Analysts like to get their hands dirty because they’re really interested in the nitty-gritty of systems and details. That’s why they’re great team players. They work best in structured, organised environments where they can tackle issues in a step-by-step process. They tend to be rational and detached, and they’re often the first to spot emerging problems, not the other way around.
The Outgoing
It’s hard not to love them. They are the soul of the party. They are charismatic, collaborative and want to help others, flexible, and quite diplomatic. As natural team players, they are known to be sympathetic and uninhibited. The problem is that they can be too talkative and they have limited attention to detail. If you are their manager, you should probably let them have their freedom of expression since they don’t respond well to rigid rules and formalities.
It’s great to have people on the team who are full of energy and can really lift everyone’s spirits. So, they work in a free and imaginative way, always looking for new ways to solve problems, and often getting into heated discussions and brainstorming sessions. They’re great at customer service, public relations, or any job that requires working with others. Outgoing people tend to do well in roles that involve talking and being active. However, they often find it challenging to adapt to more structured or isolated positions. They’re great at having fun at work, but they might miss some important details because they’re so focused on the big picture.
The Specialist
These are very loyal to authority. They are cautious and precise. The specialists are supportive and collaborative and might get obsessed with getting things done the right way. Being skeptical and factual is their thing. The specialists need to be recognized regularly and have as much information as possible so that they can make the right decisions.
Specialists like to work in a way that helps them to deepen their understanding and to develop a few key skills. They’re more into research and plan things out in advance. They usually prefer to work on a range of concepts and issues rather than focusing on just one thing. They can get a bit flustered if things aren’t clear or if they’re given a task that’s outside their area of expertise. But they really excel when they’re faced with a challenging problem and they can draw on their extensive knowledge. These specialists are great at getting the job done accurately and taking responsibility for their work. They’re perfect for any project that needs technical or narrow specialty knowledge.
How to balance work styles in a team
Once you figure out where you and your teammates belong, it is easy to use the information become aware of tendencies, and biases, and find ways to improve the collaboration within the team. When you put this knowledge to use, you’ll learn to value and respect others and what they bring to the table.
If you work alone, you will miss out on some things. That’s why different work styles yield better output. Our instincts would suggest finding people with similar work styles, but being surrounded by people with opposite perspectives would get you great results.
For instance, imagine having team members who all have a planned and analytical approach to finalizing projects without presenting new ideas and views. Who will come up with that big and bold idea that would bring innovation to the world? On the flip side, if everyone in the team is guided by their intuition without limitations, you will all be over budget and behind schedule most of the time.
The idea is to analyze the team members and to find out what is needed for each member to thrive. For example, the status quo defender would like to have an agenda and time before they make a decision, while the leader would need a whiteboard to brainstorm ideas. So, it would be a good idea to give the defenders of the status quo time to prepare for meetings or give the independents autonomy so that they can thrive.
Can one person have multiple work styles?
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Dave Winsborough said: The dynamics of interpersonal relationships depend on individuals’ personalities, not on hard skills or expertise. As employees, we can all get better at our jobs by taking different courses or coaching, but at the end of the day, we are who we are – reserved or talkative, laid back, or competitive.
Taking this into consideration, it is important to bear in mind and make a distinction between different personalities in a team. However, we are people and we don’t live in a black-and-white world. This means we don’t need to box ourselves into one specific work style.
It is okay if we are the leader at a certain point in time, but after a while to become the analyst. And remember: each style is unique and there is a tradeoff to every style. Let’s focus on what comes to us naturally and not overthink it.
In today’s workplace, no matter what your role, being able to switch up your work style is a key skill that shows you’re a great leader and can adapt to different situations. For instance, a project manager might use the skills of a ‘Leader’ to inspire and motivate the team, while at the start of a project, a ‘Promoter’ could be useful for putting together a comprehensive project proposal or budget. This helps with both creating and implementing, which are key to success.
The best teamwork results come from mixing up different work styles. What if, for instance, there was a salesperson focused on deals and a programmer working together to meet a client’s needs by pitching them a new project? The creative member will make the presentation fun, while the technical one will make sure everything is done properly. The pitch gets better and there’s a nice balance of innovation and dependability.
This flexibility is especially useful in leadership roles. A manager who is a ‘Status Quo Defender’ in times of change and an ‘Altruist’ in taking care of the team’s spirit is someone who can face all obstacles without any discord in the team. This kind of leadership isn’t about one person being at the top of a pyramid. It’s about everyone working together positively.
So what kind of a flow do you gravitate towards? Do let us know.
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