How would you describe your colleagues? Are you stuck with an arrogant Andy, cheerful Charley, happy-go-lucky Lucy or difficult Diana? How do they see you? Understanding the different personality and job types will not only help you understand yourself but will also help you create a more efficient and productive workplace.

What exactly is personality?

Personality is commonly described as those distinctive characteristics or qualities that make a person different from others. Although our personalities are influenced by both hereditary and genetic factors as well as by our upbringing, culture, environment and life experiences, each individual is an uniquely, different human being.

Philosophers and psychologists have, through the ages, studied the human personality and have come up with a few commonly accepted theories and models such as the introvert and extrovert personality types. These were subdivided into the bossy, driven choleric and the cheerful, talkative sanguine extroverts, and the moody, serious melancholic and the calm, phlegmatic introverts.

Two major components

Two other major personality components, empathy and ego drive, were observed and identified.

Empathy is the emotional and often intuitive ability to perceive the needs of others. In the workplace those with high empathy levels will have good social and personal relationships with colleagues and superiors alike while those with lower empathy levels will be very self-disciplined and rather concentrate on the task at hand than the people surrounding them.

Ego drive also influences human behaviour in the workplace. The person with a high ego drive is usually more focused on results, even if it means taking risks, and less focussed on relationships. Low ego drive individuals value relationships and the process that it takes to achieve results.

Four personality types

The following four, workplace personality types are closely associated with the abovementioned.

  1. Initiators or drivers have high ego drives and can be trusted to get the job done.
  2. Motivators talk and push us to achieve our goals but also appreciate and recognise our efforts. They have high ego drives but are very empathetic.
  3. Supporters have low ego drives and love to help others to get the job done. They are, understandably, very popular and appreciated for being so empathetic.
  4. Analysers or thinkers are usually so focussed on the facts and how to improve business processes and results that they have little time to be ego-driven or emphatic. However, they are crucial to the success of a business.

Understanding yourself and others is a great motivator. It will help you understand your own inter-personal relationships, communication and working style and how it impacts on others. It can also help you to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Each personality type has a role to play in the workplace and should be treated with appreciation and respect.

 

Sources
Asher, J. 2011. Understanding personality types in the workplace. Retrieved from: http://www.asherstrategies.com
Swift, L. 2011. What’s your job personality type? Retrieved from: http://ohsonline.com