Take Four Types of Employees, Add a Dash of Creative Management, and Mix Well to Produce an Effective Team

Many clients and business associates ask what I think works when it comes to managing teams. The simple answer is, "Whatever it takes to get the job done." While this off-the-cuff statement appears to be sarcastic, it really opens the door to a greater understanding of what needs to be done in order to receive the best out of people.

In an effort to gain such an understanding, it is easy to get lost in all the information floating around in the business world today, six habits for this, 10 steps for that, 12 techniques for the other. It can make your head swim.

I have read numerous articles on personality types, learning styles, growth cycles, and individual performance, since my firm, Experience Based Learning, Inc., is a national training organization that delivers teambuilding workshops across North America. We have provided experiential training workshops since 1996 and myself personally since 1984, serving Fortune 500 and 100 companies, universities, and individuals. I believe it is simpler to create high-powered teams than it might first appear.

First, it is important to understand some basic facts about people. We all learn differently, and we learn best from our own experiences. As a business owner, it is my responsibility to understand what makes my employees tick, then manage the company infrastructure in a way that utilizes their talents and continues to challenge them in creative ways.

Employees, too, have a basic and fundamental responsibility to the employer, to perform as if they owned the company themselves. The days of working 9 to 5 are gone, while working 5 to 9 is here. The distribution networks of information, services, and products has diminished the virtual size of America. If your firm cannot or will not deliver, somebody else’s will, or already has.

A simple truth has presented itself to me over the years: It does not matter so much how people learn, but rather what they do with the information once they have received it. Yes, we have auditory, tactile, and visual learners; we have a need to learn and repeat information in cycles to ensure retention; we need to set goals, benchmarks, and thresholds of performance; and there are people who are better thinkers and have better interpersonal skills than others. But all things being equal, it is what we do with information that really matters, and that depends on your employees’ mindset during decision-making.

Whether you agree or disagree with the comments below, I hope you will think about them, and possibly ask yourself some tough (and needed) questions.

Decision-Making Styles

I have found people to be in one of four mindsets when making decisions. It is important to look at a decision because it is the measurable action of what people do after they have learned information. Therefore, individuals will seek out information in a manner that supports how they will act upon it, that is, in a decision.

Ideas Decision-Maker

This person, sometimes affectionately know as The Entrepreneur, is one who asks the question "Why?" when faced with problems to solve, and challenges conventional thought. The Ideas Decision-Maker focuses energy into creating many answers that solve a problem. Finding one answer to a problem is energizing, but discovering the second, third, and fourth right answer is equally stimulating. This person tends to be a free thinker and may suggest solutions that are unconventional in regard to traditional procedures and patterns. During projects, when the group is halfway to completion, the ideas continue to flow, thus causing this person to be viewed as an "arsonist."

In short, the Ideas Decision-Maker:

• values ideas;
• tends to be visionary and see a bigger picture;
• likes to be creative; and
• may be comfortable within chaos.

People Decision-Maker

This person tends to focus on the question "For Whom?" when faced with problems or group situations. The People Decision-Maker concentrates on maintaining group harmony, and values group interpersonal relations. Typically this person does not "rock the boat" but rather seeks equalization within a group setting. Sometimes refereed to as a "people pleaser," he or she values group interaction and tends to head off conflict prior to arguments. This person may be viewed as a "super follower" or may be affectionately know as The Integrator.

In short, the People Decision-Maker:

• values people;
• focuses on interrelationships;
• is sensitive to the feelings of others;
• likes to build community; and
• is good at bringing people together.

Process Decision-Maker

This person focuses energy on the question of "How?" when making decisions, looking for the steps to be taken in order to solve a problem or fulfill a request. This person may find comfort in schedules, procedures, and other written information that outlines steps and action items. The Process Decision-Maker is usually well-organized and may have a daily routine scheduled down into 15-minute increments or less. This person is sometimes affectionately know as The Administrator, and does things "by the book."

In short, the Process Decision-Maker:

• values process and procedure;
• is usually well-organized and self-disciplined;
• enjoys creating systems that bring order out of chaos; and
• takes pride in the ability to attend to details and get things running smoothly.

Product Decision-Maker

This person tends to focus on the question "What?" when faced with making a decision. He or she concentrates on the immediate task and seeks measurable results. This employee may be viewed as pragmatic, getting the immediate job done without wasting time and energy, but may also be perceived as a black-and-white thinker with little room for gray shades when completing projects. Sometimes affectionately know as The Producer, this employee is often industrious and viewed as a "Lone Ranger."

In short, the Product Decision-Maker:

• values performance and product;
• is highly focused and committed to getting the job done;
• is concerned that things are done right;
• takes pride in being
• task-oriented and getting lots of things accomplished; and
• values expert knowledge.

The Recipe

These four types of decision-makers combined enable your team to cultivate new ideas, motivate people to do their best, develop procedures to get things done, measure the results of effort, and deliver to the customer. A balanced team with a blend of all four styles is a must.

As effective employers, it is our responsibility to address how individuals make decisions, then assign them tasks that are related to their strengths. If results are low, I find a Product Decision-Maker and ask them to give me a straight answer regarding where the bottleneck lies. If I need a fresh approach to a problem or a current product, I will ask Idea Decision-Makers to have a brainstorming session. Morale officers and human-resource managers typically fall into the People Decision-Maker profile, and those are the people I draft to ensure that there is harmony among the team and that professional needs are being meet. The Process Decision-Makers help me conceptualize all the necessary steps in a product’s lifecycle.

When a manager taps into an individual’s strengths, that employee becomes more empowered, with a sense of control and of being a value-added component to the company. For professional development, it is my responsibility to point out areas for growth, thus making them more effective employees within the company. I am a firm believer that people are an organization’s greatest assets. In return, the organization provides the employee the privilege to be productive in a rewarding opportunity. So as an employee, trust you will have work. As an employer, trust that the work will be done well. This is a symbiotic relationship that, if performed correctly, sustains itself over time.

Here are eight tips for maximizing your team:

1. Do not pigeonhole people.
2. Do not use results as a crutch. Be willing to stretch.
3. Stretch during practice time and use your strengths during crunch time.
4. High-performance teams have representation from all the decision-maker quadrants.
5. Conflict is essential, but only with quadrant respect.
6. To empower, make decisions via consensus.
7. For high quality, implement automated processes.
8. High-quality decisions are made when all quadrants have input in to a decision.

With all that said, be prepared to make some mistakes and have some failures. But there is a lesson in every mistake and failure, these experiences provide us with teachable moments. If you find the lesson, then you "fail forward" with progress and are better off for the experience.

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Steven Gustafson, MS is President and CEO of Experience Based Learning, Inc., a national training organization based in Rockford, Ill. He is a frequent guest speaker at national conferences on entrepreneurship and university small-business lectures. While experience-based learning workshops are energizing, Mr. Gustafson believes that unless attendees are able to make a direct transfer to the work environment, the experience did not achieve its full impact. Visit www.ebl.org.

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About Decision Making Styles Instrument
Developed by Bruce Bonney, MS
Contributions by Jack Drury, MS & Steven Gustafson, MS

Bruce Bonney, MS, President of Leading Edge has played a leadership role in New York State in bringing change to the public school classroom. In particular he has helped teachers and school systems take the federal School to Work initiative and put theory into practice. Bruce was a Middle and High School Social Studies teacher for twenty-seven years at Morrisville-Eaton Central School in upstate New York and currently is the coordinator of Education By Design/NY, The Critical Skills Program at Oneonta an affiliate of the Antioch New England Graduate School. He is the owner/operator of Wilderness Education Services an education/outfitting service provider. He has presented at conferences and schools throughout the country and is co-author of the definitive wilderness leadership text The Backcountry Classroom: Lesson Plans for Teaching in the Wilderness.

Jack Drury, MS, Vice President of Leading Edge has been working with learners of all ages and walks of life ranging from youth at risk to corporate executives for twenty-five years. Facilitating leadership development has been the primary goal for his entire career. A high school student once observed that when teachers are learners they are no different than his high school peers. It was a very insightful observation and one that Jack has kept in mind his entire career. Learners no matter what their age or environment have the same range of motivation, needs, abilities and expectations. For seventeen years he was the founding Director of the Wilderness Recreation Leadership Program and an Associate Professor at North Country Community College in Saranac Lake, NY. He is past-president of the WEA, co-author of the definitive wilderness leadership text The Backcountry Classroom: Lesson Plans for Teaching in the Wilderness and the recently released Camper's Guide to Outdoor Pursuits: Finding Safe, Nature Friendly, Comfortable Passage Through Wild Places.

Steven Gustafson, MS, President & CEO of Experience Based Learning has been providing experiential learning programs since 1984, serving organizations, adults, colleges and high schools. His primary focus on Experience-based Training and Development (EBTD) and his creative designs have taken him across the country, delivering dynamic workshops for progressive organizations, many listed on the Fortune 100 list. He also consults on Internet marketing, small business development, and entrepreneurial business directions. He has been published in several training publications, been a guest speaker on national radio, and is invited to speak at national conferences including the prestigious Collegiate Entrepreneurial Organization (CEO) national conference.

DMS Copyright © 1997 by Bruce Bonney.