Knowing your working style can change your work life. I’ve personally experienced how understanding and adjusting for different working styles increases productivity and collaboration. So whether you’re analytical, detail oriented, supportive, or idea oriented, understanding your working style and that of your colleagues is key. So how do working styles impact the way we work with others and our success?
Understanding Different Working Styles
Working styles are individual methods people use to accomplish tasks and interact with others in a workplace setting. They influence how we process information, make decisions, and communicate at work. Research has identified four primary working styles: logical/analytical, detail-oriented, supportive/amiable, and idea-oriented/expressive.
Your working style is influenced by several factors:
- Personality traits
- Cultural background
- Educational experiences
- Past work environments
- Personal values and goals
Understanding these styles is key to improving teamwork, increasing productivity, and minimizing conflicts in the workplace. It allows you to identify your strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of your team members. This knowledge enables you to adjust your approach as needed and communicate more effectively with those around you.
I’ve also seen firsthand how recognizing and respecting different working styles can completely transform team dynamics. During my days working on a production line, I noticed that conflicts often stemmed from team members failing to understand each other’s working style. This realization piqued my interest in studying working styles and how they impact organizational efficiency vs effectiveness.
The Logical/Analytical Working Style
Logical/analytical workers excel at processing data and facts. They solve problems in a logical manner by breaking them down into smaller problems. These workers prioritize accuracy and deliberates when making decisions, as they want to ensure they have considered everything.
The strengths of analytical workers are that they easily identify inconsistencies, solve challenging problems, and make logical decisions. However, they don’t do well with rapid change and any situation that requires a quick, intuitive answer.
When working with analytical employees, provide them with as much data as possible and don’t ask them to make a quick decision. Instead, give them clearly defined objectives and deadlines, and let them decide how to get there.
If you are an analytical worker, be mindful of balancing analyzing everything with working in a fast-paced environment. Practice making decisions without all the data. To help others understand you as you make a decision, communicate your thought process.
The Detail-oriented Working Style
Detail oriented people are excellent at organizing information and finding mistakes. They are very careful to ensure that every detail is flawless in their work. Many of these people also have a great memory for details and thrive in positions that require accuracy.
The benefit of this approach is that you’ll receive a very high quality of work. Detail oriented people are the best type of person to work with if you need something done accurately and meticulously. However, they might struggle to see the big picture or hit tight deadlines due to their perfectionist nature.
When working with a detail oriented team member, give them very clear instructions and make it crystal clear what results you expect. Give them plenty of time to complete tasks to their standard. Teach them to prioritize tasks based on what’s most important and what’s most urgent.
If you are detail oriented, work on your prioritization skills. Practice distinguishing between what’s most important and what’s less important. Practice delegating if you’re the most capable person on your team, and keep in mind that you’re best to turn in outstanding work in a reasonable timeframe.
The Supportive/Amiable Working Style
Supportive employees are team players who value harmony and collaboration. They are good listeners and excellent at mediating conflicts and building rapport. These employees frequently prioritize the team’s needs over their own.
The supportive style is excellent for any work environment, as these employees create a positive atmosphere, excel at teamwork, and help solve interpersonal problems. However, they struggle to make difficult decisions and may avoid giving critical feedback.
When working with supportive peers, recognize their ability to build relationships. Include them in team conversations and respect their thoughts on the group. Create a comfortable environment where they can share concerns and disagreements.
As a supportive employee, consider how you can balance your desire for harmony with the ability to deliver candid feedback and constructive criticism. Work on developing your assertiveness to communicate your own needs and opinions. Keep in mind that addressing problems directly often produces better results for the team in the long run.
The Idea-oriented/Expressive Working Style
Idea people are creative types who love to innovate and change. They’re often charming communicators who can effectively inspire others. These people are excellent at ideation and thinking creatively.
The primary strength of idea people is their ability to generate new ideas and solve problems. Expressive employees can be an excellent source of inspiration and project enthusiasm. However, they may not excel at execution or details.
We can help you learn to work with idea people by allowing them the freedom to share their ideas. Create a judgment-free zone for a brainstorming session. Then, help them turn that creativity into an practical plan.
If you are an idea person, the key is to improving your execution skills. Start by learning to break down your great ideas into steps. Practice active listening to ensure you take input from all team members and aren’t just pushing your ideas.
Identifying Your Personal Working Style
Knowing your own working style is essential to advancing in your career. Here are some self assessment options:
Reflect on past work experiences and notice patterns in how you behaved
Ask for feedback from coworkers and managers
Take online work style or personality quizzes
Pay attention to how you feel in various work situations
Understanding your working style helps you play to your strengths and mitigate your weaknesses. It also allows you to adjust your style in different situations, making you a more versatile professional.
Your working style isn’t permanent. As you gain new skills and experiences, it will likely change. Be open to change and be willing to do things that make you uncomfortable.
Leveraging Working Styles in Team Environments
Different working styles within a team generate more holistic problem solving and innovation, as each style has its own strengths, making the team more well rounded and better equipped to solve complex problems.
To encourage collaboration across styles:
- Open discussion about working style preferences
- Assign work based on each person’s preferred working style
- Create teams with a mix of working styles
- Offer training to help people identify and respect working styles
Conflicts often arise when people work in different styles. Address this by helping people recognize and respect each other’s working styles. At the team level, help team members focus on the task at hand rather than working styles.
When selecting teams, aim to balance the working styles. Teams that include detail-oriented, supportive, analytical, and idea-focused people are often extremely effective. Understanding these working styles can also help in capacity planning for your team.
Working Styles and Remote Work
Remote work has changed the dynamics of various working styles. Some people love the flexibility of remote work, while others find it challenging without in-person interactions.
Each working style may need to adjust their communication style, time management tools, and collaboration processes to work virtually. Be patient with yourself and each other as you all learn to do this.
Tools to collaborate effectively remotely across styles:
- Video conferencing
- Project management tools
- Virtual whiteboards
- Instant messaging
- Document collaboration tools
To ensure the same level of productivity and satisfaction with the job, you’ll likely need to deliberately recreate the positive aspects of being in an office, such as virtual coffee breaks, team building games, or scheduling regular check-ins with colleagues.
Keep in mind that respecting and understanding working styles is even more critical in a remote environment, as non-verbal communication isn’t possible. To handle this, ensure you communicate clearly about expectations, workflows, and what you need from people. Effective communication is crucial, and using methods like SBAR can greatly improve team interactions in a remote setting.
Signing Off
Knowing your working style is key to your personal and team’s success. We discussed four primary working styles: logical/analytical, detail-oriented, supportive/amiable, and idea-oriented/expressive. Each working style has its own strengths and weaknesses. Identifying your own working style and that of your team members will allow you to collaborate more effectively and be more productive.
This is particularly helpful information in a diverse team and remote work environment. Just remember to be adaptable. Your working style will likely change as you grow and as the context of your work changes.
