Personality of individual team members and team culture
Members of a team don't all have to come from the same background, or share the same religion or political ideas to work effectively together. However, when personality or cultural clashes occur, you need to be able to solve the conflicts with little or no disruption to your business. At the same time, thoughtful planning can help you avoid misunderstandings and maintain a successful working team.
In this topic you will learn the different categories of people’s personalities, you’ll learn what does it mean “difficult personality”, you’ll know what to look for when you are responsible for a group of people, you will be able to focus and explore different communication styles in order to understand better and to support people in your organization (institution).
Personality of individual team members and team culture
Members of a team don't all have to come from the same background, or share the same religion or political ideas to work effectively together. However, when personality or cultural clashes occur, you need to be able to solve the conflicts with little or no disruption to your business. At the same time, thoughtful planning can help you avoid misunderstandings and maintain a successful working team.
- Categories
A person’s country of origin can influence how he approaches his work. Communication and relationship differences also occur between other sub-groups. Gender, race and emotional and cognitive intelligence separate coworkers. Different educational and occupational backgrounds further diversify individuals in a team. Influential, loud, quiet and confrontational personalities also influence the way a group operates.
- Difficult Personalities
Difficult personalities exist in every culture, according to the International Quality and Productivity Center. Team members may overlook rudeness or disruptive personalities because they wrongly assess the characteristics are part of a cultural heritage. Team members should instead focus on the various styles of communication that team members with differing personalities offer. The key is to best utilize the strengths of the team's participants. By understanding the differences in their personalities, the group can structure its work according to the strengths and weakness of its members.
- Backgrounds
Team members must understand various religious, family and cultural backgrounds to foster cooperation. Leadership styles, methods of communication, manners and how workers show respect are various aspects of cultural backgrounds that often differ and can lead to misunderstandings. By talking about their backgrounds and revealing their differences, the group can go about the tasks at hand without inferring incorrect assumptions about what a coworker may be attempting to communicate.
- Leadership
People develop different communication styles because of their upbringings, genetic personalities and educations. Developing a hierarchy based on position within a working group can be detrimental to the effectiveness of the group. The most effective leader in a working group may not be the one who holds the title, but the person who garners the most respect from the group because of the way she communicates. Eliminate barriers to communication by allowing groups to choose their leaders, to work in an environment that fosters cooperation over competition, and allows room for different opinions without fear of reprisals.
Useful resources and video links:
https://mwnation.com/why-managers-should-understand-personality-types/
Literature:
- LePine, Jeffrey A. "Team adaptation and postchange performance: effects of team composition in terms of members' cognitive ability and personality." Journal of applied psychology 88.1 (2003): 27.
- Peeters, Miranda AG, et al. "Personality and team performance: a meta‐analysis." European Journal of Personality: Published for the European Association of Personality Psychology 20.5 (2006): 377-396.
Open ended questions:
- What can influence how a person approaches his work?
- What is considered a difficult personality?
- What’s the key of handling people’s difficult personalities?
- Does the background matters when it comes to team culture? If yes, why?
- What are the most important qualities that a person needs to “fit” in a team?