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Team Management Profile: Personal Discovery Workbook Page 1 of 21

Copyright © Team Management Systems.

Preface This Personal Discovery Workbook is designed to introduce you to the concepts of Team Management Systems – a suite of feedback instruments for improving personal and team performance in the workplace. The workbook should be used in conjunction with your personal Team Management Profile report and will help you understand the way you like to approach work. The underlying theory to the instrument is discussed and the various exercises and case studies should help you ‘discover yourself’. Team Management Systems is now widely used throughout Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Asia and Europe in both the public and private sectors. Worldwide, more than one million people have completed a Team Management Profile Questionnaire, in more than 160 countries. Its international success is testament to its unrivalled acceptance as a major tool for personal, team and organisational development. Drs. Charles Margerison and Dick McCann (Team Management Systems Authors) All Rights Reserved: No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publishers.



What Makes Teams Successful? Working with teams all over the world, Dr. Charles Margerison and Dr. Dick McCann recognised that some teams were highly successful, whereas others, with similar experience, skills and abilities, failed. They interviewed many managers and team members around the world and developed two models to describe teamwork. The Types of Work Wheel defines the nature of work in a team. The four work preference measures provide a graphic illustration of key aspects of how we prefer to operate in a work environment. By adding the model of work to the model of people, Margerison and McCann developed the Team Management Wheel to describe the preferences people have for the different Types of Work and the roles they prefer to play in a team.

Margerison-McCann Types

of Work Wheel Four work preference measures Margerison-McCann Team

Management Wheel

Work + People = People at Work



Types of Work Wheel Through a comprehensive, worldwide program, we have researched teams in all types of industries, trying to discover the differences between high and low performing teams. In this research we identified nine key success factors that form the basis of outstanding teamwork. These activities are shown below in Figure 1.

Figure 1. The Margerison-McCann Types of Work Wheel Advising Gathering and reporting information Innovating Creating and experimenting with ideas Promoting Exploring and presenting opportunities Developing Assessing and testing the applicability of new approaches Organising Establishing and implementing ways of making things work Producing Concluding and delivering outputs Inspecting Controlling and auditing the working of systems Maintaining Upholding and safeguarding standards and processes Linking Coordinating and integrating the work of others To be an effective team it is important to concentrate on each of these activities. If any factor is weak, then the team needs to analyze the deficiencies and put plans into place to strengthen that factor. Advising Advising work is concerned with giving and gathering information. It involves finding out what others are doing in your own area of work and ensuring that you are following best practice. Information may need to be gathered from articles, reports or books, or by meeting and talking with people. It means ensuring that you have all the information available for the team to make the best decisions and deliver results. Innovating Innovating is a key aspect of teamwork and involves challenging the way things are currently being done.



Technology is changing so quickly that the way you are currently performing tasks may no longer be delivering competitive service. Innovating is essential for all teams. There are always better ways of doing things if you only take time to discover them. Promoting To obtain the resources – people, money and equipment – to carry out your work, you have to ‘sell’ what you are doing to other people. Resources to implement new ideas will only be given if your team can persuade and influence people higher in the organisation. Promoting to customers or clients both inside and outside the organisation is also important if you are to continually deliver what people want. Developing Many ideas don’t see the light of day because they are impractical. The Developing activity ensures that your ideas are moulded and shaped to meet the needs of your customers, clients or users. It involves listening to their needs and incorporating these in your plans. Developing will ensure that what you are trying to do is possible, given the resource constraints of your organisation. Organising Here the emphasis is on getting into action and making things happen. It involves Organising the team so that everyone knows what they have to do, how, and when. Clear goals have to be established and action taken to ensure that results are delivered on time and to budget. Producing Once plans are set up and everyone knows what has to be done, the team can concentrate on Producing. This activity focuses on delivering the product or service on a regular basis to high standards of effectiveness and efficiency. It is the Producing function that ensures the team keeps on delivering the required outputs. Inspecting Regular checks on work activities are essential to ensure that agreed standards are achieved. Quality audits of your products or services will ensure that your customers or clients will remain satisfied. Inspecting also covers the financial aspect of work in your team, as well as the security, safety and legal aspects. Maintaining All teams need to uphold standards and maintain effective work processes. Your car will fail if it does not have its regular service. Teams can fail too, if the team processes are not regularly checked and maintained. Maintaining ensures that quality standards are upheld and that regular reviews of team effectiveness take place. Linking Linking is the activity that ensures all team members pull together and makes the difference between a group of individuals and a highly effective and efficient team. It involves activities which cover the three groups of Linking Skills – People Linking, Task Linking and Leadership Linking.



Activity: Personal Snapshot Circle the number which best rates your effectiveness and enjoyment on each of the Types of Work factors. Assessment Criteria

Effectiveness Enjoyment

Advising Gathering and reporting information

Innovating Creating and experimenting with ideas

Promoting Exploring and presenting opportunities

Developing Assessing and testing the applicability of new approaches

Organising Establishing and implementing ways of making things work

Producing Concluding and delivering outputs

Inspecting Controlling and auditing the working of systems

Maintaining Upholding and safeguarding standards and processes

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

Low High



Work Preferences A vital aspect of working in a team is understanding how you like to work, and how it differs from the other team members. For example, some people really like the Promoting work of a team but dislike the Inspecting work. Others might really enjoy the Organising work but dislike Innovating work. The next part of the research began by trying to identify how a person’s work preferences could be measured. The work of Carl Jung, the Swiss philosopher and psychologist, was adapted to apply to work situations. Work Preferences and the Four ‘Ps’ Although the Team Management Profile Questionnaire measures work preferences it does not measure skills in these preference areas. However, in our experience in working with teams worldwide we have found that:

We tend to PRACTICE what we PREFER and become more PROFICIENT in our preferred areas. This in turn gives us PLEASURE from our work.

The Four Work Preference Measures How you relate to others Each day at work you have to relate with others to get the work done. Some people like to do this in an Extroverted way, meeting frequently with others, talking through ideas, and enjoying a variety of tasks and activities. Other people, however, are more Introverted, preferring to think things through on their own before speaking, and generally not having a high need to be with others. Extrovert (E) Introvert (I) • Will often think things out by talking them

through • Enjoy meeting other people and often seek

social gatherings • Enjoy a variety of tasks and activities • Are stimulated by unanticipated interruptions • When speaking publicly will often ad lib • Are likely to contribute a lot at meetings • Can be impulsive

• Prefer to think things through before speaking • Do not have a high need to meet regularly with

others • Like to concentrate on a few tasks at a time • Dislike unanticipated interruptions • When speaking publicly will prepare in depth

and speak to a plan • May be more quiet at meetings • Will be more likely to consider things before

acting How you gather and use information In the process of relating with others, people will gather and use various types of information. They do this either in a Practical or a Creative way. Practical information-gatherers prefer to work with tested ideas and pay attention to facts and details, whereas Creative information-gatherers are ideas-oriented and always looking for ways to change and improve things. Practical (P) Creative (C) • Prefer clearly defined problems • Are present-oriented • Like to work with tested ideas • Are down-to-earth • Like to work with real things • Are patient with routine work • Prefer schedules and standard systems and

procedures • Pay attention to facts and details • Search for the standard problem-solving

approach • Are usually sound on details but may not

always see the total picture

• Enjoy ambiguous problems • Are future-oriented • Regularly float new ideas • Have ‘head in the clouds’ • Look for possibilities and implications • Gets bored with routine work • Are always searching for the new way • May get details wrong and jump beyond the

facts • Like complexity and search for creative

approaches • Will often see the total picture but miss details



How you make decisions Once the information is gathered, it is necessary to make decisions. Some people go about this in an Analytical way, setting objectives and choosing those decisions which best meet the objectives. Others may prefer to make decisions based on their Beliefs, where personal principles and values are more important. Analytical (A) Beliefs (B) • Try to establish objective decision-making

criteria • Measure decisions against pay-offs • Can sometimes be seen as detached and

‘clinical’ • Will emphasize deciding according to situation • Are open to change depending on situation • Negotiate on the evidence • Have concern for fairness based on the rules • Like analysis and clarity • Set objectives and beliefs may follow • Are task-oriented

• Have personal, subjective decision-making criteria

• Measure decisions against beliefs • May be over-committed to a point of view • Believe in deciding on personal considerations • Will resist change if it opposes beliefs • Negotiate on the rights and wrongs of the

issues • Believe fairness relates to values and beliefs • Like harmony based on common values • Allow objectives to emerge from beliefs • Are principles-oriented

How you organise yourself and others Decisions have to be implemented within a team framework. Some people like a Structured environment, where things are neat and tidy and where action is taken quickly to resolve issues. Others prefer to be more Flexible and to make sure that all possible information has been gathered before decisions are taken. They prefer to find out about situations and delay taking action until they are sure that all alternatives have been looked at. Structured (S) Flexible (F) • Like clarity and order • Are action-oriented, concerned with resolving

issues • Will develop and stick to a plan • May rush to quick decisions without sufficient

information • Are time conscious and will keep to deadlines • Are reluctant to change once judgment is made • Dislike ambiguity • Emphasize concluding and resolving over

diagnosing

• Are information-oriented, may procrastinate in search of more information

• Will often change plans from day to day • Are prone to ‘information overload’ which can

delay decisions • Will often fail to meet deadlines • Are open-minded and curious • Will change mind according to available data • Tolerate ambiguity • Emphasize diagnosing over concluding and

resolving • May appear disorganised

These characteristics about people can be measured according to four scales known as the four work preference measures, by using the Team Management Profile Questionnaire which you will have completed before attending this program. There are 15 items for each of the four work preference measures giving 60 items in all. The method of answering these items gives a band of preference across these measures. For example, the research showed that no-one is totally extroverted and they will most likely spend some time in introverted activities.



Activity: Work Preference Measures Read the summary points again and on the scale images below plot out where you think your work preferences may lie. For example, are you mainly Introverted, Creative, Analytical and Structured in the way you prefer to work?



The Team Management Wheel The next step in the research was to relate the results from the Team Management Profile Questionnaire to the Types of Work Wheel. The end result was the mapping of the work preference measures across the Wheel as shown in the figure below. For example, it showed that those whose preferences were for Extroverted relationships and Creative use of information mapped most strongly in the Promoting area.

Figure 2. Types of Work Wheel showing work preference measures From here, the Team Management Wheel was created after discussions with people in the workplace. For example we discovered: • People who enjoyed Innovating work described themselves as creative. From this information we

derived the name Creator-Innovator for those who enjoy coming up with ideas and experimenting to see if they work.

• Likewise, those who enjoyed Promoting work often said that they saw themselves as explorers

looking for new opportunities. The term Explorer-Promoter described this role perfectly. • Those who liked Developing plans and processes said they enjoyed assessing ideas and opportunities

to see if they would work. We called them Assessor-Developers. • Those who preferred Organising people and resources said they liked thrusting into action to set

dates, timetables and achieve results. So the descriptor, Thruster-Organiser was formed. Similarly, the other roles received their names through the characteristics exhibited by people who particularly enjoyed the various work functions. • Concluder-Producers – those who like working in a systematic way to produce and deliver and

describe themselves as having a preference for concluding assignments according to a plan. • Controller-Inspectors – those who said they liked working on details to audit procedures and

processes and therefore saw themselves as having an emphasis on control.



• Upholder-Maintainers – those who considered they had strong beliefs and principles with which they wanted to work and felt they would put a premium on upholding standards and values.

• Reporter-Advisers – those who said they enjoyed giving and gaining information also performed

the reporting role for the team.

Figure 3. The Margerison-McCann Team Management Wheel To further your understanding of the roles, the major characteristics and general behaviours are shown in the table below and in the brief descriptions following. The Linker role is not measured by the Team Management Profile Questionnaire but is discussed in more detail on page 15. Role Major Characteristics General Behaviour Reporter-Adviser • Supporter, helper, tolerant

• A collector of information • Dislikes being rushed • Knowledgeable • Flexible

• Usually not aggressive • Not time conscious • Enjoys finding out • Issues interpreted personally • Tends to put off decisions

Creator-Innovator

• Imaginative • Future-oriented • Enjoys complexity • Creative • Likes research work

• Often irregular work pattern • May miss deadlines • Continually searching for new ways • Independent

Explorer-Promoter

• Persuader, ‘seller’ • Likes varied, exciting, stimulating

work • Easily bored • Influential and outgoing

• High energy level • Knows lots of people • Good at getting resources • A visionary • A good communicator

Assessor-Developer

• Analytical and objective • Developer of ideas • Enjoys prototype or project work • Experimenter

• Moves from task to task • Action-oriented • Dislikes routine • Gregarious but independent • Likes plans



Role Major Characteristics General Behaviour Thruster-Organiser

• Organises and implements • Quick to decide • Results-oriented • Sets up systems • Analytical

• Makes things happen • Action via deadlines • Will exert pressure • Impatient • May overlook people’s feelings

Concluder-Producer

• Practical • Production-oriented • Likes schedules and plans • Pride in reproducing goods and

services • Values effectiveness and efficiency

• Time conscious • Follows through to the end • Dislikes change • Prefers routine • Makes schedules work • Emphasizes outputs

Controller-Inspector

• Strong on control • Details-oriented • Low need for people contact • An inspector of standards and

procedures

• Critical of inaccuracies • Enforcer of regulations • Meticulous • Quiet and reflective • Concentrates in depth on a few

issues at a time

Upholder-Maintainer

• Conservative, loyal, supportive • Personal values are important • Strong sense of right and wrong • Work motivation based on purpose

• Can help weld the team together • Prefers advisory role • Can negotiate well • Usually has strong feelings • Quiet approach • Dedicated to what they believe in

To further your understanding of the roles, a brief description of each one is given below. Reporter-Advisers Reporter-Advisers represent the classic advisory role on the Team Management Wheel. They are excellent at gathering information and putting it together in such a way that it can be readily understood. If they are more introverted, they will probably rely on written format for their information, whereas if they are more extroverted, they will be good communicators and probably rely on a network of colleagues and acquaintances for their data. Reporter-Advisers are patient people who prefer to make sure they have all the information before they take action. This often causes others to accuse them of procrastination, but Reporter-Advisers will typically respond: “How can I take action unless I have all the information?” Reporter-Advisers do not enjoy conflict and have ‘antennae’ that can detect a potential conflict well before it happens. Usually they will move to defuse the conflict or else position themselves well away from any direct effects. Creator-Innovators Creator-Innovators are people who are very much ‘future-oriented’ and will enjoy thinking up new ideas and new ways of doing things. Usually they are very independent and will pursue their ideas regardless of present systems and methods. They need to be managed in such a way that their ideas can be developed without too many organisational constraints. Sometimes organisations set up research and development units (often separated from the production units) to allow these people to experiment with ideas. Creator-Innovators are sometimes perceived as ‘having their head in the clouds’, but this is usually because they are looking to tomorrow rather than worrying about today. They will tend not to be very structured in the way they go about things and may sometimes appear disorganised and absentminded. Some are more introverted, preferring to be ‘back-room’ people working on their own or in small groups, on important problems. Others can be more outgoing and even zealous in the way they put forward ideas they really believe in.



Explorer-Promoters Explorer-Promoters are excellent at taking ideas and promoting them to others, both inside and outside the organisation. They enjoy being with people and will usually have a network of colleagues that they use when gathering information and testing out opportunities. They are often advocates of change and are highly energized, active people with several different activities on the go at once. They enjoy being ‘out and about’ and are good at bringing back contacts and resources which can help the organisation move forward. Explorer-Promoters are usually entrepreneurial in their approach and they can be very persuasive. They are often influential and can talk easily, even on subjects where they are not experts. They are excellent at seeing ‘the big picture’ and developing an enthusiasm for an innovation among other people. However, they are not always interested in Inspecting and Organising and they may not pay sufficient attention to details. Explorer-Promoters enjoy ‘off-the-cuff’ conversations and need to interact with others to be at their productive best. They do not like spending long periods in a back-room working alone on their problems – they need people to stimulate them. In this regard they can be energy-giving, but equally, their effects on others can sometimes be energy-draining. Assessor-Developers Assessor-Developers are located on the Team Management Wheel midway between the Explorers and Organisers and they therefore exhibit both of these characteristics. They may not always think up good ideas for themselves but they are excellent at taking the ideas of others and making them work in practice. They are usually sociable, outgoing people who enjoy looking for new markets or opportunities. They will then take the idea and match it to the opportunity, always mindful of the organisational ‘bottom line’ constraints. They often make good product development managers or people concerned with assessing new ventures. Assessor-Developers usually display a strong analytical approach and are at their best where several different possibilities need to be analyzed and developed before a decision is made. They like organising new activities and respond well to such challenges, taking an idea and pushing it forward into a workable scheme. However, once the activity has been set up and proven to work they will often lose interest, preferring to move on to the next project, rather than engage in the production and control of the output. Thruster-Organisers Thruster-Organisers are people who enjoy making things happen. They are analytical decision-makers, always doing what is best for the task even if sometimes their actions upset others. Their great ability is to get things done, and for this reason they are often found working in project management-type positions. They will ‘thrust’ forward towards a goal, meeting conflict head-on if necessary. They emphasize targets, deadlines and budgets, and will ensure that people are organised to take action. Thruster-Organisers will usually prefer to work to a plan and in a structured manner, so that objectives are clearly set out and everyone in the team knows what has to be achieved and when. They excel at Organising people and systems so that deadlines are met. They will set objectives, establish plans, work out who should do what and then press for action. They tend to be task-oriented and, in their pursuit of goals, may sometimes ignore people’s feelings. This, more than anything else, gets them into difficulties with their colleagues. Concluder-Producers Concluder-Producers are practical people who can be counted on to carry things through to the end. Their strength is in setting up plans and standard systems so that outputs can be achieved on a regular basis in a controlled and orderly fashion. For this reason they usually do not like rapid change, as it interferes with the efficient systems they have established for doing the work. For Concluder-Producers, the challenge lies not in dreaming up new ideas, but in doing the work effectively and efficiently. They are often more patient than others with routine work, as the drive for them comes from a ‘job well done’. As a result, they are sought after as managers, for their ability to work in a quick, reliable, dependable and stable manner, and deliver results.



Controller-Inspectors Controller-Inspectors are quiet, reflective people who enjoy the detailed side of work such as dealing with facts and figures. They are usually careful and meticulous and can spend long periods of time on a particular task, working quietly on their own. Controller-Inspectors are comfortable working within the rules and regulations which have been established in the organisation. They would probably argue that the rules have been made to ensure that the organisation works in the most efficient manner and therefore everyone should obey them. For this reason they enjoy working in situations where their output is guided by organisation or governmental regulations. We have found many of them working in finance, accounting and quality-control positions, where their Inspecting preferences are important assets for the work they are doing. The formulation and checking of contracts is an area that Controller-Inspectors sometimes enjoy, along with computer systems, and issues on safety and security. Upholder-Maintainers Upholder-Maintainers are people with strong personal values and principles which are of prime importance in their decision-making. Usually, they have a high concern for people and will be strongly supportive of those who share the same ideals and values as they do. They prefer to work in a control-oriented, supportive way, making sure that things are done according to their standards. In addition, they prefer an advisory role in the background rather than a leading executive role. However, because of their strong principles, they may ‘dig in their heels’ when confronting issues which oppose their beliefs. They will not react in an extroverted, quick-tempered way but in a more resilient manner. The Upholder-Maintainer who is in support of the team is an invaluable member, providing guidance and help on issues that need to be well thought through, in terms of principles rather than just ‘economics’.



Activity: Your Team Management Profile Your own Team Management Profile will indicate your major role preference based on how you answered the Team Management Profile Questionnaire. To use the Profile and understand your scores, you should now transfer the following information from your Profile to this workbook.

Major role:

Related roles:

Read through the Profile and make any notes:

Points I agree with

Implications for my work

Points I disagree with

Implications for my work

Additional points:



Work Preference Distribution This section of your Profile converts your net scores on the four work preference measures into percentage distributions around the Types of Work Wheel. This information may help you to allocate work amongst team members so that there is a good overlap between people’s preferences and the tasks they are working on. The information can also help you make decisions about your career as it will indicate those Types of Work that you like best and those that you like least. If your net scores are low then your percentage distribution will indicate that you are relatively comfortable working on any task. If your net scores are high the percentage distribution will vary significantly, indicating high preferences for some aspects of work and low preferences for others.

Activity: Types of Work

Which Types of Work do you like best?

Which Types of Work do you like least?



Linking

At the centre of the Team Management Wheel is the Linker role, defined not by preferences but by the skills that all team members need to develop. The centre circle of the Team Management Wheel can be expanded to show the three groups of Linking Skills – People Linking, Task Linking and Leadership Linking. All team members need to implement the People Linking Skills, particularly Communication. In particular it is important to learn how to vary your communication style so that it matches other people’s role preferences. Other people, too, need to learn how best to interact with you. Recognising that people are different and that different communication processes are necessary with different people is the key message behind the Team Management Wheel. Some points to consider when communicating with the various roles on the Wheel are given in the table on the following page.

Activity: Linking To link better with me, other people need to:



Tips for Better Linking Role Do’s Don’ts Reporter-Adviser • Be flexible

• Develop personal relationships • Be cooperative • Give personal thanks • Establish harmony • Allow them to express their

concerns

• Don’t put facts before feelings • Don’t move too fast • Don’t be insincere

Creator-Innovator • Explore ideas • Be enthusiastic • Ensure you have some knowledge

of the area under discussion • Give personal thanks • Tolerate their disorganised ways • Record important decisions in

writing

• Don’t be too structured • Don’t force them into deadlines • Don’t focus on the solution before

you have discussed the problem

Explorer-Promoter • Explore ideas • Allow them to talk • Recognise their contributions in

public • Concentrate on the future • Be enthusiastic • Record important agreements in

writing • Be flexible

• Don’t talk about details • Don’t take issue with their

opinions unless they persist • Don’t dwell on the past

Assessor-Developer • Be prepared • Analyse issues fully • Explore possibilities • Be factual • Speak clearly, logically and

precisely • Look for alternatives

• Don’t talk about subjects you know little about

• Don’t give too many opinions • Don’t waste time

Thruster-Organiser • Be work-focussed • Be factual • Be goal-oriented • Give incentives to perform • Be punctual • Make things happen • Summarise regularly

• Don’t attack personally but focus on the facts surrounding disagreements

• Don’t be ambiguous • Don’t get off the subject

Concluder-Producer • Be structured • Give notice of proposed changes • Be practical • Stick to your word • Keep to deadlines • Focus on results

• Don’t change your mind too frequently

• Don’t ‘waffle’

Controller-Inspector • Use memos or e-mail to communicate

• Send written information before any meetings

• Slow down your pace • Take time to understand them • Talk about details • Think before you speak

• Don’t ‘drop in’ unexpectedly • Don’t surprise them • Don’t rush them • Don’t concentrate on the future at

the expense of the past

Upholder-Maintainer • Develop personal relationships • Be clear and precise • Encourage them to talk • Be supportive

• Don’t dominate discussions • Don’t ignore their feelings



Key Points of Note The Key Points of Note section of your Profile has a summary of the major points raised and discussed. While the descriptions are characteristic of the roles, there may be particular points of emphasis you would like to change. This is fine. The Profile is a framework for you to learn about yourself and help you to realize your full potential. Discussing your Profile with a colleague may help you focus on the main points.

Activity: Profile Summary Reflect here on any insights you have gained from reading your Profile and discussing it with others. Key points relating to:

Myself:

My Job:

My Team:

Other:



Career Journeys Our research studies found that people’s work preferences remained relatively stable over short periods of time. Continuing research has confirmed our initial findings that 96% of people have either no change in work preference or change on one work preference measure only, over a period of 4 years. The remaining 4% had changes on only two preferences. No-one had changes on three of the four preferences. The movement in work preferences occurs as a gradual change over time. This change is often noticed in people who have made a conscious effort to ‘develop’ themselves. These types of gradual changes are known as career journeys. It is very useful to plot your own career journey from when you first started work until your present job. A few typical career journeys identified in research studies are described below. The Line Manager Many young people start work with preferences for introversion, practical information-gathering, analytical decision-making and structured organisation. This gives them the major role of Concluder-Producer (IPAS). They work most effectively in this way for a number of years.

Over time, their introverted approach to work will move towards extroversion as with experience and management development programs, they become more outgoing. This move takes them to a major role of Thruster-Organiser (EPAS). This role is often very effective in project management where projects have to fall within time limits and budgets. Again, through management development and strategic planning, they are encouraged to be more future-oriented in their information-gathering. This causes their work preference to move towards the creative end of the work preference measure. This results in a move into the Assessor-Developer role (ECAS).

The Research and Development Scientist Another well-documented career journey is that of the researcher. These people often start their careers with preferences for introversion, creative information-gathering, analytical decision-making and flexible organisation, which gives them the major role of Creator-Innovator (ICAF). Whether their job moulds their preferences or whether they are attracted into this type of job because of their preferences is unclear.

However, there are two career journeys which are common to these people. The first is a move towards more structured organisation if they move into supervisory roles where the focus is on outputs, monthly reports and figures. This is often not an easy move for them to make and it may take some time for them to be comfortable in this new role. The effect is to change their major role to that of Thruster-Organiser (ICAS). The second career journey is a move towards extroversion, as they have to communicate with their team and perhaps persuade other people to accept their ideas. This change takes them into a major role of Explorer-Promoter (ECAF). Many continue their journey clockwise around the Wheel as they develop more structure in the organisation of themselves and others. This movement aligns them more with the



organisational culture of analytical decision-making and structured organisation, resulting in a major role of Assessor-Developer (ECAS). These two examples highlight the type of career journeys which are possible. Very few people remain in one Team Management Wheel role preference all their working life. People move and change jobs which can influence their work preferences. Change is often a slow process which happens over a period of time and journeys such as this may take a number of years before a preference is fully developed.



Activity: Career Journeys Please list below the jobs you have had since you first started work. Next to them, in terms of the 16 sub-sectors of the Team Management Wheel, indicate your work preferences at that time and also what you consider the job required.

16-Fold Model Key Extrovert (E) Introvert (I) Practical (P) Creative (C) Analytical (A) Beliefs-based (B) Structured (S) Flexible (F)

Job Your Work Preferences Requirements of the Job

Plot your career journeys on the Wheel below:

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