Embracing workstyle diversity: Challenges and opportunities

By Tiffany Crosby, CPA, CGMA, MBA, Chief Learning Officer, OSCPA

Are you an introvert, an extravert or an ambivert? Is your communicationemphasis more that of a strategic thinker, a problem-solver, a compassionateconnector or a bridge builder?

Is your communication style more direct or indirect? Do you tend to tell stories or are you more of a facts and figures person? Do you prefer to get in and do, figure things out as you go, or do you like to step back, study and plan? Why do we or should we even care about those questions? With all the talk about demographic diversity, workstyle diversity is often overlooked. People think, learn, communicate, lead and work in different ways regardless of demographic characteristics.

In the workplace, workstyle differences are a source of friction and a driver for creative thinking that leads to better decision-making and innovation. From a diversity perspective, workstyle difference is the value driver behind diverse thoughts, creativity and innovation. People who bring their unique combination of personality, experiences, training, and cognitive frameworks to a team see situations from different vantage points. More robust dialogue occurs as probing questions are used to explore situations from different perspectives.

Workstyle diversity provides a clear competitive advantage when operating in uncertain, ambiguous environments, completing novel tasks or innovating in response to disruption. To realize diversity’s benefits, leaders need to consider style when engaging in conflict resolution, collaborative problem-solving, communication, goal setting, performance management, planning and task coordination. Individuals with strong self-awareness and other awareness can observe style differences as team interactions occur. Who seems to contribute to every conversation without prompting? Whose voices are more silent, speaking up only when space is made for their voices to be heard? Who readily volunteers to organize team social events? Some team members may prefer tightly defined deadlines with critical milestones and performance metrics documented and agreed upon. Other team members may prefer more flexibility with an overall framework established and periodic guideposts or checkins to measure progress and recalibrate direction if needed. The two styles are likely to create friction if not identified and discussed.

Keen observation of the office environment can reveal opportunities to include more style diversity. Do you have quiet spaces for deep thinking and open spaces designed for team collaboration? Breakout spaces where team members can socialize and relax in small or large groups at their choosing support socially oriented and reflective styles. Are team members able to customize their workspace to better suit their workstyle? Some team members may prefer one screen, others two, and still others might need three screens to optimize workflow. Headphones or ear buds may work well for some employees but not for others. Noticing energy levels can also reveal whether the office environment creates or reduces stress for employees based on their differing personality-driven workstyles.

Personality assessment tests can also surface style differences, though leaders need to be mindful of the associated risks. Humans like people who are more like themselves and naturally label similar individuals as more relatable. Therefore, if a successful leader has a driver style, then the leader is more likely to identify individuals with driver styles as natural leaders and are more likely to develop role descriptions that use driver-related characteristics. As teams socialize over time, group norms begin to favor the dominant personality styles of successful group members. Similarly, leaders may be tempted to use personality assessments to define the right style profile to accomplish a particular task or fill an open position. Is a person with an introversion preference a less effective teammate than a person with an extroversion preference? When used in this manner, personality assessments instill more of the same style of thinking and working instead of introducing divergent thinking into the group.

Personality assessments’ true value lies in helping leaders manage the shifting team dynamics that occurs within organizations. Facilitated discussions of style differences amongst team members deepens team understanding and provides a foundation for creating psychologically safe, inclusive environments. For example, in a team consisting primarily of individuals with strong extroversion preferences, knowing that a team member has an introversion preference is an important data point. In an extroverted-inclined group, team meetings may seem more like high-energy free-for-alls where group members jump in and out of conversations, discuss agendas items ad-hoc, and engage in verbal brainstorming of ideas at a rapid pace.

In that environment, the introverted team member is not provided with the time or space needed to process ideas and contribute insight. Other team members may label the introverted person as aloof, lacking in creativity or disengaged. The truth is that the team climate does not support an introversion style, and if not addressed, individuals whose styles do not fit the norm may opt-out or perform at a subpar level.

Style diversity may also surface because a team member is hired, a cross-functional project team is formed, or a department is reorganized and the leader becomes aware of increasing employee tensions. Perhaps a data-oriented person is placed in a group that is more emotionally oriented, or a detailed-oriented person is placed on a team with an idea-oriented style. Incorporating style diversity, despite its many benefits, often leads to interpersonal conflict as group norms are challenged. Whether the conflict is constructive or destructive is dependent upon the team members’ ability and willingness to respectfully converse around style differences and adapt the environment.

Team members should be encouraged to share their workstyle and communication preferences and what frustrates them. Difficult conversations around personality-driven style differences positively influence the team environment and increase individual commitment to group goals. Developing leaders’ ability to navigate workstyle differences, resolve team conflict, and foster inclusion is a learning and development imperative for sustainable organizational performance.

Hear more from Tiffany at her session "Inclusive Conversations: Driving Better Business Outcomes" at the October or November Accounting Show. Go to my.ohiocpa.com to register.