In our Human Relations class, we have been learning about behavioral styles, with a main focus on the behavioral model by Bolton. This model consists of a quick inventory asking whether you are "more" or "less" likely to exhibit a certain behavior and then assigns you a specific category. The categories are based on a graph that has levels of assertiveness on the x-axis and levels of emotional responsiveness on the y-axis. After you take the inventory, you are placed in a quadrant based on your levels of assertiveness and emotional responsiveness. The categories are Driver (more assertiveness, less emotional responsiveness), Expressive (more assertiveness, more emotional responsiveness), Analytical (less assertiveness, less emotional responsiveness) and Amiable (less assertiveness, more emotional responsiveness).
I was curious about other types of inventories so I looked up two personality inventories; the DiSC and the MBTI. The name DiSC comes from the term "Self Discription" (DiSC Profile) and the MBTI stands for "Myers Briggs Type Indicator." These differ from Bolton's inventory because these are personality tests rather than behavioral tests. With Bolton's model, you are asked to answer the questions based on how you feel others see you, where with the DiSC and the MBTI you are asked to base your answers off how you see yourself. When you take the DiSC, you take an inventory that is similar to Bolton's and you get similar answers as well. You're put into a quadrant and given terms that are similar to Driver, Expressive, Analytical and Amiable. If you pay a fee, you can get more in depth results that will show where you are in a circle with quadrants and to which side of the circle you are leaning. I think this might be useful but I didn't want to pay to find out more results. The MBTI is another personality test that takes a bit longer to fill out but gives you a more thorough answer, for free. This test tells you whether you have Introverted or Extroverted tendencies, whether you have Intuitive or Sensing, Thinking or Feeling, and Judging or Perceiving tendencies.
I liked all of the assessments but I prefer how Bolton focuses on your behaviors rather than hypothesizing about your personality. Personality is subjective and is extremely difficult to ascertain, while behaviors can be taken at face value. In the work place, I think that this is useful because you can work to adapt your behaviors and flex to work with other behaviors without having to guess at WHY the behaviors are happening. Hypothesizing why someone does what they do can lead to messy situations and assuming things that may not be true. For example, perhaps you have a co-worker who has been coming in every morning with a grumpy demeanor. If you were focusing on personality you may start thinking things like, "Do they hate their job? Are the mad at me? Is their coffee maker broken? Did they have a fight with another coworker? Etc." If you focus on behaviors, however, you could notice their behavior and adjust yours accordingly, simply thinking, "I see that they're grumpy, I'll adjust my behavior to be more patient with them and check in with them at lunch to see how they're doing."
Focusing on behaviors is also useful because it is easier for a group of people to adapt their behavior to be flexible with many different types of situations and people. Taking behavioral inventories can be useful in a work situation because it can give insight into how to work well with other people. For instance, in the phase this quarter, it has been so useful to know the behavioral inventories of my classmates. I can think, "I'm an Expressive and so-and-so is an Analytical, so I will focus on being more patient around them and giving them time to process their thoughts and share their ideas." What an awesome tool to have to help me understand how people behave and how to adapt my behaviors to theirs to provide a more cohesive work environment!
I think that personality inventories also have their place in the world, but I feel like they are more valuable to an individual to help them understand their behaviors, or could be useful in a small group setting in which there was an opportunity for close-knit relationships.
Citations:
DiSC Profile - What is DiSC®? The DiSC personality test explained. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20, 2017, from https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/
The Myers & Briggs Foundation - MBTI® Basics. (n.d.). Retrieved January 20, 2017, from http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/
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