Know Your Team's Personality and How They Work Well Together

In this post, we’ll discuss how recognizing and leveraging diverse personality traits can improve collaboration and drive success in your business.

Within your small to midsize business, one of the critical factors that can make, or break success is the quality of your team composition and how well they work together. Teams are intricate systems, so the concept of compatibility goes far beyond just hiring individuals with the right skills and surface-level attributes such as age and gender. It involves smart team construction to attitudes, behaviors, and cognitive states. Once a team is in place, compatibility requires that leaders understand the personalities and dynamics of members to harness their diverse and collective strengths effectively.

In this article, we explore how executives and managers can navigate the intricacies of team building and compatibility to create high-performing teams.

The foundation of a high-performing team lies in hiring the right people. Beyond technical skills and qualifications, consider the personality traits that will complement your existing team members. This doesn't mean everyone should be the same; diversity is essential. However, it's vital to assess how different personalities can work well together.

Personality compatibility plays a crucial role in team dynamics. While some teams thrive with a mix of personalities, others may work better with more uniformity. Psychology Today frames managing teams and compatibility with this helpful advice: “A good leader is aware of who knows what, who does what, and who wants what.” Here are a few key personality factors to consider:

• Introverts vs. extroverts: Introverts tend to be more reflective and work well independently, while extroverts are outgoing and excel in group settings. A balance of both can lead to a well-rounded team.
• Conscientiousness: High levels of conscientiousness can lead to organization and attention to detail, while lower levels may bring creativity and spontaneity. A blend of both can enhance problem-solving. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “When team members are high in conscientiousness, they are better at self-regulating their teamwork. And groups composed of high-ability members who are able to learn, reason, adapt and solve problems are more likely to work well together.”
• Agreeableness: Agreeable team members are cooperative and diplomatic, while less agreeable individuals may be more competitive and assertive. A mix can encourage healthy debates and innovation.
• Openness to experience: Those open to new experiences may bring fresh ideas, while those with lower openness may excel in implementing and optimizing existing processes. Of course, the experience that individuals in teams must be most receptive to is collaboration with people who bring different ideas and perspectives to the table.

Once your team is in place, regular assessments can help identify areas for improvement. Encourage open communication and feedback within the team to address potential conflicts and enhance collaboration. Here are a few top priorities for developing team compatibility:

• Team-building skills: According to research cited by Positive Psychology, a 2016 study revealed 10 vital team-building skills that should be developed within teams in order to reach optimum collaborative results: clear communication, trust and accountability, adaptability and flexibility, emotional intelligence, active listening, conflict resolution, goal alignment, delegation, problem-solving, and empowerment and autonomy.

• Team-building activities: Consider organizing team-building activities and workshops that focus on improving communication, trust, and collaboration. These can be highly effective in strengthening the bonds among team members.
• Psychological safety: Create an environment where team members feel safe expressing their ideas and concerns without fear of backlash. This fosters trust and innovation.
• Conflict resolution skills: Train your team in effective conflict resolution techniques. Conflicts are inevitable, but how they are managed can determine whether they have a positive or negative impact on your team's performance.

Diverse teams can be incredibly innovative and high-performing. When individuals from different backgrounds and with varying perspectives come together, they bring a wide range of problem-solving approaches. However, it's essential to foster an inclusive environment where everyone's voices are heard and respected. The APA says that “diverse teams operate quite differently from teams with cultural similarities,” and the key to making them work is establishing team norms that combine elements of the cultures of team members.

In today's globalized and virtual workplaces, technology plays a pivotal role in team collaboration. Make sure your team has access to the right tools and platforms for effective communication, project management, online meetings, shared editing responsibilities, and knowledge sharing, even in remote settings. Enterprise resource planning solutions, particularly those that are industry specific, enable teams to collaborate digitally, reducing excess work and redundant data entry while making real-time data accessible to everyone.

Don't forget the importance of regular feedback and performance evaluations. Honest, constructive feedback helps team members understand their strengths and areas for improvement, guiding their professional growth and contributions. Feedback should focus on effort over ability. Feedback must come from leaders who listen to their subordinates. Harvard Business Review research, cited by Cognology, shows that the more leaders listen, the better employees think they are at providing feedback. Surprisingly, when working for leaders who are strong listeners, a majority of employees (57%) prefer corrective feedback to (43%) praise or recognition. Interestingly, older workers and confident workers want feedback the most.

A Forbes study also cited by Cognology, shows that team engagement correlates strongly with developing a culture of honest feedback. While leaders in the top 10% for giving feedback scored in the 77th percentile for engagement, teams in the bottom 10% scored in the 25th percentile.

How well do you know your team’s personality and how well they work together? The more you know about the dynamics of team compatibility, from hiring the right personalities to encouraging open communication and embracing diversity, the greater the performance you can expect from your team. By applying these principles, executives and managers can create high-performing teams that drive their businesses forward. Remember, it's not about making everyone the same but harnessing the strengths of diverse personalities for a common goal.

In conclusion, knowing your team's personality traits and fostering an inclusive, communicative environment is key to building high-performing teams. By applying these principles, managers can enhance collaboration, innovation, and overall team dynamics, driving business success.