Working with Others – find out how to work with people you can’t work with

Author: Andrew Gallaway

The Challenge:  Do you find some people a joy to work with and others...well, not so?  It could be that you have unrecognised preferences in the way each of you work. 
               
The Cost:  When work preferences are at odds it can lead to frustration, stress, wasted time and in the worst case conflict at work.  This situation is no way for a team to progress and be effective. 
 
6 simple tips to discover and embrace work preferences

1. Recognise your own preferences when it comes to work. What are the conditions where you work best? How would you finish this sentence: "I work best when..."You might have a number of answers.I work best in the morning; I'm a night owl and think best between 2-4am; I work best when I know what outcome I'm driving towards; I enjoy discovering new things along the way; I like to do one thing at a time till it’s finished; etc.
   
   
2. Then ask yourself if it's possible that other people you work with might have different preferences? Of course they can! It's important to understand these differences and the relative strengths and weaknesses such differences bring to the team. For example, are you the type of person who enjoys a real global view of your work world, who is always scanning the environment and making connections between seemingly disparate events? Or are you more of a detailed person who has a razor sharp focus and likes to make decisions based on facts and figures? Both of these preference types contain obvious strengths but there are also elements of work that both these types of people find challenging or boring. The 'global' person might find it hard to close projects because they lose interest near the end, whilst the 'detailed' person might find it difficult to get started on new projects if there are a number of unfinished projects and they can't easily understand why something new is being started.
   
   
3. Celebrate the fact that diversity in style of work equals power...but only if the differing preferences are recognised and understood. To achieve team awareness, use an analytical tool to determine the individual work preferences of your team. Next share those results amongst the team whilst discussing the relative strengths of each preference.
   
   
4. Beware of black and white labels! Remember, just because team members have a preference doesn’t mean they can’t adapt in the short term for a good reason. For example, if they prefer to process work in a linear fashion, one item at a time, doesn’t mean they can't process a number of items simultaneously if it relates to a time sensitive deadline.
   
   
5. Watch out for blind spots across the team results. There is  a benefit to having a diverse team; different working styles bring various strengths to the team. If your team has very similar working styles, highlight the gaps and bring into the team styles that are not present in the team. If all team members are the same this might create harmony and strength in some areas. However, the team might be missing something in performance capability because they're missing a strength that exists in a difference preference. If you have a diverse team celebrate the good fortune you have of working together and carefully nurture the team and harness their styles for the benefit of the team.
   
   
6. Now you understand your own preferences and those of your colleagues it's time to consider what changes you might need to make to the way the team operates and how the team members interact with each other. There are some great tools that can help bridge any gaps between people that have different work styles.

Want help to implement your work preferences review? Speak to Collagis today about how you can make a real difference to your team's effectiveness today.

Contact us at [email protected] or visit www.collagis.com.au/pep to find productivity programs for your workplace. We'd love to hear from you.