The roles we play at work: who [we] are vs. who [we] are expected to be
ningcontentWhen a new hire walks in the door, they know what the job requirements are, and HR has determined that they’re a skill match. They’ve probably been screened as to personality type, too. But just as they get comfortable at the new desk, and start to settle into their workplace behavior, they’re likely to find that there is a mass of unwritten expectations that come from the people sitting around them. These expectations are the “role” that each person is expected to play — and it’s a lot more than just a job description.
Getting good people who are happy in their jobs long-term means knowing (1) their personalities, (2) their workplace behavior styles, and (3) the unwritten rules and roles of the positions. That last one is often the kicker.
Let’s take a look at all three:
1) Your personality type: WHO YOU ARE
Personalities are inherent and ingrained. No one can help bringing their personality to the table.
Personality typing has many different methodologies, from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to the Enneagram to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter and beyond. These measure your degree of introversion or extroversion, your propensity to think in an abstract or concrete way, and many other qualities. They may differentiate between types such as “Artisan, Guardian, Idealist, Rationalist” or “Achiever, Helper, Individualist, Peacemaker,” and more.
These are very helpful for developing the talent pipeline, as HR can match individuals to certain teams or managers with personality in mind. For others in the organization, it’s great to have a working knowledge of personality psychology to understand coworkers and their motivations.
2) Your workplace behavior style: HOW YOU CHOOSE TO ACT
We start with raw personality, but we move into workplace behavior styles. These are not inherent personality types, but rather adaptive behaviors within the work ecosystem.
You’re probably familiar with some common archetypes of office behavior: the backstabber, the mother hen, the gossip, or the kiss-up. Serious study is devoted to this topic, with much management literature devoted to classifying these different workplace behavior styles. Francie Dalton writes in “The Seven Classic Types of Workplace Behavior” about Commanders, Drifters, Attackers, Pleasers, Performers, Avoiders, and Analyticals. The book “The Purpose Linked Organization” covers “ten passion archetypes.” This list covers The Mother Hen, The Joker, The Dude, The Cheerleader, The Realist, The Link, The Geek, and The Innovator.
The terms get even funnier as we slide into the realm of pundits: the writers over at Details magazine came up with this hilarious slideshow covering such workplace styles as The Untouchable, Switzerland, Kryptonite, and others.
You’ll see yourself, and many of your coworkers, in these descriptions. The best takeaway is reading about what motivates them and what they need to have validated about their approach.
3) Your role: HOW YOU ARE EXPECTED TO ACT
Personality and workplace style involve what people do, but their “role” is what they are ASKED TO DO. You may have thought you were just looking for a marketing associate with certain software skills and a good phone manner, but what do her coworkers expect her to do, in her “role”? Are they interested in having an innovative go-getter around, or will it alienate them? Is the role secretly only going to work out for a yes-man type? Perhaps they just want someone to sit down and shut up. It’s hard (but crucial) to know if you’re going to make a match.
The “role” of a certain job is probably the least understood, and most ignored, aspect of hiring. I’m not sure why it’s so hard to talk about – perhaps it’s because it delves deeply into team psychology. Also, it can be hard to acknowledge that employees expect emotional, intangible things from their teammates.The stickiest part is that the “role” is usually an unwritten requirement, which no one expresses directly, and yet the incoming worker is made aware of it through indirect (often uncomfortable) means. Sometimes, they may feel they are being asked to take on personal qualities of their predecessor.
The best place that I have seen this written about is in the blog post The Life Cycle of Roles — Not All Roles Are Created Equal, written by HR change expert Charles Van Heerden. Van Heerden really understands that each job has its own “role” that is unrelated to job duties — the new team may need someone to listen, or to lead, to continue something, or to end it decisively. Worst of all, HR may have no idea that the team feels this way.
So go on and learn if you’ve stepped into the role of the Rower, the Slave, the Diplomat, the Player, the Actor, or the Explorer. The writing is humorous, but dead-on, and it will make you think.
The Rower. This is an on-going role. The seat was still warm and everyone expects you to simply pick up where the last person left off. Works best if you share the same name as the previous incumbent, saves on working to create an impression, as well as email – charles@.
Far from just being joke material, you can use these concepts when you are chatting with your own hiring managers about what they seek in a candidate. If you get a clear picture of the role that exists, you will have greater success in matching your skilled candidates to the position.
Article by, Sarah and courtesy of RiseSmart.com – RiseSmart: Search Smarter. Rise Faster.
