How to get teams working together more effectively in 2023 by understanding personality preference

Approximately one in five Australian’s are in new jobs each year – how to onboard effectively

 Australian Bureau of Statistics job mobility figures say that 21 per cent of Australians – or just over one in five – had been in their current job for less than one year. That figure was up slightly on the previous year when it was 18 per cent, or just under one in five*. As everyone knows, regardless of sector or location, getting a team to gel and work effectively is key challenge for HR and L & D practitioners across Australia; this is never truer than when onboarding a new teammate, going through a restructure or when turnover is so high.

So, what can you do to fast-track and create authentic relationships and more effective teams in 2023? As Head of Insights Australia, we help businesses improve workplace relationships and overall business performance.  The power to fully understand ourselves and our impact on each other is commonly described through personality preference.

Understanding personality preference

So, what is personality preference? According to Carl Jung’s theory, we all approach situations in a particular way that influences how we view the world and make decisions. Some people are energised by others (extraverts), while some are more self-contained (introverts). People gather information in one of two ways, through sensation or intuition. People with a fit for sensation can often notice specific details and accurately recall past events. People with strong intuition notice how things make them feel and can often link unconnected events to achieve a secured outcome. When it comes to decision-making, people also do this in one of two ways, based on what they think or feel.

Understanding your preferences can help you adapt your style when  connecting with people, helping to form better relationships, work more effectively together and achieve better business outcomes.

• Extraverted can be strong-willed and purposeful; they may like to take decisive action. People with this preference often ‘speak to think’. Connect with these people by focusing on outcomes and how best to achieve them.
• Those with a preference for extraverted feeling can be visionary, inclusive, persuasive, and dynamic. They may thrive on social interaction and want to bring serious play to serious work.
• Those with a preference for introverted feeling can come across as patient, calm, caring and crave harmony above all else. People with this preference should be encouraged to contribute and share their own ideas.
• Introverted thinkers may often be self-contained, precise, deliberate and questioning. For this group of people, decision-making is usually based on strong data and solid analysis.

Using a common language

A common language, which everyone understands, can help make personality preference more memorable and give people the tools to talk about issues in a non-judgemental, non-confrontational way.

Creating effective teams

Leveraging a better understanding of the different psychological preferences into a common language can better equip you to have open and honest conversations that maintain positive relationships and keep activities moving along. It also allows an overall picture of individual, team and company dynamics and help to effectively communicate and work together. When you build on this solid foundation with the following four crucial elements, you will be able to enable effective teams:

• Having a clear vision and goals helps teams focus; it means they’re more able to identify practical steps to move from current to future state and are motivated to take the necessary steps to get there.
• Ensuring teams work together is an important ingredient for success; when teams have a shared goal, they work collectively and interact positively – this increases team unity and collaboration.
• Nurturing a positive and inclusive climate, where individual and collective efforts and preferences are acknowledged and appreciated, will ensure teams are most effective.
• Having strong processes in place, with clear methods of working and where there is clarity about individual and team measurement and performance, allows everyone to set and monitor progress towards desired outcomes.

All personality preferences bring something unique, different, and special to the mix and we all have a combination of all colour energies within us In understanding what drives people, and how to connect and build positive relationships, we can create the opportunity for personal and team developments – leading to project and business breakthroughs.