Different People…Different Expectations

Recently I gave our staff this exercise. This is a preference assessment. Basically, if you could only choose one option, which would you choose from the four figures shown?

So you can understand the diagram…

There are four different options…indicated by the number 1 through 4. The solid lines represent “structured” and the dashed lines represent “unstructured.” The outer square represents the organization and the inner circle represents the individual team member. A solid line indicates a desire for more structure and less flexibility in an organizational environment or in the way a member personally responds in his or her role.  A dashed line would indicate the opposite preferences. For example, a solid-lined square and a solid-lined circle, that would be an individual who prefers to be structured personally and prefers to be in a structured environment. A dash-lined square with a solid-lined circle would represent an individual preferring to be personally structured, but work within a less structured, organization.

Make sense?

This is not a scientific evaluation and there are few direct applications that can be drawn from this exercise. The main purpose is to show the differences which exists among a team. For us this represents a fairly significant, continual tension. We were split in half. Half chose option 2 and half chose option 4. We had no one choose the other two options. Half want our organization to be more structured, but want to remain more flexible in how they carry out their personal responsibilities within the organization. Half want the organization and themselves personally to remain less structured.  Apparently, everyone here wants to remain flexible in how they carry out their job, but some want a more structured and some a less structured environment in which to do it .

It’s another reminder that for leadership to be effective, we must learn to balance expectations.

Is your staff comprised of people with different expectations?

How would your staff be divided?

Which option would you personally have chosen?