What's your type and why does it matter?

When I speak to groups I often take a quick poll to find out how many people are right-handed and how many are left-handed. I typically get the usual division of 93 percent right-handed and 7 percent left-handed.

I then ask those who are right-handed if they give any particular thought to what seat is the "right seat" to sit in at the dinner table. Most right-handed folks answer with a puzzled look, "No." Smiles appear on the faces of the left-handed folks, who are fully aware of the reason for my question.

Left-handed people inevitably know they must choose the "right seat" to sit in--which is the seat to the left of a right-handed person. If a left-handed person sits to the right of a right-handed person, the meal is a disaster; a series of interruptions as elbows clash and food is lost. Neither can enjoy the meal, the conversation, nor even get their food consistently to their mouths. Overall, the mealtime experience is a loss.

The right-handed majority doesn't have to concern itself with the needs of the left-handed minority, and yet that ignorance of "type"--their own and their table-mates--does have a negative impact if not managed. On the other hand, a sensitive left-handed person knows he must sit to the left of a right-handed person.

What is your type--right-handed or left-handed? That's an easy one. Can you as easily identify your personality type? Probably not.

Type knowledge

Knowledge of type can be a great way to help people adjust and adapt to their environments and work well with people of all stripes.

We'll continue our metaphor: A left-handed person already knows how to open a right-handed refrigerator door, but how will a right-handed person respond when faced with a left-handed door? Or, worse, a door with no handle at all?

Will that right-handed person argue with the left-handed person about the right way to open the door? Will he even recognize that there is more than one way? When two people interact, insensitivity to type leads to conflict and confusion, while type awareness can lead to more thoughtful responses and less confusion when relationships are built between people of differing types.

So what is type? There are several ways to define it, most of which are tied to a particular type measurement tool.

One of the most employed and recognized of these tools is the Myers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI). A very useful instrument, this tool helps people see themselves as one of 16 different possible types.

Although it's an insightful tool the day it is administered, it takes interest and effort to remember one's type: ENFJ? ISTP? Which are you? How do you remember the four dimensions, and the mix of 16 possibilities each set might create?

The instrument provides insight into preferred thinking, decision making, etc., but I believe it is often forgotten within a short time and in my experience not a lasting tool for positive change for individuals or even less so for creating change within the cultural environment.

Today, as I work with individuals, groups or entire organizations, I prefer to use an instrument that I feel gets results. I have seen from experience that the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) delivers the positive impact of a common language and shared framework of a typology tool that will be remembered.

The SDI, which is used successfully worldwide and cross-culturally, was devised over 40 years ago by Elias Porter, a student of the humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers. Porter developed a framework of psychology called relationship awareness theory that looks to understand what motivates us when things are going well, as well as when things are not going well.

I have seen an incredibly positive effect on participants who gain that self-awareness and shared learning through a three- to four-hour facilitated learning experience.

The structure of the SDI is to assign different colors to different motivational attributes. "Red" is assigned to those who are motivated by goals, "blue" to those focused on others, and "green" to those compelled to look for the "right" answer.

There is also the "hub" attribute for those who are focused on belonging to a team. Porter posited seven potential types, the four mentioned here and the other three blends of the three colors, for those who had a blended preference between types.

Through SDI familiar with our own types, the types of others, and how those types interact with each other, are motivated, and respond to stress, we see a powerful positive effect on communication, alignment and reduced stress as we work toward effective balance in our relationship with others. This moves all toward a healthy organizational environment.

A few years ago I administered this tool to a group of 35 physicians. We saw a clear split among:

* Surgeons (red and goal-directed, with a "cut it out and move on to the next patient" mentality)

* Family physicians and pediatricians (blue and nurturing in their approach toward patients)

* Radiologists and pathologists (green and focused on data and analysis and systems, more at ease reading the film or monitoring the IV drip)

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* Emergency room physicians (hubs who navigated between all types as they cared for those in need of a surgeon, pediatrician or radiologist)

When groups are made up of such a variety of types and, as in the medical field, the stakes are high, individuals frequently have communication problems and significant stress. By giving them an awareness of their own and their colleagues' types, we can reduce those communications problems and understand more clearly the motivations and strengths of the others.

The insight gained from this tool goes beyond an academic perspective. What we see is our natural type and associated strengths, and then pay attention to what attributes we need to work on to be even more effective and successful in our caring or leadership of others.

Personal case study

As a family practice physician I am a red/blue--goal-directed and caring of others. It was natural for me to care for people and hope to lead them toward health. In determining my type, what was most telling for me was the knowledge that my lowest score was green (data driven). I knew this intuitively!

Whenever I had to admit a diabetic in a coma, I needed cheat sheets and consultants to walk me through the details. I did not relish caring for a comatose, non-verbal, critical patient who needed blood chemistries drawn and adjusted hourly. Green is my Achilles tendon, my lowest score on the SDI.

I also realized that there isn't a "right" color to be in Porter's relationship awareness theory--there's nothing "wrong" with me--but there is a need for awareness of our natural preferred strengths and our areas for development, to bring balance in our approach and behavior.

To balance my work and myself, I work today as a physician in full-time organizational development. I work with individuals, teams and departments who exist within large companies and organizations.

My red/blue profile helps me lead people to adapt to change, manage conflict, communicate meaningfully at work or home, and help them achieve less stress and illness in the individual, as well as in the organization itself.

Theory and conflict

As we look deeper at relationship awareness theory, it provides personal insight into what motivates us to behave and act the way we do, both when things are going well and when we are managing conflict.

Each of the types mentioned above relate to conflict in different ways, and knowledge of how to handle disagreements and confrontations is key to maintaining a healthy workplace environment.

Conflict has three possible elements:

1. You--the one in conflict, who has a view and voice

2. The problem or issue at the root of the conflict

3. The "other(s)"--those who hold a different point of view

When these three elements play a part in the conflict, it is known as "Level One conflict." Like any conflict, it can be stressful and frustrating, but it is most desirable as the level when people can be better problem solvers, devise more creative solutions and gain new insights. This happens if they respect each other's views, hold effective dialogue and make decisions with clear agreements. It's a lot to ask at Level One conflict, but is well worth it.

However, when tension increases and the emotional triggers are pulled, we step into Level Two conflict. We lose one of the three elements of Level One "healthy" conflict--the value for the other point of view.

At Level Two conflict, you are still present, but you are angry now, and the problem is still there and you begin to consider the former third element "others" as part of the problem not worthy of your value or respect.

You are now emotionally hijacked, experiencing tunnel vision and selective hearing. Your heart rate may increase, blood pressure rises and other physical symptoms appear.

At the most extreme point in a conflict, you enter Level Three. This is where the issue itself becomes lost. When you become this angry, you not only give up on others, you also don't care about the original problem or issue and it becomes all about you and your fight for survival.

This is the level we all fear the most, as we're shamed by our behaviors and we cause irreparable damage to our health--physically, emotionally, intellectually and even cause family or community spiritual damage.

This Level Three conflict is so fearful for us more than 90 percent of the people I interview say they avoid all conflict, identifying it with Level Three. Oddly enough, even when most people in a room say they avoid conflict, they also will look around that same room and say 90 percent of the other people in that room love conflict. Perhaps we do not know ourselves as well as others do.

Under stress we shift between motivational styles, each of us with our own personal patterns and cycles, trying motivational styles to avoid progressing from Level One to Two to Three, and to remain calmly at Level One.

To stay at healthy Level One conflict, you must lead yourself and others to maintaining the three elements with respect: you and your view, the issue or problem itself, and the placing of value on views of others.

Knowing your own type and the attributes that are naturally yours, and knowing the personal types of others, helps us come together in a mosaic that often builds a better picture than we can create alone.

The world will contain an occasional left-handed refrigerator or even a refrigerator without a handle that will stump the majority of us right-handed folks. We must own a deeper self-awareness of who we are, our natural types, and a working real-time knowledge of what other types we meet daily. Type knowledge can reduce the stress brought by confusion and hopefully support understanding rather than destructive conflict.

Challenge yourself and those you lead to become more knowledgeable about personality types for greater success, less stress, and better health. Leadership takes knowledge and the courage and skills to successfully navigate our complex world, a world that needs less destructive conflict and misunderstanding.

William A. Lynagh, MD is founder of The Center for Holistic Leadership in Greensboro, N.C. He can be reached at 336-540-9002 or [e-mail]

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Recommended reading

* Porter, EH. Relationship Awareness Theory. Carlsbad, Calif., Personal Strengths Publishing, 9th Edition, 1996.

* McLendon, T. "Personality tests do more than show who you are." The Business Journal Serving the Greater Triad Area, May 14, 2003.

* Pearman, RR, Albritton, SC. I'm Not Crazy; I'm Just Not You. Palo Alto, Calif., Davies-Black Publishing, 1997.

* Keirsey, D, Bates, M. Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types. Del Mar, Calif., Gnosology Books Ltd. 1984.

* H, KV, Dobson, TE. What's My Type: Use the Enneagram System of 9 Personality Types. HarperSanFrancisco, 1991.

* Musselwhite, C, Jones, R. Dangerous Opportunity: Making Change Work. Xlibris.com, 2004.

By William A. Lynagh, MD