How effective teamwork is hindered by friction between people

Einar and Geir both work in a small company, and together with four others in the Team, the two are very valuable to the company. One day in a meeting, a heated argument ensued. The clash resulted in a confrontation from which they are still feeling the impact. The problem is that the collaboration between the two is apparently turning into personal conflict, which can ruin a lot for the company. The team leader is now working together with the general manager to see if it is possible to find a solution on how the two can work together in a constructive and good way. The fear is that one or both quit their job, which would be a huge loss for the entire company. 

Different personalities in the Team. 

Einar is a solid employee who has good control of his work. He willingly shares knowledge and insight into all the essential details to have control over. He is steady and demands advice on work processes among employees, customers and suppliers. He thinks carefully about every detail, at work and privately and is well-prepared for meetings. 

Einar also has some challenges, perhaps more visible to other members of the team than himself. He can become angry and vociferous, especially if he is pressured by changes in his work processes, often as a result of new technology. He may also find it difficult to see that new ways of working can bring benefits. 

Geir is in many ways, a different type. He is pretty creative and when unexpected challenges arise in assignments, he is impressively oriented to find solutions. But along with others in the team, he seems a little withdrawn. He talks enthusiastically when he is allowed to speak. He is quick in his head and quickly talks about different solutions if he is allowed to. 

Geir also has some challenges, including struggling to keep track of all the details. Geir also feels anger sometimes, but unlike Einar, he turns anger and frustration inward, which his surroundings can see clearly in his entire body language. 

Mapping preferences a solution? 

Part of the problem between Einar and Geir is that they have different preferences and are unaware of how these differences affect each other's perceptions and behaviour. Like many others, Geir does not understand how different from Einar he is, and the frustration and irritation over Einar's behaviour now affects both quality of life and sleep for Geir. 

There are several different ways to measure preferences. We use Jungian Type index and put preferences into a Team Compass, to see where the Team has its strengths and weaknesses. 

The Jungian Typology map preferences along 4 lines, where the main features are: 

Fetching energy	Extrovert Einar	Introvert Geir	Recharging the batteries together with others or on our inner path
Cognitive perception	Sensing	INtuition	How we read the world around us, details first that form the big picture for Sensing, or the opposite for iNtuition
Cognitive decision	Thinking	Feel	Decisions are made with the "head" for Thinking or with the "heart" for Feel.
Putting into practice	Judging	Perceive	Likes order and structure, preferably quick action for Judging and more open to change, flexibility and waiting for new opportunities for the Perceivers

Remember: preferences are much more nuanced than we can portray here. An important observation is also that we are able to handle all four lines, but not SIMULTANEOUSLY.  

Mapping the preferences of Einar and Geir 

A questionnaire with good explanations and comprehensive information showed the following results: 

Type codes:

Einar ESTP (1-Se, 2-Ti, 3-Fe, 4-Ni - e=extrovert, i=introvert)

Geir INTJ (1-Ni, 2-Te, 3-Fi, 4-Se - e=extrovert, i=introvert). 

• Mapping of preferences showed that Einar is an Extrovert and Geir is an Introvert. This means that the two have different preferences for how they obtain energy. Einar by being out among other people, in teams, in meetings, and with others in the workplace. Inge actually enjoys being alone. He masters being with others but drains the "battery of energy" and often also seeks the possibility of being part alone. The mapping also shows the strength of the preference, and the stronger it is, the stronger it will be visible to others. One difference between the two will also be that Inge is quieter in meetings, while Einar may profit by leaving some room for Geir to speak about his opinions. Einar may have a tendency to interrupt Geir when he speaks, just to confirm that he has understood correctly. Geir perceives this as a lack of interest in what he says. 

• The cognitive perception line also shows opposite preferences, whereas Einar, with Extrovert Sensing as cognitive perception, needs calm and uses his inner path to think things through and get an overview of details. This is in contrast to Geir who needs to discuss and talk through his thoughts (Extrovert Thinking).  

• The third function, the cognitive decision line is apparently similar for both. But Einar turns his emotions outward (Fe) while Geir turns them inward (Fi). This is expressed by Einar getting angry and showing it through language and action, but Geir turns it inward. We see it on him, but he doesn't say anything. 

• The fourth feature, our least used preference, is where we can quickly become "Bambi on the ice". For Einar, this is introverted intuition, which tends to focus on new thinking and alternative ways of solving tasks. With Geir's fourth function, however, details are a big problem, especially in conversation and discussion with others. Again, we see that the preferences are at odds with each other. 

Conclusion 

Type reports with abstracts for both Einar and Geir, together with general information about preferences based on the Jungian Type Index made it will probably be clearer to both that they have their own way of observing their surroundings and how they make decisions. What remains, and which we have not yet clarified, is at which stage the conflict between the two has come. Glasl's conflict ladder shows 3 main levels, where the first level is about the case, the next a combination of case and person, and the last where the case has left the arena so that only the person involved remains. For the last level of strong personal contradictions, it is probably very difficult to find a solution, and sometimes it is best for those involved to leave for new areas 

More about mapping preferences and the composition of Teams can be found at www.nooffice.no