The primary purpose of Will Schutz’ Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation (FIRO) theory and the accompanying instrument, FIRO-B™, was to predict the interaction between people. The ultimate use of the prediction was to increase compatibility within work groups. The next generation of the FIRO-B, the Element B™, appears to be even more powerful in this regard.

The Team Compatibility Report is designed to provide working hypotheses about team member compatibility based on the Element B. It is not intended to be an exact or terminal assessment; rather, it is intended to be a point of departure for exploration of interpersonal interactions within the team. This exploration can occur at different levels as well as within the two types of compatibility: atmosphere and role.

There are at least two useful levels from which to view team member compatibility, person-to-person (pairs of team members) and person-to-team.  The person-to-team view looks at what a particular team member wants relative to what the team as a whole provides. For example, the person may want to be a member of a team that likes to work together on projects, have frequent communication and contact. To the degree the team provides what the person’s wants, there is person-to-team compatibility.

A deeper level of analysis is the person-to-person level. In this case, each person is paired with every other person on the team. This allows for examination of each pairs’ compatibility.

The Team Compatibility Report provides feedback on atmosphere and role compatibility at both the person-to-person and team levels.