Who wants in? Who wants out? Who tries to control the group and who doesn’t? Who shares information most quickly and who won’t share at all?
For the answers to these questions and to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of your team’s or organization’s interpersonal behavior, call HPS today to learn more about Element B.
Element B (EB) is an assessment of interpersonal behavior that provides feedback on three dimensions: Inclusion, Control and Openness. Like FIRO-B before it, Element B is based on FIRO (Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation) theory, created by Will Schutz, Ph.D.
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HR Professionals, Coaches, Trainers and Consultants use this highly validated instrument to identify behavioral patterns, help people better understand their own and others’ behavior and create Action Plans.
For more information on Success Profiles, Selection and Promotion, click here.
Examples of EB-based training include sales training, employee development and team-based training. These sessions are highly customized to the specific needs of our clients and are available in varying durations and formats. If you want to develop employees’ skills for using EB competencies, whether for individual development, improved sales or anything in between, HPS can customize a solution for you.
Understanding the degree of Inclusion, Control and Openness individuals and teams want is one of the keys to improving team performance. Special features of customized EB training include:
- Individual feedback
- Team/Work Group feedback
- Understanding Differences
- Working Together
- Building Trust
The use of EB for individual feedback is increasing rapidly in business, education, coaching and counseling. HPS feedback specialists are experts on the Element B instrument and on providing individual feedback in a variety of formats. The EB instrument provides a profile based on how an individual responded to the questions when completing the instrument. We strongly believe in one-on-one feedback to help a person “validate” their profile, ask questions and discuss next steps.
Ever wonder why some relationships seem so much easier than others? At least part of the answer to that question lies in how compatible people are in three areas of interpersonal behavior measured by the Element B: Inclusion, Control and Openness. Individual employees, as well as leaders and entire teams, can benefit from using Element B to work on their individual development by receiving feedback and developing individual Action Plans based on their Element B results. The valuable insights they gain into their interpersonal behavior allow them to exploit their strengths and create strategies to contain out-of-balance areas. As they implement their Action Plans, others should see improvement in both individual and team relationships. For example, if team members are higher on Inclusion than the team leader, the leader would need to create action steps to become more inclusive, thereby giving team members what they want. As a result, the team should work better together and the leader should be able to build stronger interpersonal relationships with his or her team.
Do you need your new team to coalesce quickly so that they can reach goals and achieve results in time to meet imminent deadlines? Or do you have a team high in competence but struggling with interpersonal relationships? Let us help you choose compatible members whose preferences for Inclusion, Control and Openness allow them to work together effectively in the shortest possible time if you are currently putting a new team together. If you have an existing team that struggles because of interpersonal issues, we can help you determine what role individual team member’s behaviors assessed by Element B play in team members’ conflicts.
Element B provides key information in designing a Team Building that will bring out the best in your team and help them achieve significant and lasting results even in a one- or two-day workshop.
There are at least two useful levels from which to view team member compatibility, person-to-team and person-to-person (pairs of team members). The person-to-team view looks at what a particular team member wants relative to what the team as a whole provides, based on the results of team members’ Element B scores. For example, a person may want to be a member of a team that likes to work together on projects and has frequent communication and contact. To the degree the team provides what the person 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 pair’s compatibility.
Customized EB training can help team members learn how to:
- Provide behavioral “fits” with the behavior of other team members, managers, clients, etc.
- Make work assignments that employees can accomplish more effectively
- Improve communication
- Minimize the negative aspects of conflict
- Design more effective problem solving groups
- Assist team members in maximizing their individual and collective strengths.
From individual contributors to CEOs, HPS’ extensive experience with executive coaching is based on an integrated systems approach, the most effective means for accomplishing agreed-upon objectives. In this type of approach, coaching and assessment go hand in hand. HPS uses a “multiple-lens” approach to more accurately determine an individual leader’s specific behaviors and preferences. The desired results of coaching can best be achieved by carefully selecting a pre-assessment process focused on the long-term needs of the leader and the organization. Element B provides foundational information for the coaching process by providing information in areas that determine in part how a leader interacts with his or her team: Inclusion, Control and Openness. For optimum results, an Element B assessment is combined with our Leadership Potential Equation System of analysis to provide the most comprehensive leader assessment available.
Our desire for Inclusion, Control and Openness significantly influences how we go about solving interpersonal problems. Thus, conflict in organizations often stems from differences in the three areas measured by Element B. Understanding these differences helps us solve interpersonal problems more effectively and efficiently and increases the overall effectiveness of work teams. When people understand the basics of how they are different from each other and their strengths and weaknesses, they can take steps to reduce conflict and become more accepting. Customized Element B training to manage conflict might include:
- Overcoming Element B Differences
- Problem Solving Dynamics
- Working Together
- Conflict Models
Stress has been called the 20th century disease and will probably be the disease of the 21st century as well. The question is, what can you do to help individuals or leaders in your organization continue to work effectively with their team during periods of increased or extended stress?
HPS research shows that the amount of Inclusion, Control and Openness often changes for people during periods of increased or extended stress. These changes can be the source of conflict even between people who typically get along well. For example, Paul and Linda might normally work well together. Then they enter a period of tremendous stress and find that they argue or avoid each other. Why? When Paul is under stress, if his desire for Control increases, while Linda’s wanting to be controlled remains the same, Linda will feel micromanaged as Paul seeks to exert more Control over her than she wants. She might avoid Paul or they might experience interpersonal conflict, becoming less productive or efficient in the process.
HPS offers half-day, 1-day, and 2-day seminars to help people in organizations understand how stress affects their teams in terms of the 3 behaviors assessed by the Element B. Let us help you discover what you can do to make sure that teams in your organization maintain strong interpersonal relationships even during stressful periods.
To learn more about these—and other—Element B applications, contact HPS at 706-769-5836 or email Debra at debra@hpsys.com. |
