Building the team (all hands on deck! Part 2 )

If a culture of trust and respect is already established within your team, you can proceed to build effective communication. Can you build communication earlier or in parallel? Yes, it is possible, but the process will be much slower and will create additional risks because any changes generate tension and temporarily disrupt established connections within the company. The nature of change usually involves at least partial disruption of the existing system. In the presence of a strong corporate culture of trust and respect, the system can hold on to the gravitational forces that this culture creates until the changes are finally implemented, and a new system is formed. Without such forces, there is a significant risk of losing vital components of the system that might become incompatible with the new structure, which is quite undesirable in turbulent waters.

The process of effective communication is based on understanding the key differences in communication styles among different individuals, accepting these differences, identifying the communication style by their characteristics, and consciously adjusting one’s current style to match the conversational partner’s style. Each of these components requires individuals to work on their personalities, and it can be quite challenging, even leading to complete rejection. If a person feels safe in the corporate environment and receives sufficient acceptance and recognition beyond their job functions, they will undergo such transformation relatively easily. Otherwise, they might either seek new employment or create a resistance center against change, which can be hazardous to your initiative.

To effectively work with differences in communication styles, one must first explore and classify them. In our work, we use the classification proposed by Dr. Ichak Kalderon Adizes a long time ago. His theory is relatively straightforward to understand and apply, and over several decades, it has been proven by many successful cases (hundreds involving the maestro directly, and thousands if we consider the work of his students and followers). If you are not yet familiar with the letters PAEI, we recommend at least skimming through three of his fundamental works: “The Ideal Executive,” “Managing Corporate Lifecycles: How Organizations Grow, Age and Die,” and “Mastering Change – Introduction to Organizational Therapy.” The first one will introduce you to the basic principles of the classification, the second will show how these principles are applied in managing organizations, and the third will assist in using these principles during the change implementation process. If you are short on time, you can limit yourself to the third book, as it provides sufficient information for the practical application of the theory.

The main insight from Adizes’ theory in the context of communication is the presence of natural differences in the perception and expression of fundamental concepts such as “agreement,” “time,” “opportunity,” and “risk,” as well as a focus on different aspects of activities: P(roducer) looks at what needs to be done; A(dministrator) is concerned with how we will do what we plan; E(ntrepreneur) thinks about why and when it should be done, and I(ntegrator) pays primary attention to who will do it. As a result, bearers of these styles find it challenging to understand each other, but this understanding is essential for making and implementing high-quality decisions since only a balanced consideration of all four aspects provides a complete picture of what is happening and what needs to happen.

As always, any changes should start with oneself. Therefore, we recommend beginning by identifying your style using the PAEI test available on the Adizes Institute website. This test will provide you with an objective picture that is difficult to obtain otherwise, as we tend to overlook or justify our weaknesses. This time, you will have to confront objective reality face to face. There is a good chance that you might not like the knowledge you gain because each style has its drawbacks, but you need to learn about them and accept them to learn how to adjust.

So now that you have your PAEI profile, what’s next? Read “The Ideal Executive” and apply correction methods for how you perceive and react. This will already improve the quality of your communication with colleagues, but it’s only the beginning. The next step is to do the same with each member of your team. Start with those who are always ready to support you and are the drivers of change. Let them also learn about their profiles using the test, and then you can develop a communication strategy with each of them in the most effective way.

What problems might arise here? If you formed your team by yourself without considering its completeness and complementarity, most likely, you will find that you are surrounded by people who have very similar profiles to yours. This happens because we feel comfortable with people we understand. And we best understand (and consider right) those who see the world the same way we do. Usually, all others simply don’t fit the basic “in-group-out-group” criterion. For example, a vivid (E)ntrepreneur will have difficulty working with a pronounced (A)dministrator, even if they are added to the team, as the latter will appear too slow and excessively cautious “killjoy.”

Having a homogeneous team may be convenient, but it is highly ineffective. However, to complement it with an ideal composition, you will need courage, determination, and a willingness to patiently resolve conflicts that inevitably arise between bearers of different styles and create an environment where such conflicts do not have destructive consequences. Perhaps, for this, you may need to seek help from professionals. Do it without hesitation because the strength of the team and the efficiency of its work will determine the future of your business.

In turbulent times, there is often a strong temptation to do the exact opposite – get rid of dissenters and keep only those with whom you don’t need to spend extra time on reaching a consensus. This can indeed have a positive effect for a while, as everyone will do what they are told, and the speed of your boat’s movement will increase. But always remember the fate of the Titanic – its captain had information about the danger of colliding with an iceberg from more cautious members of the crew, but the team structure allowed him to ignore all warnings and choose the course of action that led to the catastrophe known to the whole world.

In the next publications, we will analyze what to do with the structure precisely – what it consists of and how to balance all its components so as to choose the best course and not end up in icy water without hope of rescue.