ABCi Working Styles workbook
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This document is from a workbook that helps users understand their own working style and how to improve relationships with others who have different styles. It discusses four working styles: Analytical, Driver, Amiable, and Expressive. For each style, it provides characteristics, potential strengths and weaknesses, and strategies for being a team leader or member. The workbook guides users through an assessment to determine their dominant working style, reflection questions, and strategies to apply based on their style and how to adapt when stressed. The goal is to improve how users work with others and get the best from relationships.
ABCi Working Styles workbook
- 1. Source: People Styles at Work and Beyond – Making Bad Relationships Good and Good Relationships Better/Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover Bolton, 2nd ed 2009. Working StylesABC improvement iSkills for Which Working Style are you: workbook
- 2. Source: People Styles at Work and Beyond – Making Bad Relationships Good and Good Relationships Better/Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover Bolton, 2nd ed 2009. Which Working Style are you? ABC improvement iSkills for Working Styles Characteristics This workbook will help you to understand your own working style and encourage you to reflect, not only on your strengths and weaknesses but on how you would like others to work with you, and how you can change your ways of working to get the best out of your working relationships. The workbook is set out to work from start to finish: • Overview – summary of each of the working styles • Questionnaire – answer questions honestly to find out your working style • Score Sheet – Lowest score identifies your working style • Thought Exercise – reflect on your working style and how you work with others • Strategies – for consideration when working with others
- 3. Working Styles Characteristics Working Styles Overview ABC improvement iSkills for Driver • Takes action and acts decisively • Likes control • Dislikes inaction • Prefers maximum freedom to manage self and others • Cool and independent, competitive with others • Low tolerance for feelings, attitudes and advice of others • Works quickly and efficiently by themselves Expressive • Spontaneous actions and decisions, risk taker • Not limited by tradition • Likes involvement • Generates new and innovative ideas • Tends to dream and get others caught up in a dream • Jumps from one activity to another • Works quickly and excitingly with others • Not good with follow-through Analytical • Cautious actions and decisions • Likes organisation and structure • Dislikes involvement with others • Asks many questions about specific details • Prefers objective, task – oriented environment • Wants to be accurate and therefore relies too much on data collection • Seeks security and self actualisation Assertiveness Responsiveness Amiable • Slow at taking action and making decisions • Likes close, personal relationships • Dislikes interpersonal conflict • Supports and “actively” listens to others • Weak at goal setting and self-direction • Demonstrates excellent ability to gain support from others • Works slowly and cohesively with others • Seeks security and inclusion Source: People Styles at Work and Beyond – Making Bad Relationships Good and Good Relationships Better/Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover Bolton, 2nd ed 2009.
- 4. Look at each of the 5 statements below and then rank your responses from 1-4 (1 is what matters most to you and 4 is what matters least to you). 1. When performing a job, it is most important to me to a. ____ do it correctly, regardless of the time involved. b. ____ set deadlines and get it done. c. ____ work as a team, cooperatively with others. d. ____ demonstrate my talents and enthusiasm. 2. The most enjoyable part of working on a job is a. ____ the information you need to do it. b. ____ the results you achieve when it’s done. c. ____ the people you meet or work with. d. ____ seeing how the job contributes to progress. 3. When I have several ways to get a job done, I usually a. ____ review the pros and cons of each way and choose. b. ____ choose a way that I can begin to work immediately. c. ____ discuss ways with others and choose the one most favoured. d. ____ review the ways and follow my “gut” sense about what will work the best. 4. When working on a long-term job, it is most important to me to a. ____ understand and complete each step before going on to the next step. b. ____seek a fast, efficient way to complete it. c. ____ work on it with others in a team. d. ____ keep the job stimulating and exciting. 5. I am willing to take a risky action if a. ____ there are facts to support my action. b. ____ it gets the job done. c. ____ it will not hurt others’ feelings. d. ____ it feels right for the situation. Working Style Questionnaire ABC improvement iSkills for Source: People Styles at Work and Beyond – Making Bad Relationships Good and Good Relationships Better/Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover Bolton, 2nd ed 2009.
- 5. 1. A ____ B ____ C ____ D ____ 2. A ____ B ____ C ____ D ____ 3. A ____ B ____ C ____ D ____ 4. A ____ B ____ C ____ D ____ 5. A ____ B ____ C ____ D ____ Totals: A ____ B ____ C ____ D ____ Transfer the answers from the People Styles Assessment sheet onto the scoring grid below by entering the rank order number (1,2,3 or 4) that you assigned to each letter listed under the five statements. Next, total each column and record the total in the space provided. Your LOWEST score is your preferred or dominant working style. In the case of a tied score, you should pick the working style that you feel is more like you. A - Analytical B - Driver C - Amiable D - Expressive My preferred working style is: _______________________ Working Styles Score Sheet Working Style Score Sheet ABC improvement iSkills for Source: People Styles at Work and Beyond – Making Bad Relationships Good and Good Relationships Better/Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover Bolton, 2nd ed 2009.
- 6. What does your working style mean for you? Consider the working style that your score sheet indicated. Note your reflections below • Does this working style mirror how you tend to work? If not consider the other working styles • Reflecting on your working style as either an Analytic, Amiable, Expressive or Driver: • What do you think your potential strengths are? • What do you think your potential weaknesses are? • How do I like to work? • What is the best way to influence my style? • Bearing in mind that generally the population is split equally across the four working types, so 75% of the people you work with will work differently to you • Also that there is no evidence that any type is more or less successful in what they do – people just do things differently! • Apply the questions above to the different working styles and reflect on how you might change the way you work to get the best out of your interactions with others. Working Styles Score Sheet Thought Exercise ABC improvement iSkills for
- 7. A –Analytical Strategies as a team leader or team member Strategies when under stress Cautious actions and decisions Make a Decision Often avoids and withdraws Likes organisation and structure Be more flexible, more open- minded Logically discuss the issue Dislikes involvement with others Openly show more concern for other people Acknowledge a need for time Asks many questions about specific details Be decisive with data Set a deadline Prefers objective, task-orientated work environment Listen to people’s feelings Ask questions Wants to be accurate and therefore relies too much on data collection Use time accurately Seek opinions from others Seeks security and self- actualisation Provide evidence and service to influence decision-making B – Driver Strategies as a team leader or team member Strategies when under stress Takes action and acts decisively Listen to others Often takes over and dictates Likes control Acknowledge different points of view Offer options for moving forward Dislikes inaction Be patient Recommit to results and time frame Prefers maximum freedom to manage self and others “Calm down” internally Calm down Cool and independent, competitive with others Pay attention to others’ feelings Seek input from others Low tolerance for feelings, attitudes and advice of others Use time efficiently Delay decision-making Works quickly and efficiently by themselves Provide options Restate others’ concerns Working Style Strategies ABC improvement iSkills for Source: People Styles at Work and Beyond – Making Bad Relationships Good and Good Relationships Better/Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover Bolton, 2nd ed 2009.
- 8. C – Amiable Strategies as a team leader or team member Strategies when under stress Slow at taking action and making decisions Assert your opinions Concedes to others, acquiesces Likes close, personal relationships Be less sensitive Allow them to express disagreement Dislikes interpersonal conflict Be willing to take risks Speak up Supports and “actively” listens to others Say “no” more often State your thoughts in a logical concise manner Weak at goal setting and self- direction Let people know what you think Ask open questions about concerns Demonstrates excellent ability to gain support from others Support relationships to establish rapport Seeks security and inclusion Incorporate facts into your opinion D – Expressive Strategies as a team leader or team member Strategies when under stress Spontaneous actions and decisions, risk taker Restrain and check Often attacks and confronts Not limited by tradition Talk less Separate emotions from facts Likes involvement Spend more time looking at the facts Acknowledge feelings and points of view Generates new and innovative ideas Control time and emotion Refrain from pouncing on the quiet ones Tends to dream and get others caught up in the dream Think before you speak Seek to gather information from all team members Jumps from one activity to another Incorporate facts into your decisions Not good with follow-through Encourage decision making with incentives and stories Working Style Strategies ABC improvement iSkills for Source: People Styles at Work and Beyond – Making Bad Relationships Good and Good Relationships Better/Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover Bolton, 2nd ed 2009.
- 9. Aneurin Bevan Continuous Improvement @ABCiAb ABCi.ABB@wales.nhs.uk Working StylesABC improvement iSkills for