In organisations and teams, there is often a lack of understanding and acceptance of diversity in various forms - ethnicity; gender; length of service; thinking styles; values etc.
One significant factor that can get in the way of effective working is a lack of awareness about how to work with people who are of a different behaviour (some might call it personality) style to you.
Behaviours are the elements that are visible in our day to day interactions and a lack of understanding about the way different styles operate can often lead to friction and disharmony. Conversely, once you appreciate the differences, you can find ways to work effectively with different styles to get the best from them.
Some people are more extroverted and others are more introverted. Understanding the differences can help to explain why we just don’t seem to ‘get’ some people. Introverts can have challenges working with extroverts and vice versa.
A couple of Altris blogs may help to explain some of the ‘problems’ and frustrations each can have with the other:
The Problem with Introverts (by an Extrovert) »
The Problems with Extroverts (by an Introvert) »
Fundamentally it’s about recognising that it’s not that one style is right and the other is wrong. Rather, it’s about valuing and using the differences that each behavioural style brings.