When I was 22, I became an interim chief operating officer at a fine dining restaurant. This role suited me as a natural leader. My instinct is to work with decisive action and spontaneity, but my general manager and executive chef could not have been more different.

When our bartender was caught stealing, almost immediately, we got into a heated discussion as we argued about what to do next. I impatiently interrupted my team with solutions, while they painfully went over every detail about what had happened. I couldn’t understand why they didn’t want to fire this employee immediately and was even more frustrated that they wanted to slow down. We eventually reached a solution, but not without chipping away at the trust we had built as a small team.

I have an expressive driving style who often works with analytical, data-driven team members. Individuals with an analytical style like to plan and take time to digest the details, while an individual with a driving style takes quick action and focuses on results. It’s been reported that 49% of workplace conflict happens because of personality clashes and egos.

“Toxic workplaces” have become a common topic of conversation and managers need more help than ever navigating difficult workplace dynamics ripe with mistrust, blame, and conflict. The lowest hanging fruit is resolving personality conflicts and disagreements at work, fueled by misunderstandings.

Often, conflict stems from the way we interpret (or, more accurately, misinterpret) each other’s reactions in social settings. With my Expressive Style, I tend to be more talkative and have a desire to build relationships, while most with an Analytical Style keep to themselves. Without Social Styles, I might take my manager’s silence as a sign of disapproval or rejection, manifesting into a belief that I don’t belong on the team.

Originally developed by psychologists David Merrill and Roger Reid in the early 1950s, and produced by TRACOM, Social Styles def​​ine predictable behavior patterns that help us understand how to work more effectively together. One common framework is the “DISC” model, which categorizes individuals into four main types:

This framework gives us the opportunity to recognize and adapt to the preferences and tendencies of others. If I know my manager focuses on facts, presenting my ideas in a concise, easy-to-digest format will have a better chance of influencing his/her decision. Similarly, if I know my manager doesn’t like to be pressured for an answer, I will be less anxious when he doesn’t respond for a while to my request for a promotion. Using Social Styles essentially gives us a map on how to work well with others.

Most importantly, providing a guide to your workforce on how to approach and collaborate with each other fosters a sense of civility in the workplace. When teams experience conflict, using the Styles can improve communication, teamwork, and interpersonal relationships. Bringing understanding to our differences and building a community of respect are the most effective things you can do to support managers in developing low drama teams.

Controlling, Decisive & Fast-Paced

This employee’s style is direct, focused, and determined. They are the first to introduce themselves and focus their efforts and, the efforts of others, to get their goals accomplished.

• What Do They Want? Results
• What’s Their Impulse? Act and Direct Actions of Others
• Where Do They Need to Lean In? To Listen

Conscientious and Slow Paced

This employee’s style is quiet, reserved, and thoughtful. An organized planner focused on the process. This individual values listening and won’t engage in communication unless necessary. They look at the data before taking action.

• What Do They Want? To Be Right
• What’s Their Impulse? Thinking
• Where Do They Need to Lean In? To Declare

Enthusiastic and Emotional

This employee’s style is personal, talkative, and sometimes opinionated. They show negative and positive emotions and are spontaneous and creative. They also like recognition and approval.

• What Do They Want? Personal Approval
• What’s Their Impulse? Spontaneous Action
• Where Do They Need to Lean In? To Check

Friendly, Supportive and Relationship-Focused 

This employee’s style is easygoing, casual, and is open with their feelings. They are less demanding and more agreeable to others. Focused on relationships, comfortable in the familiar, the biggest need of an individual with an amiable style is to avoid conflict.

• What Do They Want? Personal Security
• What’s Their Impulse? Relationships
• Where Do They Need to Lean In? To Initiate

Applying an employee’s style not only helps with manager and subordinate conflicts, but can be a quick recruiting tool to determine what types of roles candidates would be best suited for or why they may not be a fit for others.

When you’re writing the next job description, think about what you would add to attract the right Social Style for the role. If you need a marketing manager who is primarily autonomous, you’re probably looking for a creative leader. Here, an individual with an expressive driving style would be a good match. On the other hand, if the role requires meticulous research on a collaborative team, searching for an individual with an amiable analytical style would be a better fit. Strategizing with Social Styles when putting teams together can be a powerful resource to get hiring right the first time around.

One HR professional used the ‘DISC’ model to help her navigate a new existing HR team she didn’t fit in well with. She was reserved and quiet, while her co-workers were expressive and boisterous. Socially, they didn’t match, but she took it personally. When she applied the Styles to her situation, she understood the differences were not a result of rejection, but the result of different Styles. This created a bridge and opening for how she can best relate to the team.

In 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, one of Patrick Lencioni’s foundational indicators of health in the workplace is that employees have psychological safety and feel that they can be vulnerable at work. HR can help foster this culture of inclusivity by equipping managers with tools to form personal connections right from the start.

Fostering a community for people to feel comfortable sharing ideas and reaching common ground is the best way to build trust among teams. The Styles offer a way to share something personal about yourself, making it an appropriate and valuable ice breaker activity, with just the right amount of vulnerability at work to build a connection.

Personality assessments are not foreign to the workplace, with some companies spending thousands to have their employees take the test, only for results to fade after orientation. I love Myers-Briggs, but I only know you’re an introvert if you tell me you’re an INFJ. It doesn’t tell me how to communicate or avoid offending you. Social Styles give us a quick and dirty tool to get inside our culture as our teams have daily one-on-one interactions. It gives us a quicker map to get to know each other.

We’d have much better alignment with our organizational development efforts if personality tools were carried through values, performance reviews, workplace conflicts, and individual goal settings. For instance, if team building is a core value, the organization should place employees with personality-compatible mentors. Giving new hires opportunities to bridge relationships with other members in their first 90 days is the best way to influence their success and longevity with your company.

In reality, it’s never about the work. It’s always about the people, but most professional environments are so fast-paced that getting to know each other ends up as an annual company retreat after thought. When we start by getting to know each other first, you’re saying to new hires, “We care about who you are and want to make it easy to achieve success together.” You’re communicating a sense of belonging and when employees feel like they belong, they feel valuable and produce at their highest potential.

An easy way to teach your workforce about the Styles is to print off and laminate these cards. Place them visibly on your desk to spark conversation or use them in your next conflict resolution meeting. Ask your managers to use them as ice breakers during orientation with new hires. The manager could introduce themselves with their card and ask the new hire to identify their style too. If employees don’t know their Style, point them to take the free test.

You can also use Social Styles as a free resource in your recruiting process to find out more about your candidate’s compatibility with the promoted role. If they are applying for a leadership role but don’t identify as having a driving style, add more leadership questions to your interview. I know plenty of people with amiable styles that can be leaders, but it took more practice to gain that skill.

From recruiting and orientation to navigating your own personal conflicts at work, Social Styles unlock a free resource to help you combat employee disengagement, workplace conflict, and civility issues. Introducing Social Styles into your orientation or recruiting processes works proactively to prevent future conflicts and can be an easy way to support your managers before the conflict escalates to HR. Awareness is the first step. Making it fun makes it memorable.