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The Morgan Group Corporate
Culture and Personality Assessments
Test Interpretation – Corp Personality
Your absolute scores
mean nothing; the relative numbers are what are important. Most companies (like
people) tend to have a higher score for one type than the others. If you
find that you don't have a strong result, or if you have high scores in D
and S, or I and C (which are opposite types), you may want to retest
focusing more carefully on one particular line of business. You can take
the tests as many times as you like. You might enjoy having someone who
someone who knows your company well enter their impressions as well.
To understand your
company, it is important that you have taken “your personality” tests and viewed the explanations,
as some of this basic text is not repeated here.
Corporate Personality Test
The personality of a
Corporation has many of the same facets as the individual personality. This personality affects how
decisions are made, how information is processed, how conflicts are
resolved, and who drives the bus, among others.
While a company may have a
“dominant” personality, it has to interact with all types, both
as employees and customers.
Difficulties often arise when your personality is different from
that of your Corporation, or when the corporate personality is
inappropriate for the business.
We have structured the presentation
of the corporate personality in the same way as your personality was
evaluated, i.e.
o
Corporate personality
- DISC-
o
Corporate Decision-making
- HIFD
o Corporate
Ego - PAC
o
Corporate information
processing - VAK
Corporate Personality
– DISC
This DISC test assesses
whether your company tends to be results and task focused, or relationship
and people focused; and whether it is open and direct, or reserved and
indirect. Some of the
characteristics of these corporate personalities are below.
High D companies are often in very price-competitive industries. High D companies are
“visionary”. They
are determined, demanding and decisive. They are “bottom line”
focused, and hold people accountable for delivering results. They are impatient, and often take
aggressive actions (e.g. buying competitors, selling underperforming
divisions). They make decisions
quickly, with little outside influence, and focus on facts, logic and
results. They are risk takers
and make fast decisions. They
are not people oriented, and often have a low tolerance for “sick
puppies” in the organization.
High D companies like
change. Meetings are quick and
to the point. Discussions are
open, and dissent is both allowed and encouraged, as long as it is on
point. Conflict is resolved through
argument and outbursts of anger are not unusual and are tolerated (even
respected). Negotiations are judged
successful based on the results obtained for the company. Executives are acquired from any
source, internal or external, based on (perceived) competence. Not surprisingly, high D
organizations often have a “Decisive” or
“Hierarchical” decision style. Top rationale – good for the
bottom line.
High I companies are often in very “customer or market focused”
industries, and tend to see the “Big Picture” as relative to
their market only. They
often sacrifice the bottom line for market share or customer
satisfaction. They tend to be
reasonably patient, both with customers and employees. They may involve many in a
decision (including customers), but still are able to make decisions
reasonably quickly.
High I companies like
change. Meetings are friendly
and informal. Discussions are
very open, with all opinions welcomed. Decisions are
exciting, as are buying decisions.
High
I companies want to be liked, which can hurt negotiation results. They are very people oriented, and
often have executives who came from sales, and from the industry. High I organizations often have a
“Decisive or Flexible” decision-making style. Top rationale – good for the
customer.
High S companies do not tend to be “big picture” companies. They often operate with a defined
product in a defined market, and are often uncomfortable expanding outside
this market. These companies
are very employee focused, and will sacrifice the bottom line for employee
issues. They are overly
patient, and will spend a lot of effort trying to fix “sick
puppies”. They are very
slow to make a decision, accept a lot of outside input into the corporate
decision process, and dislike pressure.
High S companies dislike
change, and accept it with great hesitation. Meetings are reserved, yet
friendly. Dissention is
disliked and usually avoided at all costs. Focus is on peace and
stability. Negotiations are
focused on “peace”, not results. High S companies may tolerate a lot
of passive-aggressive behavior (gossip, back-biting). These organizations dislike making buying decisions, and often
suffer from buyers’ remorse.
High S organizations often have an “Integrative”
decision-making style, and are often highly matrixed. Executives tend to be promoted from
internal candidates. Top rationale –
good for the employees.
High C companies are
usually “product focused”.
Their view is usually defined by their technology, not customers or
the market. They are not very
people focused, but are patient with employees (not customers). They do not tolerate technical
incompetence, but as they dislike people-related conflict, they will
tolerate non-performance in non-technical functions for some time as a
result. Decisions are made
methodically and slowly. They
need a lot of information to make a decision, and will often analyze a
decision to death.
High
C companies dislike change, and will often fight it (both passively and
aggressively). They dislike
buying decisions. Meetings are
controlled, reserved, often stoic, with a lot of presentation and
discussion. Focus is on
analysis.
Negotiations
are focused on facts and analysis, and “being right” is often
more important than good results.
Executives tend to be promoted from internal candidates, and usually
have a technical background.
High C organizations often have an “Integrative or
Hierarchical” decision-making style. Top rationale – good
technology.
Corporate Decision Style Test-
HIFD
This HIFD test assesses how your
company makes decisions. The
two fundamental axes are whether a little or a lot of information is
needed, and whether the decision has a “single outcome”, e.g.
corporate mission, or has multiple outcomes, e.g. how it impacts the
mission, the employees, the decision maker, etc.
The 4 basic decision types are:
o
Hierarchic
o
Integrative
o
Flexible
o
Decisive
This corporate decision
style is probably the most important thing to understand, especially as
relative to your decision style, and
the impact on your influence and success. Be sure to read the explanation of your decision style, as
some of the key points are not repeated here.
We have
summarized important Cautions below.
Hierarchic
organizations have a clear
“chain of command”.
The demands of the corporate mission are most important. Decisions require lots of
supporting information, but are focused on a single operational
result. Documented
communication and recordkeeping are valued, as people in key positions are
expected to change frequently.
They have a moderate tolerance for risk – document your
decision, get “sign-off” from your superior, and go. Promotion
is based on competence and longevity.
The Military is a good example of an organization where this
decision style thrives.
Integrative companies are often “functionally”
organized, and frequently “re-organized”. Decisions require lots of
information, and consider many diverse outcomes and impacts. Decisions take a long time, since
getting “consensus” from each of the separate functions in the
face of the often conflicting demands of the customers, employees,
families, etc. is difficult.
They have a very low tolerance for risk. Promotion is based on political
skills and trust – with incompetence tolerated. Integrative companies are not
entrepreneurial, and thrive in stable or slowly changing markets. Many very large companies become
Integrative over time (e.g. Ford, GM, GE), having to balance needs of
customers, unions, finance, government, etc. If you have a “dotted
line” to a second boss, you are in an Integrative company.
Flexible companies often have a charismatic leader who makes all
the decisions. Decisions
require little information, but consider multiple outcomes (especially the
conflict between the mission and the needs of the decision maker). They have a moderate tolerance for
risk, and will often unwittingly “sink the ship”. Promotion is based on how well you
are liked by the charismatic leader, and how well you “get
along” in the organization. Many “artistic” and
non-profit organizations are Flexibles. This decision style is unusual for
successful “for-profit” companies.
Decisive
organizations are results
focused, with the mission and bottom line highly important. Decisions require little
information, and are mission focused.
These organizations tend to be organized around products and
projects, with empowered teams forming to achieve specific goals. Managers are held accountable for
results, and replaced if they do not deliver. Decisive organizations have a high
tolerance for risk. Promotion
is based on competence. Many
entrepreneurial organizations are Decisive, as their success depends on
making good decisions without a lot of information.
Corporate Decision Style -
Cautions
Companies,
like people, are often most comfortable with others who are similar. The normal process of promotion
tends to self-select those with common decision styles. It
is not-unusual to find that all top management in an organization has the
same decision style.
(E.g. Decisives will hire and promote other Decisives, because they admire
the single focus and the ability to make a decision with insufficient
data).
In
our testing of management groups, we are astonished about the concentration
of Decision styles, which is often completely unique. This is VERY IMPORTANT to understand,
and is often the reason why corporate acquisitions result in key acquired
people leaving the organization.
(“I like Joe, he built a good company, but he is too quick on
the draw. He doesn’t take
the time to analyze his decisions before he makes them”). This is also the reason why
hiring a new CEO often results in him bringing in all his
“friends”, who have a similar decision style, to replace
existing management.
(“This single focus is an issue. We need managers who can respond to
the diverse needs of all our stakeholders”).
Be
conscious of this, as this lack of diversity may not be most appropriate
for your business. Recognize
that if your decision style is not aligned with your corporation, your
chance of promotion is sharply reduced.
Corporate Ego - PAC
Like
it or not, your corporation often adopts an ego state. This ego state defines how the
company interacts with people – employees, customers and
suppliers.
The 3 basic ego types are:
o
Adult
o
Parent
o
Child
To better understand the
corporate ego, please be sure to assess your own Human Interaction Test and read the explanation.
Adult (A) is the
only really healthy ego for the corporation, where goals are clear and
measured and employees are empowered and held accountable – much like
dealing successfully with your teenager. Adult companies have clear
measurables, and rewards linked to performance. They constantly benchmark themselves
against best-practices, and relentlessly seek improvement. Unfortunately, these companies are
not a common as one would wish.
Both
Parent ego states are common.
Critical Parent (CP)
corporations are constantly critical of efforts, regardless of the
results. Employees may be in a
state of mild fear. Good
performers tend to leave quickly, because their successes are not
validated. These companies
employ “boomerang strokes”, and will find consultants to teach
this practice. CP companies are
often dismissive of their customers, and will change suppliers frequently.
This CP state can sometimes be effective in a crisis, but seldom works well
over a long term
Nurturing Parent (NP) Companies
spend a lot of effort “nurturing” the needs of their
employees. They tolerate
meritocracy. Incompetents are
relocated to another job inside the company with the hope they will improve. Good performers leave eventually,
because the attention of the company is on “fixing” the sick
puppies rather than rewarding competence. These companies often tolerate
personal relationships between employees (family members, affairs,
etc). NP companies tend
to be loyal to suppliers and customers, even the bad ones. Family businesses are often
NP.
Child
Companies show up in all 3 varieties, although less frequently than Parent
and Adult.
Natural Child (NC) companies
are often focused on their “toys”, such as corporate jets, big
boats, extravagant outings, comely young assistants, etc. These toys are often discussed on a
regular basis, and access to these toys is an indication of corporate
success. Eventually, these toys
show up in the “auction” pages of the Sunday classified.
Rebellious Child (RC) companies
are often focused on “doing it differently” from everyone else
in the marketplace. They do not
benchmark against best-practices, but rather believe their way is
“better” (often in spite of market data to the contrary). Many companies in a
“startup” mode are RC’s, either because they are started
by a person with a high RC (usual), or because the market window is really
open for a new approach (unusual).
To succeed in a RC company, you have to drink their cool-aid, or
just “think different”.
Adaptive Child (AC) companies
are often “divisions” of a remotely located Parent
company. The Parent company is
usually a CP, (as this gets the AC response). Everything in the company has to be
“cleared through headquarters”. Managers tend to be detailed-process
types. These divisions get sold
a lot, rotating among a cadre of CP corporate buyers, until a more
competitive ego puts them out of business.
Corporate Communication Style - VAK
Your corporation has a preferred communication
style. This communication style
governs how information is gathered to support a decision, or to present
the result of a decision.
Because this is usually set by the “boss” of a group,
there may be differences between divisions of a company, or between your
division and “the top”.
As with decision style,
communication style is a big factor in promotions. We have summarized important Cautions below.
The 3 basic communication types are:
o
Visual
o
Auditory
o
Kinesthetic
To better understand the
corporate communication style, please be sure to assess your own Communication Style and read the explanation.
Since
it is common to have diversity of communication styles within a company, it
is important to learn how to recognize a preferred style, and adapt. Again, when in doubt, use all
three. (“What do you need
to see or hear to be comfortable making a decision?”)
Visual
Companies tend to communicate in writing. They like charts and graphs. Measurables will be simple, easy to
understand, and prominently displayed.
They love PowerPoint, and almost never give a presentation without
visual support. Presentation
pages tend to be crisp, clear, and simple. Information is collected in group
meetings, for a decision which will be communicated later. They are comfortable presenting
decisions to very large groups.
Auditory companies tend to communicate verbally. They like data, tables of numbers,
rather than charts and graphs.
They use complicated measurables, often difficult to access. Decisions are made in group meetings
by “talking it out”.
Auditory companies are quite comfortable communicating a decision to
a group through e-mail and computer systems.
Kinesthetic
Organizations need to
“touch” the issue, and get a “feel” for the
outcome. They love to host long
meetings, often without arriving at a decision. They need to “visit” a
supplier to make a decision.
They often avoid measurables (to avoid any conflict of real data
with their feelings). They tend
to promote people they know well.
They do not manage multiple locations well, and prefer large central
headquarters. Communications to
the organization are accomplished by releasing information to an effective
“grapevine”, which usually precedes any formal announcement.
Corporate Communication - Cautions
Companies,
like people, are often most comfortable with others who are similar. The normal process of promotion
tends to self-select those with common methods of communication. It is not-unusual to find that all top
management in an organization has a similar VAK method of
communication. (E.g. Visuals
will hire and promote other visuals, because it is easy to communicate and
“see” the issues).
In
our testing of management groups, we are astonished about the concentration
of VAK styles, which may be twice normal. (This, however, is not as severe as
the concentration of Decision styles, which is often completely
unique). Be conscious of this,
as this lack of diversity may not be most appropriate for your business.
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