Gyanendra Kumar Kashyap
When it comes to reward, recognition or ‘race to the top’
the introverts are a discounted lot; it’s time they get their rightful dues…
Call it a trend or a fallacy; organizations apparently seem
to lay their bait more on the big personality. In such a scenario where does
the proverbial ‘shy, sober and simple’ employee fit in the organizational schema?
In their search for a charismatic, effusive and outgoing leaders as well as
employees, organizations seem to lose sight of the calm, eremitic and the observant
lot. More often than not, the hidden gems do not get the recognition they
deserve and eventually they either quit or feel depressed. Neither is a win-win
situation for either the employee or the organization. At best for the employee
- the so called introverts as opposed to their outgoing extrovert colleagues,
quitting (or job hopping in the hope of being a part of an organization where
they are recognized and can excel to their potential) is but a temporary
solution. As for the organization, the loss is greater. Living and believing in
‘culture of personality’ where it is the charisma, outward confidence, and
ability to sell others a vision, that is prized and rewarded; organizations are
perhaps missing out on one third to one half of the population that considers
themselves to be introverts. Author Susan Cain, in her book, “Quiet: The Power
of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” suggests that by succumbing
to the noisy charms of the extrovert, society and business are missing out on
the insight and creativity of the more thoughtful part of the population. She
is of the opinion that there’s a bias against the introverts and they are
discounted for a trait that goes to the core of who they are; further arguing
that it's time more thoughtful and reserved types got their due. It makes
business sense for managers to understand the differing needs of their
introverted (and extroverted employees) and reap the benefits in terms of
productivity and motivation.
What is it that is different in the way the introverts
communicate or work that finds itself at odds with modern business culture? It
is in this context that it makes all the more sense for managers / leaders to build
on the talents of their more inward-focused workforce by exploring the workings
of the introverted mind. Here again the question is, how do you define an
introvert? Shy, unsociable, unhappy, unfriendly, insular are but a few
adjectives that are wrongly attributed to an introvert. Contrary to these popular
imagination introverts are neither shy nor unsociable nor aloof; but
nonetheless introversion, as a trait, continues to carry a stigma in the
workplace. Misconceptions aside, introverts tend to be calm and reserved, speak
softly and slowly, don't seek the limelight, and act only after thinking their
thoughts through. These characteristics often tend to mask their strengths:
creativity, intellectual depth, and the ability to see the big picture,
maintain an organization's internal compass, and balance out the go-getters in
the organization. In their book, “Type talk at work”- Otto Kroeger and Janet
Thuesen put forth their view that, “With Introverts, you see only a portion of
their personality. The richest and the most trusted parts of an introvert's
personality are not necessarily shared with the outside world. It takes up
time, trust and special circumstances for them to begin to open up."
Going by the author duo, the takeaways for managers /
leaders are clear: recognize & harmonize their key strengths and encourage
their introverted employees to be their best selves. There is no dearth of
example of introverts who have been successful leaders. Be it Bill Gates, or
Jim Goodnight, or Warren Buffet or for that matter Richard Branson (who claims
to be an introvert but knows how to hide it well) – all quintessentially
introvert professionals have been successful at leading global corporations.
However organizations probably need a right balance of extroverts and
introverts. For instance Steve Jobs had Steve Wozniak, Steve Ballmer complemented
Bill Gates. While mangers / leaders can play a role in encouraging their
introvert friends, introverts, too can make more effort to get their thoughts
across, to smile, to make eye contact, and yes speak up.
Extroverts can take a leaf out their introvert colleagues’
philosophy and organizations can do their bit to tap into the untapped
potential of the introverts; introverts besides ‘leading a quiet revolution’
(as Susan Cain puts it) must learn from their extrovert colleagues to be ‘able
to talk the needed talk’ and place themselves on the ‘organizational
positioning’ cluster. If the two fail in their efforts, the business world may never
get to see another Buffet, Wozniak, or Gates.
Excellent reflection of the modern-day organization, Gyan. We are gradually moving to a world that only recognizes the "drivers" and the "expressives" (Myers-Briggs personality types)who have flair, but are also characterized by low attention spans, depth of thought, inability to see the bigger picture, and more importantly, the incapability to make rational judgements. This needs to change, as it will promote mediocrity in the long-term.
ReplyDeleteHi dcvikram, quick correction. "Drivers" and "Expressives" are Social Styles, NOT Personality Types. Social Types assesses behaviour, not personality. Some people can be highly introverted but display expressive behaviour: I am one of them. Moreover, these social styles MAY display "who have flair, but are also characterized by low attention spans, depth of thought, inability to see the bigger picture, and more importantly, the incapability to make rational judgements." whereas your statement makes thess baheviours an absolute stereotype for alk Expressives and Drivers. To be honest, this is the probklem with psychometrics is that it reinforces stereotypes in epople that find it easier to see the world in black and white instead of seeing it in different shades of grey. There are no Social Styles or Personality Types that is better than any other. there are just thinking preference"s and behaviours that individuals decide to engage in.
ReplyDeleteit's very useful for us to get too much insight.... but i have another point of view on this and is mentioned below:
ReplyDeleteIf any introvert is having a good manager who understand that person and knows his/her ability, skills and talent, then his/her manager will always make sure that his teammates/colleagues will get good rewards/compensation/incentives/promotion.
That's exactly the point even Susan Cain and others who have written and researched on this subject have to say. Teams need a healthy balance of both, its a continuum of sorts. Your points are well taken..very apt. Managers can play an active role and if the potential is to be harnessed the facts that you've so beautifully put together needs to be ensured
DeleteOne more thing I have observed - people are introvert in front of some people while extrovert to other depending on the degree of relationship. Some people are too introvert that hurt the team work or business decision. What more hurts is many people have great opinion and ideas but due to inability of formulating and expressing their point of view, they apparently seem introvert.
ReplyDeleteSuch situations increase the troubles of the leader.
I must say there are various types of internal needs of a Corporate like a Positive Interdependence, Interaction, Advocacy,Individual Accountability, Group/ Team work Assessment, Courtesy, Effective Participation and Responses of all types at all eternal times.. but,
ReplyDelete1. Do Gender and Cultural Differences are a lot more then what they seem to be one of such reason for people not participating at higher levels... or,
2. That the Egoism or Especially Passivisation are the two leading behaviors picked up by these Employees with different kinds of attitudes i.e. Extroverts Vs Introverts and that we have to Balance them Somewhere.