Years ago, in preparation for what turned out to be an excellent leadership development course, I underwent a number of psychometric tests, including the FIRO-B (Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation – Behavior). This instrument was developed after the Korean War by American psychologist William Schutz to predict how military personnel would work together in groups.
The FIRO-B (which is still used today, check it out online) gave me profound insights into my character. It measures 3 elements of human behavior: inclusion, control and affection and it measures them on 2 levels: how much we express the personal need for these elements in our relationships and how much we really want (seek) them.
The maximum score is 9 in each case. Here are my scores:
Personal insights revealed:
- re: Control: the interpretation document said “your results suggest a high preference to be in control and a reluctance to take direction”. Yikes! I would hate to work for me! But this is not the Encourage the Heart point of this blog … the next 2 are
- re: Inclusion: this is such a strong interpersonal driver for me. Why would I only express 4 out of 9 and yet want 8 out of 9? Yes, that’s right, if I show you my real need, I make myself vulnerable and I have been hurt in the past by exclusion, so I have learned not to show it. The lesson here for me is to treat inclusion the way I treat encouragement: if I need it this much, what are the chances that others feel the same way? Probably high, so I try to keep it front-of-mind when dealing with others
- re: Affection: right on the encouragement point. I remember reading some research indicating that affection expressed in an organization is felt 2 levels below the actual expression: now that’s a powerful force to bring to an organization! And I am personally relieved that my scores show me more genuine here …
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