{"id":6059,"date":"2023-12-21T10:57:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T10:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iese.edu\/standout\/gestionar-distintas-personalidades-equipo\/"},"modified":"2024-09-16T08:50:54","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T08:50:54","slug":"managing-different-personalities-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iese.edu\/standout\/managing-different-personalities-team\/","title":{"rendered":"The art of managing different personalities within your team"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1559140963143{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1559216895048{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column_text css_animation=”bottom-to-top”][\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]If you could design the team of your dreams, perhaps your first thought would be to have one that operated like clockwork, didn\u2019t give you any problems, and had the same opinions as you. But if you have ever led a team, you know that nothing could be further from the truth. Furthermore, nothing could be more harmful to a company<\/strong> than uniformity, an absence of conflict, or obedience at all costs.<\/p>\n

Not just because diversity of character, or of opinion, is an unavoidable part of life, but also because debates generated by diversity are essential if a group is to cooperate<\/strong>, get the best out of each group member, and carry out projects reliably. If this explanation isn\u2019t clear, consider how many of the successful ideas you have seen in your company only went through one person.<\/p>\n

However, it is true that most executives have wished, at one time or another, that their team would work more harmoniously together, or cause fewer headaches<\/strong>. They may even have resorted to authoritarian or toxic management styles, which often do more harm than good in the medium to long term.<\/p>\n

A more real leadership<\/strong><\/a> style may be the starting point for breaking this cycle. Because, even though there is no magic recipe for all working groups, a series of very useful tools and, above all, a change in mentality can be very helpful in this process<\/strong>. Spoiler alert<\/em>: although it may not seem very intuitive, in this case, it actually is advisable to put the cart before the horse.<\/p>\n

Good team management starts with senior management<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to the research of IESE Professor Anneloes Raes<\/strong><\/a>, if the foundations of teamwork are well-established within the company\u2019s leadership, it is easier for these positive dynamics to permeate through all the layers of the organization<\/strong><\/a>. But, how will people know about what is going on in the boardroom?<\/p>\n

Employees talk. In the corridors, in the elevator, at the coffee machine. And, according to Professor Raes, employees know whether the relationships within senior management are good or bad, and they see the example that is being set. \u201cThe senior management team’s behavior permeates throughout the organization, and it can shape the behavior of employees, for good or ill. Workers interpret the dynamics of the leaders as a signal that indicates what is expected of them<\/strong>, and what they consider to be acceptable or not\u201d, confirms Raes.<\/p>\n

This influence is clearly demonstrated when two departments are required to collaborate on a particular project, but their respective leaders do not have a good personal relationship. When the relationship between leaders is lacking, it often has a negative impact<\/strong> on the way their subordinates cooperate with each other.<\/p>\n

How to promote diversity and collaboration in management teams<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As a result, in order to work in a successful team, more than anything, leading by example<\/strong> is the responsibility of any executive. But we also know that management teams are not immune from friction and intense debates. Therefore, the first step in ensuring that a diverse senior management group operates efficiently is to recognize those difficulties, and not hide them under abuses of authority or simply be resigned to them remaining unresolved.<\/p>\n

For Raes, the main obstacles that affect management teams<\/strong><\/a> are based on 4 beliefs:<\/p>\n