Versatility is the key to making SOCIAL STYLEsm work and is the ability to adjust your behaviour
in various situations to achieve increased performance. This concept developed by TRACOM, is similar to the popular Emotional
Intelligence theories. (See Comparing Versatility to Emotional Intelligence.). It is important to remember that versatility
is not
about changing who you are, it's about genuinely meeting the needs of others, more than your own and a desire to
work well with other people.
Flexibility, responsiveness and adaptability are seen as important qualities
and versatile individuals make adjustments to their behaviour by determining the SOCIAL STYLESsm of others
and how they would prefer to be communicated with, building positive relationships based on trust. Research shows that people
with high Versatility outperform their lower-Versatility counterparts across a broad spectrum of performance measures. (See
the TRACOM Managerial Success Study.) Research shows that people consider four basic elements when determining an individual's Versatility.
Dress, grooming and appearance can be critical to making good first impressions. It’s not necessarily how
well you’re dressed, but whether you’re appropriate for the situation. You may lose as much credibility wearing
a suit to a company social outing as wearing jeans and a t-shirt to a board meeting.
Presentation
Our ability to verbally communicate with others is vital as people are more likely to trust us if we present
clear, well-organised ideas and use vocabulary that is appropriate to the situation.
Breadth
of Competence and Understanding
Obviously showing competence and understanding in your work will help you gain respect, however it is also
important to recognise what others are interested in, and be able to discuss those topics. The ability to listen and learn
helps to build common ground, leading to mutual productivity.
Feedback
In this two-way process, people
send and receive both verbal and non-verbal signals to gain mutual understanding. It is vital to make sure you are clear in
your communication and sensitive to the signals of others in order to minimise any chance of confusion.
Versatility Ratings
By
completing a TRACOM® self-assessment or multi-rater assessment instrument, individuals receive low, medium or high Versatility
ratings. This score creates a generalisation about how you will handle the tension of interpersonal relationships. Are your
actions typically focused on your own comfort level, or are you concerned about the tension your behavior can create in others?
We would be happy to discuss
how to use SOCIAL STYLEsm in your organisation. We are based near London our team work across the UK and further
afield as required, our contact details are here.
