North South East West

For a group that will be together for a year or more, it's important to take the time to learn something about one another's work preferences. Use this protocol during a retreat or the first meeting of the year.

North, South, East and West

An Exercise in Understanding Preferences in Group Work

 

Similar to the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory, this exercise uses a set of preferences which relate not to individual but to group behaviors, helping us to understand how preferences affect our group work.

 

 

		North   Acting – “Let’s do it;” Likes to act, try things, plunge in.
West   Paying attention to detail —likes to know the who, what, when, where and why before acting.			East   Speculating – likes to look at the big picture and the possibilities before acting.
	South   Caring – likes to know that everyone’s feelings have been taken into consideration and that their voices have been heard before acting.

 

North, South, East and West

Decide which of the four “directions” most closely describes your personal style.  Then spend 15 minutes answering the following questions as a group.

1. What are the strengths of your style?  (4 adjectives)

2. What are the limitations of your style?  (4 adjectives)

 

3. What style do you find most difficult to work with and why?

 

4. What do people from the other “directions” or styles need to know about you so you can work together effectively?

 

5. What do you value about the other three styles?