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Social Styles Series (Managing Interpersonal Relationships)
As the workplace becomes more culturally, behaviorally, educationally, and philosophically diverse, more versatile interaction is essential to the success of your organization. Social Style Series helps participants improve interpersonal relationships with colleagues and associates. The set of modules provides a framework for the proven interpersonal tools that enable people to understand and work with individual differences in a variety of situations.
Based on assertiveness and responsiveness, the Social Style model consists of four distinct interactive styles: Driver, Analytical, Amiable, and Expressive. Social Style Series helps participants identify their own style and the styles of others, and how to use this knowledge to develop far more effective and productive working relationships.
Program Overview
Social Style Series can be presented in various combinations, modularly, or as a two-day program. Because Social Style Series is applications-based, the skills learned in the modules are practiced and reinforced with exercises in which participants apply the concepts within their own working environments. The modules include Dimensions of Social Style, Building on Social Style Differences, and Managing Styles in Conflict.
Dimensions of Social Style
This eight-hour core module provides the foundation for understanding how assertiveness and responsiveness combine to define four classic Social Styles and their behaviors. Participants learn the concepts and skills necessary to identify Social Styles, recognize and appreciate the strengths of each style, and develop the versatility to adapt appropriately and effectively to each style. Participants also learn about and become comfortable with their own Social Style.
The core module also includes an instrument to identify participants’ Social Styles. The Social Style Profile is distributed and processed prior to the program. Profile results are handed out during the core module.
Building on Social Style Differences
This four-hour application module expands on the concept of versatility and provides advanced practice in style modification. Participants learn to identify the versatility strategies appropriate for working with each Social Style.
Managing Styles in Conflict
This four-hour application module focuses on recognizing, developing, and applying various versatility strategies with those who are in the "back-up" conflict mode. Participants recognize the behaviors of each Social Style under tension and learn how to use appropriate strategies to reduce conflict.
Application Examples
The following examples illustrate just a few of the ways companies have benefited from Social Style Series:
A growing high-tech company employing highly educated people with strong technical backgrounds began experiencing an unacceptable level of internal conflicts and departmental silos. The inability of their employees to work on teams efficiently, and operate cross-functionally, was threatening their long-term competitiveness. After implementing Social Style Series in one division, one manager remarked, "Your technology sticks while others’ seems to vanish over a short period of time." This division has seen remarkable improvements in overall communication—both internally and externally. Today the company sees Social Style Series as an integral part of their culture.
An innovative transportation/package and mail carrier company has installed Social Style Series throughout its enterprise. The company’s belief is that their people are their most important asset. The culture is based on their employees having strong interpersonal skills and this has paid off in the marketplace as they continue to be a leader in their industry. In their fast-paced environment, they have found that Social Style skills help employees deal with conflict, contributing to the company’s reputation as a customer-focused organization.
A front-line government agency, charged with the development of medications to counteract cocaine addiction, was under considerable pressure to speed up their research and development process. When mandated to go through the Social Style Series, one group of 40 senior-level researchers (doctors and Ph.D.s) were resistant. Many of them asked, "What can I possibly learn from a communications course that would be useful to my work?" After participating in the program, their attitudes changed completely. One leading researcher said he wished he had taken the course ten years ago when he had received feedback from a director, which he only now understood.
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