What is Synergy?
Working relationships between two people or within teams can make or break an organisation. Psychometric tests can play a significant role in promoting positive synergy and also in preventing and reducing negative synergy in an organisation.
The concept of synergy was first proposed by chemists. They found that whenever they separated elements from a complex compound, the individual elements could not explain the properties of the elements bonded together. For example, as we all know water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen. Looking separately at hydrogen and oxygen does not give any clue as to what will transpire when 2 hydrogen atoms combine with 1 oxygen atom. Neither of these elements individually posses any of the properties of water, but when combined they transform into something unrelated to and much greater than what they are individually.
This is synergy and it also applies to people working together. A team's collective performance cannot be predicted based solely on its members’ individual performances. Therefore, a team’s collective performance can be either better (positive synergy) or worse (negative synergy) than the sum of its members’ individual performances.
Let’s continue with the water analogy. H2 + O becomes water, but when Sulphur is added it becomes Sulphuric acid. Adding just one element – Sulphur - to water turns it from a life giving substance to a destructive one. The same can happen in teams. Adding one poor hire into a team can change the whole mix for the worse and vice versa. So can removing someone from a team. This principle also applies when two people are working together. If they get on, understand each others’ strengths and weaknesses, preferred styles, emotional languages and know how to complement one another, they can achieve a great deal and maximise the relationship. The opposite also holds true.
Negative synergy is always destructive and stressful and the impact of stress on employees and organisations is enormous. The American Psychological Association estimates that the US economy loses $500 million because of stress; that 550 million work days are lost annually due to stress; that stress accounts for 60 – 80% of workplace accidents; and that 80% of doctor’s visits are due to stress. It also leads to a lack of loyalty which in turn results in a 50% increase in voluntary turnover. People make themselves available to the job market, decline promotions, or resign. In Module 2 we looked extensively at the financial and non – financial costs of employee turnover.
Negative synergy also leads to disengagement. When people don’t get on with each other, they eventually withdraw and disengage. Studies by the Queens School of Business and the Gallup organisation show that disengaged workers had 37% higher absenteeism and 60% more work related errors. Low engagement also affected productivity negatively (18%), profitability (down 16%); share price (65% lower over time)
https://hbr.org/2015/12/proof-that-positive-work-cultures-are-more-productive
Psychometric tests such as a personality measure can be an invaluable aid in helping two people to understand each other and how best to work together; and can also help a team to understand its dynamics and strengths and weaknesses.
We will illustrate this by explaining some of the synergy reports and interventions we offer:

Work with Me Report

Remember we explained that personality traits drive the default way in which people respond to situations. When two people are working together this creates potential for both positive and negative synergy. If I understand your default behaviours, and you understand mine, then there is potential for you and I to complement one another, and avoid counterproductive conflict.

Our Work with Me Report works like this. You and I would both complete a personality assessment. That assessment will give you and I insights into how we each:

  • Engage with people
  • Influence others
  • Communicate
  • Collaborate
  • Engage in Teamwork
  • Exercise Awareness
Coaching suggestions are made with respect to how we can achieve positive synergy, and there is a workbook section with activities you and I can do to achieve positive synergy.
Here is a sample from our report which covers Influence:
Nick you are inclined to be more accommodating, self - effacing and obliging. You will dislike conflict and are likely to comply easily when dealing with assertive and self - assured individuals. You will not be keen to force your views onto others, and are likely to be quite uncomfortable in a role which requires you to take charge of situations and give orders. You may dislike taking the lead but will be very open to the views of others, good at accommodating others and playing a supportive role, and should do well in a role which calls for a participatory style. You may, however, need to guard against giving in too easily to others, and end up being managed, rather than managing your environment.
Jessica your assertiveness is well developed and you have a strong tendency to stand by your own ideas. You are very likely to be able to persuade and influence others of your views and are competitive and forceful. When challenged you will not easily be defeated or willing to throw in the towel. You are also likely to be resolute, determined, single-minded and self-assured, and should be comfortable in situations where you have to take the lead. You have a tendency to try to bend others to your way of thinking.
Jessica you are likely to be the dominant person in this team. Your strength is your ability to stand up for yourself, your strong belief in your views and your tendency to influence others to your way of thinking. You need to be careful though not to dominate Nick and should work hard on including him/her, listening to him/her, finding out what his/her views are, and give due consideration to them. You may need to learn to step back to make room for him/her to play his/her natural harmonizing role when this is appropriate.
Nick you are likely to be the peacemaker in this team. Your strength is your ability to listen, your openness, your ability to include people and their ideas and your natural tendency to want to promote harmony between people. You are more likely to be the follower in this relationship and may need to learn to be more bold and assertive in your relationship with Jessica, so as to ensure that your ideas are heard.
    
WORKSHEET
⦁ Jessica what are your key learnings about yourself?
⦁ Nick what are your key learnings about yourself?
⦁ Jessica what are your key learnings about Nick?
⦁ Nick what are your key learnings about Jessica?
⦁ Jessica what do you think you need to do to work together more effectively with Nick?
⦁ Nick what do you think you need to do to work together more effectively with Jessica?  
Team Development
In order to be effective, any team will need access to all 8 roles. By assessing all of the team members, we are able to see what the global composition of the team is, and what this implies for working together. We utilise the Belbin Team Role method to help teams achieve positive synergy. Our psychometric test will indicate what type of role a person naturally tends to play in a team:
  • Consulting Type
  • Driving Type
  • Critical Judge Type
  • Practical Type
  • Supportive Type
  • Detail Type
  • Catalyst Type
  • New Ideas Type
One of our client’s senior management team had a problem with follow through. At their annual strategic planning session many great ideas would be generated, but at the end of each year they would find that many of these ideas never saw implementation.
Their collective team profile looked as follows:
Consulting types

8
Catalyst Types

7
New Ideas Types

7
Practical types

2
Driving Types

2
Detail Types

1
As you can see from the graphic above, the team was strong on:
  • The Consulting Type – organising others to get things done with little personal involvement or commitment
  • Catalyst type – getting people excited and motivated about new ideas but with a tendency to disengage once the initial excitement of a new idea has worn off and to expect others to implement
  • New Ideas Type – plenty of innovation and creativity in this team

However the team was weak on:

  • Driver Types – bold and determined to get things done
  • Practical Types – concern with turning ideas and concepts into workable action plans
  • Detail Types – concern with follow – up and follow – through
With this combination of team roles, it was little wonder that ideas never got off the ground. Raising awareness of their collective team role profile helped the team to eliminate some of the negative synergy. The few detail, practical and driver types were feeling marginalised by and resentful towards the preponderance of “idea and non – doer” types in the team.
The latter were now able to see how they were scuppering the team by constantly steering it in the direction of change and began to look at the doers with new appreciation. Non – doers learned to take more of a back seat and make room for the doers. Conflict was reduced and globally the team was able to work more productively by achieving a better balance between ideas and implementation.
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