psiu style indicator report sample

PSIU Style Indicator. Copyright 2011. Lex Sisney. www.OrganizationalPhysics.com

PSIU Style Indicator Report for Sample Report October 23, 2010 Producer Stabilizer Innovator Unifier Commitments 30 19 41 30 Demands 25 19 37 39 Desires 29 21 30 40

Your Commitments Your commitments are exemplified by how you currently “show up” in your day-to-day work – specifically, by what you are currently doing and how you are using your energy. They represent what actually is, as opposed to how you want things to be or what they “should” be. Commitments direct energy, inspire action, and inform the choices you make each moment. Over time, commitments, positive or negative, become habits, which both shape your personality and give form to the world around you.

Your Commitments vs. Demands Demands are the expectations placed upon you by your environment. They tell you what should happen, as opposed to what is or what you want to have happen. Demands can be explicit, such as those found in a job description, or implicit, like those you sense from your colleaguesʼ feedback or the social norms within your organization, media, and culture. They also come from many different levels and sources, including the self or inner judge that imposes requirements. Comparing your current commitments to external demands allows you to see where thereʼs a discrepancy between how you are and how you are expected to be. A difference of ten (10) points or more is considered high and tends to result in the feeling that you are not meeting othersʼ expectations or that you are not supported, accepted, or validated in your current role.


Your Commitments vs. Demands vs. Desires Desires are what you personally wish for. They tell you what you want to have happen, as opposed to what is or what should happen. Your desires provide fuel for change. Comparing your commitments to demands and desires allows you to spot any discrepancy between how you are, how you are expected to be, and what you really want. When your commitments and demands are misaligned with your desires, this tends to produce a sense of restlessness or dissatisfaction with your work. A difference of ten (10) points or more is considered high and tends to result in increased stress, aggravation, and reduced productivity over time.


The Vector of Happiness The area of alignment between your commitments, demands, and desires, is called your vector of happiness or productivity. This makes sense. If youʼre being true to who you are, doing what you desire, and meeting the perceived needs of those you care most about, youʼll feel aligned and be productive over time.

On the other hand, when your commitments, desires, and demands are misaligned, when thereʼs no overlap between them, you experience pain, suffering, and friction. Your productivity suffers because youʼre misaligned.

The greater the alignment between your commitments, demands and desires, the greater your happiness and productivity over time.

In order to find more alignment between your commitments, demands and desires, you begin first by recognizing the discrepancy and then making a new commitment to change. The deeper your commitment to change, the easier it is to let go of competing demands and desires, and the faster new habits and thus new results are created.


The purpose of revealing any discrepancy between your commitments, demands, and desires in the PSIU Style Indicator is to help you recognize that it exists so that (if you choose) you can begin the process of reconciling differences and find greater happiness and productivity in your work. Your Profile • Your current commitments are represented by a high drive to innovate, a medium drive to unify and

produce, and a lower drive to stabilize. • Your demands from the organization are that you unify more, stabilize about the same, and produce

and innovate moderately less. • You personally desire to unify more, produce and stabilize about the same, and innovate

significantly less. • To improve your effectiveness, align with others who have a high drive to produce.

• To improve your efficiency, align with others who have a high drive to stabilize.

Understanding Your PSIU Style Indicator Results According to the principles of Organizational Physics on which this report is based, the success of any organization – whether itʼs an individual, a team, a family, a company, or even a country – is determined by the interplay of four basic forces: producing, stabilizing, innovating, and unifying (PSIU). The PSIU Style Indicator is an interpretation of how the four forces shape an individualʼs unique behavioral style; how the individual is experiencing demands to be different from the larger organization; and how the individual would prefer to express him/herself. Understanding your own behavioral style, the style of others, as well as the organizationʼs overall behavior, is essential to transforming the organization. The Four Forces Within organizations of all sizes, the producing, stabilizing, innovating, and unifying forces exist in co-op-etition. They must cooperate because without all four forces, the organization would quickly cease to exist. But they also compete for available resources. When an organization is healthy, it exhibits the right balance of the four forces in integration with its external environment. When an organization is unhealthy, it exhibits a deficiency of one or more of the forces. Effective leadership therefore requires understanding how each force impacts your organization and adjusting them accordingly, in the right sequence, for optimal performance. Below is a summary of how each of the four forces impacts your organization.

1. Producing Force. Satisfying customer needs by producing results is the basic reason for an organizationʼs existence. The producing force is developed through all those activities focused on producing a given product or service for the marketplace. Organizations with a developed producing force demonstrate two characteristics: 1) high technical knowledge and 2) high motivation or drive to achieve. This force produces immediate results and, when well executed, contributes to an organizationʼs effectiveness over the short term. 2. Stabilizing Force. While the producing force relates to what is to be done, the Stabilizing force relates to how things should be done. The Stabilizing force is expressed by activities directed at organization, planning, scheduling, systematizing and generally getting things under control through processes, systems and procedures. The Stabilizing force aims to optimize resource use and efficiencies, and to create organizational behaviors that are 1) logical, systematic and linear, and 2) meticulous and attentive to detail.


3. Innovating Force. The world constantly changes, as do the needs of customers, technologies, competitors and the environments in which they operate. To keep ahead of these changes, an organization must constantly adapt to change and evolve. The Innovating force responds to this need by focusing on creating new opportunities and responding to threats, thus promoting effectiveness over the long run. Innovating organizations express qualities of 1) “sight” or the ability to envision things that others cannot and 2) the willingness to believe in those visions and undertake significant risks. 4. Unifying Force. The faster things change, the greater the stress on the overall system. The unifying force is the force that makes an organization act as a cohesive whole. It provides the sense of “us” and “them.” The unifying force relates to cohesive team building that leads to efficiency over the long term. Organizations that are well-unified have a pervasive and persistent culture of 1) shared vision and values, and 2) mutual trust and respect among their players.

The following table provides a summary view of each functionʼs focus or object, its mode of operation, the type of results it achieves and the time frame in which they unfold:

Force Focus Mode Result Time Frame P Producing What Functional Effective The short run S Stabilizing How Systematic Efficient The short run I Innovating Why Proactive Effective The long run U Unifying Who Organic Efficient The long run

From Forces to Individual Styles The four forces refer to broader, macro-level organizational behaviors that also have micro-level correlatives in individual behaviors and styles. Each of us expresses a certain behavioral style – understood here in its broadest sense as a mode of operating within an organization – that reflects our own unique combination of producing, stabilizing, innovating and unifying. All four forces are present in each of us in some form, but we have a tendency to emphasize some more than others. While we may modify our general style depending on circumstances, most of us express fairly consistent characteristics that reflect our usual way of working with others. Individual styles are powerful and pervasive forces that affect every aspect of an organization. Effective leadership therefore requires understanding your own style and that of others people with whom you work. As you read through each profile, note the strengths and weaknesses of your own style(s) and seek to recognize the styles of your bosses, peers, subordinates, key customers and important vendors.


Producer Style The Producer style is mostly concerned with what to do to generate immediate results. He or she works at a fast and structured pace, is task-oriented, and strives to shape their local environment by working hard on the task at hand.

In the Producer role, we are knowledgeable, competent doers who are driven to succeed. The Producer in us is focused on the task at hand and can complete a tremendous amount of work in a fairly short period of time. People who express this as a primary style are good at putting out fires, unsnarling messes and responding to crisis situations in a way that the other styles can match only with great effort. Producers get to work early, leave work late and work, work, work in between. They like to get to the point and make decisions quickly. They also tend to quickly state and defend their opinions about what needs to be done. They are easily frustrated by delays or discussions about concepts, theories or opinions that do not appear to be directly on point. They like to win and are motivated by the achievement of short-term, observable goals. Their attention to urgent, short- term issues can cause them to lose sight of the big picture. If they are in sales, they love to close the deal. If they are engineers, they push to get the machine running. The best Producer qualities are the ability to spur a team to action, to overcome obstacles and to be effective, assertive, and decisive. When taken to an extreme, these same strengths can become liabilities and cause others to perceive Producers as shortsighted, domineering, uncompromising bulldozers. The name of this mismanagement style, when taken to the extreme, is the Hammer (when youʼre a hammer, everything looks like a nail so you just keep hitting it).

Preferred Work Habits Producer Role Enjoys Completing tasks Personal work space Cluttered/Busy Normal communication style Energetic/fast/to the point Primary work focus Implementing the game plan/producing output Typical complaint People arenʼt working hard enough Decision-making behavior Quick. Figures it out along the way Addresses problems by Working harder, getting others to work harder Like to be praised for Being productive Excels at Taking action Most satisfied when Scores a victory


Additional characteristics of high Producers (Hammer) mode

• Primary focus is on what to do now. • Very fast. Speaks quickly, moves quickly, even types quickly. • Energetic, busy, has a lot happening. • Works non-stop. In early. Out late. When things get tough, works even harder. • Seeks to get things accomplished. • Sees the immediate goal very clearly but can lose sight of the big picture. • Makes decisions by firing and then aiming. • Typical complaint is that there is too much to do and no one works as hard/long/fast as they do. • Dislikes planned meetings. Not strong at delegation. Tends to thrive in crisis mode. • Excellent at pushing things forward. • Great at getting work done. • Feels irritable when stressed or overwhelmed.

Attitude towards others when operating in high Producer (Hammer) mode

Producers Appreciates. Stabilizers Disrespects. Feels they create paperwork and make things harder. Innovators Respects their visionary abilities. Unifiers Ignores. Considers them rumor-mongers and politicians.

Stabilizer Style The Stabilizer style is mostly concerned with how to make things more stable, systematized, and controllable. He or she works at a structured, methodical pace, is task-oriented, and strives to respond to the local environment with improved processes.

The Stabilizer style is that part of us that is focused on getting things organized and under control. Stabilizers are logical, systematic thinkers who pay careful attention to details. They are great at managing the processes, procedures, policies and systems that are the “nervous system” of any organization. This important work helps an organization capture its learning curve and develop the ability to consistently produce a desired result in an efficient manner. Stabilizers like to manage by the book and strive to make sure things are done correctly. Stabilizers are quick to detect problems and errors, and fix them with additional controls.


The best Stabilizing qualities are the ability to create and maintain stability and to be thorough, careful, practical, organized, persistent and vigilant. When taken to an extreme, these same strengths can become liabilities and cause others to perceive Stabilizers as aloof, indecisive, inflexible, nitpicking pessimists. The name for this extreme mismanagement style is the Bureaucrat.

Preferred Work Habits Stabilizer Role Enjoys Analyzing problems and tasks Personal work space Practical/organized Normal communication style Factual/deliberate/methodical Primary work focus Planning/organizing/systematizing Typical complaint People are not following the process Decision-making behavior Methodical. Decides once everything is understood Addresses problems by Implementing new systems, revising policies and

procedures Like to be praised for Being accurate Excels at Analysis Most satisfied when Achieving high quality

Additional characteristics of high Stabilizer (Bureaucrat) mode

• Primary focus is on the how of things. • Thoughtful, cautious, prudent. • Methodical, systematic, organized. • Starts work on time, ends work on time. • Seeks to control for errors. • Sees the immediate goal very clearly but can lose sight of the big picture. • Makes decisions by aim, aim, aim then fire. • Typical complaint is that people aren't following the process or that quality is poor. • Values meetings that are planned in advance, preferably with a written agenda. • Excellent at following through and managing details. • Great at planning. • Denies that they need details. • Values perfection and getting it right the first time. • Withdraws inwardly when stressed or overwhelmed.

Attitude towards others when operating in high Stabilizer (Bureaucrat) mode

Producers Criticizes for lack of attention to detail. Stabilizers Appreciates. Innovators Sees as highly unpredictable and potentially dangerous to company. Unifiers Suspicious.


Innovator Style The Innovator style is mostly concerned with why things canʼt be done a better way through innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity. He or she works at a fast, unstructured pace, is results-oriented, and strives to shape to the global environment by convincing others of the merits of his or her ideas.

The Innovator is that part of us that asks “Why Not?” While the Producer in us is compulsive about getting things done and the Stabilizer is compulsive about getting things organized and done correctly, the Innovator is compulsive about new ideas and doing things differently. Innovators are the charismatic architects of change. They are the visionaries of organizations. They see things no one else can see and are responsible for dragging everyone else into this new world. Innovators are not particularly concerned with day-to-day reality. Instead, they tend to follow their own internal clock and agenda. Life is interesting if you work for an Innovator because you are never quite sure when they will come to work, when they will leave work, or what they will do in between. The best qualities of the Innovating style allow us to discover ingenious new possibilities and work outside the box. When taken to an extreme, these same strengths can become weaknesses and cause others to perceive Innovators as arrogant, ungrateful, impractical, unrealistic, paranoid and egomaniac. The name for this extreme mismanagement style is the Arsonist.

Preferred Work Habits Innovator Role Enjoys Spotting new opportunities Personal work space Unique/creative Normal communication style Charismatic/expressive/excitable Primary work focus Moving the next latest thing forward/spotting trends Typical complaint People arenʼt getting it Decision-making behavior Bold. Decides once the opportunity is sensed Addresses problems by Finding a new approach or idea Like to be praised for Being creative Excels at Conceptualizing Most satisfied when Thinking outside the box


Additional characteristics of high Innovator (Arsonist) mode

• Primary focus is on asking “Why/Why not...?" and “How about...?” • Fast thinker, creative, brilliant. • Bold risk-taker, extravagant. • Comes to work whenever and leaves whenever. • Seeks to find the next big thing. • Sees the big picture very clearly but often skips the details. • Makes decisions one minute and changes his/her mind the next. • Typical complaint is that no one is implementing the latest strategy. • Values meetings where they get to share their latest idea. • Excellent at ideation but poor at detail implementation. • Great at seeing how trends will converge. • Sometimes volatile, scattered, inconsistent. • Denies having unfinished projects. Will respond with "I just changed the strategy." • Seeks escape when feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

Attitude towards others when operating in high Innovator (Arsonist) mode Producers Likes. Considers them useful for implementation but boring and not creative. Stabilizers Thinks they can be a real pain. Innovators Competes with. Does not like to share the limelight. Unifiers Likes. Considers them useful to find out what is really going on.

Unifier Style The Unifier style is mostly concerned with who is involved. He or she works at a paced and unstructured way, is process oriented, and strives to respond to the global environment by making sure that the people are all on board.

The Unifier is that part of us that is empathetic, communicative, caring, supportive and nurturing. In Unifier mode, we focus on feelings, people and relationships. Unifiers are the personal and personable "shepherds" of organizations, whose passion is the care and feeding of the flock. They get things done


with and through others. Unifiers are excellent communicators and team builders, and are especially good at listening. Their sensitivity to others brings warmth, caring and joy to the workplace. Unifiers tend to make decisions based on their personal likes and dislikes and strive to avoid unpleasantness, direct confrontation or personal risk. They can be generous to a fault. Our best Unifier qualities are the ability to understand and motivate people, to build cohesive teams, and to bring out the best performance in others through nurturing, support, empathy, care and loyalty. When taken to an extreme, these same strengths can become liabilities and cause others to perceive Unifiers as spineless, wishy-washy, sentimental politicians who are only out for their own interests. The name for this extreme mismanagement style is the Super-Follower.

Preferred Work Habits Unifier Role Enjoys Listening to others Personal work space Warm/welcoming Normal communication style Appropriate/connecting/affirming Primary work focus Building consensus/meeting peopleʼs needs/

teamwork Typical complaint People arenʼt being team players Decision-making behavior Astute. Decides once everyoneʼs viewpoint is known Addresses problems by Communicating/bringing people together Like to be praised for Understanding others Excels at Empathizing Most satisfied when Developing strong relationships

Additional characteristics of high Unifier (Super-follower) mode

• Focus is on who is involved. • Good at understanding people's needs and motivations. • Gregarious, connector, networker. • Comes to work when everybody else does, leaves when everybody else does. • Seeks to have low interpersonal conflict. • Intuitively knows what everyone else is really thinking. • Makes decisions based on an understanding of power structures. • Typical complaint is that there's too much unnecessary in-fighting. • Values meetings when he/she gets to hear what everyone else has to say. • Excellent at making people feel special and welcome. • Great at rapport building and connecting. • Denies being political or manipulative. • Tries to smooth things over when hurt, angry or upset. • Seeks companionship when stressed or overwhelmed.

Attitude towards others when operating in high Integrating (Super-Follower) mode

Producers OK, as long as they don't create conflict. Stabilizers OK, as long as they don't create conflict. Innovators Likes. Plays up to those in power. Unifiers Suspicious if they have more political power.


Comparing PSIU to Other Personality Types Theories of personality, work habits and management style have been studied for hundreds of years. One of several hundred tools in use today, the PSIU method is particularly useful for its simplicity, accuracy and broad applicability. The system has proven itself easy to use and relate to at all levels of an organization. It also works equally well for small and large organizations. The diagram below, which was adapted from Tony Alessandraʼs Non-Manipulative Selling, provides an approximate correlation between the PSIU terminology and that of other well-known models:

Producer (Organizational Physics)

Producer (Adizes) Sensor (Jung)

Obsessive (Freud) Sensing Feeling (Briggs Myers)

Driver (Merrill, Wilson) Director (Alessandra) Controller (DeVille)

Choleric (Hippocrates) Controlling-Taking (Atkins) Dominant-Hostile (Lefton)

Pursuer (BrainMap)

Stabilizer (Organizational Physics)

Administrator (Adizes) Thinker (Jung, Alessandra)

Obsessive (Freud) Sensing Thinking (Briggs Myers)

Analytical (Merrill, Wilson) Comprehender (DeVille)

Melancholy (Hippocrates) Conserving-Holding (Atkins) Submissive-Hostile (Lefton)

Preserver (BrainMap)

Unifier (Organizational Physics)

Integrator (Adizes) Feeler (Jung) Erotic (Freud)

Intuition Feeling (Briggs Myers) Amiable (Merrill, Wilson)

Relater (Alessandra) Supporter (DeVille)

Phlegmatic (Hippocrates) Supporting-Giving (Atkins) Submissive-Warm (Lefton)

Preserver (BrainMap)

Innovator (Organizational Physics)

Entrepreneur (Adizes) Intuitor (Jung)

Narcissist (Freud) Intuition Thinking (Briggs Myers)

Expressive (Merrill, Wilson) Socializer (Alessandra)

Entertainer (DeVille) Sanguine (Hippocrates)

Adapting-Dealing (Atkins) Dominant-Warm (Lefton)

Explorer (BrainMap)


Summary Here are three essential guidelines on how to use your PSIU results and theory to become a better leader of yourself and others:

1) Know yourself The best management advice ever given was engraved three thousand years ago in ancient Greece on the entrance to the Oracle of Delphi: “Gnothi Seauton” or “Know Thyself.” What are the driving forces at work in your personality? How do these forces ebb and flow when youʼre under duress and compared to when youʼre feeling confidence and ease? Whatever your individual style, youʼll want to align with others who complement you. For example, if your primary style is PsIu (high Producer, low Stabilizer, high Innovator, low Unifier) it indicates that you tend to be able to see the big picture and take action quickly. This also means that you will overlook some essential details of what needs to take place, as well as how these will impact others in your organization. A good complement to you would be a person whom you trust and respect and whose primary mode is pSiU (high Stabilizer and high Unifier). Deciding and acting alone, neither one of you is complete. Deciding and acting together, you are a powerful, cohesive whole. 2) Give others what they need When managing others, always try to give them what they need. For example, if a person with high Innovator style approaches you with a new idea, theyʼre likely going to be very excited. Allow them to be excited and get excited with them! Then after the excitement subsides, start to talk through the details and implementation issues. If you thwart the excitement first, youʼll frustrate the creative impulse of the high Innovator and create additional friction. Similarly, if a person with a high Stabilizer style approaches you with a concern, theyʼre likely going to be more thoughtful, concerned, and theyʼll want to analyze the data. Let them! Sit down and look at the data together. Give them time to ask questions and answer them thoughtfully. Then after the analysis has occurred (which will take much longer than with a Producer or Innovator style) begin to shift the conversation to why the decision is important and why it is good for the overall organization. Always try to give people what they need first and your life will be much easier. 3) Judge the behavior, not the person Human beings are complex creatures and no behavioral indicator is going to fully capture our uniqueness. Individual styles change with working conditions and time. Therefore, avoid labeling someone as a P, S, I, or U individual. Instead, judge the behavior. For example: “Judy is demonstrating a high Innovator style. She has been very creative.” Assessing the behavior instead of the person allows you to see through the pattern and better understand the underlying needs of the people involved. When you judge the behavior and not the person, this makes you a better leader.

psiu style indicator report sample

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