Interaction

The Process of Communication – Interaction

Sharing ⦿ Private ⦿ Versatile ⦿ Adjustable ⦿ Neutral

The predictive power of the Action Profile® stems not just from the understanding it gives of how a person's decision-making preferences will urge them to approach the particular task, but also from the understanding it gives of the degree to which a person needs, or is able, to communicate and share their thought process with others whilst going through the decision-making stages. This process is referred to as Interaction.

Some of us do our best work in conjunction with others and prefer to interact in a Sharing mode. Some of us work independently and prefer a more Private mode. The ways in which we prefer to interact with others in each of the stages of decision-making can cause misunderstanding in our daily relationships.

This can be particularly problematic in a team setting. A manager who is motivated to remain Private in the Attention stage may be thought to be bored or aloof by team members who are motivated to share thoughts. In reality, the manager who is inclined to be Private is simply satisfying an innate need to step back and reflect on the issue at hand.

Not all individuals are clearly Sharing or clearly Private. Some switch back and forth between Sharing and Private behaviour. Their interaction preference is called Versatile. Others are Adjustable - able to blend easily between Sharing and Privacy depending on the circumstances of the Interaction. Finally there are those who are not motivated to interact in either a Sharing or a Private mode. They do not need to exhibit either Sharing or Private behaviour and remain Neutral, but available if they are drawn out by the Group.

For example: whilst one manager needed to share her thinking at the Attention stage of a decision, another manager did not seem to want to do that at all - later though when he was at the Commitment stage he would then do so. Thus we are able to observe how people are naturally motivated - to be collaborative at one point or another and as you might expect there are extremes. From a strongly inherent need for collaboration to a strong desire for a greater level of independence in the way that we think and act.

INSIGHT: A Valuable Lesson

The whole problem of joint decision-making is further complicated by managers all starting their decision process at different points and wanting to go through it in a different order, but also wanting to share or keep Private their thoughts at differing points and stages!

Warren Lamb and Pamela Ramsden discovered that when a manager is prevented from following their own decision process they instinctively feel the decision is wrong and ill-formed. They can often be seen to actively work against the decision, usually unwittingly, and in the long term will inevitably feel unfulfilled in their work.

You will be able to recall moments in communication which leave you mystified - you just cannot work out what is happening or what has happened - but certainly wires get crossed! A lot of the time it will be due to the way we are playing out the natural differences and interaction variations in our thinking processes. A great deal of tolerance and understanding can be gained from improving your knowledge and appreciation of this - suddenly you find you can have answers to issues which may have puzzled you for years!

Imagine you are at the Attention stage of making a decision to buy a new car - just beginning to see what is available -looking at all the new models on the market - looking on car forecourts - and a few models are beginning to take your interest. Do you have an urge to share your thinking with another person? Do you feel it will help if you talk it over with someone? Or do you feel you would really prefer to get on with your research quietly without being bothered by someone else’s ideas and suggestions?

If you feel you want to talk it over with someone then probably you have a preference for Sharing at the Attention stage of your decision sequence. If on the other hand you feel that you would definitely prefer not to talk it over then you probably have a preference for privacy at this Attention stage.

You may feel that you do not really mind one way or another. You would not actually seek out another person's contribution but you would not mind if someone started up a conversation on the subject. If this is the case then you are likely to be neutral in the way you interact at the Attention stage, i.e. that you do not initiate Sharing your thinking process but you do not mind if someone else takes the initiative to involve you.

Alternatively you may feel that sometimes, under certain circumstances and with some people, you would certainly want to share your thinking, but at other times with other people you would prefer to keep your thoughts to yourself. If this is the case then you are versatile in your interaction needs at the Attention stage of a decision, i.e. you are potentially in need and capable of Sharing some of the time, but equally in need and capable of maintaining privacy at other times.

Ramsden discovered that managers can express any of these possibilities in their style of interaction and indeed that they can vary from stage to stage of the Model. What is perhaps surprising is that there is no necessary consistency between the interaction style and the motivation preferences in the Core Action Profile® nor is there any necessary consistency between one stage and the next.

Communication Patterns

Within this model each of us places our emphasis consistently on specific factors which not only make up our unique style but also the pathway we will constantly repeat. This blueprint is as unique to us as our DNA.

Knowing what is going on is of course vitally important - where else would it be appropriate to start? The real challenge, however, is to understand how others think. The way we interact with others is at the root of most disasters in communication - we put it down to 'their inadequacies' of course, and occasionally we own up to playing just a small part. The truth is that such situations may just need greater understanding and above all a willingness to take a different approach.

tip

The ultimate is to know what outcomes your own Decision Pattern is creating and be able to stop and ask yourself - am I really thinking this problem through effectively?

It sounds easy - and it is, once you have grasped the core principles of your own Action Profile®.