In April at a CIPD exhibition I came across another tetrahedron, used by TetraMap ®.  Intrigued, I spent time talking with Anne at the stand and filling in a quick paper exercise to rank 10 sets of 4 words.  The result was a snap-shot of my natural preferences which was surprisingly accurate.  So last week, I spent 2 days training to be a TetraMap facilitator.

For several years I have used the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ® and in some circumstances it is very helpful to people.  By contrast, TetraMap is more intuitive, more incisive about your own natural preference and behaviour, and more useful in how you can adapt to others’ natural preferences.

TetraMap draws on the images or metaphors within nature:-

• Earth, like a mountain, is firm
• Air, like the wind, is clear
• Water, like a lake, is calm
• Fire, like the sun, is bright

We each have an order or rank of preferences, although we each have and use the four elements.  We just tend to use one or two more than the others, most of the time.

The four elements can be mapped as a TetraMap and portrayed as a tetrahedron.  The tetrahedron is one of the strongest 3-D objects.  It has no one dominant face.  Each face touches the other three faces – they are all inter-connected.  There are no faces that are directly opposite another.

When we exhibit a preference for one element, that’s the ‘face’ other people see.  They may glimpse two other faces or elements and one tends to be hidden, beneath us.  It’s still there, just not very obvious.

In general and in varying ways, people show their elemental preferences in how they behave and what they pay attention to:-

• Earth – appreciate facts and tend to be decisive
• Air – appreciate logic and tend to be orderly
• Water – appreciate feelings and tend to be considerate
• Fire – appreciate possibilities and tend to be spontaneous

If you know your own preferences – your own nature – and can discover the nature of others, team-working is much more likely to be effective, productive and harmonious.

There are more details on the 3D HR website including a link to the TetraMap International site.  If you also are intrigued to know more, do contact us.

Note: TetraMap is a registered trademark of TetraMap International.

What makes a good team?  What are the defining characteristics that you can identify in an effective team?  During my work experience I have been part of some great teams and some poor ones – what made the difference?

In a recent conference I was introduced to the book ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ by Patrick Lencioni.   Since then I’ve bought the book and read the Field Guide.   I think it’s well worth sharing and encouraging others to read this ‘leadership fable’.

A team must first be built on a foundation of trust – a willingness to be vulnerable with one another and admit mistakes and weaknesses.  Secondly, constructive conflict should not only be allowed but also encouraged – fear of conflict leads to avoidance of those ‘difficult’ discussions and making hard decisions. Commitment or buy-in follows trust and not avoiding conflict, because team members are able and willing to fully endorse team decisions even if contrary to their initial reservations.

Effective teams hold each other to account and are prepared to challenge each other if necessary when a team member does not deliver what’s required.  Lastly, at the top of the pyramid, functioning teams pay attention to collective results rather than individual needs.

Lencioni presents the concept as a negative model – in terms of dysfunctions – probably because it’s easier to describe how a non-functioning team can improve.  The best of teams can still improve and function better by paying attention to these critical issues.

Presented as a five-step pyramid, the Five Dysfunctions look simple and common sense.  Yet there is much to commend when a model can be so easily described even if a lot harder to implement.

Happy team-building!  The book is in the 3D HR Book Store.

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