HUMAN RELATIONS

IMAGE ORIENTATION

People with a Human Relations Image Orientation (HRIO) communicate warmth and understanding. They like to work with others and enjoy providing suggestions, which are helpful toward resolving people's problems. They are considered trustworthy, and because they have the ability to hold together a widely diverse group of people, they are often the center of team operations. They relate to each member of a group as an individual and see the good in others with their warmth, empathy, and understanding. Good listeners, offer subtle suggestions and do not try to impose their own ideas on others. They can, however, be adamant in adhering to their own ideas. They do possess a strong flavor of independence and, even though they are very friendly with a soft-sell attitude, they do not allow themselves to be imposed upon by others.

HRIOs like to avoid high-pressure situations, which make it difficult to maintain the stable, harmonious, and friendly atmosphere in which they like to live. They are nevertheless, determined to have their own way. Service is an important function for them and they like to feel that others depend upon them. They are loyal to older contacts and prefer to strengthen those ties rather than seek out new ones. They do not like to feel pressure, so deadlines are difficult for them. They work best in situations and assignments that call for patience, persistence, and working cooperatively with others, as long as goals are clearly defined. They avoid situations, which might bring conflict with others, and if confrontation is unavoidable they tend to be so indirect that the communication is broken down and the message lost.

PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS

AND

INTERPERSONAL STYLE

HUMAN RELATIONS

IMAGE ORIENTATION 

Potential Strengths and Weaknesses

Potential Strengths

Trustworthy

Empathic

Good listener

Approachable

Affectionate

Open

Stable

Dependable

Patient

Loyal

Persistent

Warm

Available to assist others

Potential Weaknesses

Decision Making

May avoid making decisions in an environment of conflict or confrontation

May be too soft to make effective decisions

May lose initiative if not given encouragement and support

Communication

May lose sense of communication in situations of confrontation

May be too indirect in making demands or issuing orders

May temper what they have to say to avoid offering others

May take criticism by others too personally

Control of People

May focus too highly on people, too little on performance

May need support from supervisor when confronted with negative personal interaction

May be too trusting of those with fewer scruples

May be too tolerant of unacceptable behavior

Control of Time

May need closer attention to realistic deadlines

May need help in developing a time line for their productions

May tend to lose time by putting off unpleasant confrontations

DOUBTING IMAGE ORIENTATION

Individuals with Doubting Image Orientation (DIO) may experience periods of discouragement and a lack of self-acceptance. Feelings of underachieving or an actual drop in work performance may be additional factors. If there is a drop, in work performance, DIOs may be subject to criticism. Even if performance is maintained they may still harbor self-doubts. It is possible that they may perceive the work environment as ambiguous. The feeling of ambiguity could result from receiving insufficient reinforcement for productive behavior, or inadequate directions as to what is expected. Clarifying the expectations of others may help to resolve the problem.

Feelings of self-doubt may indicate that the person is experiencing some uncertainty as to self-identity, flowing from either a reaction to the current environment or from learned responses in the past. An environment that reinforces productive behavior and clarifies expectations helps to resolve ambiguous situations.

PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS

AND INTERPERSONAL STYLE

DOUBTING IMAGE ORIENTATION

Potential Strengths and Weaknesses

Potential Strengths

Sets high standards for self

Responsive to directions of others

Motivated

Potential Weaknesses

Decision Making

May need clarification of expectations of work environment to aid in the decision-making process

Communication

Past learned behavior and self-doubt may impede communication with others

Control of People

May need to analyze whether own behavior is appropriate to situations

May need more certainty in self-identity before dealing with others

Control of Time

Discouragement and self-doubt may prevent efficient use of time in works situation

CONTROL IMAGE ORIENTATION

Control Image Orientation (CIO) individuals are highly charged personalities, who are equally at ease in pursuing results and in working with people. Even though they can be quite assertive, still they consider interpersonal relationships to be very important. They are inclined, however, to persuade others toward their point of view, sometimes to the extent of appearing arrogant and too demanding. CIOs like difficult tasks, competitive situations, the autonomy of operation, and challenge toward which they can direct their energies.

Quick in thought and action, CIOs can be impatient with others who do not accomplish tasks as easily as they do. Even so, they are astute in identifying and manipulating other people's motives and directing their behavior toward the desired end. They can be very persuasive and charming in obtaining assistance for time-consuming and repetitive work. However, they sometimes cause others to have conflicting reactions in that they may be drawn to CIOs in some ways, but at the same time, distance from them. In their pursuit to reach the top, they have a tendency to snatch every opportunity on their way to important positions. They may need to be reminded that their ambitions drive and determination can create fear in others, who may find them too overbearing.

PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS

AND

INTERPERSONAL STYLE

CONTROL IMAGE ORIENTATION

Potential Strengths and Weaknesses

Potential Strengths

Ambitious

Self-Confident

Forceful

Achieve quick results

Persuasive

Charming

Independent

Persistent

Realistic

Well organized

Potential Weaknesses

Decision Making

Could permit own ambitions to get in the way

Could tend to overlook others in decision making process

Could lack verbalization of rationale for decisions

Could allow own impatience to impede decisions

Could assume too many tasks, inhibiting more relaxed decisions-making

Communication

Could fail to adequately describe desired goals

Could resist participating in a team

Could overstep prerogatives

Could become too critical and quarrelsome under pressure

Control of People

Could over emphasize others roles and relationships

Fear of being too soft could alienate others

May lack sensitivity to others concerns

May be ambivalent in their treatment of others, causing conflicting sensations

May judge others by how much power they project

May be too intimidating to others in their effort to control the environment

Control of Time

May be too fast-paced toward goal achievement

Could be too impatient with slow results, make impulsive career changes

ACTIVITYIMAGE ORIENTATION

Individuals with an Activity Image Orientation (AIO), enjoy working with people, challenging assignments, and a variety of work tasks and activities, which give them the opportunity to look good. Their friendly and open manner gains them the respect and confidence of various types of people and is also helpful in winning them positions of authority. AIOs make better leaders than doers and have the ability to form successful terms from diverse personalities. At times, however, they can be overconfident about their ability to change the position and behavior of others. Using a hard sell to foster their point of view, sometimes repels instead of attracts, others to them. For the most part, however, AIOs possess a great deal of poise under pressure, are pleasant in dealing with others, and enjoy the stimulus of challenging work assignments.

AIOs seek prestige as evidence of performance and esteem. They also seek freedom from routine and regimentation. That freedom, however, results in their need to be supplied with analytical data on a systematic basis. Being made aware of the importance of certain routine matters helps AIOs control their natural impulsiveness. Otherwise, their enthusiastic optimism could replace study and logic.

PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS

AND

INTERPERSONAL STYLE

ACTIVITY

IMAGE ORIENTATION

Potential Strengths and Weaknesses      

Potential Strengths

Enthusiastic

Trusting

Able to verbalize well

Flexible

Friendly

Open

Poised

Confident

Good leader

Forceful

Optimistic

Potential Weaknesses

Decision Making

 Could become too soft under pressure 

Could allow emotions to cloud issues

May have a tendency to be overly optimistic

Communications

 May try to oversell an issue

 May overlook important shortcomings in others

Control of Time

 May desire environment to change too quickly

 May overlook little things in an effort to save time

 ANALYTICAL IMAGE ORIENTATION

Individuals with an Analytical Image Orientation (ANIO) have highly developed critical abilities. They emphasize the importance of drawing conclusions and basing actions on factual data. Methodical by nature, their life revolves around accuracy, precision, and system. They look at a situation from all possible perspectives. They must know the specifics of problems before they make decisions. They dislike conflict and are pleasant and tactful in their dealings with others. ANIOs have the ability to make shrewd decisions once they have gathered all the facts of a situation and combined them with their own intuitive talents. However, at times they can become lost in the analysis of the facts and leave the decisions unmade.

They are sometimes apt to spend too much time checking and rechecking data, thereby overlooking better problem-solving alternatives, and causing some frustration among associates who are more spontaneous in their reactions. If their persistence for fact-based decisions causes conflict, however, they may retreat from their position to avoid controversy. Their sense of self-confidence sometimes needs to be bolstered by their being provided with the kind of structure that gives clarity to job expectations and procedures. To bolster their sagging sense of security, they tend to emphasize their own competence by seeking positions where technical skills and careful attention to procedures are important.

PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS

AND

INTERPERSONAL STYLE

ANALYTICAL

IMAGE ORIENTATION

POTENTIAL STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES

Potential Strengths

Logical

Accurate

Precise

Systematic

Tactful

Pleasant

Insightful

Thorough

Structured

Definitive

Potential Weaknesses

Decision Making

May yield too easily to others to avoid conflict

May worry too much under pressure

May be afraid to appear foolish, and so put off decisions

May be too concerned with the right answer

Communication

May become defensive if placed in a threatening situation

May become too tense to communicate effectively in unfamiliar situations.

May need more self-confidence for effective interpersonal relationships

Control of People

May need too much reassurance of own security and emotional support through personal attention from others

May be strict and demanding of those under them

May be seen as inflexible and rigid because of own fear of making mistakes

People under them may be overwhelmed by insistence on rechecking information

Control of Time

May need to better control time spent on fact finding, especially to prove their own point

May prolong decision-making by too much research