Thinkergy

Suppose you’re a team manager. You decided to get all members in your work team profiled in TIPS. Or Human Resources sent you an email sharing the TIPS test results of all your team members with you. So, what is TIPS? It’s Thinkergy’s new cognitive profiling test for business and innovation. Today and in two weeks, let me suggest 10 actions that you can take as a team manager after your team has been TIPS-ed.

1. Start with reviewing your own TIPS result and profiling report

As a team manager, first, deepen your self-awareness. Study your personal TIPS profile and test results. Take the actions suggested in a related earlier article titled So you’ve been TIPS-ed, now what? (Part 1) | (Part 2). Only then, start attempting to understand your team.

2. Map out the results of your team

You have all TIPS reports of your team on file. Now, visualize the results as a whole by creating a TIPS Team Profiling Map. How can you do this?

First, copy the outline of the TIPS Profiling Map onto a blank sheet of paper.
Then, write the names of all team members profiled as All-Rounders into the center of the map.
Next, list the names of team members with pure TIPS profiles in the four corners of your map. These are Theorists, Ideators, Partners, and Systematizers. Add the highest TIPS score behind each name.
Finally, jot down the remaining names to your TIPS Profiling Team Map. These members come out as a Conceptualizer, Promoter, Organizer, Technocrat, Experimenter, or Coach. Note the two highest TIPS scores behind each name of these dual profiles.
Don’t forget to include your name (and your TIPS score) at the appropriate position on the map.

3. Step back and analyze the results of your team map

Look at the TIPS profiles and test scores of each of your team members. Ask yourself the following questions:

How well does the TIPS profile (and related profiling result) of each team member fit their …

… personality and preferred cognitive styles?
… role and job responsibilities within the team?

If needed, read through the short descriptions for each TIPS profile in your TIPS report. Ensure you understand the essential nature of each of the 11 TIPS profiles.

4. Discuss the results with each team member

Invest a few minutes with each team member to talk about their TIPS profiling result. Recall your previous team map analysis. Have you noticed an incongruity between a member’s expected and actual TIPS profile? If yes, have a more in-depth conversation to try to reveal the source of this “mismatch.” You’re likely to find one of the following reasons explaining the variance:

Some team members misrepresent their true styles when answering certain TIPS questions. They tick off answer options that make them conform to expected norms of the team or the company culture. This happens often if they are still young, inexperienced or insecure. For example, Thinkergy recently ran a TIPS profiling project with a digital agency. Their accountant clicked all answer options portraying her as a team player. In reality, she’s not particularly people-focused. This phenomenon prevails in countries with collectivistic cultures.
Likewise, some team members may have hidden their true talent from you for a variety of reasons (e.g., cultural norms of a particular industry, internal team dynamics, etc.). For example, suppose an organizational support staff in your team comes out as a Promoter in TIPS. This profiling result suggests that she can create more value for the team in another job. A marketing or promotional role is more in harmony with her real talents.

5. Identify opportunities for work realignments in the team

Look at the TIPS Profiling Team Map of your team. Also, recall the conversations about their profile that you’ve had with each of your team members. Now honestly ask yourself:

Does everyone in my team work in the right job? In a role that suits their TIPS profile and their preferred cognitive styles?
Can anyone add more value to the team in another role? Or by taking care of certain tasks for the entire team? Or by working on special project assignments for the team?

Interim conclusion and outlook

Today, I’ve suggested five actions you should take as a team manager after your team has been TIPS-ed: 1) Study your personal TIPS profile and test result first. Gain self-awareness and familiarize yourself with the TIPS concept. 2) Map out the TIPS profiles and top test scores of your team members in a TIPS Team Profiling Map. 3) Analyze the map for fits and mismatches. 4) Discuss the test results with each team member. 5) Explore opportunities for work realignments.

Come back to this blog in two weeks. Then, I will share with you five more actions that as a team manager, you can take after your team has been TIPS-ed. Together, all ten suggestions help you increase team performance and work satisfaction.

Do you want to learn more about TIPS?
Are you curious to find out what’s your TIPS profile? Buy your TIPS online profiling test coupon for $89 now.
Can you see yourself and your team taking a TIPS training? Contact us to tell us more about how we may help you.

So your Team’s been TIPS-ed, now what? - Part 1