If you work in Regulatory or Clinical within a pharma or biotech company, you are probably a member or a leader of a cross-functional product team. The idea of assembling cross-functional teams to address the various disciplines and detailed aspects of drug development really came into being in the early 1990s. Today, cross-functional teams are the foundation of most drug development organizations. Yet, leading a team of experts from very different backgrounds can be extremely challenging. Tight timelines and missed deadlines usually add pressure to this scenario. People react differently under pressure – some soar, others collapse.
 
In the last few years, our senior team has spent time learning about various leadership topics including entrepreneurship, innovation and managing behavioral styles. This was a really enlightening experience. We enlisted the help of several smart individuals who understand how to interpret things like DISC profiles. (DISC is a behavioral style model based on the work of William Moulton Marston Ph.D. The model defines 4 behavioral styles: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance. There are numerous assessment instruments in the market that help users to identify their style(s) and understand why they do what they do.)
 
Dan Silvert, Vice President of Leadership Development at TeamBuildersPlus, helped us to navigate through some pretty intense leadership topics and seemed to really understand the challenges our team faces. He also helped raise our awareness of our very diverse styles in different communication scenarios. I thought it would be valuable to share some of his insights on entrepreneurship, innovation and effectively managing different behavioral styles. Dan has co-authored a book:: Taking Flight: Unleash the Power of Behavioral Styles at Work and In Life, which will be released in December.   
I threw some questions at Dan and he was kind enough to respond:
 
Many of our clients in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry work on cross-functional product development teams. How can an understanding of behavioral styles impact the effectiveness of a team?
 
Working in cross-functional project teams presents many challenges. Each team member often brings different priorities, expectations, skills, and even agenda’s to the table.  With so much to navigate in a short amount of time, building trust that leads to high performance is critical to the team’s success. In such a setting high Dominant and Influence styles tend to set the tone early. D’s are decisive, direct and results driven. I’s focus on innovative possibilities, often expanding the context or meaning of projects through collaboration.  If the team is balanced with Conscientious and Steady styles, then C’s will bring analytical rigor and planning to the project. This often slows the pace down to ensure quality – which can frustrate D’s and I’s. Finally, the S will share the C’s reluctance for bold initiatives, but come from a ‘lets maintain harmony within the group’ perspective. The S’s focus is upon maintaining team cohesion to ensure everyone’s maximum contribution.
 
No matter what the composition of your team, style can be its greatest asset or a hidden and devastating liability. To fully maximize the style diversity, consider the following steps:
 

1. Educate people about the DISC styles. Devote time to teaching team members about the DISC styles to increases self-awareness, build acceptance, generate trust, and improve overall team effectiveness.
2. Identify the styles of each team member – Create a chart that lists each person and their DISC style and make sure that everyone knows the styles of every other member.
3. Consider the team dynamic that is created by the combination of styles – Note whether any particular style is in abundance or lacking.
4. Identify group strengths and blind spots – Every mix of styles creates a unique set of strengths and challenges. Take steps to ensure that the team capitalizes on its strengths while minimizing the possibility that potential blind spots become realized.

 
Create a strategy to address style imbalances within the team – Sometimes, the simple awareness that a style is in abundance allows team members to consciously notice when the negative overuse of behaviors are leading to poor results or a de-motivating work environment. When a team realizes that a style is underrepresented, the members should proactively engage the strengths of the missing style. Some teams may even choose to fill a style gap with a new team member. Either way, teams that understand their DISC style makeup utilize style to drive, rather than inhibit, success.
 
Sometimes it is really challenging to communicate effectively with a global team. How do behavioral styles impact team communications?  Do you have any suggestions or best practices for improving these communications?
 
When communicating with style awareness, it’s important to catch yourself when over-applying the Golden Rule.  Treating others as you would like to be treated is time honored wisdom in the areas of respect, honesty, and fairness. However, in communication, it’s better to apply what we like to call the Home Rule. If this person was a guest in your home, the chances are good that you would be very attentive to making them feel comfortable. In other words, communicate with people the way they need to be communicated with, not your way. How can one read another’s style by phone or email? Be aware of how they share information. If they provide a lot of details when speaking with you, it’s a good bet that they appreciate your offering a lot of details back to them in return. If their emails are brief and big picture oriented, they probably won’t read your 5 page response. Honoring the styles of others is a powerful tool in building trusting relationships that deliver results.
 
How does accountability grow (or not grow) in a rapidly changing organization?
 
In our Step Up To Accountability program we ask a central question to participants: “Who creates culture here?”  Are we the passive recipients of culture, (culture happens to us), or do each of us co-create culture every day?   One engineering group I worked with agreed that in their culture ‘accountability’ was synonymous with ‘blame.’ Not surprisingly, they had both individually and collectively become quite creative in concocting blame-avoidance when projects hit inevitable rough spots. We explored whether or not they were, ironically, perpetuating the very culture they hated, when one participant decided – publically – to change her ways. ‘Helen’s’ idea was to create a What We Learned  database and that cataloged every challenge the group had encountered over the last 6 months and what they had learned as a result. Other participants rallied behind the idea. Within a month the database was launched and shared with other departments, who then created their own What We Learned databases. The practice has since spread to many parts of the company. In that groups’ collectively inspired culture, accountability has now become synonymous with ‘getting smarter,’ not blame.
 
Who creates culture in your company?
Can you suggest any exercises that might foster innovation or help to sustain an entrepreneurial culture?
 
Celebrate failure.  At one large high tech firm we worked with, the CIO hosts ‘failure parties’ twice a year where the most spectacular project crashes are recognized. This is not a celebration of recklessness or ‘pie in the sky’ ideas that never had a chance, but intelligent, thought provoking attempts that did not make it. These events sent a cultural message that your best thinking was expected, even if it didn’t pan out.
 
You have had a lot of experience with DISC. Do you see any patterns with teams that are lead by a particular behavioral style?
 
We often encounter teams that have an abundance of one style or another. Marketing teams tend to be populated by I’s, for example,  while accounting teams are often C heavy. The key is to recognize that each style has a vital role to play in generating a successful outcome. If your group is lacking in a style, then appoint a member to tap that secondary energy from within themselves to assure balance. Perhaps that means that D will put on his C hat to ensure accuracy, or an I will put on her S hat to make sure the group isn’t taking on too much too fast. By honoring all of the styles, teams can ensure that their inherent blind spots are minimized.  
 
How can an individual’s behavioral style keep them from succeeding as a leader?
 
Exerpt from Taking Flight: Unleash the Power of Behavioral Styles at Work and in Life.
 
Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. When a strength is overused, it becomes a weakness. And while each of the DISC styles is inherently positive, when carried to an extreme, any style can become a disadvantage.
While some people overuse their style on a regular basis, most overuse occurs during times of stress or uncertainty. Overuse can also be driven by emotionally charged situations or dysfunctional relationships. But no matter the cause, overuse reveals the shadow side of each of the styles.

When D’s overuse their style, their interpersonal skills take a back seat to achieving results. Their directness turns blunt, abrasive, and insensitive. Their take-charge mindset becomes demanding and domineering. Their confidence degenerates to stubborn, closed-minded arrogance as they steamroll anyone that interferes with achieving their objective.

When I’s overuse their style, their optimism can lead to unrealistic, impractical ideas where gut feelings take precedence over reality. Their enthusiasm comes across as superficial. Under stress, their powers of persuasion can lead to exaggeration and manipulation. The extreme I tends to be disorganized, is poor with details, manages time ineffectively, and lacks follow-through.

When S’s overuse their style, their need for harmony leads to an avoidance of difficult conversations and healthy conflict. Their desire for stability can also lead to complacency and discomfort with change. This causes them to become passive, and dependent. When S’s do not get their needs met, they can become resentful and develop a victim mentality. In overuse mode, S’s simply wait for instruction from others and therefore, appear fearful and unsure of themselves.

When C’s overuse their style, their drive for quality and structure degenerates into perfectionism. They become so picky and critical that nothing meets their standards or gets accomplished. This makes them seem indecisive and rigid. Their need to question everything can lead to pessimism and resistance to new ideas. Their intense focus on the task can blind them to delegation opportunities and place significant pressure on the C to do everything themselves.
 
Any final thoughts?
 
Your level of self-awareness combined with the ability to adapt to the right style at the right time is an essential skill to building healthy relationships. Recognizing and honoring the styles of others is a skill that can be both learned and mastered relatively easily. Whether you are currently leading a group, an organization, or aspire for either, unleash the power of behavioral styles to reach your fullest potential and be a catalyst for others to reach their own.
 
Dan Silvert
VP, Learning & Development

O: 856.596.4196
Email: dsilvert@teambuildersplus.com
 

Dan’s primary focus is guiding organizations through senior developmental initiatives including: building greater accountability into workplace culture, leading change, effective communication through behavioral style awareness, and executive coaching.

Dan's passion is working with management teams to achieve clarity about how work-place culture drives performance and productivity. Highlights include: guiding a senior leadership team from a potential plant shut-down to recognized high performance status, coaching a department through the managerial challenges of a merger; training managers to identify and manage the early warning signs of employee turnover, and coaching a number of executives’ in-transition to President / CEO positions.
 
Dan's clients have included: Abengoa Bio-energy, Alstom Power, American Medical Systems, Fifth Third Processing Solutions, GE Healthcare, The Department of Homeland Security, Innophos, L3 Communications, L’Oreal, Pfizer, Octagon Research, Shell Oil, and W.L. Gore.
 
With an early professional concentration in Career Development, Dan has coached over 1,000 executives through career transitions from both within and outside their organizations.
 
Dan holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Maryland. He regularly speaks at business, higher education, and industry associations throughout the Tri-State area including: The Project Management Institute, Drexel University, The Greater Philadelphia Senior Executive Group, the Financial Executive Networking Group, and ChemPharma.
 
Dan’s upcoming book, Taking Flight: Unleash the Power of Behavioral Styles at Work and in Life, is co-authored by Merrick Rosenberg and is set for release in November, 2010.