Results Paper
Part I: Personal Thinking Styles As revealed by my personal Life Styles Inventory (Figure 1), my primary thinking style and back-up thinking style were Conventional (4 o’clock position) and Affiliative (2 o’clock position) respectively. There are many ways in which both the Conventional thinking style and Affiliative thinking style manifest in my life and work, none of which were all that evident until I explored my personal Life Styles Inventory. As stated in the Life Styles Inventory, my primary thinking style, the Conventional Style “measures our tendency to act in a conforming way…representing a preoccupation with adhering to rules and established procedures, maintaining a low profile, and blending in with our particular environment to avoid calling attention to ourselves.” (LSI, Conventional Style) Even though I do not see myself as a complete conformist, I do tend to fall in line in the workplace so that I can learn as much as I can from the proven and effective system that I am working within. In the past, if I found myself working in an environment that has not been proven or effective I would not stick around too long because I felt that I had nothing to gain from the job or experience. So, in that situation I would have to agree that the Conventional Style would be one of my primary thinking styles. My back up thinking style of Affiliative is said to “measure our degree of commitment to forming and sustaining satisfying relationships…affiliative people seek out, establish, value, and maintain close associations with others, and appreciate people and enjoy being in the company of others.” (LSI, Affiliative Style) Even though I do see myself as a people person, I was surprised to see the Affiliative Style as my backup personal thinking style. I do understand and appreciate the importance of what healthy relationships bring in the workforce, but I am not sure that it is as important to me as the Life Styles