Shared Traits: Pioneers & Drivers, Guardians & Integrators

When you split the universe graph horizontally, you can see that Pioneers and Drivers share several traits on the top of the circle, and Guardians and Integrators share several on the bottom. Being in opposite hemispheres, the Pioneer-Driver shared traits are the inverse of the Guardian-Integrator shared traits, as one might expect. The main distinguishing traits between these pairings relate to: 1) speed, 2) risk, 3) confrontation, 4) novelty and 5) leadership style. When you're trying to get a sense of what someone's working style might be, start by looking for where people fall in terms these five things to home in on a hemisphere. Are they more like the Pioneer and Driver pairing or are they more like the Guardian and Integrator one?

© 2018. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited

Speed. Pioneers and Drivers both make decisions quickly, though how they get there looks different. Pioneers tend to go with their gut and take a leap (sometimes literally not just figuratively), whereas Drivers are more likely to evaluate options, but rapidly, by eliminating extraneous data. (Or anything else they consider extraneous.)

Guardians and Integrators, in contrast, are both slower to make decisions, but likely for different reasons. Guardians because they're checking all the details, ensuring all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed. Integrators because they're thinking through all the possible scenarios and long-term implications, or because they're connecting with a network of stakeholders, seeking input and alignment.

Pioneers and Drivers also tend to speak more rapidly than Guardians and Integrators, and they're quick to jump in with the “gift” of filling the silence if they perceive there's too much of a pause in discussion.

Risk. Pioneers and Drivers are both more likely to seek out risk than Guardians and Integrators. Pioneers are often acting intuitively. The opportunity just feels like it's worth the risk. (Woohoo, I've always wanted to jump out of a plane!) Whereas Drivers have likely calculated that it's worth it. (The probability is extremely low that my chute won't open and I'll plummet to my death.)

For Guardians, risk is somewhat alarming by its very nature, as it threatens stability. (Is the plane crashing? No? Then why would I throw myself out of a perfectly functioning aircraft?) Integrators, too, sometimes feel apprehensive about risk, but their aversion may stem more from a fear of unintended consequences and negative impacts to individuals. (I know Paul doesn't really want to jump and I don't want to make him feel bad by leaving him behind.)

Confrontation. Pioneers and Drivers are more comfortable with confrontation than Guardians and Integrators. For Pioneers this is likely because they don't internalize incidents or people's reactions to them, and they're able to move on quickly from a tense moment. They're also used to butting up against resistance in their quest to move beyond the status quo. For Drivers, confrontation can actually be fun, playing into their love of challenge and a good argument. You got a problem with that?

In contrast, Guardians dislike rocking the boat, and can be particularly sensitive to negative interactions as they tend to mull things over well after the interaction is in the past. Integrators dislike confrontation as they don't want to risk damaging relationships, and they hate to hurt other people's feelings. They're also prone to taking things to heart themselves. Both of these types are more likely to follow a path of subtler resistance—dragging their feet or gradually chipping away at an undesirable position—rather than addressing it head on.

Novelty. Both Pioneers and Drivers gravitate toward what's original or novel, while Guardians and Integrators are more oriented toward what's existing or traditional. This manifests in interesting ways according to type.

With ideas for instance, Pioneers love fresh, blue-sky thinking, whereas Drivers like to define new realms of thought through experimentation. Both tend to be faster to adopt new technology and innovations.

On the other side, Guardians like ideas that are proven, tried and true, while Integrators often take tried and true concepts and combine them in imaginative ways, making an effort to recognize and promote other people's contributions to the idea.

With tradition, Pioneers and Drivers will be quicker to dismiss established practice, Pioneers typically because they're thirsty for something new, and Drivers often because they don't consider traditions necessary or worth the effort to maintain. (And if they're rejecting traditions like the rock-hard fruitcake of a dear auntie, we don't blame them.)

Guardians and Integrators on the other hand value tradition more highly. Guardians perhaps because traditions are integral to the way society is structured and operates, and Integrators likely out of respect and appreciation for culture, and an understanding that traditions help people get along better. (And it sure does make Auntie happy when we eat her cake.)

These differences are consistent with the shared tendency of Guardians and Integrators overall to value loyalty more than the Pioneers and Drivers sitting on the other side of the universe.

Leadership style. Pioneers and Drivers (particularly Commanders) describe themselves as being more likely to “take charge” than Guardians and Integrators. This corresponds to the classic, somewhat stereotypical model of a leader who steps up, seizes control, and makes sure the right things are happening.

Guardians and Integrators arguably tend to practice a more nuanced approach to leadership. For instance, Guardians might take leadership based on some specific expertise versus universally grabbing the reins. And Integrators might lead through influence, or by composing and orchestrating a team of contributors. Or, either might prefer to contribute by playing a more behind the scenes, individual contributor, or supporting role.

By considering their approach to speed, risk, confrontation, novelty, and leadership, we hope you can determine whether a person's style is more similar to the Pioneer and Driver hemisphere, or the Guardian and Integrator one. Once you've done that, you can refine your hypothesis by splitting the sphere in the other direction.

Shared Traits: Pioneers & Integrators, Drivers & Guardians

Now we dive into the other view of shared traits, splitting the universe graph vertically. In this orientation you see that Pioneers and Integrators share several traits on the left side of the circle, and Drivers and Guardians share the inverse traits on the right. The distinguishing traits between these pairings relate to: 1) information, 2) flexibility, 3) attitude, and 4) people. Again, the point is to figure out which side better characterizes a person's style—the Pioneer and Integrator side, or the Driver and Guardian side.

© 2018. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited

Information. The two vertical sides of the circle are different both in terms of what kinds of information their associated types like, as well as how they process information.

Pioneers and Integrators tend to be very visual and don't necessarily seek numbers or stats. Pioneers, often described as “big picture thinkers,” tend to like actual pictures, and bigger and bolder is often better. Integrators, with their interest in relationships and people, are particularly drawn to stories, and they love rich descriptions that help them imagine the situation or circumstance.

Drivers and Guardians, in contrast, are more quantitatively oriented, and love facts and figures. For them, data is essential. But Drivers, likely motivated by their urge to quickly achieve their objectives, will usually seek just enough information to feel confident in their conclusions. Guardians are much more likely to immerse themselves in a comprehensive level of detail to ensure that everything is just right and nothing has been overlooked.

When it comes to processing information, Pioneers and Integrators are non-linear thinkers, highly contextual and guided by intuition. Drivers and Guardians are logical and disciplined, tending to take a more linear approach and looking for data to back them up.

Flexibility. Pioneers and Integrators tend to be very comfortable with ambiguity and nuance, and they typically follow a fluid thought process. Whereas Drivers and Guardians like clarity and precision, and are more methodical.

Pioneers and Integrators tend to change their minds more frequently than Drivers and Guardians. For Pioneers, that might be simply because something more interesting comes along. For Integrators, it could be because they're open to options and can often see the pros and cons of various perspectives.

Drivers are more likely to make rational decisions based on facts, and are therefore unlikely to change their minds unless there are new facts available or their logic is proven faulty (a possibility they would claim is highly unlikely, though they'd welcome a well-prepared dispute). Similarly, Guardians have likely done the math (literally) to arrive at their decision, not to mention probably having triple checked their work, so there would have to be a pretty big change in the underlying variables to change their mind.

Attitude. Pioneers and Integrators are, in general, more optimistic and trusting than the other types. This correlation makes sense given that Pioneers would arguably be less eager to venture into unknown territory if they thought it wasn't likely to end well. And Integrators' strong relationship orientation likely requires a faith in others.

In contrast, Drivers and Guardians are more skeptical and exacting. Drivers likely because they need a verifiable reason to believe in something, and they have little tolerance for excuses when people can't meet the high standards they set. Guardians probably because if they haven't personally checked and confirmed something, there's a risk that it might not be correct.

Pioneers and Integrators also tend to be expressive, sharing their emotions freely. For Pioneers, this is probably more of an expression of their own emotions (often joie de vivre), without really tuning into other people's, whereas Integrators might genuinely reveal their own full spectrum of emotions, but might also encourage others to express their emotions as a means to form a bond with them.

Both Drivers and Guardians tend to keep their feelings in check. Some might say for Drivers that's because they don't have any, although we'd argue that it's more likely because they believe emotions are irrelevant and/or a distraction to the work at hand. And you can see where a Guardian might avoid unfettered emotions—after all, how can you have things under control if your own emotions aren't?

People. Pioneers and Integrators are both relationship oriented. They're collaborative, and value teamwork and diverse perspectives. Integrators tend to be perceptive, paying attention to and understanding human dynamics, whereas Pioneers tend to play to people—as an audience or as potential compadres in the pursuit of fun. Both are also generous, though perhaps in different ways. An Integrator is likely to be found spending time coaching junior members of the team, while the Pioneer might be spontaneously buying a round of drinks at the bar.

Drivers and Guardians are more inclined to work independently, or at least to enjoy it more when the opportunity arises. They're not as motivated to maintain large networks and don't prioritize extensive social connections. But both are happy to have the Pioneer buy drinks.

By combining the previous view of shared traits with this one—focused on a person's approach to information, flexibility, attitude, and people—you should be able to narrow your hunch even more.

Secondary Types Matter

Let's start with secondary types. People's working styles aren't characterized purely by one type, so let's continue with the example of your new boss to see if we can glean even more information about her. Since her primary type seems to be Driver, her secondary type would have to be either Pioneer or Guardian. Wait, how would you know that? Because Business Chemistry runs along dimensions, and unlike comic books or quantum physics, where things can be in opposing positions at the same time, when it comes to Business Chemistry people can be at one end of a dimension or the other, or anywhere in between, but they can't be at both ends at once. Those two dimensions are the diagonals in the model: Pioneer to Guardian, and Driver to Integrator. So if your boss is a strong Driver, by definition she can't also be a strong Integrator.

You've narrowed down the options to Driver-Pioneer or Driver-Guardian. This is worth trying to get a bead on, because these combinations have different ways of thinking and interacting. To do so, it's perhaps easiest to go back to the unique traits: Does your boss love details or abhor them? Is she outgoing or reserved? If you consistently answer yes to the traits associated with one or the other, chances are she has a strong secondary type. If not, or if she has traits of both, then perhaps she's mostly defined by Driver and she has a less extreme secondary type.

It's all Relative

As you start looking for tells in the people around you, it's helpful to remember that Business Chemistry is relative. While people's working styles and preferences tend to be more or less consistent across most situations (a bit more on that in the coming pages), the way they come across can depend on the company in which they find themselves.

Have you ever had the dubious pleasure of painting your house? You know how it works then. You walk into the store and look at row upon row of little squares with tiny variations in color. They have names that are meant to be evocative, but aren't really that helpful—like Misty Mountain or Chilled Sangria. You pick a few and bring them home.

In Kim's house the process goes something like this: Kim says, “What do you think of this one, honey?” Her husband replies, “It looks white to me.”

And then Kim proceeds to run around the house holding the swatch up to different colors to see how it looks a little green against the light wall, but more blue when she holds it in the corner. (It never looks white, by the way, despite her husband's claims.) The color of the swatch does not in fact change, but it seems more green or more blue, depending on the backdrop.

The same thing happens with working styles. A person might seem like a Pioneer in a typical business setting, but how does he appear beside a CEO who launches a new venture by rappelling from the top of an airplane hangar? Does he still seem like a Pioneer in comparison? Or what if he's in a meeting with a traditional company in Asia, where the culture itself emphasizes many Guardian-like traits?

Another thing to consider is that people sometimes change their behavior deliberately, based on who they're interacting with. Suppose a person who is generally quite empathic, diplomatic, and relationship oriented finds herself on a team full of very strong Integrators. She might embrace more of a direct, goal-focused approach on purpose, to balance out the majority type in the group. Alternatively, she might double-down on her Integrator tendencies to fit in.

We all have a natural hue, but the way we come across depends on our context, so it's important to consider that when you're trying to get a sense of someone's type. If you'd like more details about how Business Chemistry takes relativity into account, see the appendix.

The Exception or the Norm?

Once you've considered unique traits, shared traits, secondary type, and relativity, you should have a pretty reasonable hunch about someone's type. But your next mission is to test that hypothesis through actual interactions with the person. Because it's clear that the situation someone is in has great potential to influence how they think, feel, and behave. It's quite likely, for example, that a person who usually speaks loudly will speak more softly in a quiet office if they notice that everyone else is whispering.

While you shouldn't expect anyone to act exactly the same in every situation, Business Chemistry is about how someone prefers to work, and how they think, feel, and behave in professional settings most of the time. The instructions for our online Business Chemistry assessment (which we'll tell you more about in the appendix) ask people how they'd describe themselves generally in a business context. Likewise, when you attempt to develop a hunch about someone's type you should do so within this same context, looking for how someone behaves most often.

Ideally you'd observe someone across a variety of situations and interactions. And as you work with them further, you'll take your understanding of their working style from a general zone on the universe map to a particular collection of stars that are uniquely their own.

E: None of the Above

Most of the time, you will have enough clues to develop a reasonable hunch about someone's primary and/or secondary types. But some people aren't extreme on any of the dimensions, so you will likely pick up tells from each of the patterns. Or perhaps you will identify one trait, but you won't find the other things with which that trait is normally correlated. These people can be valuable team players because of their flexibility, but they can also be difficult to get a read on. That's OK, it just means you might need to base your hypotheses more on situations (she is very Pioneer when we're in a situation where idea generation is needed, but very Guardian when it's time to execute) or context (he is comfortable taking risks within his own team, but uncomfortable when he's with a new group). And whether you're dealing with someone who defies all hunching attempts, or someone who epitomizes the extreme of a type, it's essential that you try hard to avoid jumping to conclusions. That's just what we'll address in the next chapter.