Group Styles Inventory
Research and development by Robert A. Cooke, Ph.D. and J. Clayton Lafferty, Ph.D.
The Group Styles Inventory (GSI) is the only research-based tool that provides a valid and reliable measure of how people in groups interact with each other, feel psychologically safe and work as a team to solve real life problems.
Extensively researched and internationally proven, this assessment provides group members with a common language and a ‘safe’ way to talk about their behaviour and how it affects the group's performance. Through highlighting styles of interactions that are helping or hindering their teamwork, it empowers them to change the way they approach problems and interact with each other — leading to better cooperation, communication and consensus-based decision making, more innovative thinking, and higher quality solutions.
How it works
The GSI Group Styles is designed for both temporary and permanent groups that are responsible for solving problems and making decisions. It can be completed by team members after they have solved a problem (to identify the behaviours that facilitated or inhibited their performance) or mid-way through solving a problem (to identify and practice more effective ways of interacting with one another and approaching the problem).
The use of the GSI involves four major steps:
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The group frames and works through a real-life problem impacting the organization.
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Individual group members then respond to 72 statements describing the styles exhibited by the group while solving the problem plus a few questions focusing on team effectiveness, solution acceptance, solution quality, and team synergy. This takes about 15 minutes.
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The team members then score their own surveys and profile their individual results on the Human Synergistics Circumplex to provide a picture of their own perceptions of the group and the effective of the groups working styles. This takes 10 to 15 minutes.
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The descriptions of members are combined to generate an aggregated profile displaying the group’s styles and a bar chart summarizing their collective assessments of performance.
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The data can also be collected and processed electronically. The GSI Leader's Guide and Workshops provide information on developmental activities to help teams use the insights and Constructively change the way members think, behave, and interact.
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The GSI surveys are available online and on almost any digital device, as well as in hard copy.
The benefits for you and your organization
The GSI Group Styles is an excellent tool for helping teams and groups solve problems more effectively. It’s particularly valuable for team development initiatives, such as:
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measuring and monitoring team performance•
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creating a team environment that encourages innovation and idea-sharing
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sharpening team members’ analytical and problem solving skills
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developing consensus-based decision making
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achieving synergy and higher quality and acceptance of group decisions
Make the GSI Group Styles part of your drive for change
An experienced Peak Experiences associate can help you to use the GSI Group Styles and implement the change you seek. If you would like to know more about the Group Styles Inventory or any of the wide range of diagnostic tools from Human Synergistic International, please get in touch and we will be happy to assist you.