aren’t technical or aggressive at all. I’m thinking of the senior vice president
for new product development. He’s responsible for new ideas, and
he’s really creative and fun—he’s obviously an Optimist. And the senior
VP of human resources, she’s got some Data Collector in her, but she’s
also strongly an Accommodator. I decided that I needed to start by
appealing to the Producers, followed by the other personality types.”
How Formal Should the Communication Be?
In order to assess the appropriate level of formality for Brad’s report, you
need to consider his position within the company and his feelings about
his selection of Georgia as the recommended factory site.
Brad has worked for his company in positions of increasing responsibility
for six years. He is pleased with his work on this project and confident
of his recommendation—he thinks the data supports the choice of
Georgia. Furthermore, Brad believes that if the committee accepts his
recommendation, it will be a good decision for the corporation now
and into the future. He is aware, however, that several committee members
prefer Jacksonville because they’re loyal to their home state.
“Jacksonville isn’t a bad choice,” he explains. “It’s just not the best
choice. And it’s my job to make that point inarguable.”
EXERCISE 27: Use the Formality Index
With that background, put yourself in Brad’s shoes and consider the
proper level of formality by answering the three questions discussed in
the model (see page 12). What score do you come up with?
Brad explained, “This exercise was interesting to me. I was certain that
my score would indicate that the report should be quite formal, but what
I came to realize is that I’m quite formal, so my inclination is that formal
is always the best approach. Actually, when I calculated the score, I realized
that I was wrong—I’d been looking at the situation only through my
own perspective. The facts support a less formal approach.
“Specifically, I know the committee members well and personally. We’re
not best friends, but we have mutual respect for one another, and we’ve
all worked together for years, so I scored the first question about how
well I know them a 4. I’m below them all in rank, but I’m pretty senior
within the company, so I scored the second question a 2.5. I am absolutely