This site is devoted to Exposure, Engagement, Expansion, Enhancement, and Enrichment of the lives of those who use RGB Technologies. High capacity cycles: DOCUMENT - DECIDE - DISTRIBUTE - DIAGNOSE - DISCLOSE - DESIGN - DELIVER - DEVELOP - DISSECT - DO-IT-AGAIN

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

CapacityWareTM - Red Features You Might Like - Precision Measures

As you might have imagined, CapacityWareTM products and services can be color coded based on features that would appeal to one or more of the specific RGB color preferences.  The Red features tend to appeal to the need for and appreciation of precisions measures.  The following five illustrations are linked to this "Red - Precision Measures" category. 

A.  Individual Profile.  When an individual takes the RGB WorkStyle Preference Inventory, they take it within a context (work, home, social, volunteer, etc.), and they take it with a current lens.  This produces a graphic which equates to a pie chart that depicts a slice of Red, Green, and Blue in a real (or default) order sequence based on the dominant color first (on the right), followed by the second priority color next in immediate counterclockwise position, followed by the last color in the lower left.  It is possible for two of the three colors to be equal in score, for example, 33 and 33.  The thinking patterns of these two colors would seem interchangeable.  The dominant color and secondary color might be functionally interchangeable and would be referred to as a Bi-Color Swing or simply as a Swing.  When all three colors are within 5 points of each other this is referred to as a Tri-Color Swing or Full Swing.  Any dominant color at or above 45 points is likely to a hard dominant - less likely to adjust to a secondary or tertiary color when needed.  Either Red or Blue are far more likely to be the dominant color.  In any natural group there are likely to be more Reds, followed by Blues, and least color would likely be Greens.  The advantage of knowing one's Individual Profile is that it will tend to explain thinking patterns and therefore behavior.  This Individual Profile has a number of applications that will be covered briefly below.  Knowing your own Profile and the Profile of those with whom you regularly come is contact is settling. 

B.  Individual Profiles Comparison.  There are times when it is beneficial to make a graphic comparison of two Individual Profiles.  This provides some insight into how well a duo might work together on a project, or in a marriage, for example.  Do the colors have a natural tendency to complete?  Yes, but the number might give a clearer picture of the intensity of that competition.  Do the colors have a natural tendency to collaborate?  Yes and No!  It depends on a preparatory approach to the collaborative effort.  If there is no preparation, opposite colors might clash.  If preparation is meaningful, the opposing colors might produce what is smilingly referred to as creative tension. 

With very little imagination one can easily see that the illustration above with a strong Red, and a strong Blue leaves a ProZone of Green.  First let's define the ProZone as an overlap of two Profiles.  It is a common ground territory.  From an argumentative standpoint if each of the strong colors were used exclusively as the context for argument, the progress toward a collaborative settlement would be negligible.  However, if both parties recognized this phenomena for its realistic potential a switch to a Green perspective would go a long ways. 


Rather than comparing two different people, it is also possible to compare the same person with profiles taken a different times and perhaps a different context - there may have been a job change or team transfer, for example.  Is the Individual Profile consistent, or nearly so, over time and conditions?  If the answer is YES, the consistency is likely a good thing for everyone concerned.  A shift may signal the development of a stressful situation or the opposite - perhaps the situation shift is creating a calmer more satisfied person.  The review of these conditions is often what prompts the discovery and the follow-through.  In the illustration provided, Elizabeth is highly consistent over a five year period.  In fact the precise level of consistency is 99%.  That's reliable. 

C.  Individual versus an MTT Compatibility Composite Comparison.  Next we'll display the level of compatibility between Joe's RGB Individual Profile and his Task Matching - that is to say, how compatible is his natural talent with the tasks required of him?  Both have been measured using the same RGB protocols.  The raw compatibility score is 91% 

These calculations were based on an analysis completed over time wherein the tasks during a 2-hour RGB FastTrack Workshop were carefully measured and entered into CapacityWareTM Software.  To create this analysis all 35 modules were given a Red, Green, and Blue component.  Joe was assigned to the primary Module Task in those cases where he felt most comfortable with the content and interaction required of the Task or Tasks associated with each Module.  Therefore the all-important "context" was carefully controlled and calculated.  This is not to say that ALL of Joe's Tasks are created in this same context.  Nor would the context of his entire work be at a 91% level of compatibility.  In fact, he would tell you that not all of his job is of equal satisfaction.  Yet that part that is before guests at a foundational workshop is considered to be most important from a effectiveness standpoint. 

D.  Individual versus a Group Composite Comparison.  There are times when it is imperative to determine the potential "fit" of an individual in a group of coworkers, for example.  There are several conditions that fit this scenario completely.

First among the alternatives when considering a person for inclusion in a group working on a specific project.  In this case the individual, if selected, will be a member of a team that will be contributing to the overall work the group does.  The compatibility between the new individual and the existing members as an already functioning group would be important to know.

In this case Debbie is nearing a transfer to a department some distance away.  She has about 30 days to work on this project which is likely about the right amount of time.  The questions is, "Will she fit in the current culture and be able to make a contribution quickly, all else being equal?"  The team already has several strong dominant Red participants that had a difficult time assimilating.  Will they be able to help her get in step quickly?  On the surface this seems like a fit that would take too long to cultivate. 

E.  Composite Comparisons.  It is not unusual for reorganizations and acquisitions to combine two otherwise independent work groups into a singe function.  It is always advisable to take a look at the separate and forecast combination of these groups before making decisions about their merger.  



At the left is an illustration of a Division of an organization with 30 people assigned to it.  The group is responsible for Customer Service.  There are sufficient numbers of each RGB color in dominance yet the composite is a dominant Green with the Red, and Blue sufficiently close that they could easily swing to either in the secondary position.  A second group, Customer Support, which has little contact with the actual customers is being considered for consolidation.  As part of the decision-making process the second group composite is created and is illustrated below, right. 

For all practical purposes, the two composite profiles are identical.  The number vary slightly but the sequence of identical and the numbers are within 5 points of each other.  The merger appears to be a "GO" based on this simple comparison. 

But what if the Customer Support group profile were significantly different as illustrated at the left.  Strictly from a composite standpoint the decision might be a "NO GO" to avoid what might become a strong cultural division.  If it were an imperative to consolidate, it might be worth the effort to go further and consider individual transfers rather than a group merger. 



The following illustrations combine the first and second then the first and third alternatives in graphics that better illustrate a traditional comparison option. 



F.  Second Party Composite Profile.  The final RGB graphic illustration is not necessarily new, rather it is a deviation of the source - the Inventory is completed by a second party as opposed to the individual it represents.  In some cases, for example, the primary individual may not be able or willing to complete the Inventory.  In this case one or more individuals will complete Inventory based on their observations of the individual - a College professor, or the President of the United States. 

When a Second Party Inventory (SPI) is used, it is desirable to ask balanced or nearly so individuals to complete the SPI.  In the alternative it would be desirable to have a dominant of each color do SPI and compare the results of complete a Composite Profile as a means of averaging the results. 

Any Composite illustration above will suffice for the Second Party Composite Profile. 


Summary

If knowing one's self is the first priority then knowing those around you, people that you interact with routinely, is a clear second priority.  A clear third priority is to confirm that the culture created by a group of people takes on the characteristics of a preponderance of those in the group.  To what degree and under what circumstances does the RGB Color Pattern of a group leader become a pervasive influence on the group behavior?  When are these phenomena functional or dysfunctional?  Can the group itself monitor these influences and make decisions to rectify disadvantages when they exist? 



Sunday, January 19, 2014

RGB - Tri-Swing Profile! The good and the not so good...

How can something be good and not so good at the same time?  We didn't get it at first either, but we did hear about it from those, mostly in non-authority positions, that decided to quietly tell us the other side of the GREAT news.  Our assumption was that those who could swing from one color to another quickly would be of great advantage.  And that is an advantage, no doubt about it.  But there is a dark side to this Profile as well. 

The fact that a Tri-Swing Profile can normally adjust to any color quickly and easily without having to "force" the secondary or tertiary color is remarkable and is very handy to have around.  All three colors get used with about equal ease.  So, what's the problem.  It comes not in the task application as much as in the relationship applications. 

It's easier to understand that it is to explain.  Here's how people began to describe it to us.  "This "all color swing" is handy, but the downside comes when I agree with all three people I'm working with but they don't agree with each other!"  People begin to wonder how can she agree with me and Ethel, when Ethel and I see it so differently.  Add another person and it becomes very difficult to understand.  Yet the truth is simple enough.  If the other tree people in this equation don't have this technology at their disposal they will begin to make a series of assumptions, this basic one being, "She's being tow-faced or three-faced.  She can't be being authentic."  Yes she can and yes she is.  With an assumption of a lack of authenticity, people begin to move away rather than understand. 

This scenario changes a bit when the Tri-Swing does have a bit of authority AND is able to explain this phenomena to those who might be exposed to it for the advantage it has to the organization.   

Because there is only a single point difference between the numbers, the shift from one to either of the other colors is easy to make. 

Summary

There is an organization advantage to the Tri-Swing, especially when those that encounter it become aware of it.  The shift may occur because of the influence of task, relationships, or other environmental factors. 



Tuesday, January 14, 2014

The RGB Individual Profile - What creates the Dominance? What are the implications?

Our "semi-retirement" goals include presenting our favorite RGB topics at State, Regional and Local Conferences or similar events.  We love to travel and combining our work with our love of travel is just an ideal way to spend our time. 

We recently had the good fortune of being Keynote Speakers at the Virginia State SHRM Leadership Conference just north of Richmond, Virginia.  It fit perfectly with our plans to attend the inauguration of our new governor, Terry McAuliffe.  Unfortunately the weather turned to rain and permitted the clear focus on the SHRM Conference.  It was fantastic.  The group was attentive and interested in our presentation, they were fun to be around, and as professional a group as we've ever encountered. 

So, what made our time with this group over the top fascinating?  They asked plenty of questions - that alone signals a deep interest in what we were there to talk about.  The fact that the group size was well over 100, made the questions even more important.  Some of the questions are summarized below along with the answer we provided. 

First, a bit of background.  Our topic was, "Developing Your Leadership Role: The RGB Leadership Legacy."  All participants were afforded the opportunity to complete our RGB Individual Profile in advance.  The illustration to the left is mine (Joe).  It has been pretty stable for over 25 years even though our Inventory has shifted slightly to improve reliability and validity.  The Red, Green, and Blue pieces of the pie represent the thought patterns that manifest themselves in observable behaviors. 

My dominant Blue of 50% suggests that those characteristics of me that provide Blue thinking and behavior manifest about 50% of the time, or in 50% of my thoughts and behavior.  The Green part manifests about 30% and the Red about 20%.  Obviously the percentages vary widely and create patterns that help one recognize predictable behavior.  The objective in knowing these for oneself and others with whom one works or otherwise interacts creates predictability and patterns that can be used to advantage (or conversely may need to be avoided). 

So, one of the important questions was, "What number of points distinguishes the priority among the color patterns?"  Good question!!  Here's our answer and some amplification that might prove beneficial. 

Our experience suggests that about a 5 percentage point spread would make the difference between a natural dominance and a slide to the secondary or tertiary.  Even with a 20 difference between my Blue and Green, does that mean that the shift to Green from Blue would have to be a difficult slide?  No, not at all.  But the true Green may not be fully manifest in my thoughts or behavior - it might be a half-hearted slide, and it might not last long or I might not be too deeply immersed.  I would probably slide back to my Blue without much of a transition.  The slide to Red would likely be even more tentative and lack conviction. 


Let's take another RGB Profile - on the right.  The Red is clearly dominant with 37.  Yet, in this case the Blue in secondary position is just 5 points away from dominance.  This places both Red and Blue as potentially strong enough to claim that first position.  

To complicate matters further, the Blue secondary and Green tertiary are within a point of each other.  This could be a highly flexible Individual Profile.  The clear Red dominance is followed by a virtual tossup with the remaining two colors! 

In this second illustration there is a strong likelihood that conditions will play a key role.  With the presence of anxiety or stress, the dominance will play a stable first position.  If this Red is in the presence of another strong Blue or strong Green, depending on a position of authority, a shift is highly likely to occur. 

Summary

A dominance is indicated by a single point, but the strength of that dominance is variable depending upon the points of the remaining two colors.  The third factor is the presence, strength, and positional authority of additional people.  The fourth factor is the task at hand.  If the task is Red and the person responsible for the task is also Red, this will likely create an advantage, all things being equal.