1st Edition

Personal Styles & Effective Performance

By David W. Merrill, Roger H Reid Copyright 1981
    248 Pages
    by CRC Press

    248 Pages
    by CRC Press

    Tens of thousands of professionals have attended David W. Merrill's acclaimed "Style Awareness Workshops" The goal: improvement of interpersonal effectiveness skills-inspiring better communication, improved productivity, and a more harmonious working environment.
    Students preparing for business, management, or sales careers can also benefit from Merrill's techniques, presented in Personal Styles & Effective Performance.
    Merrill's approach emphasizes the interrelationships between behavior and social style-encouraging students to consider how their own actions influence responsiveness from others.
    Those actions tend to be rooted in one of four primary social styles: Analytical, Amiable, Driving, and Expressive-which readers are invited to compare and contrast with their own styles, as a starting point for potential improvement.
    First published in 1981, Personal Styles & Effective Performance continues to be a popular resource for the self-improvement minded. By learning its lessons now, tomorrow's business professionals can have the edge in interpersonal effectiveness-one of the most important facets of a successful career.

    Introduction
    1. Behavior: Setting the Scene
    Discovering the Public "You,"
    Behavior versus Intention, 10
    Practice Suggestions
    2. Behavior: Looking at It Objectively
    The Roots of Behavior
    Tension: A Stimulus to Action
    Finding a Tension Equilibrium
    Observation Skills
    Practice Suggestions
    3. Your style and Other Styles
    Evolution of the Theory of Social Style
    The Three Dimensions of Human Behavior
    Assertiveness: Who Tells, Who Asks
    Responsiveness: Who Controls Feelings, Who Shows Them,
    Appearances are Deceiving
    Assertiveness + Responsiveness = Social Style
    No "Best" Style
    The Driving Style: Action Oriented
    The Expressive Style: Intuition Oriented
    The Amiable Style: Relationship Oriented
    The Analytical style: Thinking Oriented
    Style Themes
    Society’s Children
    Backup Styles
    Style Clashes
    Conflicts of Habits
    Observing Style
    Social Style- It’s Different
    Practice Suggestions
    4. Versatility: The Extra Dimension
    A Dynamic Dimension
    Tension and Versatility
    Am I Versatile?
    Ranges of Versatility
    Defenses against Tension
    Changing Versatility
    Appearance
    Oral Presentation Skills
    Development of Competence
    Use of Feedback
    Understanding and Strength
    The Four Steps
    Practice Suggestions
    5. Putting Versatility into Social Style
    Know Yourself
    Strengths and Weaknesses of the Amiable Style
    Strengths and Weaknesses of the Expressive Style
    Strengths and Weaknesses of the Driving style
    Strengths and Weaknesses of the Analytical Style
    Control Yourself
    Growth Action for the Amiable: Initiate
    Growth Action for the Expressive: Check
    Growth Action for the Driver: Listen
    Growth Action for the Analytical: Declare
    An Adding-on Process
    Doing Something for Others
    Taking the Lead
    Practice Suggestions
    6. Style at Work
    Occupations and Style
    Amiable: Relationship Specialist
    Analytical: Technical Specialist
    Driver: Command Specialist
    Expressive: Social Specialist
    Where Does Success Lie?
    Organizational Style
    Teaming up
    Working Together
    Managerial Style
    Versatility and Managers
    Style and Your Employees
    Practice Suggestions
    7. Style in the Community and at Home
    Style and the Family
    Do Opposites Attract?
    Reacting to Tension
    Versatility and Personal Relationships
    Belief or Behavior?
    Practice Suggestions
    8. A Perspective on Style
    Appendix: The Social Style Profile
    Factor Analysis and Reliability Measurements
    Comparative Norms
    Social Style Quadrants
    Validity Measurements
    What the Profile Measures
    Social Style in Life Insurance Sales Selection
    EEO Requirements
    Current Research
    Recommended Reading
    Index

    Biography

    David W. Merrill

    "Hundreds of our managers and supervisors have been exposed to Style Awareness Training. Not only does it have inherent value as a communications tool, but it also serves as a springboard to other management development offerings."
    -Bill Leonard, The Trane Corp.
    "Dave Merrill's approach has been most helpful to me and to this company. Its adaptability should make it attractive to every executive responsible for dealing with people-and who isn't?"
    -Frank Sullivan, The Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company
    "At Dr. Pepper, we have used the Style Awareness program for many years... It has improved our communications, and has been a valuable means of resolving conflict."
    -W.W. "Foots" Clement, Dr. Pepper