About the FIRO-B™: Team Work Environment – Total Need for Control

This issue we'll look at how your total Need for Control score might affect your perception of your team’s mood or work environment.  In general, your highest total need score shows which aspect of the team will give you the most satisfaction.  If Control is your highest score, then this will be the most important aspect of team work for you.  You will likely work hardest to maintain or improve this aspect of team work.

Here are some signs your total needs for Control are not being met by your team.   You might feel the team is drifting about, without clear goals and objectives.  Meetings can appear to be random affairs, lacking structure and concrete decisions.  Spontaneous decisions are common, while guidelines and accountability seem to be missing.  No decision ever seems to be final and no one is in charge.  If you are uncertain what your role and responsibilities are, you're likely to believe the team lacks Control.  Finally, if there are few standards for expected results, behavior, or goals, you're likely to feel your team needs more Control.

The more of the above statements you agree with, the more likely you'll need to address some key issues with your team.  For example, you might need to have a team discussion about roles and responsibilities, expectations, duties, and outcomes.  With further clarity, you can redefine your team role or perhaps move out of the team entirely if no agreement can be reached.