About the FIRO-B™: Team Development – Wanted Affection

When working with teams, the FIRO-B can provide useful insights into how each person likes to work with others.  The items below are quite likely to be true for you the higher your score on a scale is. 

If you scored at seven or above, you probably demonstrate these behaviors very often.  If you scored two or less, you probably rarely do these things.  Of course, those in the middle will likely do them to varying degrees, depending on the situation.

This month we'll discuss Wanted Affection and how people with high scores are likely to act on a team.

Those who score highest on Wanted Affection will likely reveal many personal details about themselves to the rest of the group, listen carefully to other team members, try to reconcile group differences, suggest compromises, and ask for feedback.  They are likely to moan and groan about the group's tasks and spend time commiserating with the others. 

High scorers on this scale will probably mention examples of other teams with great loyalty, cohesion, "family" attitude, and support.  They will usually provide positive feedback, have a positive attitude, and show gratitude to other team members.  Likewise, they will encourage others to contribute to the group, to be open and frank, and help out.

Most people will share the above traits to some degree.  However, it's likely that this style will dominate for some people more than others.  Your score on the scales should indicate which style is the preferred one for you.