Build Team Success with the FIRO-B Assessment
Sarah A Scala, M. Ed & OD, ACC
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
With an uptick in teams working virtually, I am often asked how to strengthen team effectiveness and success. For some, the COVID-19 pandemic has been the first time teams are regularly working virtually. Even though working from home has been going on for a while, organizations and their teams are still working to maximize this new way of collaborating.
One tool that I have used to build team effectiveness is the FIRO-B assessment. What is FIRO-B? FIRO-B is an assessment tool that stands for Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation - Behavior.
The FIRO-B assessment was created in the 1950’s by Will Schulz to predict how members of the military would interact. This tool is used in many organizations to help people to understand the interpersonal needs of Inclusion, Control, and Affection. I have administered over 1000 FIRO-B assessments, helping organizations and their teams to maximize collaborative effectiveness. Clients have included Kohler Company and King Arthur Baking Company.
Here is a quick 3-minute video that explains the interesting history of FIRO-B assessments.
Definitions (needs):
Inclusion - Relationships and people association
Control - Persuasion, decision making, and influencing others
Affection - Closeness, connections, and emotional ties to others
Expressed - How much does the person initiate the behavior to others
Wanted - How much does the person want to receive these behaviors
(Source: Hammer A. and Schnell, E. (2004). Introduction to the FIRO-B Instrument in Organizations. Mountain View, CA: CPP.)
“The FIRO-B™ assessment tool was incorporated into our program helping each of us increase our awareness of how our actions shape the relationships we have with others as well as our own individual effectiveness. Overall, this experience was very powerful for our group and will continue to be part of our 18-month leadership development program for years to come. ”
Process
The FIRO-B assessment is completed online before the workshop and usually takes 15 minutes. Results are shared later during a team development workshop or team coaching program. Participants are rated on a 0 - 9 scale for each need, with 9 being a very high need and 0 being an unnoticeable need. A detailed report is created to help participants understand these results and needs. During the workshop, groups become aware of their Expressed and Wanted levels of Inclusion, Control, and Affection. If participants approve, a team report is also created showing differences and similarities. The team data is quite helpful in understanding team dynamics.
Value of FIRO-B Assessments for Teams
Learning about needs has been important for intact or cross-function teams because it helps members to understand what each member of the team personally needs. Although it may seem, at first glance, that these needs are “soft” and not important for business teams, it is in fact quite helpful to be aware of your own needs and the needs of your team members in order to successfully collaborate.
For example, if you are a manager and you have an Expressed need of Control at a level 9, and your direct report has a Wanted need of Control at level 2, the manager could be driving the associate crazy because they do not want as much control put on them. They may perceive their leader’s Expressed control as micromanaging and may believe that he/she does not trust them.
Results of FIRO-B Assessments
The results of the FIRO-B assessment can change over time, unlike some other assessment tools. It is not uncommon for results to change if a person has been through a significant change, trauma, has a new role, or joined a new company. People may feel that they need to behave in different ways based on these changes and their report will show this.
From this awareness, participants are not asked to change their needs to match, but instead asked to be aware of these differences so that they can accommodate the needs of members of their team while having their personal needs met. There are no good or bad results with the FIRO-B assessment, but simply awareness of where people’s needs are.
When I use FIRO-B assessments with corporate teams, participants have later commented that the awareness of needs has truly had an impact on their relationships with the manager and team members. One manager said, a few weeks after the program:
“I had no idea my needs were so different from some of my direct reports! I am working too hard in some areas which are unnecessary, and also expressing my needs for control more than team member’s would like. This has truly changed the way we interact, and my direct reports seem to be happier and more engaged.”
How have you used FIRO-B Assessments with your leaders or teams?
Share a story of the effective results your team gained.
Questions? Let’s connect. I would love to hear your success stories. Please send them to: hello@sarahscala.com or visit www.sarahscala.com
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About the Author:
Sarah Scala is a senior talent management leader and Boston-based executive coach with 20+ years of experience providing organization development, change management, and leadership development solutions for diverse global and local industries. She is a collaborative consultant, coach, and educator supporting performance transformation of executives, leaders, and teams. Sarah is a methodical, results-driven leader recognized for helping clients reach their highest potential, increase revenue, reduce turnover, elevate business profitability, build competencies, and improve performance.
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