How to Get the Most out of Social Collaboration

This blog has been adapted from the original post found on the IHS company intranet.

More than 1,000 colleagues and leaders at IHS have had an opportunity to take an Emergenetics Profile. Emergenetics is a psychometric tool used to measure thinking and behavioral attributes. In addition to supporting communication, trust building and team formation, Emergenetics can be used to promote successful social collaboration.

Social collaboration in the workplace is highly instrumental in helping multiple people interact and share information to achieve a common goal. The Emergenetics Profile identifies how individuals prefer to think and behave, classifying preferences as outlined in the metaphor image below. This information can help people understand how to best participate in social collaboration and engage with their co-workers, friends & family, and in the community.

There are four Thinking Attributes:

• ANALYTICAL – Defined by logic, problem-solving and objectivity
• STRUCTURAL – Defined by process, planning and details
• SOCIAL– Defined by empathy, personalization and a relational approach
• CONCEPTUAL– Defined by ideas, inventiveness and the big picture

There are three Behavioral Attributes:

• EXPRESSIVENESS – Gauges how people range from quiet and reserved to gregarious and outgoing
• ASSERTIVENESS – Gauges how people range from amiable and peacekeeping to driving and forceful
• FLEXIBILITY – Gauges how people range from acting in a focused manner to welcoming change

In the true spirit of social collaboration, remember that ideas are everywhere and one of the best ways to harness them is by regularly engaging with the Emergenetics Blog! To get started:

1. Subscribe to the blog so that you never miss a post
2. Think about what your own thinking and behavior preferences might be
3. Post an idea on social media for others to see using #mybrilliance
4. Stay engaged in the responses

To fully leverage the power of social collaboration, it is important to consider how different colleagues may prefer to think and behave, and to remember to embrace your own preferences and those of your colleagues.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Diane Lujan, MBA and MHCS
Emergenetics Associate
Senior Manager of Talent Development, IHS

Diane Lujan is the Senior Manager in Talent Development at IHS. IHS is known as the leading source of information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape today’s business landscape. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS is committed to sustainable, profitable growth and employs approximately 8,000 people in 31 countries around the world.

After 25 years in the accounting and finance field, Diane welcomed a career change in 2009 where she transitioned from an accounting leadership position into a learning and development role. Diane holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from Regis Jesuit University in Denver, Colorado where she graduated with honors and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wyoming.

In addition to her academic credentials, Diane is a Master Human Capital Strategist and a certified Emergenetics associate. Diane enjoys training leaders and colleagues on how to leverage their thinking and behaving preferences for personal, professional, team, and business success. In October 2014, Diane was a Gold Medal winner from Chief Learning Officer magazine for contributions in leveraging Emergenetics® in a global employee environment.