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What’s your work style? Take our work style assessment quiz

What’s your work style? Take our work style assessment quiz

Judy Tsuei
Writer
May 24, 2022
Updated on:

What’s your work style? Take our work style assessment quiz
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Are you the type of teammate who plans out every last detail? Or do you thrive on brainstorming innovative ideas and leave the execution to someone else? 

We all have different ways of working, and all work styles are essential to a healthy work environment. Beyond a personality test like Myers-Briggs, a work style assessment test can be a valuable tool for team building. There are many different types of work style examples, but these are the four that we found to be most inclusive: Logical, Organized, Supportive, and Big-picture. 

While you may already know your personality type, it’s also important to identify your work style so that you’re playing to your strengths and delegating your weaknesses. Taking a work style assessment can also help job seekers identify the best positions according to their work preferences.

It’s important for team leaders to understand their team members’ work styles, so they can better understand their team’s personality traits, assign complementary tasks to team members, and facilitate better teamwork based on their work style scores. Hiring managers can also use the work style assessment as interview questions to understand which work style preferences fit their team best. 

Read on to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of each work style, which types of work styles pair well with each other, and how each work style can optimize productivity. If you find yourself wondering what your work style is, then continue on to take our fun work style quiz!

What your work style means

Logical

Logical workers are extremely committed to seeing a project through to the end and using data to solve problems. They tend to buckle down and do whatever it takes to troubleshoot a problem, and they have a very linear approach to getting things done. 

A logical worker approaches everything like a puzzle. These workers thrive in challenging environments, especially when they have enough time to explore a problem from every angle. 

Strengths: Logical workers are committed, focused, data-oriented problem-solvers.

Weaknesses: Because they are so focused, logical workers can sometimes struggle to communicate their process or collaborate with others.

Who they pair well with: Logical workers tend to be solitary workers, but they can benefit from big-picture workers who can provide them with a challenge to sink their teeth into. 

Organized

Organized workers are extremely detail-oriented and meticulous. They are the color-coders, the folders-within-folders, and meeting-notetakers of the team. Organized workers plan out all tasks and gather all resources before a project starts. 

Strengths: Organized workers keep a project moving by ensuring that everyone is completing tasks and buttoning up all processes. This kind of conscientiousness is great in keeping timelines accurate and projects moving along.

Weaknesses: Organized workers tend to avoid risk and can be slow on moving forward with a project unless they are sure they have all the pieces. They may struggle to see the big picture of a project because they are so focused on the small details. 

Who they pair well with: The organized work style pairs best with big-picture thinkers. Organized workers ensure that the team has what it needs to forge ahead, and they have the detail-oriented skills to execute any idea. 

Supportive

Supportive workers are the people-people of any team. They are the ones who know the right people for the job and who to connect to whom. Their work style is more emotionally-oriented, which makes them the best person for keeping the pulse on any project, as well as handling HR tasks. 

Strengths: Supportive workers are great communicators and connectors. They can help to bolster any idea and recommend the best people for any task. Their inherent extraversion helps to boost team morale.  

Weaknesses: While supportive workers shine when connecting people with complementary skill-sets, they don’t like being bogged down with the details of a project. 

Who they pair well with: Supportive workers can give logical workers the push they need to breathe air and connect with the rest of the team every once in a while. 

Big-picture

Big-picture workers always have the next new idea, and they often lead the team to consider creative and innovative solutions. Not only do team members with this work style create new visions and directions for the team, but they also excel at rallying others around their vision. 

Strengths: Where others see obstacles, the big-picture worker sees only opportunity. They are often the team members to help a project avoid a dead end by providing a fresh perspective on the problem. 

Weaknesses: Big-picture workers can be quick to try out a new idea without taking into account all risk factors. They are great at decision-making, but once a project goes forward, they tend to lose interest in the small details of execution.

Who they pair well with: The big-picture work style pairs best with the logical work style. The big-picture worker provides the new and innovative ideas, while the logical worker makes it their mission to figure out implementation. 

How work styles impact productivity

Your work style impacts how you are best productive throughout the day. Here’s how each work style can optimize their productivity. 

Logical: Logical workers benefit best from long periods of uninterrupted Focus Time, so they can devote their energy to the task at hand. Using Clockwise to protect their Focus Time can help someone with a logical work style optimize their productivity. 

Organized: Organized workers can maximize productivity by using tools that automate some of the more menial tasks that they need to stay organized. Clockwise Links automates all internal and external scheduling, while taking into account Focus Time, travel time, and meeting preferences. This allows the organized worker to focus on other details – like making the best Excel spreadsheet possible.

Supportive: Supportive workers thrive in social spaces, connecting their fellow team members with each other. Clockwise helps team members integrate their calendar with Slack, so supportive workers can keep on schedule and see when their teammates are available to chat. 

Big-picture: Meetings are where big-picture workers shine. Because they are great at presenting their ideas to as many people as possible, using Flexible Scheduling can help them schedule meetings that work for multiple people – even when schedules change.

Identifying your own personal work style can make your work day go smoother and facilitate better collaboration. We’ve put together a short and fun work style test that will help you better understand your work style. This short questionnaire is a great complement to any personality assessment your organization may already use. Share your snapshot report with your boss so they can better understand your strengths and weaknesses. 

Are you a team leader? Feel free to share this self-assessment with your employees, so you can better understand how your team works together. 

Work Style Assessment

1. You’re sending out an email to spur the next step of a project. Which best describes how your email looks? 

  1. I use bulleted lists to lay everything out clearly. 
  2. I don’t send emails often, but when I do, they’re data summary reports.
  3. I’ve got 5 different people I’m CCing, and the phrase “let’s connect” is somewhere in the email.
  4. My emails are short and sweet, because I need to share my ideas in person. 

2. What does your daily calendar look like? 

  1. My calendar accounts for my every action, down to the moment. I batch my meetings together, and I always schedule the precise amount of time necessary to transition between meetings. Every day looks more or less the same. 
  2. I block off most of my day to buckle down and solve this discrepancy in data I’m seeing. I barely allow 30 minutes to come up for air and eat lunch. 
  3. I’ve got a healthy mix of meetings throughout the day, and of course the team-wide happy hour later. My lunch breaks are really just networking opportunities. 
  4. Meetings. I’m in meetings all day long, with an hour in the morning to put together pitches, and an hour at the end of the day to send follow-up emails. 

3. Your department is in charge of a new project. What do you do after the first kick off meeting?  

  1. The nitty-gritty. After the project kicks off, I immediately create multiple to-do lists and divide them up according to team and urgency. 
  2. Once the problem is set, it’s my mission to come up with a solution. I love to hunker down and crunch the numbers to see what the best course of action is. 
  3. Finding the best person for different tasks is where I thrive. I immediately go to my desk and shoot off a bunch of emails to facilitate collaborations. 
  4. Brainstorming and pitching. I immediately bounce ideas off of a few people to come up with creative ideas.

4. How do you start your day at the office? 

  1. Going through my to-do lists and reorganizing my calendar if needed.
  2. Checking the metrics of my current projects so I can identify what I need to do next. 
  3. Making the rounds and chatting to everyone to see what they’re working on. 
  4. I had a brilliant idea in the shower, and now I’m writing it all down before I forget and setting meetings to present my idea with others. 

5. What do you usually have open on your desktop? 

  1. Only what I’m working on at the moment. I minimize as many distractions as I can. 
  2. On my desktop I have Excel, R-studio, and whatever else I need to analyze the project’s data. 
  3. I’ve got Slack open at all times, and I’m probably in a Zoom meeting.
  4. My desktop is a mismatch of different files and apps open, but I always have PowerPoint open, working on my next pitch. 

6. What’s your favorite productivity app?

  1. Asana is my favorite app because all of my to-dos are in one place, as well as what the team’s doing. 
  2. Notion helps me access all of the project’s assets, so I can troubleshoot effectively. 
  3. Slack keeps me in touch with all my teammates and makes it easy for me to connect between teammates. 
  4. Google Calendar is my favorite so I can keep track of all my meetings. 

Results

Time to tally up your scores! If most of your answers are…

  • A: Your work style is organized
  • B: Your work style is logical
  • C: Your work style is supportive
  • D: Your work style is big-picture

Did you tie between two work styles? You may fit more than one work style, which is more than normal! Try out our productivity tips for each one, and determine whether one style suits you better. And of course, don’t forget to share with your friends and colleagues. A little bit of insight can go a long way in terms of personal performance or teamwork!

About the author

Judy Tsuei

Judy Tsuei is a Simon & Schuster author, speaker, and podcast host. She’s been featured in MindBodyGreen, BBC Travel, Fast Company, Hello Giggles, and more. As the founder of Wild Hearted Words, a creative marketing agency for global brands, Judy is also a mentor with the Founder Institute, the world's largest pre-seed accelerator. Judy advocates for mental and emotional health on her popular podcast, F*ck Saving Face. Follow along her journey at WildHeartedWords.com.

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