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Behavioral Scale Deep Dive: Low Order

Order: The need to keep everything organized, tidy, and in its place efficiently.

Organization, or Order as we refer to it, is a hot topic in the world of business (and life) and it has become increasingly more relevant as the modern world continues to seem like it is spinning faster and faster.  If you’re a highly orderly person, dealing with a disorganized coworker or direct report might be a maddening experience. You might think: “ Is it even possible to curb this person’s natural tendency of constant disorder?” Conversely, a person totally comfortable in chaos might think you’re an OCD maniac who can’t chill out and go with the flow.  

As we strongly believe at Behavioral Essentials, there are always strengths and growth areas in both high and low scores of each of our 21 behavioral scales. In this new series of posts, we will be doing deep dives into both the low and high spectrums of each one so that you can learn to better understand, empathize and compassionately manage different types of people. Let’s dive into our first one: Low Order.

Low Order

Meet Sally.  Everyday, Sally rolls out of bed hitting the snooze button, throws her hair in a bun, shoves a piece of bread in her mouth on the way out the door and leaves her bed (and everything in her path, for that matter) disheveled on her way out. Arriving to the office fashionably late is a common occurrence, she enjoys being in the “here and now” and doesn’t worry too much about the future. At work, she hates having a strict schedule and likes to “roll with the punches.” She can’t understand why people spend $20 on a planner at Target and often has difficulty completing projects with many details and distant goals… but she’s always chilled out about it.

As you might have guessed, our friend Sally is a somewhat extreme caricature of a low scorer in order. She: 

  • Enjoys the “here and now.”
  • Tends to be comfortable in chaos or dealing with the unexpected. 
  • Is commonly open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. 
  • Is uninhibited and expressive, spontaneous and flexible.
  • Is less inhibited and expressive. 
  • Is often self-indulgent and unpredictable.
  • Is often direct, and sometimes under-controlled in their emotional expression.
  • Is motivated by instant gratification, quick and frequent rewards, and variety.
  • Does not place a high value on planning or formality, and may have difficulty completing projects with many details and distant goals.

https://vimeo.com/213180134

Tips for managing Low Scorers in Order:

If you’re the type of person who always has a tidy space and operates with a daily to-do list, thinking about working with or managing Sally is probably already giving you anxiety. You don’t know if you can rely on her to complete projects or meet deadlines,  you can probably see yourself ending up doing everything for her to give yourself some peace of mind, and it probably seem impossibles to relate to her. However, there are ways to help someone like Sally meet you in the middle in a positive, encouraging way that will help you and them grow together. Here are some suggestions: 

Help them to recognize the value of being on time, planning, and accuracy.

  • Encourage them to take 5 minutes each morning to plan out their day and review the list each day until this practice has become a discipline. At first this may be painstaking, but encourage them that the reward of improved performance justifies the effort.
  • Encourage them to set task and calendar reminders in their phone so they don’t have to remember.

Give Just Enough Structure & Accountability

  • The low scorer in order is motivated by high energy, creative environments, without too many confines. However, establishing a consistent, but not overbearing, communication process is key. This may mean hosting monthly or weekly team meetings that they can frequently look forward to, or working with them to set up individual meetings to help encourage them to stay organized and on task. 

Pair them with people who are better than them at being organized

  • Encourage them to appreciate those who are more careful and move more slowly or methodically. In group settings, surround them with people who are better than them at being organized. 
  • Dreaming & Strategizing about new ideas motivates low scorers in order but often their minds will go on tangents and by the time they’ve reached the end, they’ll be excited about a different idea. Thus, what may be a really innovative idea can end up not getting finished or being too disorganized to translate.  However, if you partner them with people who are good at finishing things (i.e.-High scorers in Endurance) and who have the ability to order and clarify ideas (i.e.-High scorers in Order), collaboration will flow and grow. 

https://vimeo.com/213180123

Can you relate to this scale? In this accompanying episode of Natural Tendencies, Rick shares a brief funny story about one of our clients and dear friends who pays no mind to order and structure, in a hilarious and awesome way. 

Want to know exactly where you score in Order? Contact us today to try our Behavioral Assessment and see how you compare to Sally.