What colour's your motivation - an insight in to the Strength Deployment Inventory®
(Publication Date 18 January 2005)

What is SDI®

Lets start with what SDI® is not, it is not a psychometric test designed to measure a persons abilities, cognitive or otherwise, or an assessment of current skills from which to plan your future development, or even a tool to pigeonhole a persons behavior. It is however, an excellent way of understanding, firstly what motivates us and then what motivates others. Unlike other "personality trait" tools the SDI® goes beyond behavior into our core values.

SDI® is built upon "Relationship Awareness Theory" which states that ‘motivation is the basis of all behaviour, and that we all need to feel a sense of self worth and self esteem in our relationships with others.’

In order to satisfy these needs of self worth and self-esteem we all behave in a way we feel comfortable with that allows us to do that. Have you noticed how some people get reward by helping others, some by achieving goals and tasks and others by being logical and analytical. We can now identify what rewards or provides us with these feelings of self worth and self-esteem in our relationships and interactions with others.

This quite complex subject has been simplified and made very easy to understand and use effectively by anybody including friends, family and co-workers. Our motivation is represented by a triangle, allowing for a clear and simple reference of our positions when relating to others. There are four main 'thrusts' or orientations. To nurture, to achieve, to analyse and to adapt, these are known as Motivational Value Systems (MVS) and are represented by the colours Blue, Red, Green and Hub (a mix of all three). Of course we can all relate to all of these at different times, but we do have a dominant MVS.

An example of how judging only behavior, may be misleading can be seen in an example of how a ambulance is driven. On the way to an accident it may be driven fast, breaking speed limits, and passing through red lights, even driving on the hard shoulder. On its way from the accident to the hospital, it may be driven slowly, with caution and with care for the injured patient. So very different patterns of behaviour but the motivation behind these two patterns is the same, the welfare of others, in this case to nurture and it is being recognised for providing this welfare for others that provides a sense of self esteem and self-worth for those with a blue or nurturing MVS.

But what happens when conflict occurs?

Inter-Personal Conflict is inevitable, however, when teams understand each others value systems the incidence of conflict is vastly reduced.

But when it does happen the SDI gives us insights, not only, into why people change their styles but how to recognise the shifts early AND how to resolve it quickly and appropriately.

There are two further types of conflict warranted and un-warranted. Warranted occurs when the people involved do not agree on the desired outcome, for example should a surplus of cash be spent on more marketing activity or more stock.

Un-warranted conflict occurs when the people agree on the outcome but not the process of achieving it. Take the example of a new computer system being installed in an office, The operations Director wants to install it fully, and start using it site wide immediately, the IT Director wants a phased implementation, learning from each step as they go.

In this case the Operations Director is deploying what may be described as Red behavior, being achievement and results orientated. The IT Director on the other hand is deploying Green behavior, analytical and ordered in his approach.

Each one wants to gain the maximum feeling of self-esteem and self-worth by implementing the new system their way. Without an understanding of SDI® and its principles this situation may lead to high levels of conflict, stress, and ultimately a negative effect on the organisation.

Research shows that the majority of conflict is un-warranted, and experience suggests that awareness of our own MVS and that of others can substantially reduce this type of conflict and therefore cost to the organisation, in slow and poor decision-making, time, stress, morale and profit.

Who developed the SDI®?

The SDI® was developed by Dr. Elias H. Porter who worked along side Carl Rogers, originator of client centered therapy. During his time studying at the University of California, Porter developed "Relationship Awareness Theory" over several years to the point we understand it today.

From this theory, Dr. Porter developed a series of questions that allow us to see what it is that really motivates us to behave the way we do. When these questions are answered truthfully and in non-conflict situations, they provide a window in on ourselves and allow us to have an insight into our true motivations.

How can it help you?

So how can SDI® help you and your organisation? Think of one role in your organisation that is completely autonomous, requires no interaction with others, no information, no discussion, no support. Did you find it hard perhaps impossible? That’s because we all interact with others, and as organisations are constantly required to do more with less we find ourselves working more and more closely with others, at a variety of complex levels. In today’s businesses conflict can damage our personal and organisational productivity more than ever before.

A key element in the understanding of others is to develop high self awareness first. SDI® allows us to increase our personal understanding. With this fresh look at ourselves and others and, the acceptance that we are all different, we become more tolerant of others ideas and solutions to problems. This awareness helps us spot the early signals of tension between people that leads to un-necessary conflict.

When we develop this new awareness, we can avoid the conflict escalating in to those full-blown arguments we have all seen or experienced. We are then able to develop new ways of working with those who we see as different to ourselves. We are able to develop ways to be more productive with others, leading to greater harmony, buy in from all involved, less personal stress and these results are reflected in our bottom line profit.

Where is SDI® used?

SDI® can be used in any situation where people interact with other people. Two areas where SDI® would be valuable are that of team building especially newly formed teams, or teams who are in conflict and not working together productively. In this case the members learn to fully appreciate what it is that drives their colleagues to seek reward and are also far more aware of the early stages of conflict between team members. SDI® equips us to deal with these situations earlier and more effectively, leading to greater team harmony and productivity.

The second area would be in a role where influencing is a key factor, such as sales or leadership. Understanding the four Motivational Value Systems and identifying them in your client or subordinate will give you the information required to communicate and offer them feedback as individuals in a way they find rewarding, thus strengthening the relationship providing greater trust and co-operation.

Copyright: The SDI® and Strength Deployment Inventory® are protected by worldwide copyright and is registered to Personal Strengths Publishing Inc

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