Reading: 2.5—People Types

2.5 People Types: People are complicated creatures that have been subjected to in-depth analysis over centuries of time. This analysis has produced tools such as the DISC Profile, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Gary Smalley’s Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever, Beaver Personality Classification, Tom Rath’s StrengthsFinder, and many, many more. All to say, by way of disclaimer, that I know that people are complicated and it is not my intent to take a deep dive into all of those complexities in an empirical, scientific manner. However, I have been working with people as they have encountered change for several decades and I have observed that, when processing change, they tend to gravitate intuitively toward one of four types that can be described quite simply.

1. Theorists – A theorist is someone who is able to evaluate a proposed change in its theoretical form and form a firm conclusion. Therefore, though this change is only an idea, if the idea is compelling, the theorist is able to commit. The theorist is able to project into the future, make certain predictions or assumptions as to how that idea is going to play out, and fully commit on the idea alone. Note that, on average, a given population is rather thin on theorists and, if that population is the remnant congregation of a declining church, the presence of theorists in that congregation is typically even lower. Theorists are very valuable to vision casters as they are the most likely to reach buy-in early in the vision casting process since all they need is the idea, but, again, in the case of a declining church, they are typically in short supply.

2. Realists – A realist is not going to be able to commit on the strength of the idea alone. He or she needs to see the proposed change in reality. So, for example, if the change has to do with a hot button church issue such as a change in the style of worship music, the idea of changing the music is not enough. The realist needs to know and experience the proposed change in an actual, real-life setting. What style of music is being proposed? Will there be a choir and organ or piano, or will there be a pop band with singers, or will there be a guitarist singing folk Scripture songs, or will there be monks singing Gregorian chant? The list could go on and on. The point is that, in the case of the realist, a simple idea will not suffice. Even if changing FROM makes perfect sense to the realist, changing TO is vitally important. While the theorist can buy-in early, the realist will need more time because the change must be tried on for size and then evaluated.

3. Pragmatists – A pragmatist is not going to be moved by either the idea or the reality but will need to know, “Does this work?” Is the proposed change actually resulting in the positive outcomes that were predicted and promised? If so, the pragmatist can get on board. If not, the pragmatist is out. For outcomes to be revealed, of course, a significant amount of time must pass. The proposed change has to operate sufficiently for an outcome to be determined. Therefore, while the theorist can buy-in early based on the idea, and the realist can follow in time based on the reality, the pragmatist will require even more time in order for outcomes to be realized.

4. Preservationists – A preservationist is someone who is so married to the former way of doing things, the proverbial status quo, that he or she is not likely to make the change ever. The idea, the reality, even positive results, are not enough to sway the preservationists. Typically, a preservationist will stay with the enterprise thinking or hoping that the change will fail and that life will return to the way it was. If not, the preservationist might well leave the enterprise altogether. There are several important issues to note regarding preservationists. First, a preservationist might be able to overcome preservation-ism and join in if there is some higher-ranking motivation in the mix, such as an older preservationist whose son or daughter and family attend and have fully embraced the change. Second, one significant challenge to effecting change is when a key leader in the church is a preservationist that exerts negative influence or strong resistance. Third, the wise leader will be aware of who the preservationists are before rolling out a proposed change and putting that change at risk prematurely. Remember: Private Vision-Casting, the Divide & Serve Principle, and the importance of avoiding the Town Hall Meeting too early in the process.

Vision casting to create ownership recognizes that people are wired differently and must be allowed to be who they are when adapting to change.