VALUING DIFFERENCES—PREWORK

Unlocking the Power of Differences

There is value in differences—in the unique set of experiences, perspectives, skills, and
ideas that each person, including you, brings to the workplace. The Valuing Differences
course is about discovering and capitalizing on these differences so that each and every
person can contribute things that make him or her unique and valuable.

Meet “SAM”
The first step in finding and tapping the value of individual differences is to learn more
about the qualities and characteristics that make you unique—your:
ƒ Styles
ƒ Abilities
ƒ Motivations
Understanding your SAMs:
ƒ Provides insights into the qualities and characteristics you value in yourself and
builds awareness of how your styles, abilities, and motivations can influence what
you value in others.
ƒ Helps you identify the unique talents and contributions you bring to your work group.

The following three-part activity helps you identify your SAMs. Starting on the next
page are three self-assessments—one each for styles, abilities, and motivations—with
explanations and instructions. Please follow the instructions and complete the
worksheets on pages 3 through 7. Remember to bring this document to the workshop—
you will be using it throughout the session.

Important Note
The SAMs construct is not intended to label you as being one type of person or another.
Instead, it’s a tool to help you identify important differences in (1) how people tend to
approach their work and working relationships, (2) their knowledge and skills, and (3) the
things that tend to motivate them at work. No particular styles, abilities, or motivations
are presented as being more desirable than others. In fact, the point of the session you
will be attending is that all SAMs are valuable and that the key to success is to nurture
and leverage each person’s unique styles, abilities, and motivations.

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 VALUING DIFFERENCES—PREWORK

Part 1—SAM Has Style(s)

The S in SAM—“Styles”—represents your unique way of approaching situations. Your
styles show in your personality, how you organize and complete your work, how you
respond to others, and how you look at life.

On the facing page you’ll respond to six style continuums. Each continuum ranges from
one style to its opposite. These continuums are:
ƒ Approach to People—Are you the life of the party or a good listener?
ƒ Approach to Tasks—Do you favor speed or accuracy?
ƒ Approach to Risk—Do you tend to be cautious or venturesome?
ƒ Approach to Thinking—Do you look for what’s new and different or rely on the
tried-and-true?
ƒ Approach to Knowing—Do you prefer to analyze facts or rely on hunches?
ƒ Approach to Working with Others—Are you more comfortable taking direction or
taking charge?

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. All styles have value, and each is
useful at one time or another.

Instructions
1. Read the bulleted description of each style on page 3. For example, under Approach
to People, outgoing people tend to be friendly and assertive, yet might tend to
monopolize conversations. Reserved people, on the other hand, prefer to listen and
absorb information, and can seem distant.
2. Mark each continuum at the point that represents your typical approach to situations
at work. For example, for Approach to Knowing, if you tend to be very analytical—
you enjoy solving problems and rely heavily on facts in making decisions—you
might make a mark toward the left of the continuum, as indicated here:

Approach to Knowing
5 X
Analytical Intuitive
ƒ gathers and organizes all relevant facts; ƒ sensitive to others’ feelings, viewpoints;
enjoys solving problems relies heavily on intuition, impressions
ƒ can be critical; might overlook others’ ƒ can seem vague or unclear in expressing
feelings or efforts self; can be emotional

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 VALUING DIFFERENCES—PREWORK

Approach to People
1
Outgoing Reserved
ƒ friendly, confident; assertive, willing ƒ prefers to listen, absorb information; thinks
to question old ways before speaking
ƒ can monopolize conversations; can ƒ might seem distant, uninterested; might
overwhelm others not offer ideas

Approach to Tasks
2
Action-Oriented Precise
ƒ energetic, takes initiative; likes fast ƒ reliable, conscientious; accurate, detail
pace, multiple responsibilities oriented
ƒ puts deadlines above perfection; can ƒ puts quality first; can get bogged down
overstep authority to reach goals in details or do more than needed

Approach to Risk
3
Cautious Venturesome
ƒ carefully weighs all evidence, facts, ƒ comfortable with uncertainty; decisive;
and opinions; finds flaws willing to take risks
ƒ can be a worrier; can be suspicious of ƒ can overestimate chances of success and
others’ motives underestimate potential negative results

Approach to Thinking
4
Creative Systematic
ƒ original, innovative; willing to explore ƒ makes and follows detailed plans; checks
new ideas and approaches others’ progress to avoid surprises
ƒ would rather be novel than practical; ƒ tends to need clear directions, roles; can
easily bored by routine stick to rules/guidelines too strictly

Approach to Knowing
5
Analytical Intuitive
ƒ gathers and organizes all relevant facts; ƒ sensitive to others’ feelings, viewpoints;
enjoys solving problems relies heavily on intuition, impressions
ƒ can be critical; might overlook others’ ƒ can seem vague or unclear in expressing
feelings or efforts self; can be emotional

Approach to Working with Others

6
Accepting Influential
ƒ open-minded, adaptable; lets others ƒ persuasive, decisive; effective at enlisting
go at their own pace others’ support
ƒ can give in to others’ priorities; can ƒ can be opinionated or too demanding
be uncomfortable making decisions of others

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 VALUING DIFFERENCES—PREWORK

Part 2—SAM Has Talents

The A in SAM—“Abilities”—represents your knowledge, skills, and capabilities. Your
abilities are what you know and what you can do with your head and hands. Examples
include:
ƒ Operating a computer, machine, or equipment.
ƒ Being a good writer, public speaker, or artist.
ƒ Planning and keeping to a budget or schedule.
ƒ Reading blueprints or process maps.
ƒ Brainstorming creative ways to solve a problem.
ƒ Analyzing detailed information and making good decisions.
ƒ Doing complex assembly work.

Identifying your abilities helps you maximize your contributions and gain insights into
the talents and contributions you value in others.

Instructions
1. For abilities 1 through 25, check each general ability that you do well.
2. In the spaces provided on page 5, list some of your specific job-related abilities.

Do Well Your General Abilities

† 1. Leading meetings

† 2. Making presentations

† 3. Developing sales opportunities

† 4. Dealing with customers

† 5. Planning and organizing

† 6. Generating new ideas

† 7. Communicating with others

† 8. Designing/Improving processes

† 9. Resolving conflict

† 10. Building partnerships

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 VALUING DIFFERENCES—PREWORK

Do Well Your General Abilities

† 11. Ensuring/Maintaining quality

† 12. Manufacturing or assembling products

† 13. Negotiating

† 14. Training, coaching, supporting others

† 15. Gaining others’ support, commitment

† 16. Writing reports, proposals, marketing materials, etc.

† 17. Making decisions

† 18. Operating computers, machines, etc.

† 19. Repairing computers, machines, etc.

† 20. Motivating others

† 21. Analyzing and solving problems

† 22. Setting and managing budgets

† 23. Managing inventory

† 24. Managing knowledge/information

† 25. Designing/Developing products or services

Your Specific Job-Related Abilities

26.
27.
28.
29.
30.

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 VALUING DIFFERENCES—PREWORK

Part 3—What Moves You, SAM?

The M in SAM—“Motivations”—represents your goals and values and the things you
enjoy doing. Motivations are the driving force behind your productivity and job
satisfaction—what excites, interests, and inspires you.

Some people are motivated by achievement and recognition; others, by meeting and
helping people. Some people like a fast pace and variety; others prefer stability and
order. Your motivations are closely related to your abilities. Usually, you like doing
what you do well, and you do well those things you like.

Instructions
1. Read the description of each motivation below and on page 7.
2. Place a check next to your two or three strongest motivations.

Motivation Description

† Achievement ƒ I like to be known as an expert.

ƒ The more challenging the work, the better I like it.
ƒ I like setting and achieving challenging goals.

† Coaching ƒ I enjoy mentoring or coaching other people.

Others ƒ I enjoy helping other develop professionally.
ƒ It’s rewarding when people succeed through my coaching.

† Complexity ƒ I enjoy carrying out complicated tasks.

ƒ I enjoy completing tasks that require attention to several
sources of information at once.
ƒ I find it rewarding to complete complex tasks or projects
successfully.

† Continuous ƒ I like developing new skills.

Learning ƒ I look for opportunities to learn new things.
ƒ I’m happiest when my job provides opportunities to develop
new skills and knowledge.

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 VALUING DIFFERENCES—PREWORK

Motivation Description

† Helpfulness ƒ I find it rewarding to help others.

ƒ I like to make people feel comfortable.
ƒ Empathy for others comes naturally to me.

† High ƒ I like working in a participative, empowered environment.

Involvement ƒ I enjoy being heavily involved in making decisions.
ƒ I like providing input and ideas for decisions or other actions.

† High ƒ I enjoy being in charge of projects that require high levels of

Responsibility time and commitment.
ƒ I want to be responsible for the success of important tasks.
ƒ I seek out important tasks and assignments.

† Interpersonal ƒ I am motivated by gestures of appreciation and recognition.

Support ƒ It’s important to me to be praised by coworkers or
customers.
ƒ I appreciate being reassured by coworkers before taking on a
difficult assignment.

† Relationship ƒ I like being part of a group or team.

Building ƒ I like working closely with coworkers or customers.
ƒ Friendships and relationships are important to me.

† Standardized ƒ I like having tasks assigned to me.

Work ƒ I like work patterns that don’t change from day to day.
ƒ I work better when routines and goals are stable.

† Task Variety ƒ I enjoy doing different activities day to day.

ƒ Changes in priorities or processes interest me.
ƒ I enjoy working on a variety of projects with diverse demands.

† Visibility ƒ I like others in the organization to see my work.

ƒ I don’t mind being the center of attention.
ƒ I enjoy handling assignments that are familiar and important
to many other people.

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