6 types of work styles and how to find yours

Understanding different work styles is crucial for personal and professional growth. Knowing your work style can help you optimize your productivity, collaborate based on your unique strengths, and be more innovative. It can also help you better understand team dynamics and reduce biases and burnout. 

Everyone works differently, and there’s no right or wrong way to do so. However, to determine your own work style, you need to understand the different types of work styles and the work styles of others to become a better collaborator.

What are work styles?

Research has found that people have behavioral preferences that result in a particular work style regardless of age, nationality, ethnicity, generation, and other demographics. While behavioral preferences are a global concept, how each work style is displayed and perceived may vary based on cultural norms. These differences can manifest within attitudes toward work, comfort in speaking up, and emphasis on collaboration versus independence.

Work styles refer to unique approaches to tasks influenced by your personality traits, skills, and past experiences that impact your behavior at work. They determine how you engage in problem-solving, work relationships, and conflict management. Knowing your work style can also make you a better team player by improving your communication, teamwork skills, and flexibility at work.

Each working style showcases individual strengths, centering on what you’re good at, what you love doing, and how you view your work. Self-awareness of your working style and the work styles of others can lead to greater work performance and career satisfaction.

6 types of work styles

While no strict rules exist for what constitutes a work style, there is typically a consensus on the following examples in different workplace environments. Here are six different work styles examples.

Logical work style: the problem-solver

People with a logical work style approach challenges and tasks with a systematic and analytical mindset. They lean on rational thinking, hard data, and structured methodologies to guide their performance. They’re often considered “the problem solver” of their team because they can quickly analyze a problem and offer valuable insights to develop a unique strategic solution. 

Strengths of those with a logical work style: 

• Logical workers excel in critical-thinking skills due to their focus on problem solving
• They have strong data-driven decision-making skills because of their emphasis on logical reasoning
• They have a strong, linear focus that helps them effectively zero in on each problem

Areas for improvement:

• Logical workers may become increasingly independent, which can lead to shortsightedness due to low reliance on collaboration and teamwork
• They may not prioritize communicating solutions with others
• They sometimes aren’t as focused on planning or preparation because they’re focused on current and immediate tasks

Detail-oriented work style: the strategist

Someone with a detail-oriented work style excels at bringing order out of chaos. They value precision, accuracy, and meticulous attention to the little details that can streamline the workflow of projects. 

Sometimes known as “the strategist” of a team, a person with this work style plans ahead to make sure they consider all aspects before executing a task.

Strengths of detail-oriented individuals: 

• Detail-oriented workers have excellent organizational skills because they ensure they’re tracking every minor detail
• Their future-oriented mindset makes them efficient strategic planners
• Their organizational and planning skills lend themselves to effective time management
• Because they’re planners, they excel in appropriately prioritizing tasks

Areas for improvement:

• Due to an intense focus on the little things, detail-oriented workers may have trouble seeing the bigger picture
• Their passion for detail may lead to the micromanagement of team members and impact open communication
• Their perfectionism might slow down processes and cause project delays

Idea-oriented work style: the doer

Known as a “doer,” someone with an idea-oriented work style is an expert in big-picture thinking and excels at developing innovative solutions. Their personality tends to lean toward optimism, and they are often viewed as inspiring to other teammates. They’re also known for outside-the-box thinking, which can make them experts at driving large-scale change.

Strengths of those with an idea-oriented work style: 

• Idea-oriented workers are masterminds at creative thinking due to their visionary mindset
• They spark innovation by thinking outside the box
• They excel at brainstorming techniques that get other team members engaged

Areas for improvement:

• Idea-oriented individuals are more likely to overlook the smaller details because of their big-picture thinking
• They could have a hard time delegating to others because they like to lead the charge
• They may struggle to turn their ideas into action because they’re so focused on the end result

Supportive work style: the mediator

People with a supportive work style value building good work relationships and boosting team morale to bring teams together. They’re receptive to different learning styles and communication styles in the workplace and intentionally work to support colleagues, no matter when or where support is needed. They also excel at mediating conflicts between different personality types, earning them the title of “the mediator.” 

Strengths of those with a supportive work style: 

• Supportive workers excel at cognitive empathy, or the ability to take on the perspectives of others, because they want to help others succeed
• They have excellent interpersonal skills that enable their relationship-building abilities
• They have high levels of emotional intelligence, which enables them to understand and interpret the emotions of others
• They help create a harmonious work environment by catering to everyone’s communication style

Areas for improvement:

• Supportive individuals may become overly reliant on others
• They may neglect their own needs and responsibilities to support their team
• They might struggle with setting boundaries or asserting their own ideas

Cooperative work style: the integrator

Someone with a cooperative work style thrives in collaborative environments. They love to bounce ideas off others and work together to achieve team goals. They value effective communication and having their ideas seen by others.

Strengths of those with a cooperative work style: 

• Cooperative workers excel at interpersonal communication due to their valuation of teamwork
• They’re great at facilitating team interactions and group discussions by ensuring everyone is heard
• They’re excellent at being inclusive of different ideas and perspectives

Areas for improvement:

• Someone with a cooperative working style may struggle to develop ideas on their own or work independently
• They may find it challenging to make individual decisions
• They might feel restless when others aren’t around, which can decrease their productivity

Proximity work style: the adapter

Individuals with a proximity work style value real-time, face-to-face communication and often enjoy close working quarters. They love the spontaneous encounters and quick idea exchanges with coworkers that come with an office setting. 

In a remote setting, they’re quick to hop on a video conference or phone call. This is a highly adaptable work style because those who have it will likely value help and feedback.

Strengths of those with a proximity work style: 

• Proximity workers excel at connecting with people due to high levels of communication
• They’re adaptable to different roles and environments, making them flexible workers
• They’re willing to embrace change to propel their organization forward

Areas for improvement:

• Those with a proximity work style may find it hard to communicate using digital tools like messaging, email, and video conferencing
• They may struggle in a hybrid work culture or when working from home
• They may feel reliant on constant feedback and need more hands-on guidance than others

How to determine your personal work style

You might read the above list and immediately identify with one of the work styles. Or maybe you feel like you’re a mix of different styles. Knowing which work styles you gravitate toward can help you figure out what you’re good at. It can also help you identify where to focus your personal development efforts.  

Here are a few ways you can determine your personal work styles:

• Use a work style assessment: A work style assessment asks you questions about your personality, preferences, and capabilities in the workplace. You can take these tests online, or your employer may offer one during or after the hiring process. Workplace personality tests and self-assessments can also help you identify your work habits and how they fit into your working style.

• Consider your communication style: People of varying work styles communicate differently. For example, a logical worker might be more inclined to keep to themselves, while a cooperative team member is more likely to speak their mind. Think about how you communicate at work and how it affects your relationships.
• Factor in what you enjoy: Your work style can be heavily influenced by what you like to do. If you love generating new ideas, you might fit more into the idea-oriented style. If you enjoy every little detail of agile project management, you might resonate with the detail-oriented style.
• Identify your conflict style: Most work styles handle conflict in different ways. If you tend to avoid conflict, you might lean more toward the problem-solver type that values independence. If you are constantly motivated to keep the peace, a supportive work style may be fitting.

Leaning into your work style for professional growth 

Once you’ve determined your work style (or styles), you can use what you learn to achieve better outcomes at work. Here are a few examples of how you can lean into your natural working style to grow personally and professionally:

• Use your strengths: Lean into what you know you’re good at to grow your career. For example, if you’re an idea-oriented worker, consider using your inspirational traits to learn how to be a leader and develop a team. This additional responsibility can help advance your career and place you higher in your organizational structure.
• Be open to people with opposite work styles: If you’re a logical worker on a team with cooperative workers, challenge yourself to be open to collaboration. Be intentional about professional development by staying open-minded to colleagues who work differently than you. This can help you build better relationships and expand your skill set.
• Work on your areas of improvement: No one is good at everything, and every work style has areas for improvement. Use these as a roadmap for personal growth. For example, if you’re a proximity worker, challenge yourself to work more independently with less feedback. This can help you overcome insecurities and build confidence at work.

Determining your work style as a leader

Once you’ve determined your own work style, you can become a better leader by being aware of everyone else’s style. It’s good to have diverse teams with a variety of styles who all bring different mindsets to the table. 

Many of these work styles contain opposite strengths and weaknesses. Having a diverse set of team member strengths helps team leaders avoid talent gaps and improves team performance.

Here are a few best practices for managing team members with diverse work styles:

• Adapt your leadership style to your employees: Understanding your natural leadership style and the working styles within your team will help you become a more effective leader. To improve relationships with your team members, try adapting your leadership and management styles to the person you’re working with. For example, you can use a visionary leadership style when working with idea-oriented individuals to help encourage creativity.
• Take a proactive approach to management: Focus on being proactive instead of reactive by anticipating which team members might work differently. It can be valuable to ask them directly about their work style. Then, you can allocate tasks and collaboration based on people with compatible work styles to avoid unnecessary conflict or tension.
• Adopt a coaching leadership style to encourage individual strengths: This type of leadership focuses on coaching individual team members to help them grow and develop. This means identifying their skills and placing them in roles that align with their career goals. This way, you can help a team member build on their natural work style without trying to change it.

Discover the work styles of yourself and others

Whether you’re aware of them or not, work styles influence your professional development as both a colleague and a leader. Embracing your strengths and paying attention to your weaknesses can help you perform better, advance further, and achieve your professional goals.

If you’re not sure where to start, consider working with a professional coach. These coaches are trained to help identify your work habits and create change toward your desired career path. 

Level up your career by working with a BetterUp Coach to take back control of your future.