Training based on the PSI Learning Kit focuses on core issues underlying group issues. Rather than skills and techniques, this approach brings individual's face-to-face with their attitudes and behavior. Through an "inner-directed" orientation discussed below, they are encouraged to look at the effect style has on their and the group's effectiveness.

Training Topics

The Strategy Profile, Rainbow of Styles, Workshop Teams and Action Plan tools can be tailored to reinforce the themes developed in your workshop activities. The examples below suggest the wide variety of training topics where the PSI has been used successfully by individuals and groups to encourage style integration and flexibility which in turn nurtures respect for diversity and responsiveness to change.

Management and Organization

Topics Workshop Outcomes
Creative
Leadership		 Discover the flexible combination of rational and intuitive modes needed in today's dynamic global environment.
Team
Building		 Capitalize on the power of team similarities and differences to promote flexible, productive group efforts.
Problem
Solving		 Blend problem-solving styles to achieve optimum responsiveness in a variety of problem situations.
Communication Listen and respond to colleagues in terms of their style preferences to build respect for diversity in a group.

Consulting and Counseling

Topics Workshop Outcomes
Understanding
Self		 Discover and clarify personal preferences as a first, self-oriented step in dealing with interpersonal issues in a group.
Understanding
Others		 Recognize the preferences of others as a second, other-directed step in dealing with interpersonal issues in a group.

Training and Education

Topics Workshop Outcomes
Learning
Styles		 Recognize the variety of styles that participants bring to a workshop in the design of your content and exercises.
Training
Styles		 Learn the impact of your preferences on presentation and adapt your delivery to program participants' styles.

Inner Directed Focus

This inner directed focus of the PSI contrasts with the outer directed orientation of other style surveys that include assessment of an individual by others. We believe that fundamental changes in behavior come when people determine for themselves the specific changes they want to make. The PSI provides an individual centered discovery of personal style and a plan for changing specific behaviors.

This distinction between PSI programs and skill based offerings is essential. The PSI takes a longer and deeper look to discover the core issues behind organizational concerns. Rather than teaching skills and techniques, this approach brings individuals face-to-face with their behaviors and attitudes. They are encouraged to consider the impact of their orientation on their own and their group's effectiveness.

Issues of style flexibility and integration as well as diversity and change present themselves as a variety of symptoms. For one group, the central issue may be phrased as the need to develop a cohesive team. In another this may be stated as a need to improve communication. In yet another this may be seen as the need to improve problem solving.

Using the PSI Tools

You can tailor existing programs to make any of the training topics listed above the central theme of a workshop. Then you can use that topic as the organizing focus for individuals, teams or the group as a whole. You can also design new programs to achieve greater benefits from the tools of the PSI Learning Kit. In either case, you can quickly form paired opposite, similar and dissimilar Workshop Teams to explore behavior patterns as they relate to your training topic.

When individuals are arranged in the Rainbow of Styles, several discussion questions provide an opportunity to explore the broader meaning of their Strategy Profile results. Here are examples of questions that that have been used in training and development programs with a variety of themes:

  1. What labels or slang terms do we have for each end of the rainbow? Are these fair names?
  2. Which part of the rainbow (either end or the middle) is the best?
  3. Are the other individuals where you expected them to be in the rainbow?
  4. What work do you do that would place you in a different position on the rainbow?
  5. How would you (the high rationals and high intuitives) deal with a poor performer?

While individuals are still in the rainbow, form the paired opposite, similar and dissimilar Workshop Teams to explore behavior patterns as they relate to your specific topic. For example the paired opposite teams can be used by pairs to share and refine their Action Plan to moderate one of their high percentile behaviors or enhance one of their low percentile behaviors as it relates to the workshop theme.

In our experience, the benefits of personal style self-discovery are not provided directly by the trainer. They are discovered by individuals when the trainer acts as a facilitator. In PSI based programs, individuals work on organizational issues by preparing concrete Action Plans to develop their personal flexibility and integration. This, in turn, nurtures the organization's diversity and responsiveness.

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