The four quadrants: conductive, expressive, affable and analytical

Merrill and Reid's model identifies four social styles that define how people interact, especially during conflict.

Each style is a unique combination of assertiveness and responsiveness, and understanding them helps to manage conflict more effectively.

The Four Personality Styles

Driving: The Driving style is characterized by high assertiveness and low expressiveness.

They are action-oriented, results-oriented people who prefer to speak their mind rather than ask questions.

They seek to know the "what" and "when" of a task, without paying much attention to the "how" or "why."

Their determination and drive can be a great asset under pressure, but they can also damage relationships because of their bluntness and domineering manner.

When managing conflict with a Driver, it is critical to be direct, get to the point and focus on solutions and results.

Expressive: Expressive individuals are very assertive and emotional.

They are open communicators who enjoy social interaction and like to work in teams.

They tend to be enthusiastic and impatient, and move quickly from one idea to another.

At their best, they can motivate a team to achieve great results, but at their worst, they can appear superficial or not so interested in rigor.

When facing an Expressive, it's helpful to share their enthusiasm, keep the focus on the big picture and not overwhelm them with minute details.

Affable (Amiable): The Affable style is the opposite of the Driver, combining low assertiveness with high expressiveness.

They are relationship-focused individuals who value group harmony over results.

They prefer to ask questions rather than tell what to do and seek to understand the "who" and "why" of situations.

Their tendency to avoid confrontation can make conflict resolution difficult, especially when they come into conflict with a Driver, who is their direct opposite.

With the Affable, it is key to build trust and focus on how the solution will affect people and team dynamics.

Analytical: People with an Analytical style are not very assertive and not very expressive.

They are very methodical, focused on logic and data.

They care about the "how" and seek to make sure things are done the right way.

This need for detail and precision can make them appear indecisive or slow, which can create friction with faster profiles such as Expressives.

To work with an Analytic, it is essential to present them with data, clear processes and logical demonstrations.

Their focus on reasonable conflict resolution makes them a good starting point for de-escalating a problem.

Recognizing these styles in yourself and others allows you to adapt your communication approach to avoid misunderstandings and resolve conflicts more effectively.

Summary

The Driver style is assertive and not very expressive, action and results oriented; to deal with them, it is crucial to be direct. The Expressive is assertive and emotional, enjoys interaction and teamwork.

The Affable style is the opposite of the Driver, as it is not very assertive but very expressive; it values group harmony over results. It tends to avoid confrontation in order to maintain peace.

The Analytic is not very assertive and not very expressive, very methodical and focused on logic and data. To work with them, it is essential to present data, clear processes and logical demonstrations.