Enterprise-level businesses are more than collections of facilities spread across large real-estate portfolios. They’re also large, diverse spectrums of employees. By finding ways to support all the different personality types, workplace leaders can ensure everyone is able to fully contribute to the organization’s business goals.
The workforce is happier, more productive, and less likely to leave.
The six personality types
According to researcher John Holland, six key categories define the modern worker. His assessment offers a framework that considers interest in career choice and pairs ideal environments for types of personalities that also play a role in job satisfaction and performance.
The six types are Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. The theory classifies people into their respective categories by evaluating how a person approaches life situations — and most people fall into more than one category. People with the same personality type tend to work best with others of their type, while certain types work best alone or with specific groups over others.
Understanding the differences between the types, which tend to work best together, and the specific workplace environments that help them thrive can help workplace leaders from everything from hiring and desk assignments to layout and furniture decisions.
Realistic (Doer)
Someone who likes to work mainly with their hands by making and fixing things, assembling operating equipment or using facility management software. They sometimes prefer working outdoors and find joy in a career that performs various manual labor. The Realistic individual works well with tools, machines, and mechanical drawings. Valuing practical things they can see and touch, they often see themselves as practical, mechanical, and goal oriented.
Best when working: Alone or with others in the Realistic category
Compatible with: Investigative or Conventional
Best career choice for the Realistic type include:
- Carpenter
- Electrician
- Pilot
- Engineer
- Mechanic
- Facility manager
Investigative (Thinker)
The most analytical of the six personalities, this detail-oriented group loves to study and solve math or science-related problems. They aren’t skilled negotiators but work best in a career choice that lets them work with others who are grounded. They see themselves as precise, intellectual, and goal-oriented people that like to be acknowledged for their achievements.
Best when working: Alone or with other investigative individuals
Compatible with: Realistic or Artistic
Best career choice for the Investigative type include:
- Biologist
- Mathematician
- Computer programmer
- Surveyor
- Pharmacist
Artistic (Creator)
This group of individuals values others who are expressive and independent with an openness to experience. They naturally admire the creative arts, including writing and music, and have high levels of creativity. They see themselves as expressive and original and prefer to avoid a career choice that requires highly ordered or repetitive activities. They enjoy working in groups, but only if they are allowed expressive freedom and are encouraged to share their ideas.
Best when working: In groups that allow creative expression and unsystematic teams
Compatible with: Investigative and Social
Best career choice for the Artistic type include:
- Graphic designer
- Musician
- Book editor
- Art teacher
- Actor
Social (Helper)
Those with a Social personality type like to “dominate” their environment. This is the most common category of the six, and many people have traits of this category along with their others. They particularly value providing services for others and enjoy a career choice that enables them to work closely with people. Their ideal working conditions are with other people who are also trustworthy, helpful, and show appreciation.
Best when working: In group and team situations where they feel needed
Compatible with: Artistic and Enterprising
Best career choice for the Social type include:
- Counselor
- Librarian
- Social worker
- Physical therapist
- Nurse
Enterprising (Persuader)
Enterprising personalities are the people you want on your team when it comes to getting things done. They’re energetic, confident and assertive, and they don’t shy away from a challenge. They can be extroverted or introverted, but they all share some common traits: they’re ambitious, hard-working and willing to try new things.
Best when working: In groups and with all types of people in a leadership position
Compatible with: Social and Conventional
Best career choice for the Enterprising type include:
- Sales manager
- Real estate agent
- School principal
- Attorney
- Hotel manager
Conventional (Organizer)
A member of this group would prefer a career choice where they can work with numbers, records, or machines. They enjoy repetitive tasks done in an orderly fashion and like to avoid ambiguous activities. They see themselves as organized and good at following directions. They value success in business and enjoy working with other people. However, they do best in small, systematic groups where they know their responsibilities.
Best when working: In groups that have defined duties assigned to all
Compatible with: Enterprising or Realistic
Best career choice for the Conventional type:
- Bookkeeper
- Secretary
- Bank teller
- Mail carrier
- Human resources (HR) consultant
How to match personality types and space planning
When planning your office’s space, consider the six personality types and what they tend to prefer.
Artistic and Enterprising individuals are probably more drawn to a career choice in marketing and sales and would likely enjoy interacting if grouped together. So, make sure to have plenty of open spots where they can congregate and collaborate.
Be sure to give your Investigative and Realistic groups space to work alone but consider offering them smaller and private gathering spots to choose from if their tasks require them to work with others.
Your Conventional and Social departments — most likely those whose career choice is in HR and possibly security — should be placed where they’ll have lots of interaction with people and opportunities to help others.
Consider placing Conventional near your Artistic and Enterprising groups considering these individuals are likely to make a career choice that lets them enjoy working in teams. I
In the age of the hybrid work model, worktech that helps employees coordinate time in the office with others brings a lot of value. Employees can easily see who is going to be in the office on any given day, helping them match their schedules. And when the team needs a larger space to work, it’s easy for them to book a conference room.
Taking it a step further, when looking into the design for your workplace, consider the career choice and types of environments each personality would thrive. For example, because they are prone to picking a career choice that involves working with varying groups of people, your Artistic and Enterprise groups most likely enjoy lots of colored and movable space so they can stretch their creative talents. However, your Realistic employees may prefer a quieter tone in their workspace to analyze data with workplace analytics software.
Knowing what works best for each personality and career choice is important — however, always remember that the best way to gauge what people want is to ask. During your next office renovation, for example, survey your employees to see what they want to see in the new workplace upgrade. With the right workplace management software, you can review reliable occupancy and utilization data to see which spaces are most popular. From there, you can fine-tune your layouts to best meet the needs of your diverse workforce.
By Jonathan Davis
Jonathan writes about asset management, maintenance software, and SaaS solutions in his role as a digital content creator at Eptura. He covers trends across industries, including fleet, manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality, with a focus on delivering thought leadership with actionable insights. Earlier in his career, he wrote textbooks, edited NPC dialogue for video games, and taught English as a foreign language. He holds a master's degree in journalism.
