The 16 Team Types

OLCS: The Flexible Deliberators

O
Ordered
Communicators
L
Logical
Processors
C
Concordant
Deciders
S
Spontaneous
Executors
Information is shared through defined processes and channels.
Information is evaluated on its own merits without regard to source.
Decision is driven by consensus among team members.
Lightweight plans favor agility and adaptability.
OLCS: The Flexible Deliberators

The OLCS team, "The Flexible Deliberators," swiftly identifies and precisely interprets new information. They spot the implications of trends or changing data quickly and consistently. This is essential in environments that demand staying ahead of fast-paced developments. Teams in consultancy and strategic planning often exhibit OLCS characteristics, as they need to incorporate diverse inputs and adapt to new information.

However, the OLCS teams' commitment to inclusive, consensus-driven decision-making can stand in the way of them translating insights into action. Each member's involvement in decision outcomes fosters a deep sense of ownership and commitment across the team, but can also lead to prolonged discussions as they strive for unanimous agreement. And their spontaneous execution style, although flexible, can lead to chaotic implementation; combined with their rigorous communication and analytical skills, it can also lead to analysis paralysis or the team “spinning its wheels” instead of getting to work.

Words that typically describe

OLCS

teams include:

formatted
defined
organized
documentation
analyze
rationality
argument
reasoning
agreement
alignment
coalition
camaraderie
adaptation
reactive
experiment
test

Characteristics of

OLCS

teams:

  • OLCS teams employ a highly organized approach to documenting, sharing, and analyzing information. Data and analysis is robust, and forms the basis of team discussions.
  • The entire team works together to translate insights into action by applying broadly understood analytical frameworks. Debates are cordial and focus on the facts.
  • The OLCS team doesn’t invest much in planning, preferring to “collaborate as they go” through an implementation process. That can make their project timelines chaotic, and can make it hard to collaborate with others.

Where

OLCS

teams excel:

  • OLCS teams excel in information-rich environments, where they can organize, make sense of, and analyze data as a group to reliably come to powerful insights. 
  • Their decisions tend to be well-informed and defensible. OLCS teams can be invaluable contributors in highly regulated or compliance-focused environments, as well as those where accuracy is paramount (and speed less so).
  • OLCS teams are resilient to changes in team composition and leadership. OLCS teams are able to grow quickly and continue to execute through periods of organizational transition with little disruption.

Potential blind spots for

OLCS

teams:

  • OLCS teams' reliance on logical and data-driven analysis can lead to over-analysis, especially when data is spotty or inconclusive. They can waste time gathering and scrutinizing data, delaying decision and action. Sometimes you need to just “make a call” based on intuition, and this is uncomfortable for OLCS teams.
  • The continuous quest for unanimous agreement, combined with their affinity for analysis, can lead to cycles of endless discussion without reaching a decisive conclusion. This can stall projects and frustrate team members, particularly in situations where prompt action is required.
  • Group involvement in plans that aren’t always followed through can create a perception of perpetual planning and “spinning wheels,” which can be demotivating.

Areas of growth for

OLCS

teams:

  • OLCS teams benefit from incorporating expedited decision-making protocols, like setting deadlines for decision points and designating certain members to make decisions in time-sensitive situations.
  • Recognizing when there’s an absence of data, and shifting towards more “gut feel”-based decision-making, is an important skill for OLCS teams to develop.
  • Watch out for group-think! With ordered communication, shared analytical frameworks, and a consensus-driven decision-making process, OLCS teams should appoint someone to play devil’s advocate and pressure test the group’s thinking when making key decisions.
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