Differences
Johnny Jones, 19 April 1996

Opposites attract. So it wasn't too surprising that, when Chip and I took a quiz about thinking styles, we were on opposite ends.

"Conservers, pragmatists, and originators" are names the quiz gave to ways of thinking. We know that people are made differently--but that's easy to forget when we're working together. When you get frustrated with someone, haven't you thought, "Why can't they be more like me?" To see why, let's look at the styles.

First, get to know conservers. They know the rules, and they like to follow them. They may appear disciplined, precise, methodical, cautious. They attend to detail and fact. "People in professions which require attention to detail, such as bankers and accountants, tend to be conservers." Conservers don't like big changes; they prefer gradual and incremental change. They embrace tradition. But they can confuse the means with the end.

I remember the first motto I was given as a young teacher, the creed which was paramount above all others: Don't rock the boat. The educational establishment, like other bureaucracies, is dominated by conservers. And we need them to contribute their organizational skills and their discipline. Without them, companies would fail.

In opposition to the conserver style is that of originators. They can appear undisciplined and disorganized, their desks cluttered and chaotic. But an originator may be able to immediately locate what is needed, in the midst of the apparent disaster.

Originators like quick and expansive change. "Throw the bums out!" Originators do not like repetitive tasks, and will look for new ways to do boring jobs. I got an example of this when Amy told me that, when she was young and had to help with housecleaning, like dusting, she would pretend to be a slave girl in an ancient Roman household.

Originators like risks more than conservers do, and can focus more on ideas than relationships. But they can also see what can be in the midst of what is; they are visionaries. They challenge accepted assumptions. "It's always been done that way" does not impress an originator.

Pragmatists are middle-of-the-roaders. The seem practical, agreeable, and flexible. They can also be noncommittal. They focus on outcomes and results, and serve as mediators and bridgers. They are able to see both sides of an argument. The down side is that, since they understand both sides, pragmatists may find it hard to make a decision.

The fun part is how we see one another. Conservers see originators as disruptive, disrespectful of tradition and history, insensitive to the feelings of others, and maybe a little flaky. On the other hand, originators see conservers as dogmatic, hesitant to share new ideas, overly compliant to authority. I think of the term, "stuck in the mud," as dull and boring, and in the way of progress. Both conservers and originators see pragmatists as compromising, indecisive, easily influenced, and noncommittal Ajith Fernando talks about the different styles in a Christian context. He says, "Team members can best sharpen one another when they are not all alike....(about originators, whom he calls radicals) they go to the roots of issues and suggest drastic changes. We need such radicals in the church. I do not refer to harmful theological radicals who deviate from the truth revealed in the Scriptures. The radicals we need are people who suggest change as they see ways the authoritative Word of God applies to specific situations."

Fernando refers to the people I called conservers as teachers. He says they "...focus attention on the unchanging foundations of the Word of God. As their focus is on foundational principles, they are usually more conservative..."

A healthy team includes both styles. "Usually when these two types are in the same group there is friction." Often the radicals end up working alone. But they cannot accomplish as much this way.

"Conservatives often don't make an effort to understand the radicals. They either get the radicals to leave the group, or they themselves leave." But ministries don't make much progress if the people with the ideas and the enthusiasm leave.

The point is that it behooves us to try to understand one another and work with one another, both in the marketplace and in the church. Two heads are better than one--especially if, inside those two heads, lurk good people with different ways of looking at the world. Exposure to another style can help us change and grow. Chip and I must have sensed that when we married 27 years ago. Yes, opposites do attract. They also polish and refine.

The terms "conserver, originator, and pragmatist" and their descriptions are from Discovery Learning Product's Change Style Indicator by Drs. Messelwhite and Ingram.

 

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