Tapping into the Power of Introverts in IT
Almost every IT team with which I’ve interacted, particularly those from Asia, included members classically defined as introverts by the Western world. These are the people who rarely talk to others, seldom engage socially, and answer questions only when asked.
Through the years, I’ve learned that the quiet members of my team tend to be the strongest contributors—if they’re engaged effectively. Here are some tactics I’ve learned that help leverage the enormous strengths of the quiet ones on the team.
Freedom of expression: In most cases, English is the team’s official language, but it may not be many people’s first language. Your quiet members might feel too self-conscious to express themselves in open forums due to a language barrier. Encourage them to speak in their native language. Learning a few phrases in their native language will go a long way toward increasing the team’s productivity.
A picture is worth a thousand words: A picture crosses barriers, whether they’re geographical, psychological, or technological. I’ve noticed that articulating a business problem in the form of a graphic and then asking my team to derive testing imperatives got the best results from my quiet team members. In most cases, they have a solid foundation of technology and provide valuable insights once they are able to visualize the problem.
Conquering background challenges: In many cultures, people traditionally defer to seniors out of respect and do not express their opinions. This may also be due to years of working in a hierarchical environment. As a manager, you have to reiterate to your team that they are empowered and you rely on their judgment, which is why waiting to be asked or told is detrimental to the team. Being told they are trusted and important can help get people out of their shells.
Replace “why” with “what”: In project crises when things blew out of proportion, I found myself asking the team,“Why did you do this?” To my frustration, I would get blank expressions and no response from the quiet members. Slowly, I began to instead ask questions like, “What can you do to fix this?” and “What data do you have?” Specific questions focusing on solving a problem rather than placing blame work better to get meaningful information and resolve the issue.
Nip passive aggression in the bud: Quiet people also tend to be passive aggressive. This is detrimental because it can alter the entire team’s culture undesirably. In my experience, it is better to deal with this head on. Have a one-on-one conversation with the team member and determine the reason for the underlying behavior. If you can understand and defuse the behavior, then it is fine. It not, you may have to make a tough call and let the team member go.
Still waters run deep: Genuinely engaging the quiet members of your team in conversation in an effort to get to know them likely will make a good impression and build more personal relationships, which can help ensure success for you and your team.
Deepika Mamnani is presenting the session User Acceptance Testing in the Testing Center of Excellence at STARWEST, in Anaheim, CA, October 12–17, 2014.
