Lab Profile Pattern Summary: Motivation Traits

Level (of Activity)

Does the person take the initiative or wait for others?

Reactive: 20% of Proactive: 20% of

the population in the population in a
a work context; Proactive, work context;
these individuals 20% these individuals act
are motivated to with little or no
wait, analyze, consideration; they
consider and Equally Reactive, are not motivated by
Both, 60% 20%
react; at the waiting or
extreme, they analyzing; at the
may be routinely extreme, they may
late in meeting make poor decisions
deadlines and because they may
making necessary not always take the
decisions. time for sufficient
analysis.

Criteria
These words are the person’s labels for rightness and appropriateness in a given context.
These words will incite a positive response.

Direction
Is this person’s motivational energy focused on goals or problems to be dealt with or
avoided?

Away From: 40% of the population in

a work context; these individuals focus
Equally on what may be or is going wrong; at
Both, 20% the extreme, they may not juggle
Toward, multiple demands well since they are
40%
motivated to “put out fires” and not
“stay the course.”
Away
From,
40% Toward: 40% of the population in a
work context; these individuals are
motivated to achieve or attain goals; at
the extreme, they may have difficulty recognizing obstacles since they keep their “eye
on the goal”; they are good at managing priorities.

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 Lab Profile Pattern Summary: Motivation Traits

Source
Does this person stay motivated by judgments from external sources or by using their
own internal standards?

External: 40% of the population in a

work context; these individuals need
outside feedback to know how well
Equally they are doing; in the absence of
Both, 20% feedback, they may feel “why
Internal, bother?” They work best in
40%
customer/client service areas since
they will adapt their behavior based on
External, external feedback; at the extreme, they
40% may have difficulty holding standards
as supervisors; they view mere
information as requests.

Internal: 40% of the population in a work context; these individuals decide based on
their own internal standards; they do not give feedback, nor do they care about
feedback given to them; they make good managers since they can hold standards;
however, they may not necessarily adapt their behavior based on external feedback;
they view requests as mere information.

Reason
Does this person continually look for alternatives or prefer to follow established
procedures?

Options: 40% of the

population in a work context;
Equally these individuals are
Both, 20%
Procedures, compelled to create new
40% procedures and systems and
therefore may expand the
scope of projects
Options, unnecessarily; they will be
40% unable to follow procedures
(even their own); they excel at
thinking up new and
alternative ways of doing
Procedures: 40% of the population in a work context; things; but, at the extreme they
these individuals prefer to follow set ways; they may may have difficulty in
be temporarily “stumped” when they have no implementing these new and
procedure to follow; they are good at maintaining and
alternative ways of doing
finishing projects; they may have difficulty
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 Lab Profile Pattern Summary: Motivation Traits
brainstorming new or alternative ways of doing things things.
since they think there is a “right” way to do things.

Decision Factors
How does a person react to change and what frequency of change do they need?

Sameness: 5% of Sameness with Difference: 20% of Sameness with

the population in a Exception: 65% of the population in a Exception and
work context; these the population in a work context; these Difference: 10% of
individuals want work context; these individuals want the population in a
their world to stay individuals prefer change to be work context; these
the same; they will situations to evolve constant and individuals like
initiate change slowly over time; drastic; major evolution and
every 15 to 25 they need major change every 1 to 2 revolution; they
years; they may be change every 5 to 7 years; they will want major change
antagonistic years; they may champion change, about every 3
towards inevitable accept change if it but they may years.
change. is presented as change (themselves
familiar to what and/or their
came before it. organization) too
swiftly or too often.
Sameness
with
Exception & Sameness,
10% 5%
Difference, 5%
10%
20%

65%
Difference,
20% Sameness with
Exception, 65%

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