The Cooperator

Overview:
The Cooperator is a well-liked individual who usually attains his position as a manager by becoming an expert in his field. His responsive, approachable style is well suited to team-oriented environments where the manager is seen as a participative team leader.

He is comfortable in environments where input and consensus are required prior to making major decisions and less comfortable where high-risk or difficult decisions must be made that will have significant fallout (e.g., headcount reduction).

Motivating:
A highly empathetic manager, The Cooperator will put himself in his employees' shoes and understand their trials and tribulations, providing feedback and encouragement that is well suited for the occasion. His high concern for people usually ensures that the team is working together cohesively and feels good about what they are doing and why they are doing it.

At times his deliberate, exhaustive approach to making decisions may frustrate his less patient team members, who may see his approach as too laid-back.

The Cooperator develops a loyal team that he will gently nudge toward their goals. Because of his easygoing nature, he will be less successful at getting his staff "pumped", putting pressure on to achieve targets, or overcoming resistance from his people.

Delegating:
The Cooperator is a structured, methodical individual who, when delegating, will be careful to ensure that timelines are reasonable and the details are clear, assuming that everyone has the same prioritizing approach to tasks as he does.

If the task is a major one, he will get the buy-in of the party involved. The downside to this approach is that he may be overly concerned with inconveniencing people who are already busy. Additionally, he enjoys the details and may be reluctant to hand off projects that he feels passionate about. His desire to get involved in the process and methods used to complete a project may make his more independent staff members feel over-managed.

Decision Making:
Being somewhat risk-averse, The Cooperator will consult past precedent and will get all the details before making big decisions. He will seek input from his team, wanting to ensure that all people concerns are met before moving forward.

But this style may be inappropriate where quick, spur-of-the-moment decisions need to be made with minimal information. Also, in an effort to please all parties, the final solution may not always be the one with the best bottom-line impact. The Cooperator can be reluctant to make unpopular decisions.

Dealing with Conflict:
With his compromising approach and desire for harmony, head-to-head confrontations with his staff or peers will be rare. Where there is conflict among his staff members, he is a concerned counselor, quietly and patiently working with all parties until a compromise solution can be achieved.

He may be reluctant to challenge the ideas or methods chosen by others and could have difficulties keeping stronger personalities in check. He may delay disciplining non-performers until it is long overdue.

Developmental Recommendations:
To compensate for his generally non-assertive nature and reluctance to make 'tough" decisions, he would be well-served by courses in...