Creating Introvert-Friendly Workplaces

How to Unleash Everyone's Talent and Performance

Jennifer Kahnweiler

• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781523086535
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Industria alimentare
• Index: Business

Win the war for talent! "Champion for introverts" Jennifer Kahnweiler shows how to create inclusive cultures that attract and retain the 40 to 60 percent of the population who identify as introverts. With the rise in awareness about introverts, the value they bring to the workplace has become increasingly clear. But many organizations are stuck in traditional extrovert-centric workplace cultures. They reward people for speaking up, still expect them to log face time, and have hiring and promotion practices rooted in the past, which ultimately discourages introverts from contributing and reaching their full potential. This book is the first to provide a road map for organizations, including leaders, human resources, and employees, to create inclusive, introvert-friendly workplace cultures. Kahnweiler includes an assessment to determine how introvert friendly your organization is and then looks at every aspect of organizational life—hiring, training, leadership, communication, meetings, workplace design, and more—through an introvert-friendly lens. This book will stimulate the next wave of the introvert diversity and inclusion conversation by demonstrating how we can move toward tangible systemic change. Kahnweiler gives you the tools to build a culture that embraces all your employees and maximizes the strengths introverts bring to your organization.

Chapter 1

The Introvert-Friendly Workplace Quiz

In order to create an introvert-friendly workplace, you first need to know where things stand in your organization. Take the quiz in Table 2 to get a snapshot of what introvert-friendly practices your organization has in place. Check your responses against Table 3 to guide you to better understand where your workplace is in supporting introverts and where the opportunities for improvement may lie.

Though you may not know what is happening throughout your entire company, base your answers on your current vantage point. What have you observed? What have you seen as challenges for introverts in meetings, the workspace, and other scenarios?

As you read through the chapters in this book, seek out ideas to address the areas where there are opportunities to change. Also consider using the quiz as a discussion starter with your team and your leaders. Change starts with one person, and there is no reason that person can’t be you.

TABLE 2 Introvert-Friendly Workplace Quiz

Questions are scaled from 4 to 0 (Strongly Agree to Very Strongly Disagree). The results will fall into four potential categories (see Table 3). 4 = Strongly Agree | 3 = Agree | 2 = Disagree | 1 = Strongly Disagree | 0 = Very Strongly Disagree
1.	When hiring, we prioritize role and personality alignment over commonly sought-after personality characteristics like being outgoing and social.	4	3	2	1	0
2.	We have an inclusive interview process that offers introverts the time and space to reveal their best selves.	4	3	2	1	0
3.	Our leaders acknowledge and respect the introverts on their teams.	4	3	2	1	0
4.	Introverted leaders share their experiences and encourage others to find their own quiet strengths.	4	3	2	1	0
5.	We give introverts time to prepare.	4	3	2	1	0
6.	We discuss what introversion is and how to bring out the best in introverts.	4	3	2	1	0
7.	We have guidelines about when and how we communicate in and out of the office.	4	3	2	1	0
8.	We have employee forums that allow introverts to feel included and heard.	4	3	2	1	0
9.	We are open to using different communication methods to accommodate different employee preferences.	4	3	2	1	0
10.	We have spaces for natural mingling in our workplace.	4	3	2	1	0
11.	We have quiet spaces for privacy and focused work.	4	3	2	1	0
12.	We have a welcoming sensory environment with natural lighting and noise management.	4	3	2	1	0
13.	We have clear guidelines in place about how to keep our remote employees connected to what’s going on in the workplace.	4	3	2	1	0
14.	We balance remote work with in-person and video conferencing.	4	3	2	1	0
15.	We take acti...