ANALYSIS:
I corresponded with more than three dozen workers, across industries, about their work experiences and their office personalities. Inspired by these conversations, I created a quiz that explores different working styles, one that’s designed for self-reflection and discussion.
Psychologists have identified what’s known as the “Big Five” personality traits, which are consistent across populations: extroversion, openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism.
In conversation with Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a psychology professor and the author of I, Human, I decided to focus this quiz on assessing two of the “Big Five” traits, extroversion and openness, which we agreed play an important role in workplace interactions. Extroversion is the degree to which social interaction energizes someone, and openness refers to someone’s creativity and appetite for novel experiences.
Each of the quiz questions is designed to gather information about those two traits in particular. — EMMA GOLDBERG
1. Your team just went through a brutally long period of work to meet a deadline. Finally, the slog is over. What do you do the next day at the office?
A. Organise drinks so everyone can celebrate.
B. Bring teammates together to get jazzed for the next group project.
C. Turn to independent work you’ve been wanting to pursue.
D. Chill out before your next deadline.
2. Your boss calls your team together, says you’re starting an exciting project and asks what aspect of it is most interesting to everyone. What do you agree to take on?
A. The vision. You’ll drive the big picture.
B. The project management. You’ll correspond with teammates and keep them on track.
C. The analysis. You’ll be the brain behind the spreadsheets.
D. The writing. You’ll infuse the work with voice and creativity.
3. Management wrote a company-wide email explaining that holiday season potlucks are prohibited this year because of Covid risks. You receive a text message from a colleague: “Hey! Don’t tell anyone about this, but a few of us are organizing a low-key potluck. I’m making carrot cake.” How do you respond?
A. “I can’t make it, but how about I organise another event to get people together outside of work?”
B. “Yes! I’ll make banana pudding.”
C. “I don’t want to go against the company rules, so I’ll pass, but have fun.”
D. “Thanks for the invitation, but I won’t be in the office that day.”
4. Your colleague tells you her daughter is sick and asks if you can take on part of her responsibilities for an upcoming group project. What do you do?
A. Immediately agree to help out and tell her to focus on family.
B. Agree to help, but make sure others on the team know you’ve taken on a heavier load.
C. Ask her to check with your manager to see if it’s OK.
D. Suggest that she find someone who has less to do, given everything you’ve taken on outside this project.
5. Your department is starting a new initiative in which the monthly all-hands meeting will feature a show-and-tell segment. Your boss asks you to kick it off. What do you do?
A. Enthusiastically seize the spotlight.
B. Reluctantly agree to bring in something low stakes, like a picture of your pet.
C. Accept only if you can enlist a colleague to do it with you.
D. Ask your boss to choose someone else this time, and promise a perfect show-and-tell offering in the future.
6. Your teammate, who was hired during the pandemic when people were working remotely, confides in you that ever since your company returned to the office he has felt ignored. People forget his name and don’t say hi to him. What do you do?
A. Send him an encouraging message, and then get back to your own work.
B. Reassure him that it’s better not to get too involved with office gossip.
C. Plan a lunch with friendly colleagues so he can get to know people.
D. Make a standing monthly coffee date with him.
7. Your colleagues are making March Madness brackets, and they invite you to join. You know nothing about basketball. If you participate, you’ll probably lose money. What do you do?
A. Take the minimum amount of time possible to make a bracket, but don’t bother to follow the games.
B. Ask a friend who follows college basketball to make your bracket so you can be part of the bonding.
C. Decline to participate because it would distract from your work and just isn’t your thing.
D. Take this as an opportunity to learn about basketball, and try to sweep the winnings.
8. Your boss says you have been doing such great work in your current role that she wants you to embed on a different team, where you would be more challenged. What do you do?
A. Accept the offer, but only with the flexibility to work from home so you have the time to build up skills for the new position.
B. Ask to stay in your current spot, where you feel comfortable.
C. Ask people on the new team if you can shadow them for a week to get a sense of their work.
D. Confidently accept and dominate the new role.
9. As your team starts a new project, your manager divides up the tasks and assigns you one that is significantly easier than what was given to your colleagues. What do you do?
A. Offer to support a teammate who ended up with more on her plate.
B. Use the extra time for your own creative pursuits.
C. Step in to pull the project together at the end and position yourself as the leader.
D. Take the lighter workload!
Tally your responses. Whichever creature you lined up with most often is your office personality.
Scoring Key
1. A. Break room butterfly; B. Corner office creature; C. Couch koala; D. Cubicle cat
2. A. Corner office creature; B. Break room butterfly; C. Cubicle cat; D. Couch koala
3. A. Corner office creature; B. Break room butterfly; C. Cubicle cat; D. Couch koala
4. A. Break room butterfly; B. Corner office creature; C. Cubicle cat; D. Couch koala
5. A. Corner office creature; B. Cubicle cat; C. Break-room butterfly; D. Couch koala
6. A. Cubicle cat; B. Couch koala; C. Corner office creature; D. Break room butterfly
7. A. Cubicle cat; B. Break room butterfly; C. Couch koala; D. Corner office creature
8. A. Couch koala; B. Cubicle cat; C. Break room butterfly; D. Corner office creature
9. A. Break room butterfly; B. Couch koala; C. Corner office creature; D. Cubicle cat
The personalities
Couch koala
You are a couch koala. Your answers demonstrated that you thrive when given space to work alone and like focusing on projects that demand imagination, especially ones you take on under your own initiative. You’re open to new endeavours if you direct them. You will do your most innovative work when left to your own devices. Couch koalas are high on levels of openness and low on levels of extroversion.
Cubicle cat
You are a cubicle cat. Your answers demonstrated that you enjoy having a sense of structure in your workday, especially by cultivating a connection with your manager, and have a sharp mind for logical tasks. You might benefit from being around colleagues, who can bolster your sense of routine and gain from your efficiency and drive. Even in social spaces, though, you will be happiest when given space to focus. Cubicle cats are low on levels of extroversion and low on levels of openness.
Break room butterfly
You are a break room butterfly. Your answers demonstrated that you are highly collaborative — always willing to help out a struggling colleague — and prefer to focus on tasks that are pragmatic and team-oriented. As a break room butterfly, you are likely to thrive doing in-person work, because you will benefit from relationship-building and contribute to your office’s culture. Break room butterflies are high on levels of extroversion and low on levels of openness.
Corner office creature
You are a corner office creature. Your answers demonstrated a desire to be around others — whether for after-work drinks or March Madness betting — and an appetite for ambitious, self-driven projects. You are likely to crave in-person work, because you want opportunities to develop your leadership, but you might benefit from some time alone, when you can wrestle with thorny challenges. Corner office creatures are high on levels of extroversion and high on levels of openness.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Emma Goldberg
Illustrations by: Julian Glander
© 2023 THE NEW YORK TIMES