The Myers-Briggs Company Blog Central

The name says it all: Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation–Behavior.^™ The FIRO^® suite of assessments gives your employees a greater awareness of their interpersonal needs and how those needs influence their behavior, including communication, problem solving, and decision making. With the FIRO instruments you’ll help them bring about productive behavioral change; promote team performance; and grow great leaders who understand their own unique style, strengths, and challenges.

• Organizational development—help groups become more effective by understanding their interpersonal dynamics and addressing problems in communication and collaboration
• Leadership and executive coaching—expand leaders’ understanding of their unique communication style and patterns of behavior, and how they can lead more effectively by meeting the interpersonal needs of direct reports, managers, and peers
• Team building—promote positive and productive working relationships and develop healthy habits of collaboration based on interpersonal understanding and trust
• Conflict management—give clients insights and tools for avoiding, assessing, and resolving conflict
• Emotional intelligence—from high-performing individuals to thriving multinational businesses, help clients build success on the fundamental awareness that different people have different needs

Introduced over 50 years ago by psychologist and group dynamics pioneer William Schutz, the 54-item FIRO-B^® assessment measures individual interpersonal needs on three scales:

• Inclusion—or participation and recognition within a group
• Control—as expressed as influence, responsibility, or leadership
• Affection—or rapport with others

A corollary instrument, the 32-item FIRO Business^® assessment developed by CPP, focuses more specifically on leadership and organizational performance.

The FIRO-B assessments give individuals objective insight into how they behave toward others and how they wish others to behave toward them—and why. It nurtures their awareness of what they want from their relationships with others and how they express their wants. And based on that awareness, it enables them to communicate more clearly, collaborate more effectively, and create a more productive, harmonious group environment.

• Build awareness and understanding of interpersonal dynamics and issues in the workplace
• Provide specific insights and spotlight opportunities for individuals and groups to effect productive behavioral change
• Facilitate team formation and functional effectiveness
• Help leaders understand the interpersonal needs that drive their communication and behavior, and how the resulting leadership style can affect others—and either limit or unleash organizational potential

The FIRO-B assessment opens my clients’ eyes as to why and how their own behaviors as leaders result in particular actions from their staff.

Kim Fletcher, Vice President, Readiness Consulting Services

After taking the FIRO-B assessment, my clients understand their own motivators, as well as each other’s, and can build stronger relationships with their key colleagues, clients, and teammates. It has resolved many a conflict between employees and their bosses or key stakeholders.

Kathryn Mayer, Training Consultant and Executive Coach, KC Mayer Consulting

Using the FIRO-B assessment, our employees achieved a deeper, better, and richer understanding of their interpersonal relationships and how to get work done.

Christine Chopyak, President and CEO, Arlosoul