The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation™ (FIRO®) assessments help people understand their interpersonal needs and how those needs influence their communication style and behavior. Based on the social need theory, the FIRO-B and FIRO Business assessments facilitate behavioral change by providing insight into people’s working relationships and requirements.
FIRO results provide critical data on how people tend to behave toward others and how they want others to behave toward them.
A little background on the FIRO tool and social need theory
The FIRO model was originally developed in the 1950s Will Schutz, a Harvard scientist. He had worked in the American Naval Research Laboratory where he studied the dynamics of people working in close quarters – like submarines. He argued that beyond physiological needs (water/food), an individual has interpersonal needs that motivate their behaviour. For example, just as some people need more food than others, some people need more social contact. And just as the wrong kind of food can cause suffering, so can the wrong kind or level of social contact.
From his research Schutz developed the FIRO model – how surface behaviours are related to core values and that awareness of this link and any potential misalignment is critical for the development of individuals and teams.
The FIRO assessment suite helps people recognize where they may be giving out mixed messages and assists them to adapt their behaviours to build relationships. The FIRO results reveal ways of improving relationships by showing individuals how they see themselves and how this may differ what others see from them.
Using the FIRO, people are empowered to adjust their behaviour, enabling them to effectively influence others to achieve high performance.
The FIRO assessment model provides teams with a rich source of information to examine motivations, underlying tensions, inconsistent behaviours and the mixed messages between team members that can lead to mistrust and derailment. The FIRO demonstrates how people may approach working as a team differently, and highlights potential areas that may cause inefficiencies and delays.
The FIRO® suite includes the FIRO-B assessment and the FIRO Business assessment, both measure Interpersonal Needs but use different terminology.
Terminology used: Inclusion, Control, Affection
Terminology used: Involvement, Influence, Connection
The need to establish and maintain satisfactory interactions and associations with other people; describes the extent of contact one desires with others and the degree to which one wants to join others in shared activity.
Describes an individual’s behaviour with respect to responsibility, power, influence and decision-making; reflects the degree to which one desires to influence or direct the behaviour of others or the extent to which a person wants to be perceived as competent, decisive and in charge.
Describes an individual’s behaviour in forming close, personal relationships and determines the degree of warmth and personal connections on seeks with others; applies primarily to one-to-one interaction rather than group behaviour.
Inclusion
Control
Affection
Involvement
Influence
Connection
To learn if the FIRO assessment is the right tool for your organizational development, connect with one of our assessment experts today to explore how our assessment solutions can help organizations develop potential and enhance performance.
The FIRO-B® instrument helps individuals understand their behavior and the behavior of others. With the insights of an individual’s interpersonal needs it can help improve interactions and relationships.
The FIRO Business assessment is ideal as an integral part of your talent development initiatives. Helping to address leadership coaching, team-building, and conflict management objectives.