Running head: TYPE I AND TYPE X ANALYSIS 1

An Analysis of Type I and Type X Behaviors and Their Effect on Teams

Dylan Emerson

INOV Teams Class, Section 004, Spring 2020

10 March 2020

INOV 2010: Analyze and Report

Dylan Moran, Luke Lewis, Tara Coyne, Yasin Hossain

1452 Words

Analysis

Humans are increasingly complex creatures, with thousands of personalities and

behaviors to define who we are and how we interact with our environment. Even in a setting as

small as an office space, each employee can have their own motivations and lack thereof.

Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, looks into these

different personalities and behaviors to understand why certain ideals and tasks affect people

differently, as well as identify how these tasks motivate them. Pink begins his research by

analyzing other behavioral categories that have come to fruition in the past, such as Meyer

Friedman and Ray Rosenman’s identification of Type A and Type B people. Friedman and

Rosenman were cardiologists in the 1950s that discovered certain patients were more
TYPE I AND TYPE X ANALYSIS 2

predisposed to heart disease than others, despite having “shared similar physical attributes,

exercise regimens, diets, and family histories” (Pink, 40). These patients were typically much

more impatient and aggressive than other patients, thus predisposing themselves to a higher

risk of heart disease than reserved people of the same physique. The cardiologists identified

these two kinds of behaviors as Type A and Type B, where Type As are more likely to contract

heart disease than Type Bs. Through this analysis, Pink was able to identify and observe two

other behaviors in people: Type I and Type X. These two behaviors are associated with what

motivates a person and what effects these behaviors may have on them.

The Type X behavior is associated with the “extrinsic” desires in one’s day-to-day tasks.

People who display this Type X behavior are much less concerned with the satisfaction of the

tasks at hand, but are motivated by the rewards these tasks work towards. For example, a Type

X individual may donate to a charity, but they are more motivated by the recognition or

publicity they may receive for donating rather than the act of donating and helping others in

itself. While not entirely a bad behavior to convey, it is not the most desirable behavior. Type I

behavior outperforms Type X behavior nearly every time in the long term, despite Type X

behavior often outperforming Type I behavior in the short term. To understand this

relationship, one must understand exactly what a Type I individual is and what motivates them.

The Type I behavior is associated with the “intrinsic” values of one’s day-to-day tasks.

Rather than seeking some kind of external reward, like money or publicity, individuals that

exhibit Type I behavior are most motivated by the inherent satisfaction the current tasks supply

them with. For example, an individual that exhibits Type I behavior may donate to a charity that

supports a cause they favor. Rather than being motivated by the recognition or publicity
TYPE I AND TYPE X ANALYSIS 3

granted through donating to a charity, these individuals are motivated by the inherent good

they are doing to support a cause. This behavior is centered around being “self-directed. It is

devoted to becoming better and better at something that matters. And it connects that quest

for excellence to a larger purpose.” With this in mind, it is apparent that individuals that convey

Type I behavior are much more concerned with and motivated by mastery and the purpose this

mastery fulfills. Oftentimes, this purpose is a greater sense of control and freedom over one’s

life. Because of Type I’s drive for mastery, one can begin to unravel the qualitative differences

between a Type I individual and a Type X individual. Individuals that exhibit Type X behaviors

are more associated with rewards, like money, so may not work as hard as a Type I individual

that wants to better themselves and their quality of life. This key difference is why Type I

individuals outperform Type X individuals in the long term, because Type I individuals are

constantly improving themselves and increasing their quality of work to fulfill a purpose, while

Type X individuals will often stagnate over time as the compensation for their work stays the

same.

Upon taking the assessment, the survey revealed I am a Type X individual, but after

reading the book I would say I am much more of a Type I. I am not motivated by the money I

earn by going to work, I am eager to learn and help the people that come into my workplace. I

work as a customer service associate in a paint department and probably make over one

hundred gallons of paint a day. So why do I feel I am more of a Type I than a Type X? One

example is that I do more than just make paint for people, I have learned color theory and

some design essentials to help people pick out colors and design their homes, and I can often

make paint faster than my other coworkers so I can be as efficient as possible for the customers
TYPE I AND TYPE X ANALYSIS 4

- keeping in mind I am paid hourly. If I were a Type X individual, I would do what I was told and

be good enough at my job to keep it and maintain a paycheck. Another example is a game I

play, Path of Exile, and how I play it. The game is very complex and revolves around “grinding,”

repeating multiple tasks over and over to progress through the game, as well as making a

“build” for a character, which consists of a skill tree and gear a player uses. These builds are

very complicated to make if the player wants to kill the final bosses of the game, and most

players follow guides that tell them exactly what to level and exactly what gear to use to get to

the endgame content. After sinking 800 hours over two years in the game, I have focused on

mastering my knowledge of the game for the purpose of having a greater sense of control and

freedom in the game so I can play the game how I want to play and make my builds how I want

to make them, without being limited by build guides. This has given me more freedom in the

game and allows me to have more fun playing the game and learning everything I can about it.

Integrating Type I and Type X as a Team

Type I and Type X are completely different behaviors, thus have different criteria for

success. This can make working in a team of mixed types challenging, despite being inevitable.

As an entry-level Teams member, I may not be able to lead the team, but I can present

strategies such as valuing each other’s contributions, celebrating success, and setting clear

goals. Valuing each other’s contributions is an important part of integrating the two types

because the quality of a Type I’s work may be much better than a Type X’s because they have

worked hard to master it, but taking away from a Type X’s work will hurt the chemistry of the

team and lead to a break down in quality and quantity of work. With this in mind, we should

celebrate any success we have. Celebrating success keeps all members motivated and engaged,
TYPE I AND TYPE X ANALYSIS 5

no matter what type they are. In the case of Wispirian, an app is being developed to donate to

charities, so we should celebrate any kind of success we have because every bit of success is

going towards funding nonprofits and making a difference. Finally, we need to set clear goals as

a team. Knowing the current task at hand, as well as what is expected of everyone, leads to a

higher quality end product that everyone can be happy with. This gives the Type X people

something to work towards, as well as a purpose the Type I people can fulfill. Having these

strategies is great on paper, but with my position may be hard to implement.

As an entry-level position within my team, I don’t have as much say as the leader. At the

end of the day, the leader is the one who delegates who works on what tasks and has final

decision making power. Therefore, it’s going to be hard for me to set clear goals for the team

when I’m not the one in charge. Can a minimum-wage McDonald’s cashier tell the CEO what

goals need to be set? Sure they can, but those goals won’t come to fruition, or possibly be

heard in the first place. With that being said, our teams are much smaller than an international

corporation that has been around for 65 years. Even though I am entry-level and it will be

harder for me to set goals for the team, I can always tell Luke my thoughts on what kind of

goals we should have as a team for him to delegate tasks so our goals can be realized.

References

Pink, D. H. (2010). Drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us. Edinburgh: Canongate.