The Power of Colour in the Workplace
Joanne Hobbins, our co-founder, Director and in-house Occupational Psychologist explores the power of colour in the workplace.
If we think of a colour, we are often taken to a place in our mind of association and memory.
People respond to colour in three ways—biologically (eg. red = fear), culturally (eg. red = wellbeing in many Eastern societies) and personally from experience.
Depending on context, colour can convey meaning often more effectively than words.
My favourite colour is orange, and I associate this with lit fires, cosy warmth, and a setting sun. Colour can have very powerful associations. Colour plays an exceptionally prominent role in our lives and can influence our thinking, inspire our decision-making, and impact our moods.
If we put colour into an HR context, we can also use it to discover an individual’s style, their strengths, and the value they bring to a team.
Let’s take four colours: Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue. These can create some powerful portraits in people's minds, particularly so for people who have participated in Insights Discovery.
What is Insights Discovery?
Its a psychometric tool based on the psychology of Carl Jung, to help people understand themselves, understand others, and make the most of the relationships that affect them in the workplace.
The Insights Discovery methodology uses a simple and memorable four colour model and these are called the colour energies. It's the unique mix of these energies which determines how and why people behave the way they do.
A series of online questions asks individuals to order their preferences which produces a profile showing the mix and proportion of the different energies and how they are represented in an individual’s personality.
As a licensed practitioner for Insights Discovery, it never ceases to delight me how many people find their resulting profile uncanny, almost mystical as to how much of a likeness it is to them.
And whilst the profile highlights strengths, and suggests areas for development, you can also learn how to tailor your communication to ensure it is appreciated by all colour energies.
Here’s a quick summary of the four colours:
Dominant Cool Blue energy people want facts and details.
Dominant Earth Green energy people want to know how the people are impacted.
Dominant Fiery Red energy people want to know when it will be delivered.
Dominant Sunshine Yellow people will champion it through to delivery, organising the completion party.
Imagine being able to talk and behave in a way that people need you to for their preference? Let's treat people how they want to be treated. Let's respect those differences. Let's encourage people to be comfortable with their preferences and treasure them for those differences.
Understanding the colour energies for yourself and your team can be pave the way for improved communication, relationships and success, and a more harmonious culture within your organisation.
View this short introduction to Insights Discovery: http://bit.ly/3LuilDK
Joanne Hobbins is a licensed practitioner for Insights Discovery, as well as DiSC and Myers Briggs Personality Type Inventory.