Introverts² vs extroverts⁴: Who makes the better leader?

谁能成为更好的领导者--内向者与外向者之争

Fifty per cent of the general population is extroverted⁵, but 96% of managers and executives display extroverted personalities⁶, according to the Harvard Business Review.

哈佛商业评论》报道指出，虽然性格外向的人只占一半，但是96%的经理和董事都是性格外向者。

A study by the Harvard Business School has shown that introverted leaders are more suitable to some workplaces than extroverts. Depending on the situation, extroverts' tendencies to command the centre of attention and be the head of a discussion will affect employee performance either positively⁷ or negatively - while the inclination⁸ of introverts to show a higher receptivity to suggestions is likely to affect the same workforce⁹ in a different way.

哈佛商学院的一项研究表明，内向型领导比外向型领导更适合一些工作环境。外向型领导不知不觉就想成为注意力的焦点、讨论的发起者，这对员工表现的影响是积极还是消极取决于具体情况。然而由于内向型领导更愿意接受建议，所以即使是同一批员工，领导者性格不同，对他们的影响也会不同。

It's all about finding the right compatibility, the research suggests.

该研究表明，关键在于找到正确的相处策略。

According to the study, placing an introvert¹ in a position of leadership is more successful in a dynamic, unpredictable environment, particularly when staff are proactive and offer ideas for business improvement. The study suggested that this behaviour can make extroverted leaders feel "threatened".

该研究还发现，让内向者来担任领导比让其在一个动态的、不断变化发展的环境中工作效果要更好，这在员工积极为公司发展建言献策时特别有效。研究表明，员工的这种行为会使外向型领导者产生"危机感"。

Harvard business school's field study tested different dynamics¹⁰ in 130 franchises¹² of the same U.S. food retailer¹³, and concluded that when workers offered ideas in a franchise¹¹ with an extroverted leader, profits were 14% lower than average. The franchises which had employees who were not proactive and an extroverted leader had profits which were 16% higher. Personalities were determined¹⁴ by rigorous testing and surveys.

哈佛商学院的实地调查了一家美国食品零售商的130家特许经营店的不同动态变化，结果发现，当店里的员工向外向型领导提建议的时候，该店的利润会低于平均水平14%。而在那些领导性格内向、员工不积极主动的店里，利润会高于平均水平16%。严格的测试和调查都证明了这一特点的真实性。

Chris Dunwell, principal of Dunwell Consulting, expressed some scepticism over the relevance¹⁵ of extroversion¹⁶ or introversion¹⁷ to leadership.

克里斯·顿维尔(Chris Dunwell)是顿维尔咨询(Dunwell Consulting)的负责人，他怀疑性格内向或外向与领导能力是否真的有关联。

"Leadership is not about whether one is extrovert³ or introvert," he said. "Leadership is about visioning. You need passion and belief in the vision - an authentic¹⁸ voice. You don't need to be the world's greatest salesman to do that. You need to engage your people, showing them, regardless of their role or seniority, how they can contribute."

他说，"领导力和内向或者外向没有关系，关键在于洞察力。在专业人士看来，领导者要有热情和远见。为此，你虽无需成为世界上最伟大的推销员，但你得和你的员工打成一片，以身作则，无论他们职位大小、资历深浅、贡献多寡。"

The study also tested university students, manipulating the dynamic within teams by placing researchers in each group. Again, proactive behaviour under an introverted leader led to 28% higher productivity, whereas leaders deemed as extroverts by researchers appeared unreceptive to proactive employees. The introverted leaders' predisposition to listen to and consider the employees' suggestions made them feel valued, motivating them to work harder.

该研究也对大学生进行了测试，通过在每组安排研究员来控制小组内动态变化。同样的，积极主动型员工在内向型领导的带领下提高了28%的生产力，而由研究员充当的外向型领导却不受积极主动的员工欢迎。这是因为内向型领导更愿意倾听和考虑员工的建议，这让员工们感觉受到重视，因此工作更加努力。

The results from Harvard's research imply that while it is often true that extroverts have excellent traits for leadership and proactive employees make the best workers, they do not necessarily make the best combination.

哈佛大学的这项研究结果表明，尽管性格外向者的领导能力更出众、而优秀的员工通常都积极主动，但这二者却并不一定是最佳组合。

Ros Cardinal¹⁹, managing director of Shaping Change, told HC that most organisations do not base their choices of senior staff members on these traits.

罗斯·卡迪纳尔(Ros Cardinal)是"成就改变"(Shaping Change，这是一家专门为公司发展和在人力资源领域提供咨询的机构) 的总经理，她在接受本杂志采访时说，大多数公司并不根据性格特点来挑选高管。

"Studies have shown that most organisations favour logical and decisive behaviours in leadership, which are not correlated to extroversion or introversion," she said. "As a general rule though, extroverts tend to have a higher capacity for sociability²⁰ and social presence, which are traits often sought after in leaders."

她说，"研究表明大多数公司更青睐逻辑能力强、行事果断的领导，但这和性格内向或外向并没多大关系。尽管在通常情况下，领导者都希望自己像性格外向的人那样拥有更强的社交能力和社会临场感。"

"Extroversion and Introversion are preferences, not skills, so both types can very effectively "act out" traits of their opposite," Cardinal added. "In my experience of developing and coaching leaders, I have not observed a preference for extroversion over introversion in the ranks of leaders, and both types bring both strengths and weaknesses to the leadership table."

卡迪纳尔补充道，"外向和内向是人们的性格倾向，和能力没有关系，事实上，这两种性格的人都会表现出与其性格相反的特点。从我给各种领导者做培训和指导的经历来看，我还没有发现哪个领导者对外向性格有特别偏好，因为这两种性格对领导者来说各有优缺点。"