Sample OPI and partnering profile

Organisations which display INFP preferences on the OPI do not partner easily - but when they do they partner deeply and for the long term. Their partnerships are founded on strongly held aligned objectives and shared values, but they may not have clear accountabilities, clear decision making processes or effective formal communications.

Contribution to the partnership

their contribution depends on the extent to which they trust their partner and believe in the shared values and ambitions of the partnership
they can demonstrate inspirational leadership to the partnership when times are tough
they will notice when relationships start to go wrong and want to help fix them
they are willing to share knowledge and expertise in order to develop the skills that their partners need to succeed
they are prepared to be flexible in their ways of working - but only if this flexibility contributes to meeting the shared goal

Partnering style

they see a partnerships as a long term relationship - not a contract
they want to be clear about the intent and the ambition of the partnership and may spend a lot of time debating this at the early stages
they are passionate about the partnership - its values and the aims it was created to achieve
they will defend their partners to all outsiders - you are either 'part of the club' or 'not one of us'
they abhor bureaucracy and will rebel against it
their communication style may appear quite closed - especially if they are disappointed with the situation. It may be difficult for their partners to know what they feel about the partnership.

Potential partnering pitfalls

INFP organisations are quite rare and usually small, so they are likely to be partnering with organisations of different character that are bigger than them. In a partnership they will have to adapt to a degree of system and process formality which is not their natural style and will feel uncomfortable.

In partnerships INFP organisations need to:

recognise that their expectation of the depth of the relationship are likely to be greater than most other types of business (we think it's a marriage - they think its just a contract)
communicate any issues and concerns early and formally - to avoid the development of later crises
be more formal about how they brief partners than they would be internally - be detailed about their requirements and set checkpoints to review progress
create recording and control mechanisms for the partnership that work for them and meet their own needs when you partner with an INFP organisation
INFP organisations only make good partners when they feel that they have the freedom to realise their own ambitions within the partnership
partners may not notice that an INFP organisation is upset until it reaches a crisis. In an extreme situation they may become totally incommunicative or even walk away unexpectedly
it may be difficult to tie them down to specifics of process or accountabilities
expect an INFP organisation to ask questions about their partners values and beliefs, and to become emotional about the debate
a mark of their commitment is the demands they make of their partners - they have very high standards when they have invested their faith in a partnership
they expect partnerships to extend beyond the normal business boundaries and include social contact.