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The nature-versus-nurture debate has kept both experts and laymen squabbling for decades. But as with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. We all have innate (nature) and acquired (nurture) personality traits, and these traits play a vital role in a team’s productivity and harmony in the workplace
Understanding personality in the workplace is an ideal place to start to uncover the nuances and communication preferences of your prospective and current team members. While personality assessments can aid in team building, they also reveal both innate and acquired personality traits, which directly impact a team’s cohesion and performance.
In this guide, we dig into the differences between innate and acquired personality traits, and the implications of both for the workplace.
What are innate traits?
Innate personality traits are traits we were born with, which means they’re unlikely to change much over time. For example, if you’re still short after puberty, you won’t get taller later in life. This characteristic is innate.
If you’re innately introverted and shy, it’s unlikely you’ll one day become extraverted. It’s certainly possible to become more comfortable communicating with people, but you’ll always need alone time to recharge.
Examples of innate personality traits:
