Introvert or extrovert – which is a better personality type at work

We are all taught early on in our careers that you need to be an extrovert to climb up the corporate ladder – outgoing, social and a great communicator! Companies want extrovert employees since they make them look good in front of customers and other stakeholders.

However, we (at workmob) feel that perhaps, there is no such thing as a complete introvert or a pure extrovert at work, and both personality types exist in harmony; with may be one being dominant over the other. At the same time, we also believe that all personality types have strengths and weaknesses.
We are not trying to argue on which personality type is better or worse at the workplace. We are simply trying to understand whether the advent of social media has helped introverts break out of their shell, even if it is virtually and not offline.

Introverts are often described as people who prefer being alone, are quiet, introspective and less sociable, and at times being with too many people can be overwhelming for them. Whereas, extroverts are said to be assertive, comfortable in crowds, outgoing and get noticed. That got us thinking on what can make introverts more extroverted? What if introverts are not so shy and self-conscious on social media? We feel that social media possibly has helped a lot of them to blossom from introverts to a “certain-degree” extroverts.

After all, social media can help introverts network even without physically being with others (from the comfort of their office chairs!). They can build relationships, get to know their coworkers, and network online without feeling uncomfortable or out of place. Now think of a social platform where people can join their company’s fun employee social network, or follow like-minded interesting people from other employee networks locally. And now imagine how that platform can help introverts break out of their shell to connect, build relationships and network. On workmob, we have witnessed people with strong introvert tendencies feel very connected with their colleagues when they are using our social platform. They can talk, share, post, laugh from their social media dashboard, and connect with like-minded people having common interests, or even the same introvert personalities.

Based on what we have seen in the initial few months of our product being used at a 10 year old 900 person Tech and Data Outsourcing Company called Arcgate, we believe that social platforms like workmob can help develop authentic relationships at work which can be rewarding both personally and professionally. It can help introverts build trusted connections and have deeper conversations, without having to be out and about. They don’t have to make small talk to fit in; they can join and create groups of their interests, and get to know and learn from other people in those communities. They don’t have to worry about building followers for the sake of the numbers. They can play to their strengths. If they are not great with words, they can simply show it by means of photos, videos or designs. They can use a platform like this to balance their perceived weaknesses. Being an introvert doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on many opportunities. Instead, using social platforms like workmob at work can be a great tool for you to interact with others in a way that suits your personality. The end result is happier, more connected employees who end up being a lot more productive as teams. And this is a win-win situation for both employers and employees.

September 24, 2020