PCM : PROCESS COMMUNICATION MODEL®
Process Communication Model® (PCM) is a relationship management tool. Its principle? To understand how we work so that we can better understand our relationships and interactions with others. Applied to the business world, the Process Communication Model enables team members to get to know each other better so that they can work together more effectively. As an accredited PCM coach, I support all teams based on the precepts of this tool, as its scope of application is extremely broad. Here’s a look at how it works.
Origin of PCM
PCM is a model for discovering and understanding your own personality and that of others.
Taibi Kahler, an American psychotherapist and transactional analyst, is the creator of the PCM model. He designed it based on the first observations he made in the 1970s, which he then modelled in 1982. The applications he made of it, during the 90s, with NASA and the Clinton administration have made it an essential tool in personal development and team coaching.
A TOOL USED BY VIP's
NASA and the Clinton administration are two examples of VIP users of PCM. In the 1990s, the tool enabled them to harmonise relations between members of teams overseeing major missions. Piloting shuttles and remaining confined in space in the service of space research for one, and deciding the fate of an entire country, or even the world, for the other. That’s what it’s all about!
PCM's 6 Types of Personality
PCM identifies six Personality Types, each representing a unique facet of human nature. These profiles, represented by colours, combine in a unique way in each individual, creating a veritable kaleidoscope of behaviours.
Each Personality Type has :
- Character Strengths;
- Perceptions;
- Management Styles;
- Channels of Communications;
- Personality Parts;
- Psychological Motivators/Stressors;
- Degrees of distress.
rofiles are made up of all personality types and are characterised by a Base (the foundation of our personality) that is unique to us. It constitutes our mode of Perception and reflects our Channels of Communication.
This is how basic people are,
- Thinker are organised, responsible and logical. They excel at managing projects, organising tasks, planning, etc. They are good at summarising.
- Persister are rigorous, conscientious, committed and able to assert their opinions and beliefs. They assess people and situations according to their opinions.
- Harmonizer sare caring, warm, compassionate and sensitive. Attentive and concerned about the well-being of others, they are the glue that holds the team together. They foster harmony and cooperation. They feel things first, perceiving people and situations through their emotions.
- Imaginer are calm, thoughtful and imaginative. They like to explore new avenues and challenge conventional wisdom. They take the long view. Gifted with a capacity for introspection, they are generally very good at work requiring dexterity and imagination.
- Rebel sare creative, playful and spontaneous. They are the driving force behind innovation, because they love new ideas and stimulating projects. Energetic, direct and daring, they like to shake things up and are often the instigators of radical change. They are able to see things with a sense of humour and appreciate the present moment..
- Promoter are dynamic, charming, resourceful and adaptable. They are results-oriented and driven by competitiveness and action. Gifted with the ability to take decisions quickly and to be firm and direct, they enjoy taking on challenges and achieving their goals.
Understanding these specific characteristics means you can adapt your behaviour to suit the person you are talking to and foster more effective communication.
Base and Phase
The result of a PCM personality inventory takes the form of a coloured house with six floors. Each colour corresponds to a specific personality profile. The more a colour is present, the more pronounced the associated character trait is in the individual.
The base of the house represents the foundation of our personality: that which is built up in childhood and changes little over the course of our lives. This is ‘The Base’. It defines our fundamental way of functioning, the one that influences the way we perceive the world and interact with others.
Another characteristic of our profile is what PCM calls ‘The Phase’. It reflects our current state, our psychological needs. This aspect of our personality is evolutionary and can change over the course of our lives, depending on our experiences and our environment.
During our team-building sessions, we analyse these individual profiles in detail. This gives us a better understanding of each person’s strengths and needs, as well as how they interact within the group. The aim is to improve interpersonal communication by learning to adapt our behaviour to the profiles of our colleagues, particularly in stressful situations.
The PCM model reveals that :
- We all have Personality Types within us.
- We hear and communicate with our Base.
- Our Phase reflects our need for motivation (psychological needs).
Resource and supply mechanisms
Each personality profile has its own resource and nourishment mechanisms, i.e. elements that enable it to recharge and maintain an optimal energy level.
For example, people with an Analyzer base will find their resources in organisation, planning and carrying out meticulous tasks. They will feel valued when they have completed a task flawlessly (perfectly).
Conversely, a Promoter Base person will need novelty, challenges and autonomy to feel stimulated. An overly structured environment or repetitive tasks can quickly demotivate them.
Understanding these mechanisms is essential to creating a working environment where everyone feels valued and motivated.
WHEN THE MASKS COME OFF
When we are under stress, our defence mechanisms are triggered and we tend to adopt more instinctive behaviour. In the PCM world, we call these ‘Masks’. They reveal aspects of our personality that we don’t usually use and that can sometimes be at odds with our usual behaviour.
Typically, a person with a :
- Thinker may become fussy, no longer accepting delegation and over-controlling.
- Persister may become critical, demanding and rigid, seeking at all costs to impose their ideas and opinions.
- Harmonizer will over-adapt, won’t ask directly, won’t dare say ‘no’, and in the end may not be firm enough in their decisions and will make mistakes.
- Imaginer may withdraw, become passive or, on the contrary, dramatise the situation.
- Rebel will not answer questions directly and will invite others to do or think for him. He will delegate inappropriately and without direction. Finally, he may blame others.
- Promoter will invite others to believe that they are not responsible for what they think or feel. He will expect others to fend for themselves, and ultimately may engage in a process of manipulation.
These masks are defence mechanisms that enable us to deal with a situation that is perceived as threatening. However, they can hinder communication and create tension within a team.
It is important to understand these mechanisms to better manage stress and conflict. By identifying each person’s masks, you can adapt your communication and encourage constructive dialogue.
THOUSAND POSSIBLE COMBINATIONS
The ‘Wow!’ effect of PCM is often triggered by the discovery of the complexity and richness of human interaction within a team. This realisation transforms the way team members see each other, opening up a whole new world of possibilities: new ways of working together and greater mutual understanding.
For the manager, it’s a bit like receiving a completely new construction set: each piece is unique and the possible combinations are infinite. They become architects, responsible for creating a harmonious, high-performance building.
THE COLOUR OF MANAGEMENT
The team-building sessions I organise are dedicated to the whole group. This means that managers are an integral part of the programme, just like their colleagues. Because yes, the Process Communication Model is even more effective if all the members of the group get to know each other, including the manager.
I often find that the teams formed by the managers themselves tend to be homogeneous: the profiles of the members are similar to their own. This tendency is inherent in confirmation bias. It leads recruiters to :
- Favour profiles similar to their own: managers feel more comfortable with people who share their values, working style, background or origins. They see these similarities as assets and underestimate the differences.
- Judging other profiles as weaknesses: differences are often interpreted as deficits or risks, rather than as complementary assets. For example, an extroverted manager might see an introverted candidate as less dynamic or less effective.
Both of these situations are problematic because, in the case of the former, ‘cameo’ teams are often complicated because they lack the strengths of the other profiles. In the second case, the inaccuracy of the manager’s perception leads to communication errors: by not speaking to the profiles in his team in the right language, he generates a lack of communication.
WHAT PCM IS NOT
PCM seminars are not personal transformation sessions! While it is a powerful tool, it is by no means a magic wand for changing individuals. The model does, however, enable us to understand how people work and to adapt better to situations and to our colleagues. PCM is not a tool for manipulation, domination or taking power over others, but a genuine tool for understanding ourselves and others. Everything is done with respect for each individual.
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