Applying TQ in the Work Environment

Once you have completed a TQ pre-assessment determining your TQ, identifying and modifying your current work mixture can be accomplished in two ways:

1. Work with your supervisor to modify your current tasks split to align with your TQ as much as possible. Statistically, the research proved that the closer the actual task split matches the individual's preferred TQ the higher the level of individual satisfaction.
2. Listen for your internal rhythm. Each of us has a different tolerance level of durations to perform each type of routine (repetitive), troubleshooting (problem solving) and/or project (planning) task, which may be minutes, hours or even days. Most people find that the duration is in periods of hours or fractions of an hour. When you have opportunities to structure your job tasks, arrange them so that the mix as closely as possible matches your ideal rhythm. When your rhythm slows down, or it is broken, make sure that you change to another task type not just a different task of the same task type that you are currently doing. "So often the problem is the system, not the people. If you put good people in bad systems, you get bad results" (Covey, 1989, p. 232). Adjusting your system, or rhythm, to approach your preferred TQ will allow you to attain or maintain the intrinsically motivating input that your internal rhythm is providing you the feedback for change.