Spinning the Color Wheel: Personalities at Work

PROVO, Utah – Oct 13, 2014 – It’s a brighter, bolder world out there—thanks to the Color Code personality test. Big companies—think Smith's, Nordstrom, and Intermountain Healthcare—are integrating the Color Code into their hiring and training processes and creating more understanding and cooperative workplaces. Here at the Marriott School, information systems professor Greg Anderson uses the code to help students navigate tough group projects.

The code categorizes people by color depending on their core motive: reds like power, blues favor intimacy, whites seek peace, and yellows want fun.

“We talk about how every color is needed,” Anderson explains. “If you can learn to get along with all the colors, your team can become a cohesive unit. No matter how people act, you can accept them, love them, and see value in them.”

In his classes, Anderson shows students the strengths and limitations of each color to help them identify what motivates people to get work done.

“I try to keep it lighthearted to show them that it doesn’t matter what color you are,” Anderson says. “Every color has strengths, and groups work best when there is a balance of colors.”

Teamwork is a staple in the business world, and it is crucial that students learn how to work alongside a variety of personality types.

“Employers want students who can get along with people,” Anderson says. “You can be the smartest person in the world, but if you can’t get along with others, recruiters don’t want you.”