Why Do We Create Versions of the MBA Inventory for Different Workplace Settings?
As we prepare to launch our newest industry-specific MBAI for Veterinary Clinics, we thought we would answer a frequently asked question. Why do we create industry-specific versions of our MBAI assessment? Here are a few of the factors that lead to their creation:
- Our goal is always to provide relevant, practical and easily applied resources to help team members communicate appreciation effectively to one another. We don’t want people who are taking the inventory to feel that it isn’t relevant to their industry or workplace.
- While our general workplace version of the inventory fits most office settings, some workplaces utilize specific terms and have positions with different titles than supervisor or manager. For example, schools have a principals and administrators, faculty and staff. Industry specific MBAI’s allow us to use the terminology that is appropriate for different workplace settings.
- More importantly, we want to suggest action items that are realistic for each work setting and common for those who work in the various fields. For example, offering to let a nurse come in late to work after working long hours the previous day doesn’t fit the way most medical settings function. And Acts of Service differ significantly across work settings, like watching a teacher’s students over lunch or recess, helping clean up a construction site at the end of the day, or assisting with a difficult animal at a vet’s office.
It is important to note that the foundational items of the inventory – the part where you choose between various examples of each appreciation language – are largely the same across all inventories. As a result, comparing those items across versions will not display many differences.
The MAIN difference between the versions is in the action items and specific terminology. For example, the actions for Tangible Gifts differ significantly for the Government and Nonprofit versions (because often there are limitations within those organizations for giving physical gifts), while the actions for Quality Time are different for the Military version due to strict rules and regulations for those in the armed services.
We actually find it interesting to learn about the unique terms utilized in different work settings and enjoy being exposed to specific actions that communicate appreciation well in different industries (like bringing a cold drink to a trades professional on a hot day).
Workplaces and job characteristics vary across settings, and we try our best to make the process of identifying how to communicate appreciation to each person as accurate and relevant to their daily life as possible.
Click here to learn more about our industry-specific expanded MBAI versions.
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Categories 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, Appreciation, MBA Inventory, Workplace Culture
