I think one of the reasons the introvert/extrovert axis has come into prominence recently is that quiet, reserved and particularly technical people find it useful.
I'm speaking mostly of my own experience here. I've been seeing a shift in the world of work in the past decade away from the idea of the specialist into the all-rounder. People would often tell me in interviews/appraisals that it didn't matter how good I was at my job, the most important thing was my ability to communicate.
There's an increasing pressure to socialise everywhere - from open-plan offices and group nights to ever more frequent team meetings. The place I last worked introduced a yearly evaluation that required people to be popular across departments. One person I know was told "your work is top-rate, but other department heads haven't heard of you, so they won't vote for your bonus." The next year, he had to spend his time doing meet-and-greets rather than working on technical issues.
So here it is: Mostly, I want to get my head down and solve problems. I don't mind focused meetings, but I really find forced socialisation tiring.
The whole concept of introversion is a dream for me. It allows me to succinctly explain why I'd rather just get on with work. I have no idea whether it's scientifically accurate or not, but I do think that challenging it on that front is missing the point. Even if it's wrong, I'll still need a word for what it means.
I'm speaking mostly of my own experience here. I've been seeing a shift in the world of work in the past decade away from the idea of the specialist into the all-rounder. People would often tell me in interviews/appraisals that it didn't matter how good I was at my job, the most important thing was my ability to communicate.
There's an increasing pressure to socialise everywhere - from open-plan offices and group nights to ever more frequent team meetings. The place I last worked introduced a yearly evaluation that required people to be popular across departments. One person I know was told "your work is top-rate, but other department heads haven't heard of you, so they won't vote for your bonus." The next year, he had to spend his time doing meet-and-greets rather than working on technical issues.
So here it is: Mostly, I want to get my head down and solve problems. I don't mind focused meetings, but I really find forced socialisation tiring.
The whole concept of introversion is a dream for me. It allows me to succinctly explain why I'd rather just get on with work. I have no idea whether it's scientifically accurate or not, but I do think that challenging it on that front is missing the point. Even if it's wrong, I'll still need a word for what it means.