Business Chemistry

Using data to improve the art of relationships

Designed for use in a business context, Business Chemistry® draws upon analytical technologies to reveal four scientifically unique patterns of behaviour. The system provides insights about individuals and teams with the goal of developing openness and collaboration to drive performance.

  • Business Chemistry provides a user-friendly lens and a common language to explore teams’ behavioural styles
  • Generates a greater understanding and connection for collaborative and efficient teaming
  • Builds deeper more meaningful relationships for greater success

Download the Business Chemistry brochure here.

Contact us at NSE, UK Business Chemistry Team to request a Business Chemistry session for your team.

Stressed at work? Might be your Business Chemistry

Work-related stress. It may be one of the most talked about workplace topics of our time. Enter “workplace stress” into a search engine and you’ll find thousands and thousands of articles outlining what’s stressful, why it’s stressful, how to cope, and the consequences if you don’t. Increasingly, work-related stress is acknowledged as an engagement-sapper, a productivity-stealer, and a dangerous health risk. But is everyone really that stressed out all the time? Do some people experience the workplace as more stressful than others? What strategies do people most often use to cope? In the past year, Deloitte’s Greenhouse Experience® team has embarked on a large-scale stress study of professionals to find out.

Through an online survey we asked people a series of questions about their work-related stress levels, how stressful they find various workplace events and circumstances to be, how effective they are under stress, and how often they use a variety of coping strategies. In addition to answering questions about work-related stress, all respondents completed the Deloitte Business Chemistry® assessment, enabling us to compare their responses to the stress questions with their Business Chemistry type. We found statistically significant differences between Business Chemistry types in several areas. But, before we get to that, let's review our stress research findings.

More than 23,000 people were asked how often they experience work-related stress. Of these respondents to our stress study, the majority said they’re stressed only rarely (15%) to sometimes (57%). We found this a bit surprising, given the centrality of stress in conversations about the perceived ills of today’s workplace. Overall, 25% said they’re stressed often, and just 3%, almost always.

Most respondents, regardless of their Business Chemistry type, agree that errors in the workplace are the greatest cause of stress. Every Business Chemistry type has a unique reaction when exposed to stress. How stressed someone feels, what kinds of events are stressful, and how they prefer to cope all vary by Business Chemistry type. Understanding and appreciating these differences can be essential when working together. Particularly if you're a leader, recognizing differences can help you strengthen bonds and work towards solutions. In terms of the situations people found stressful, realizing one had made an error was at the top of the list, causing work-related stress for 82% of respondents. Apparently, most didn’t feel it was OK to make a mistake.

Continue to read this study methodology here.


Making Hybrid Work for Everyone.

One of our studies of more than 8,000 professionals from hundreds of different organizations suggests that most people want a mix of working virtually and in person; just over 10% say they want to work almost exclusively virtually, and just under 10% almost exclusively in person. The rest are in the middle, with 22% saying they prefer a bit more in-person time, 23% a bit more virtual time, and 35% half and half.1

What’s more interesting, although perhaps not surprising, is that introverts (that’s Guardians, Dreamers, and Scientists) prefer working virtually more than in person, and more than extroverts do, while extroverts (that’s Pioneers, Commanders, and Teamers) prefer working in person slightly more than virtually, and more than introverts do.

While we might have expected that, the predictability of the pattern doesn’t make the implications of it any less impactful. If people are given a choice about how often to appear at an office in person, these results could mean that extroverts will spend more time in the office and attending meetings and events in person than introverts will. And that matters because introverts already tend to experience more challenges than extroverts when it comes to contributing in group settings. One study we conducted with more than 11,000 professionals prior to the COVID-19 pandemic suggests introverts tend to feel less psychological safety than extroverts.

Another study we conducted, based on a sample of more than 14,000 professionals, suggests that introverts, more than extroverts, feel discouraged from contributing in a group setting when:

Read more on our blog on Making Hybrid Work for everyone Hybrid blog.

Client Credentials

"I’m a Pioneer/Integrator. When I took the test 6 months ago, I had a lightbulb moment. I wasn’t surprised by my results, and I immediately realised the value in finding out the Business Chemistry profile of my senior team.

As a member of the Departmental Board, my focus on working to meet our overall strategic goals, meant I could see how the tool & coaching could be used to build even better collaboration across functions. Having completed Business Chemistry, I would certainly say my team are more considered in their approaches and behaviours, ensuring inclusivity. We are working better together, including with stakeholders, in meeting our organisational goals. I’ve taken part in three Business Chemistry workshops, and every time I learn something worthwhile."

- Ministry of Justice

"As a large team we were keen to have our managers do Business Chemistry to help them build relationships with each other as well as their key stakeholders.

The workshop was a great way for the managers to get to know each others working styles better and participants started using Business Chemistry straight away with some also introducing their direct reports to it. The workshop has also helped our managers identify what is holding them back on certain projects and troubleshoot how to solve this.

Doing the workshop virtually worked really well and the facilitators were great at driving participation with technology and personal engagement."

- QBE European Operations

"We used Business Chemistry at a time of growth within our Internal Audit team. As some of our team members had done a fundamentals workshop before and we decided to do an activating team chemistry workshop as a follow up.

The feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive with people finding activating team chemistry to be a great build on the fundamentals workshop and committing to using the tool as they interact with each other. We particularly enjoyed exploring how to foster a business environment where all Business Chemistry types can thrive in their day to day activities."

- The Phoenix Group

"Business Chemistry has given us a greater sense of how we work together and present ideas to one another. It has provided us with the emotional intelligence to open up a discussion in our leadership meetings about how we communicate. When someone is in disagreement or proposing a different approach, we now have a much greater awareness of how the different Business Chemistry styles think and process information; we have become a more empathetic and understanding team."

- Stoke High School

"We used Business Chemistry as a tool to build stronger team relationships at a time when Circulor was undergoing rapid growth.

It was immediately obvious to our people how Business Chemistry works and the incremental value it adds. The Business Chemistry language is already being used in our meetings, and as a largely remote team it has been crucial in helping team members better navigate and build relationships. We continue to use it as part of our onboarding of new joiners, how we form project teams, and as important measure of our diversity as a company.

The remote workshop itself was well thought out. Everyone enjoyed the technology; the anonymity fostered an open and forthcoming environment."

- Circulor

"As a Risk & Compliance function that has undergone significant transformation in the last two years, we were keen to use Business Chemistry as a way to better understanding each other’s working styles and preferences.

Unlike similar methodologies, Business Chemistry is easy to remember and Deloitte even leave you with the methodology to reference back to and continue your learning. Since the workshop, colleagues have already started to flex their styles for improved engagement with their stakeholders to connect better and strengthen relationships. In addition, we have also seen increased collaboration within the team who are looking forward to implementing Business Chemistry even further when we return to an office-based environment; both of these dimensions are critically important for our function as we help drive success in our team and across the wider business.

The overall experience of our virtual workshop was amazing and couldn’t have been better, the use of breakout rooms and technology that allows anonymity meant everyone felt comfortable being open and honest - even the sceptics in the room thought it was fantastic and that it brought to life new ways of working."

- Artemis Investment Management

"Kraft Heinz is one of our longest standing clients, we have delivered 21 workshops across the organisation globally. When interviewed, Nibedita Ghosh, Head of leadership and cultural transformation (International zone) at Kraft Heinz, told us that Business Chemistry has brought tremendous value to the organisation, its people and its culture; it has allowed its employees to understand each other and work better together as well as build trust and increase empathy for others. You can watch the full video here."

– KraftHeinz

Key contacts

Andrew Harris

Partner

Kieron Loregnard

Chief Chemist

Contact us at NSE, UK Business Chemistry Team to request a Business Chemistry session for your team.