The NPSI styles: Investigator

Welcome back as we finish our journey through the different personality styles of the Navanter Personality Styles Instrument. If you missed the previous parts of this section, you can start here. To take the NPSI test yourself, visit this page.

Motivation: Quality and reliability

There’s only one way to do something as an Investigator, and that’s the way which is most likely to achieve strong results with a minimum amount of risk, even if this means a longer process. “Shortcut” doesn’t appear in the Investigator’s vocabulary – if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly.

Words chosen: Precise and detailed language where appropriate

Investigators are not particularly verbose under normal circumstances, preferring instead to take a step back and observe rather than rushing in with solutions to problems. However, when something is said, it’s important that it’s said clearly, and Investigators are skilled at using precise language in order to communicate an exact idea to others. This precision can result in the Investigator being over-detailed, which runs a risk of the other person switching off before the end, so missing the point of the message.

Tone of voice: Deliberate and efficient with little emotion evident

For an Investigator, the text of the message will be suitably precise to give clarity of meaning to the other person, and there is little need to allow inflection or dramatic volume shifts to cloud the message. An Investigator often speaks quite slowly in order to ensure the message is understood before moving on to the next point.

Body language: Controlled and precise

An Investigator would be great at playing Poker, as they don’t show their emotions readily in their body language. Investigators, with their low-assertive style, prefer only brief eye contact, and can have quite a closed posture. For the Investigator this feels comfortable as it’s better to use a more precise medium to communicate than body language. For other types, this can come across as slightly austere and cold.

Preferred environment: Neat and organised

The Investigator thrives on high-quality work, and this requires order in the workplace to achieve results effectively. The Investigator has a tidy desk with important tools and resources easily at hand. Investigators are very organised, and will know where something is when they need it. Investigators enjoy their personal space.