Will Schutz

Back to Influences

Will Schutz was a long standing influence before any of us met him. His instrument FIRO-B is the most widely-used psychometric tool after the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Will started out life as a US academic; FIRO (Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation) was his PhD thesis that looked at the way inclusion, control and openness influenced how an individual responds to group situations. It was particularly useful in composing functional teams in submarines!

Its potential to be widely applicable was evident from the beginning because it describes universal processes that all individuals go through in the stages of group life.

It also describes the effects on individuals as they respond to the three phases of group life: inclusion; control and openness.

FIRO is a tool that is soon understood in general terms and also has a degree of sophistication about it that grows as you get acquainted with its possibilities.

We have used FIRO in all the work we do that involves group development or helping groups understand how their personal view influences the way in which they respond to group phenomena.

Will spent many years living out his philosophy of Profound Simplicity, living at Esalen from 1967 to 1973. He died in 2002.