Notes on the FIRO-B (Fundamental Interpersonal Relations OrientationBehavior Needs)
The basic idea behind the FIRO-B concept was first proposed by Schutz* (1958):
people need people and individuals seek to establish compatible
relationships with others in their social interactions. As people form
relationships and begin striving for compatibility in interactions, three
interpersonal need develop that must be satisfied if the individual is to
function effectively and avoid unsatisfactory relationships.
Need for inclusion--everyone needs to maintain relations with other people, need to be
included in their activities, and to include them in their own activities. To some extent all
people seek to belong to some group, and also to be left alone on occasion. There is
always a tendency toward extroversion and introversion. They thus differ in the strength
of their relative needs in this area.
Need for control--refers to the need to maintain a satisfactory balance of power and
influence in relationships. Exerting control, influence, direction over others while
remaining independent from them. Trade-off between authoritarianism and dependency.
Need for affection--the need to form close personal relationships with others. Not
restricted to physical affection or romantic relationships but includes need for warmth,
intimacy, and love apart from overt behaviors. All individuals need closeness but wish to
avoid being smothered.
Each has two aspects: desire to express the need and a desire to receive the needed
behavior from others. These three needs determine an individual's interpersonal
orientation.
Scores on the test range from 0 to 9 for each of the six sub-cells and the national averages
and ranges are shown on the following page. One way to interpret your scores is to
compare them to these national norms. At least 50 per cent of adults fall into the ranges
shown (e.g., 4 to 7) and the numbers below these ranges (e.g., 5.4) refer to the average.
Fifty per cent of adults score within 1.5 points of these average scores. If you scored 6 in
the expressed control cell, for instance, you score higher than 75 per cent of people on
that need; if you scored a 2 in the expressed affection cell, you scored lower than 75 per
cent of the population. The score in the lower right-hand side is the social interaction
index. The highest possible is 54 (9 times 6 cells) and individuals with high scores have
strong needs to interact with other people. More likely to be gregarious, friendly, and
involved with others. Low scorers are more typically shy and reserved.

Schutz, W.C. FIRO: A three-dimensional theory of interpersonal behavior. New York: Holt, Rinehart
& Winston, 1958.
Inclusion
Expressed
Toward
Others (e)
Wanted
From
Others (w)
Column
Totals
4 to 7
5.4
5 to 8
6.5
9 to 15
11.9
Control
Affection
Row
2 to 5
3.9
3 to 6
4.1
9 to 18
13.4
3 to 6
4.6
3 to 6
4.6
11 to 20
15.9
5 to 11
8.5
6 to 12
8.9
20 to 38
29.3
Business school students differ significantly: accounting and systems had social
interaction index means of 22 and 23 respectively, while marketing and HR majors had
means of 31 and 32. Engineers and finance were in the middle of these scores.
The greatest usefulness of the scores lies in comparing compatibility among individuals-matching scores among persons. One popular compatibility index is called the
reciprocal incompatibility:
Manager's e - Subordinate's w + Subordinate's e - Manager's w
The straight lines indicate absolute values. Using the following illustration of a
"manager's" scores and a "subordinate's" score, we may compute the reciprocal index in
the inclusion area using the above formula.
Manager
Inclusion
Control
Affection
Expressed
9
9
1
Wanted
8
4
4
Subordinate
Expressed
3
8
6
Wanted
2
2
8
9 - 2 + 3 - 8 = 12 Any score higher than six (6) has been interpreted to
imply that there is a strong possibility of incompatibility between individuals. Higher
absolute scores mean greater incompatibility. Studies have found that among
interpersonally compatible groups or teams there exist some of the following
characteristics:
 more interpersonal attraction among members
 more positive group climate, less hostility
 more productivity, fewer errors
 faster problem solving
Knowing interpersonal orientations is thus important to managerial success. As a
manager some problems may be solved by increasing inclusion activities, by allowing
someone else to express a bit more control, or by redefining an issue as an affection
problem instead of a control problem.