A new workforce behavior study from Velocity Advisory Group suggests that employee communication preferences have undergone a significant structural shift over the past decade. Drawing on more than 23,000 behavioral assessments collected between 2014 and 2025, the research indicates that analytical and relationship-oriented communication styles now dominate the modern workplace, signaling important implications for leadership development, employee engagement, and organizational strategy.
Velocity Advisory Group has released A Decade of Behavioral Shift, a longitudinal study examining how workplace communication preferences have evolved over the last 11 years. Based on more than 23,000 DISC-based behavioral assessments, the report argues that organizations are experiencing a fundamental change in how employees communicate, collaborate, and respond to leadership—one that many businesses have yet to fully recognize.
For HR leaders and organizational development professionals, the findings add to growing evidence that workforce dynamics are changing alongside digital transformation, hybrid work, and evolving employee expectations. Rather than representing a temporary response to the pandemic, the report suggests these behavioral shifts have become embedded in the way modern organizations operate.
The study is built on Velocity Advisory Group’s proprietary behavioral assessment, The Birds™, which adapts the widely recognized DISC behavioral framework into four communication archetypes: Eagle (direct), Parrot (influencing), Dove (steady), and Owl (analytical). While DISC assessments have long been used in leadership development and team-building initiatives, Velocity’s report stands out for analyzing more than a decade of behavioral data to identify long-term workforce trends rather than individual personality profiles.
According to the research, analytical and relationship-oriented communication styles—represented by the Owl and Dove archetypes—accounted for just over 58% of assessed employees in 2014. By 2025, those styles represented more than 76% of the workforce assessed, marking a substantial increase in preferences for thoughtful, collaborative, and data-driven communication.
Conversely, the Parrot archetype, associated with highly influential and expressive communication, experienced the largest decline over the study period. The report also identifies 2020 as an inflection point, but notes that the most significant behavioral changes emerged during the years that followed, indicating a lasting structural transformation rather than a short-term pandemic effect.
Velocity Advisory Group CEO Dave Fechtman said the findings demonstrate that organizations are leading workforces that communicate differently than they did a decade ago, emphasizing that leadership effectiveness increasingly depends on recognizing and adapting to those changes.
The implications extend well beyond communication training. Modern HR technology platforms increasingly incorporate behavioral analytics, workforce insights, and employee engagement data to help organizations personalize leadership development, improve collaboration, and strengthen organizational culture.
Behavioral assessments are becoming an increasingly important component of digital talent management. Enterprise platforms from Microsoft, Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle, Salesforce, and LinkedIn Learning are integrating AI-powered workforce analytics, skills intelligence, and employee experience data to provide managers with deeper visibility into team dynamics and performance.
While Velocity Advisory Group’s research focuses specifically on communication preferences rather than technology adoption, the findings reinforce why behavioral intelligence is becoming more valuable within modern HR ecosystems. As organizations embrace hybrid work environments and distributed teams, understanding how employees process information, collaborate, and make decisions has become increasingly important for leadership effectiveness.
The study also aligns with broader trends in organizational psychology. Analytical communication styles often emphasize structure, evidence, and careful decision-making, while relational styles prioritize stability, trust, and collaboration. These characteristics have gained prominence as organizations navigate increasingly complex work environments shaped by digital collaboration tools, remote work, artificial intelligence, and cross-functional teams.
Industry research supports the growing emphasis on employee behavior and workforce adaptability. According to Gartner, improving manager effectiveness and employee engagement remains one of the highest priorities for HR leaders as organizations respond to changing workforce expectations. McKinsey & Company has similarly found that organizations with adaptable leadership practices and strong organizational health consistently outperform peers during periods of transformation.
The report also raises important questions about leadership development strategies. Traditional management approaches often reward assertive, highly influential communication styles, yet Velocity’s findings suggest many organizations now employ workforces that respond more effectively to collaborative, evidence-based leadership. That shift may require organizations to reconsider leadership competencies, coaching programs, and performance management practices.
Unlike conventional employee engagement surveys, behavioral assessments offer organizations a deeper understanding of communication preferences that can influence hiring, onboarding, team composition, conflict resolution, and succession planning. As AI-powered people analytics continues to mature, combining behavioral data with workforce intelligence could enable more personalized leadership development and organizational decision-making.
For enterprise HR teams, the study highlights the increasing value of behavioral insights as part of broader workforce strategies. Rather than viewing communication styles as static personality traits, organizations are beginning to recognize behavioral data as a strategic asset that can improve collaboration, employee experience, and organizational resilience.
Although Velocity Advisory Group’s report is based on proprietary assessment data, its central conclusion reflects a broader evolution taking place across the HR technology landscape: workforce success increasingly depends on understanding not only what employees can do, but how they communicate, collaborate, and engage. As organizations continue adapting to AI-enabled workplaces and evolving employee expectations, behavioral intelligence is likely to become an even more influential component of leadership and talent management strategies.
Market Landscape
Behavioral analytics is emerging as a key pillar of modern HR technology. Organizations are combining personality assessments, employee engagement platforms, workforce analytics, and AI-driven people intelligence to improve leadership effectiveness and organizational performance. As hybrid work and digital collaboration reshape employee interactions, behavioral insights are becoming essential for talent management, workforce planning, and leadership development.
Top Insights
- Velocity Advisory Group analyzed more than 23,000 DISC-based behavioral assessments collected over 11 years, revealing significant changes in workplace communication preferences.
- Analytical and relationship-oriented communication styles increased from approximately 58% of assessed employees in 2014 to more than 76% in 2025.
- The research suggests workforce communication changes accelerated after 2020 and have become structural rather than temporary organizational trends.
- HR leaders may need to adapt leadership development, employee engagement, and communication strategies to better align with evolving workforce behaviors.
- Behavioral analytics continues gaining importance as enterprises integrate people intelligence into workforce planning and leadership development initiatives.
Join thousands of HR leaders who rely on HRTechEdge for the latest in workforce technology, AI-driven HR solutions, and strategic insights
