Human Needs - Exchange

Exchange is the need to trade information and knowledge with others, not just to mingle or socialize, but to deliver and receive something of value. That something of value may beinformation, conversation, communication, energy, friendship, services, money, gifts, love, justice, shared experiences. People with a need for exchange are concerned about the flow of energy in all types of relationships. They like to see things "moving" in some way that expresses balanced equality, integrity and an equal exchange.

Examples of how Exchange manifests for different people:

• Participating with others in discussions of all types
• Staying in touch with friends, family and business associates (phone calls, letters, e-mail, in-person visits, gifts, etc.)
• Feeling a sense of camaraderie with coworkers
• Working with others who have a common goal
• Participating in groups (teams, committees, clubs, boards, etc.) where they feel they are valued and receive value from others
• Seeing that justice is done
• Feeling a sense of fairness and balance in interactions with others
• Working in a way that creates equality for all participants
• Feeling a sense of integrity and trust with others
• Sharing information with others and receiving information in return
• Working with contracts and agreements
• Studying (and working with) situations and people related to ethics, integrity and justice
• Building and maintaining an active network of contacts
• Making introductions to others through their network.
• Sharing a deep relationship with another person, where they feel able to communicate and interact freely and easily.

Positive aspects : Positive role model for relationships; maintaining an equal balanced flow ofin a relationship; keeping things moving (knowledge, information, communication, energy); promoting equality in all interactions; working with money, contracts, justice, ethics, integrity, wholeness, balance.

Negative aspects : Keeping secrets, withholding communications, engaging in inappropriate communications (gossip, lying, criticism), cynicism, general negativity, stinginess, not participating with others in an equal or balanced way, unethical behavior or treatment of others.

How this affects the workplace : People who have a need for Exchange work well with others with common goals. If a person who has a need for Exchange meets someone that does not interact well with them, they will "write off" the person and the relationship, finding no common ground for interaction. If this other person is a boss, client or coworker it will be very hard for them to continue any further interaction with the person.

A person with a need for Exchange needs to feel they are getting something of value from someone else and that they are giving something of value. They will be very distressed by unethical or discriminatory behavior, or learning that information has been withheld from them.