The way people communicate at work has quietly and fundamentally changed, and now, there’s more than a decade of data to prove it. Velocity Advisory Group, a firm specializing in leadership development and organizational strategy, today released A Decade of Behavioral Shift, a landmark study drawing on more than 23,000 behavioral assessments collected over 11 years. The research reveals that analytical and relational communication styles have gone from just over half the workforce to more than three-quarters in a single decade.
Based on the firm’s proprietary, DISC-based assessment The Birds™, the report points to a structural transformation in the modern workforce — one that leaders are managing without realizing it has occurred.
The report translates DISC — the framework that maps how people prefer to communicate — into four intuitive archetypes: the Eagle (D – direct), the Parrot (I – influencing), the Dove (S – steady), and the Owl (C – analytical). Tracking these styles across more than a decade, the analysis reveals a clear, durable shift toward analytical and relational communication.
Among the findings: analytical and relational styles (Owl and Dove) grew from roughly 58% of the workforce in 2014 to more than 76% by 2025, while the influencing Parrot saw the steepest decline of any style. The data also points to 2020 as a pivot rather than a rupture; the most lasting realignment took hold in the years that followed, suggesting structural rather than temporary change.
“At Velocity, we believe great leadership starts with truly understanding your people,” said Dave Fechtman, CEO of Velocity Advisory Group. “This research shows, with more than a decade of evidence, that the workforce is communicating differently than it did ten years ago. The leaders who recognize that shift — and adapt to it — are the ones who will build stronger, more aligned teams.”
A Decade of Behavioral Shift was authored by David Schlosser, PhD, Dymon Lewis, and Grace Cashman. Download the full report at How Workplace Communication Styles Changed from 2014 to 2025.
