Some people invent the method. Some refine it until it's right. Some take a method that already works and fit it to the job in hand. And some take the finished thing and work out how to make a thousand of them cheaply. A team needs all four, and it's surprisingly common to build one entirely out of the first kind.
R.K. Kovalenko and N.A. Zvonaryova call these the implementation groups: four ways of turning ideas into working output. They recommend them for assembling teams, especially for brainstorming, and they're one of the more practical groupings in Socionics.
The four groups
| Group | Formula | Types |
|---|---|---|
| PerfectionistGulenko: Transition of feminine to masculine | Logical · Process · Tactical | ILE ENTp LSI ISTj ILI INTp LSE ESTj |
| FinisherGulenko: Most feminine | Ethical · Process · Strategic | SEI ISFp EIE ENFj SEE ESFp EII INFj |
| ImplementerGulenko: Transition of masculine to feminine | Ethical · Result · Tactical | ESE ESFj IEI INFp ESI ISFj IEE ENFp |
| ResultatorGulenko: Most masculine | Logical · Result · Strategic | LII INTj SLE ESTp LIE ENTj SLI ISTp |
Each group is defined by three dichotomies: Logic or Ethics, Process or Result, and Tactical or Strategic. Two of those do most of the work. Process types keep their attention on the work itself; Result types keep it on the outcome. Tactical types adapt as they go; Strategic types fix on the end goal first.
The grouping is Victor Gulenko's originally, and Kovalenko and Zvonaryova cite him. In English it usually appears under his labels, which describe a scale from masculine to feminine working styles: most masculine (Resultators), transition of feminine to masculine (Perfectionists), transition of masculine to feminine (Implementers) and most feminine (Finishers). Same membership, type for type. I've used the textbook's names because they say what each group actually does at work, which Gulenko's labels don't.
The authors are candid about the limits. They say the formula linking these groups to Model A hasn't been identified yet, and that the descriptions come from the overlap of the three traits and their own resonance-group experiments. That makes this a useful working model rather than a settled one.
Perfectionists: ILE, LSI, ILI, LSE
Perfectionists understand technology, rules, laws and cause and effect in detail, and can develop a method or production process of their own. Their attention stays on the process of the work, so they keep refining: this is individual effort spent perfecting a particular product.
The name can mislead. It isn't about polish for its own sake. It's that the work itself is what holds their attention, so "done" keeps moving.
In relationships, the authors say, Perfectionists start relationships in the moment, without needing to know where they lead, and then find them very hard to end. After a break-up they can't easily let the person go, because in their head the process isn't finished. They'd like to stay in touch afterwards.
Finishers: SEI, EIE, SEE, EII
Finishers build their work on methods they already know, drawn from experience and established norms, and they aim at a clear target for the finished product or service. Process keeps them concentrated on one piece of work; Strategic keeps them pointed at the end result. The outcome is a tailored, careful approach to improving one specific thing.
In relationships, they don't start one unless they can see where it might go. Once in, they're deeply invested and find endings hard. Of the four groups, they're the most likely to talk someone into trying again, and to initiate it themselves. They try to stay in touch after a relationship ends.
Implementers: ESE, IEI, ESI, IEE
Implementers also build on known methods, but their Tactical side means they adapt an established approach to the specific task in front of them. Their effort goes into effectiveness and a finished result.
In relationships, they start without needing a defined goal and handle the relationship itself skilfully. Their Result side lets them draw a line when they need to. Going back is hard, because the line is already drawn, and they tend to close one relationship completely before starting the next. They don't usually keep in touch afterwards.
Resultators: LII, SLE, LIE, SLI
Resultators develop and introduce new technology, aiming at a finished result that works at scale. Their goal is more output at lower cost, and their attention stays on how productive the process is.
In relationships, they don't start one unless they can see the goal, and they end them cleanly, with everything settled. Less sensitive to a partner's feelings than the ethical groups, they part easily and rarely go back: when it's over, it's over.
Building a team from them
The obvious use is balance. A product team of four Perfectionists will produce something extraordinary and never ship it. Four Resultators will ship at scale something nobody quite thought through. The groups suggest a natural relay:
- A Perfectionist works out a method nobody else has.
- A Finisher takes a proven approach and brings one product to a high standard.
- An Implementer adapts what works to the specific client, site or brief.
- A Resultator turns the finished thing into something repeatable and efficient.
You don't need one of each in every team, but it's worth knowing which you're missing. If ideas keep stalling at the same stage, the gap is often a group, not a person.
Each type's careers page reads its implementation group through that type's own Model A positions. For how a team divides up more broadly, the club work profiles and group dynamics are the next places to look.