Myers Briggs Type Indicator: A Key to Workplace Relationships Minnesota Management & Budget Question 1: Question 2: Revised April 2008 1
Learning Objectives In this session, we will: Learn about the Myers Briggs Personality Type Indicator (MBTI); Identify personal strengths and challenges; Discuss implications for supervision and team leadership. Psychological type assumes that relationships can be enhanced when differences are understood and valued. Of importance for leaders, type reveals that learning to access and appropriately express different mental capacities is crucial to building relationships, communicating appropriately, and promoting synergy among members of a team. By gaining clarity about your own type, you can have a deeper awareness of your leadership strengths and potential development needs. Pearman, R. (1999). What Energizes You? 2
Extraversion Active nature Dynamic, animated communicators May prefer face-to-face discussions Process externally Introversion Reflective nature Less demonstrative communicators May prefer indirect communication Process internally Discussion Introverts: What do you appreciate about Extraverts in the workplace? What question(s) would you ask to better understand them? Extraverts: What do you appreciate about Introverts in the workplace? What question(s) would you ask to better understand them? Implications for supervision How Do You Gather Information? 3
Sensing Like details, facts, specifics Chronological approach Rely on experience Past and present focus Practical INtuition See patterns and connections Use random approach Like theories, general concepts Future orientation Imaginative, think about possibilities Discussion Tell me about the picture. Implications for supervision How Do You Make Decisions? 4
Thinking Consider pros and cons, logical analysis Cause-and-effect reasoning Like to critique and suggest improvements Prefer to get down to business Principles Feeling Use personal values to make decisions Impact on people Like to demonstrate appreciation Focus on relationships, like harmony Circumstances Discussion You are part of a conference planning committee of nine individuals. Your committee s work has caught the attention of the International Conference Planning Association (ICPA), which is having a convention in Hawaii in a few months. They ve asked your entire committee to come and present on best practices from your experience. Whoops! You just got a call. The convention group is having budget problems, and can only afford to pay for three of your committee members to come to the convention. What process will you use to decide who will go? List your considerations or options in order (what would you think of first, second, and so on). Implications for supervision What is Your Approach to Life? 5
Judging Like closure Prefer to plan and organize Set deadlines Appear productive P erceiving Like to keep options open Prefer spontaneity Focus on gathering information Demonstrate flexibility Discussion Js What works for you? What trips you up? Ps What works for you? What trips you up? Implications for supervision Worksheet: Verifying Your True Type 6
1. Self-Assessment: Preference Scales Extraversion (E) Energized by outer world Introversion (I) Energized in inner world Sen sing (S) Work with known facts Thi nking (T) Base decisions on impersonal analysis and logic Judging (J) Prefer a planned, decided, orderly way of life Intuition (N) Look for possibilities and relationships Feeling (F) Base decisions on personal values Perceptive (P) Prefer a flexible, spontaneous way of life E or I? S or N? T or F? J or P? 2. Indicator results 3. True Type Jean M. Kummerow, Ph.D. Consulting Psychologist Reproduced with permission 7
Gifts of Type ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ ISTP ISFP INFP INTP ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP ESTJ ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ 8
Brief Descriptions of Management Style ESTP The management style of the ESTP is pragmatic and expedient. With distinct flair, the ESTP does whatever needs to be done to get the job done now, usually with the least possible effort. They thrive on action and the use of all available resources at hand, sometimes to the point where the goal justifies the means. ISTP The management style of the ISTP is egalitarian, pragmatic and expedient. As a manager, the ISTP does whatever needs to be done to get the job done with the least possible effort. They can be a storehouse of data and facts about things and events they find particularly interesting. ESFP The management style of the ESFP is easy going, yet pragmatic and expedient. As a manager, the ESFP does whatever needs to be done to get the job done with the least possible effort. For ESFP managers, life is a bowl of cherries just about 24 hours a day. ISFP The management style of the ISFP is understanding, human and easy going. Moreover, ISFP managers are pragmatic and expedient. They do whatever needs to be done to get the job done with the least possible effort, and a premium is attached to being efficient. With their senses keenly tuned in, they become totally absorbed in the action of the moment, and for ISFPs, actions speak louder than words. ESTJ The management style of the ESTJ is results-oriented, cooperative, authoritarian and quite decisive. An ESTJ manager expects everyone to follow the rules and standard operating procedures without question. Title, position and hierarchies are important and to be respected. They want to keep order so that the organization, group, family and culture will be preserved. ISTJ The management style of the ISTJ is authoritarian and decisive. As a manager, the ISTJ expects everyone to follow the rules and procedures without question. Hierarchy is respected. ISTJs want to conserve the resources of the organization, group, family or culture and can be depended upon to persevere toward that goal. ESFJ The management style of the ESFJ is softly authoritarian and decisive. As a manager, the ESFJ expects everyone to follow the rules and procedures without question. Hierarchy is respected. They are congenial, helpful, considerate, thoughtful and wish to please. They focus on harmony and mutual support and achieving results through teamwork and a sense of mutual belonging. ISFJ The management style of the ISFJ is likely to be caring, rule oriented and quiet. They may tend to not insist that others follow through, however, as any form of discord or confrontation is quite unappealing to the peaceful, cooperative ISFJ manager. They expect others to follow the rules and procedures without unnecessary and uncalled for questions. Systems, procedures and organizational hierarchies are expected, respected and adhered to. 9
Brief Descriptions of Management Style (cont.) ENTJ The management style of the ENTJ is likely to be action oriented. They are the visionaries who communicate a vision of how the organization can change, marshalling the human and material forces to achieve future goals and objectives. They are the natural organization builders and cannot not lead. INTJ The management style of INTJs is likely to be planning oriented. They are the visionaries who find applications for theories and models to achieve long-range goals and outline all the steps necessary to get there. They thrive on putting theories to work and are open to any and all ideas they can put to use. ENTP The management style of the ENTP is likely to be one of a visionary who communicates the general outline of the vision, yet lets everyone do their own thing. Preferring to operate autonomously, ENTPs assume that others do, too. They are the engineers of human relationships and systems as well as the more scientific domains. INTP The management style of the INTP is likely to be one of a visionary who communicates the general outline of the vision, yet lets everyone do their own thing. Preferring to operate autonomously, INTPs assume that others do, too. They can be team players if that is what is necessary to get the job done. If faced with what they perceive as incompetence, INTPs are likely to take on the task themselves rather than see the project fail. ENFJ The management style of ENFJs is democratic and participative. The nature of their modus operandi is likely to be people-oriented. Indeed, they lead by coaching, encouraging, applauding and providing a lot of positive feedback. ENFJs manage in a very personal way, focusing on the individuals in the organization. INFJ The management style of INFJs is one of striving for and supporting the highest and best use of the human potential. There is authenticity in caring for people, and they are likely to lead quietly and by example. It is important to understand that an INFJ needs to work for a cause, a leader, and a purpose if possible, of higher calling than just churning out day-to-day work. ENFP The management style of ENFPs is outgoing, democratic and participative. Their style is likely to be highly people oriented and they lead by their energy and enthusiasm for causes. ENFPs manage in a very personal way, getting involved with the individuals in the organization. They are very perceptive of others motives and interested in what is going on around them. INFP The management style of INFPs is very caring, democratic and participative. Their style is likely to be people oriented and they lead by quietly championing worthwhile causes and encouraging individuals to achieve whatever they are setting out to do. Their commitment is to the progress and growth of those around them and on the development of staff. Adapted from Isachsen & Berens (1995). Team Predictions 10
The more similarity between individual types on a team, the sooner the team members will come to understand each other; the more different the types, the slower the understanding. Groups with very similar members will reach decisions more quickly but may make more errors because not all viewpoints are represented. Groups with many different types will reach decisions more slowly (and painfully) but may reach better decisions because more viewpoints are included. Members who come to appreciate different types may help to diffuse conflict. Extraverts may dominate discussions, and perhaps decision making, unless they make a special effort to involve Introverts; Introverts may need to make a special effort to be heard. Feeling types may be more concerned with harmony and teamness; Thinking types may be more concerned with truth and task. Successful teams with many different types promote the personal development of team members by encouraging learning from the gifts of other types. The following are key concepts of the MBTI instrument: The MBTI is not a test, but an indicator. Each type has its own gifts, and its own blind spots. Types are not pigeonholes; they simply describe preferred ways of functioning. All types are valuable! Additional Resources 11
Berens, L.V. et al (2002). Quick Guide to the Sixteen Personality Types in Organizations. Surrey, UK: Telos Publishing Ltd. Isachsen, O. and Berens, L.V. (1995). Working Together: A Personality- Centered Approach to Management, 3 rd Edition. Irvine, CA: Institute for Management Development. Myers, I. B. (1995). Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type. Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black Publishing. Pearman, R. (1999). Enhancing Leadership Effectiveness through Psychological Type. Gainsville, FL: Center for Applications of Psychological Type. Team Technology Leadership, Management, Teamwork and Business www.teamtechnology.co.uk Keirsey Temperament Sorter www.keirsey.com 12