Personality is an important consideration in team building. Think about how people have different individual work styles and how they work differently in a group differs! Understanding how you and your team members tend to work can help each of us to work together more effectively. One popular way to discover personalities and its effect work styles is the use of the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
Origins of Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
In 1921, the book “Psychological Typesâ€, by Carl Gustav Jung, introduced a personality questionnaire designed to identify certain psychological differences according to typological theories.
Later, during the WWII era, Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers created the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It was based on the belief that knowledge of personality preferences would help women who were entering the industrial workforce; it would help to identify the sort of war-time jobs where they would be “most comfortable and effective”.
Type and the 4 Dichotomies
The following are the 4 paired dichotomies that make up the indicator:
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Extroversion |
Introversion |
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• draw energy from action: act, then reflect, then act further • if inactive, level of energy and motivation tends to decline
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• become less energized as they act: reflect, then act, then reflect again • need time out to reflect in order to rebuild energy
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Sensing |
Intuition |
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• trust information that is in the present, tangible and concrete; distrust hunches • look for detail and facts; the meaning is in the data.
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• trust information that is more abstract or theoretical; the meaning is in how data relates to pattern or theory • may be more interested in future possibilities; trust flashes of insight that bubble up from the subconscious
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Thinking |
Feeling |
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• decide things from a more detached standpoint • matching a given set of rules with what seems reasonable, logical, causal, consistent |
• make decisions by associating or empathizing with the situation • weighing ‘from the inside’ to achieve harmony, consensus and fit |
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Judging |
Perceiving |
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• generally associated with left brain dominance • uses logic; detail oriented; facts rule; words and language; present and past; math and science; can comprehend; knowing; acknowledges; order/pattern perception; knows object name; reality based; forms strategies; practical; safe |
• associated with right brain dominance • uses feeling; “big picture” oriented; imagination rules; symbols and images; present and future; philosophy & religion; can “get it” (i.e. meaning); believes; appreciates; spatial perception; knows object function; fantasy based; presents possibilities; impetuous; risk taking |
The key is that the dichotomies represented by these pairings are PREFERENCES – and hence do not represent right or wrong, better or worse. Thus it is not about being extraverted or introverted, judgmental or perceptive, but rather is about what we prefer and how we think.
Free Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The following are 3 short online tests (5-20 min each). To make the most of the experience, do not do them all at once, but rather to take them separately over the course of a few days. It’s actually a fun and interesting thing, and you will find that you and your team members will learn much more by doing more than one.
- Short 4 question multiple choice test: http://bloginality.love-productions.com/index2.php
Why Personality Is Important to Team Building
Personality is an important consideration in team building based on:
- How people work individually differs!
- How people work in a group differs!
- Understanding how you tend to work and how others tend to work can help each of us to work together more effectively
Use the above free resources to learn more about yourself and your project team, and facilitate better project communications to build a more effective team!
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John Reiling, PMP
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