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Working Together More Effectively:

Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®

Presented by Nancy J. Barger

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Myers-Briggs, MBTI, andIntroduction to Type are trademarks or registered trademarks

of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Trust in the United States and other countries.

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Barger

Organization development / HR consultantorganizational change

MBTI® instrument applications – Step I and Step II

leadership development and coaching

diversity, multicultural issues

team analysis and interventions

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International Consulting

MBTI ® qualifying programs, advanced applications, and organization development in

USCanadaUKFinlandDenmark

South KoreaAustraliaSingaporeNew ZealandIndiaSouth Africa

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PublicationsType and CultureIntroduction to Type® and ChangeThe Challenge of Change in OrganizationsWORKTypes (Kummerow, Barger, and Kirby)MBTI® Manual, “Use of Type in Organizations,” “Uses of Type in Multicultural Settings”MBTI® Applications, “Multicultural Applications”

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The MBTI® Instrument

The most widely-used personality inventory in the world – translated into 30+ languages

I have used it – with excellent success – inCanada The United Kingdom FinlandAustralia New Zealand DenmarkSingapore India South Korea South Africa

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What Is the MBTI® Tool?

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument is a personality inventory

It’s designed to identify normal differences in people

There are no right or wrong answers – only the ones that are right for you

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What It’s NOT

Is NOT about skills, intelligence, abilities, or technical expertise

Does NOT tell you what you can and can’t do

Affirms that people are a lot more than their psychological type

Complete the Form M Self-Scorable

Answer as you prefer – when not under pressure to act a certain wayAnswer the 93 questions – Use a ball-point pen and press firmlyDO NOT TEAR OPEN – we will score later

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Carl G. Jung

Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist (1875 – 1961) developed a theory of personality.

Differences between people are not random, instead they form patterns – types.

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Katharine C. Briggs

Katharine C. Briggs (1875 –1968), an American, read Jung’s Psychological Types in 1923.

She spent the next 20 years studying, developing, and applying Jung’s theory.

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Isabel Briggs MyersIsabel Briggs Myers

(1897 – 1980) developed Jung’s theory in partnership with Briggs.

Beginning in 1943, she developed questions that became the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® instrument.

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MBTI® ResultsThe MBTI® inventory indicates preferences on 4 sets of opposites:

E Extraversion OR I Introversion

S Sensing OR N Intuition

T Thinking OR F Feeling

J Judging OR P Perceiving

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What Are “Preferences”?

Turn to Introduction to Type®, p. 8.

In the box in the left-hand column, do what it says – sign your name the way you always do.

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Preferences

Then, put your pen or pencil in the other hand and sign your name once again in the box below.

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Preferences

Most people find the two experiences –writing with the preferred hand and with the non-preferred hand – quite different.

This helps explain what Jung and the MBTI® mean by “preferences.”

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16 Patterns

The four preferences can combine in any way =

16 different ways of being normal

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Extraversion or Introversion

This preference is about mental energy

how we get energyhow we focus our energy and attention

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Extraversion or Introversion

From Introduction to Type & Change, Barger & Kirby, CPP 2004, pp. 4 – 5.

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E or I

People who prefer E

energized by outside world

active and involved

People who prefer I

energized by quiet, internal processing

reflective and thoughtful

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Work Styles

Extraversion

talk things through

take action, get going

want to be involved

prefer face-to-face

Introversion

think things through

think before acting

want to be informed

prefer writing/one-on-one

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Sensing or Intuition

This preference is about perception

how we take in information

the kind of information we like and trust

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Sensing or Intuition

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Sensing or Intuition

People who prefer S

focus on what IS through the senses

trust and rely on “real,” verifiable data

People who prefer N

focus on connections and meaning in what is

trust and rely on their insights, the explanatory patterns they see

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Work Styles

Sensingfocus on present realities

want practical data

build carefully to conclusions

rely on experience

“if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”

Intuitionfocus on future possibilities

want the big picture

jump to connections and patterns

rely on innovative ideas

“let’s try something new”

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Thinking or Feeling

This preference is about decision-making

the way we organize and prioritize information

the process we use to make decisions

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Thinking or Feeling

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Thinking or Feeling

People who prefer T

prioritize and decide using detached analysis, logic

apply principles of fairness and “reasonableness”

People who prefer F

prioritize and decide using personal and group values

apply empathy, compassion, attention to individual needs

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Work Styles

Thinkingstep back to get an objective view

analyze pros & cons

focus on tasks

value competence

are “fair”

Feelingstep into, identify with people involved

assess impacts on people

focus on relationships

value harmony & support

are “fair”

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Judging or Perceiving

This last preference looks at the attitude you bring to your external life

how you organize your environment

how you plan and complete tasks

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Judging or Perceiving

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Judging or Perceiving

People who prefer J

seek structure and order in their daily life

plan & schedule to move to completion

People who prefer P

seek openness and variety in their daily life

stay flexible to gather information & experiences

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Work Styles

Judging

want clear goals

make plans & follow them

develop schedules & time frames

drive to “wrap it up”

Perceiving

goals = “moving targets”

want flexible plans, options

general parameters & time frames

wait for decisions to emerge

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1st Hypothesis – Self Estimate

Introduction to Type®, p. 11

Write the 4 letters you have chosen. If there was one where you couldn’t choose, put in a question mark.

E/I/? S/N/? T/F/? J/P/?

Scoring

Tear open the booklet (left-hand strip) to score your results

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Your MBTI® Results Show . . .

1. The 4 preferences you chose.

2. An indication of the clarity with which you reported those.

E Moderate

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Your “Best Fit”

If the 2 hypotheses are the same:read the full-page description of that type, pp. 14 – 29 (Table of Contents lists pages)

If the two hypotheses are different on 1 preference:read both

Note things in the description that are like you and that are not like you.

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It’s Your Decision!The MBTI® questionnaire is a carefully-developed, well-

researched instrument –AND 93 questions cannot tap into all the information you have about yourself.

To decide on your “best fit” type, consideryour resultsyour self-estimate, andthe type descriptions

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Adults in the United StatesForm M reported type

National representative sampleN = 3,009

Source: MBTI Manual, 3rd ed. (1998), p. 379.Palo Alto, CA: CPP.

EISNTFJP

TJTPFJFP

49%51%73%27%40%60%54%46%

24%16%30%29%

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Step I (European English) reported typeNational representative sample

N = 1,634

Adults in the United Kingdom

Source: MBTI Manual, 3rd ed. (1998), p. 379.Palo Alto, CA: CPP.

EISNTFJP

TJTPFJFP

50%50%71%29%43%57%59%41%

28%17%30%25%

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Team

ISTJ

XX

ISFJ

X

INFJ INTJ

X

ISTP

X

ISFP INFP

X

INTP

ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP

X

ESTJ

Leader

ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ

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TeamISTJ

XX

ISFJ INFJ

X

INTJ

X

ISTP ISFP INFP

X

INTP

X

ESTP ESFP ENFP

Leader

ENTP

ESTJ

XXX

ESFJ

X

ENFJ ENTJ

X

Constructive Use of Differences

Becoming aware of differencesAcknowledging the value of differencesPracticing new behaviors, seeking out others with differencesIncorporating different perspectives into our own processes

Isabel Briggs Myers

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“I dream that long after I’m gone, my work will go on helping people.”

—1979