Personality

• Personality can be defined as “the complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual or a nation or group; especially : the totality of an individual’s behavioral and emotional characteristics”.
• Understanding personalities is a vital part of being a manager.
• People are different and that’s a fact and to better understand how to interact and engage with them it is important to understand what type of personality your dealing with.
• Having an understanding of personality and learning styles of individuals in your organization can generate a productive pleasant place to work.

• The Myers-Briggs personality test is a tool that a manager can use to define the personality of individuals in the organization.

Myers-Briggs

• The Myers-Briggs test was developed by a mother/daughter team in the 40’s based of off the lifelong work of Carl Jung.
• The test was intended to bring a everyday applications of Jung’s work to the public in order to provide personality matches for social and work environments.
• The test was a new interpretation of Jung’s theory and added to it by including how people deal with the outside world.
• There have been over 600 dissertations written about the study and 1000’s of articles and books.

The Test

The test is broken down into four categories.

• Favorite World: Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or your own inner world? This is called Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I)
• Information: Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interrupt and add meaning? This is called Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)
• Decisions: When making decisions, do you prefer to first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances? This is called Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
• Structure: In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things decided or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options? This is called Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

Excerpts taken from MBTI® Manuel. A Guide to the Development and Use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®.

Extraversion ( E )

• Act First
• Prefers interaction from the outside world.
• Motivated by the outside forces and people
• Enjoys a wide verity of relationship with several individuals

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Introversion ( I )

• Think and reflect before responding
• Needs time alone to recharge
• Finds motivation from within, closes mind off from outside world
• Prefers one-on-one time in relationships

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Type and Work Environments

Extraverts..

• Like variety and action
• Tend to be faster, dislike complicated procedures (ES)
• Good “greeters” (EF)
• Impatient with long, slow jobs done alone

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Introverts

• Like quiet for concentration
• Careful with details (IS)
• Trouble with names & faces (IT)
• Can work for long periods of time on a project without interruptions

Type and Work Environments

Extraverts..

• Interested in activities of their job, getting it done, and how others do it
• Do not mind telephone (EF)
• Act quickly, sometimes without thinking it through
• Like people around (EF)
• Communicate freely (EF)

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Introverts..

• Interested in details & ideas behind job
• Dislike telephone (IT)
• Think before acting, sometimes without acting
• Work alone (IT)
• “In their heads” (IT)

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Sensing ( S )

• Mental state of mind dwells in the present
• Uses common sense to create practical solutions
• Vivid memory recall rich in detail
• Utilizes past experiences for improvisation
• Prefers clear concrete information

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Intuition ( N )

• Mentally dwells in the future and future possibilities
• Uses imagination and creativity to formulate new solutions
• Memory recalls patterns, content, and connections
• Comfortable with deciphering fuzzy data

Type and Work Environments

Sensing..

• Focus on here and now and reality
• Standard ways of solving problems
• Preferred established order for doing things (SJ)
• Preferring using and perfecting learned skills
• Steady workers with realistic assessment of time (ISJ)

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Intuitive..

• Focus on future and what might be
• Solving problems in new ways
• Dislike routine (NP)
• Enjoy learning new skill more than using it
• Bursts of energy with slack times (ENP)

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Type and Work Environments

Sensing..

• Reach a conclusion step by step (ISJ)
• Patient with details (ISJ)

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• Impatient when situations get complicated (ES)
• Not often inspired, mistrust inspiration
• Seldom make factual errors
• Good at precise work (IS)
• Create new by adapting old

Intuitive..

• Reach an understanding quickly (ENP)
• Impatient with routine details (ENP)
• Patient with complex situations (IN)
• Follow inspirations regardless of data
• Make errors of fact, preferring big picture
• Dislike precision (time)
• Create something new with personal insight

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Thinking ( T )

• Make decisions based on facts and logic
• Notices task and work to be done
• Provides objective and critical analysis
• Accept conflict as part of human nature in relationships

Feeling ( F )

• Use personal feeling to make decisions
• Sensitive to the needs of others and takes others into consideration
• Seeks approval from peers and sides with popular opinion
• Becomes unsettled around conflict and disorder

Type and Work Environments

Thinking..

• Like analysis and ordering
• Can get along without harmony
• Tend to be firm minded
• Do not show emotion readily and often uncomfortable with others’ feelings
• May hurt others’ feelings without knowing it
• Decide impersonally, sometimes insufficient attention to others’ wishes

Feeling..

• Like harmony
• Office feud by impair efficiency
• Tend to be sympathetic
• Aware of other people and their feelings (EF)

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• Enjoy pleasing others

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• Allow decisions to be influenced by likes and dislikes

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Type and Work Environments

Thinking..

• Need to be treated fairly in accordance with prevailing standards
• Able to reprimand people impersonally, though they may not like doing so
• More analytically-oriented, respond best to others’ thoughts (IT)

Feeling..

• Need praise and attention

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• Dislike, even avoid unpleasant encounters

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• More people oriented, respond more easily to others values

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Judging ( J )

• Plans details in advance
• Focus task at hand and completes meaningful segments before moving on
• Works to avoid stress and stays ahead of deadlines
• Uses target dates and goals to manage life

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Perceiving ( P )

• Moves into action with out a plan
• Multitask and mixes work with pleasure
• Tolerant of deadlines, dose best work under pressure
• Avoids commitments that interfere with flexibility, freedom, and variety

Type and Work Environments

Judging..

• Work best when they plan work and follow plan
• Like to get things settled

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• May decide too quickly (EJ)
• Dislike interrupting project for more urgent one (ISJ)

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Perceiving..

• Adapt well to changing situations
• Prefer leaving things open for alterations
• May postpone decisions (IP)
• May start too many projects and have difficulty finishing them (ENP)

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Type and Work Environments

Judging..

• May not notice new things that need to be done while completing what they are doing
• Want only the essentials needed to begin their work (ESJ)
• Satisfied once they reach a judgment on a thing, situation, or person

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Perceiving..

• May postpone unpleasant jobs while finding other things more interesting in the moment
• Want to know all about a new job (INP)
• Curious and welcome a new light on a thing, situation, or person

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The Code

• After taking the test a four letter code is generated based on your answers.
• There are 16 possible combinations of letters and each combination defines the individuals personality.
• Taking your combination of letters into consideration determines your personality preferences.

The Code

The Myers-Briggs indicator is a useful tool for managers to utilize in determining the placement of an individual within and organization. By blending the right personality types effective team performance and work place harmony can occur. With the MBTI in a managers tool bag one could tailor a teams design to net the results desired for the appointed task.