MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR Sultan Toles-Bey Bellevue University September 26, 2014

BACKGROUND The Myers-Briggs Type indicator (MBTI) provides a structure, or rather an algorithm, for examining one’s personalities Measures how we act or feel in certain situations How we make our decisions ( Opt & Loffredo, 2000)

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE My personality Type is ISFJ My realization of personality test results made me more aware of my decision making process.

APPLYING MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR This tool can be used to measure personality for different reasons We will explore the Myers- Briggs type indicator applied in different situations The real questions we should ask is, does it work?

TEAMWORK With much speculation surrounding the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), it is hard to determine whether personality types can affect team work. The authors of the article, Team Effectiveness and Individual Myers-Briggs Personality Dimensions (Adams et al, 2004), believe that personality influences people and their interactions with others. They hypothesized that variances in team personality will perform at a higher level than teams who have similar personalities. Their results have proven to be inconclusive. They could not prove that the Myers Briggs-can predict what personalities work well together. (Adams, et al., 2004)

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT To determine leadership qualities, a study was performed in order to test the theory that the MBTI would highlight important dispositional factors and lay the foundation for further understanding of leadership dynamics with implications for personal and professional growth. (Brown & Reilly, 2009) The results showed that positive self-reported leadership assessments was related to extraversion and intuition. (Brown & Reilly, 2009)

CAREER COUNSELING Individuals with certain personality types have been found to seek positions based on their knowledge of their own personal preference types (Gardner & Martinko, 1996) Apply this tool with caution. According to researchers, people should not completely eliminate certain occupations from job consideration solely on the basis that they are not the appropriate type (Abella & Button, 1994). There is no research to indicate that the MBTI itself gives one the ability to chose the right career

HIRING PROCESS According to Kennedy & Kennedy (2004), It is unethical to use the MBTI during the hiring process and screen applicants based on results. The test is not accurate enough You might miss out on a valuable employee with great potential It would help after the hiring process to gain insight in regards to someone’s potential as a future worker within that company

CONCLUSION The Myers Briggs Type Indicator is useful when applied as a general guide It cannot accurately determine what personalities would work well with each other, what job is the perfect choice and what applicant to hire. It does however give insight to an individual’s potential as a leader and it will give an idea of how they make decisions based on their scores Yes this tool in controversial, but I believe it can be useful when used correctly and in combination with other useful tools

RESOURCES Adams, s., Bianey, C., Pridie, G., Ruiz, U., Varvel, T.(2004).Team Effectiveness and Individual Myers-Briggs Personality Dimensions. Journal of Management in Engineering. 20(4), Brown, W., Reily, M. (2009). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Transformational Leadership. The Journal of Management and Development. 28(10), Gardner, W. L., & Martinko, M. J. (1996). Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to study managers: A literature review and research agenda. Journal of Management, 22(1), Kennedy, B., Kennedy A. (2004).Using the Myers-briggs Type Indicator in Career Counseling. Journal of Employment Counseling. 41 (1), Opt. S, Loffredo, D. (2000). Rethinking Communication Apprehension: A Myers-Briggs Perspective. The Journal of Psychology. 134(6),