1. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Dustin Lepp
MSM 500
Bellevue University

2. What is it?
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ® (MBTI ®) assessment is the best known and most trusted personality tool available today. From developing more productive work teams to building closer families, the MBTI can improve the quality of life for anyone and any organization. After more than 50 years, the MBTI instrument continues to be the most trusted and widely used assessment in the world for understanding individual differences and uncovering new ways to work and interact with others. More than 2 million assessments are administered annually

3. The MBTI can be used to help:
improve individual and team performance
nurture and retain top talent
develop leadership at every level of an organization
reduce workplace conflict
build effective teams
personal development and coaching

4. How it can be used to improve team performance.
The information obtained through the administration of Myers Briggs Type Indicator tests to team members can be used to improve team performance in several ways. When the team players take the test, they gain understanding of the personality dimensions of their own and other team members. Individuals' training on the type of personality of team members improves team performance through improved communication, trust, and interdependence. These are essential characteristics of an effective team. Therefore, understanding and tolerance of individual's behaviors and actions are the largest benefit that the Myers-Briggs test has to offer as a contribution to teams' effectiveness (Varvel , Adams, Pridie, & Ruiz Ulloa, 2004).

5. Communication, Trust, and Interdependence
Through this understanding and tolerance of others behavior, negative behaviors that impede effectiveness are also eliminated (or, at least greatly reduced), such as mis-communication, misunderstandings, a lack of tolerance for other people's differences and diversity, and a reduction of conflict. This basic understanding of a team member's personality dimensions increases team leader productivity through the same processes, examples being communication, trust, and interdependence (Varvel et al, 2004), but also by dividing the tasks according to strengths and personality dimensions. The person who scores high on the thinking dimension prefers to base decisions on logic and objective analysis of cause and effect might be asked to formulate charts and time schedules; whereas the member who scores higher on the feeling dimensions prefers to base decisions on a valuing process, considering what is important to people. Sometimes, the assessment points out weaknesses that also lead to personal development of individual members, changing behaviors that might be disruptive to team performance, but it also points out individual team member's preferred working styles and how to develop this can be a more effective player (Myers-Briggs type indicator, 2015).

6. Team performance is improved
(1) Personal development: Understanding preferred working style, how to develop this and to be more effective.
(2) Leadership development: Discovering the impact of personal style on others. Identifying strengths and areas for development. Often used as part of a coaching program
(3) Team building: Increasing awareness of the team's working style. Improving team communication, enhancing problem solving ability and encouraging appreciation of diversity.
(4) Improving communication: Understanding how to communicate effectively with different people while developing influencing and persuading skills. Helpful in conflict resolution (Myers-Briggs type indicator 2015).

7. References
Myers-Briggs type indicator (n,d). Retrieved September 28, 2015, from
Varvel T., Adams,S.G., Pridie,S.J., & Ruiz Ulloa B.C. (October, 2004). Team effectiveness and individual Myers-Briggs personality dimensions. J. Mgmt. in Engrg., 20(4), Available November 1, 2008, from