The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a tool we often use to help people identify opportunities for professional and personal development.
It is a useful part of many of our coaching and training courses, giving us, and the participants, a good starting point for their learning and growth. In particular, we use it for team development, executive coaching, leadership skills and performance management.
The origins of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
In 1921 Carl Jung published Psychological Types, in which he identified four psychological functions (sensation, intuition, thinking and feeling) and two attitudes by which the functions are expressed (extravert and introvert). Combining these gave him eight psychological types. Jung theorised that each person has a dominant type and that, by working to develop their inferior types, people could broaden and strengthen their personality.
A contemporary of Jung, Katharine Cook Briggs, had also started to categorise personality types. Taking inspiration from Jung’s work, she collaborated with her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers, to create a practical tool to help assess personality types.
During the Second World War they developed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, believing that it would help to identify the best jobs for women entering the workforce for the first time. It expanded upon Jung’s original theory by adding the functions ‘judging’ and ‘perceiving’, to create sixteen personality types.
How does the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator work?
You start by responding to a series of statements in a written or online questionnaire. For each statement you indicate to what extent it applies to you.
Your responses are then assessed to calculate your personality type. It will be one of sixteen options such as ISTJ (Introversion, Sensing, Thinking, Judging) or ENFP (Extraversion, iNtuition, Feeling, Perceiving).
When we use MBTI, your personal feedback will begin by discussing the various personality types in depth. We’ll ask you to consider which you believe most accurately reflect your personality. Then we will reveal your results to see which type the Myers-Briggs process calculated you to be.
We’ll discuss the detail and nuances of the assessment and where they do, or don’t, resonate with what you expected. Once you’re happy that you understand the results, we’ll examine how they can support your development, both professionally and personally.
You will be provided with a written copy of your report to refer to and we can then follow this up through further training or coaching sessions.
What outcomes should you expect?
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator aims to provide an accessible and useful understanding of your personality type.
By revealing an individual’s personality preferences we can help them become more self-aware and identify areas where further development could be helpful. Myers-Briggs is a valuable tool to enhance leadership styles and plan career progression.
In a team environment, a mutual understanding of each other’s MBTI type encourages greater understanding and more effective teamwork.
And, for managers, it provides an important insight for supporting their direct reports and resolving conflict.
Who is MBTI for?
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is an opportunity for personal growth for anyone at any stage in their career.
It can help to define a career path for a school leaver or improve a CEO’s leadership skills.
Ready to learn more?
While we can conduct a Myers-Briggs assessment as a single piece of work, more often we use it as part of a larger programme of development. We also offer alternative and complementary tools such as Insights Discovery and Appraisal 360.
We are certified and experienced MBTI practitioners and can work with you remotely, at your premises or in a suitable alternative location.
Contact us to discover how MBTI could strengthen your organisation.