While many people are familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and may have taken the assessment at some point, I’ve found that few fully understand its potential applications in the workplace.
If you’re like most, you might recall learning your 4-letter MBTI type, then setting aside the report and never revisiting it. (Don’t worry, I’m not judging you!)
As an executive coach, workshop facilitator, and MBTI Certified Practitioner, I LOVE teaching people how to use the tool to improve workplace dynamics and drive team performance.
The MBTI offers a ton of value to teams and organizations, but only if you truly understand what it’s about and how to apply it effectively in work settings.
By the end of this article, you’ll understand:
- What the MBTI personality assessment is
- 7 benefits of using the MBTI in the workplace
- The types of MBTI workshops and training programs available
What Is The MBTI Personality Assessment?
The MBTI is a personality self-assessment tool that allows you to better understand yourself, your preferences, and how you likely show up in the workplace.
Fun fact: The MBTI is the most widely used personality assessment tool in the world.
The MBTI assessment identifies your natural preferences across 4 preference pairs, or areas of living:
- Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I): How you direct and receive energy.
- Sensing (S) or Intuition (N): How you take in information.
- Thinking (T) or Feeling (F): How you decide and come to conclusions.
- Judging (J) or Perceiving (P): How you approach the outside world.
While you likely use both ends of each of the 4 spectrums, you likely prefer one or the other.
When you combine your preferences across the 4 pairs, you will receive your MBTI personality type (one of the 16 Myers-Briggs Personality Types).
Very important: The MBTI is a restricted psychological assessment. While there are many personality inventories out there, only a certified MBTI practitioner can access and administer the MBTI. Any other personality assessment you find online, whether paid or free, is NOT the official MBTI assessment.
What Is An MBTI Team Type?
When multiple members of your organization complete the MBTI assessment, you can uncover your team’s collective personality type.
Your team’s MBTI type is calculated by analyzing the number of team members with each preference: Extraversion or Introversion, Sensing or Intuition, Thinking or Feeling, and Judging or Perceiving.
Understanding your team’s type provides insights into potential strengths and blind spots. While no team is perfect, there are always opportunities for growth and improvement.
Discovering your team type serves as a starting point for enhancing collaboration, communication, and overall performance.
Benefits Of Using MBTI In The Workplace
According to the Myers-Briggs Company, “The MBTI assessment is a tool that helps people increase their self-awareness, understand and appreciate differences in others, and apply personality insights to improve their personal and professional effectiveness.”
But let’s dive deeper into some of the benefits of using MBTI with your team:
1. Understand yourself better.
The MBTI allows you to examine yourself, your natural preferences, and the ways in which you process information and show up at work.
For example, if you know that you have a preference for Introversion (I) (*raises hand*), you may wish to gravitate to asynchronous methods of communication, ask thoughtful questions before responding during meetings, and give yourself ample alone time throughout your workday.
This self-awareness is powerful. Understanding yourself allows you to play to your strengths and effectively manage your weaknesses.
2. Appreciate personality differences.
I will be the first to admit that working with people who think differently than you can be challenging, to say the least. However, your perspective starts to change when you see those differences as strengths rather than obstacles.
For instance, if you have a preference for Judging (J), while your manager has a preference for Perceiving (P), you may need to adjust how you communicate and negotiate deadlines.
The MBTI gives you a new lens to understand your colleagues, allowing you to navigate communication and conflict with more empathy.
3. Communicate more effectively.
Not everyone communicates the same way, and that’s totally okay! The MBTI helps you recognize different communication styles and adjust your approach based on how the individual may receive the message.
Let’s say you’re going to give someone feedback on a recent project. Understanding whether they lead with a preference for Feeling (F) or Thinking (T) can help you tailor how you deliver the message so it’s better received. Small tweaks can make a big difference
4. Boost team performance.
When everyone on your team understands their own strengths, and each other’s, you’ll see a big difference in how well they work together.
In other words, the MBTI allows you to align roles and tasks with people’s natural preferences, rather than making them feel like they’re pushing a boulder uphill.
The results? Less friction, quicker resolutions, and happier employees.
5. Step outside your comfort zone.
One of my favorite things about the MBTI is using it to step outside your comfort zone.
After identifying areas where you might feel less comfortable, you (and your team) can practice new behaviors that push you to grow and reach your fullest potential.
While it makes sense to operate from your preferences, it’s good to step outside your comfort zone from time to time, as you get a better sense of how your colleagues and clients think and operate. Fortunately, the MBTI provides a framework on how to do this effectively.
6. Reduce conflict.
While conflict in the workplace is inevitable, understanding personality types can help you clarify where tension might be coming from and how to address it constructively.
Frequently, conflict arises when different personality preferences collide. Knowing this allows you to prevent and mitigate conflict and keep things moving forward.
7. Navigate challenges with confidence.
Finally, when you do face challenges, the MBTI gives you tools to navigate them with confidence. You’ll also have a better understanding of where your colleagues are coming from and be able to more quickly come to a resolution since you know the root cause.
By using the MBTI in your workplace, you’re fostering an environment where people feel truly understood and valued for being themselves. At the end of the day, the MBTI is all about recognizing your natural, inborn preferences.
What Types Of MBTI Workshops Are Available?
There are countless ways to integrate the MBTI into your workplace and culture. While every MBTI practitioner and external facilitator brings their own unique flavor, here are some of the many types of MBTI workshops available to teams and organizations:
MBTI Workshops For Enhancing Team Dynamics
- Understanding and Working with Personality Type Workshop: Recognize and appreciate individual differences and how personality types influence behavior and interactions in the workplace.
- Team Development Workshop: Build stronger, more cohesive teams by leveraging personality insights.
- Compelling Conversations Workshop: Discover techniques for more meaningful and effective workplace communication.
MBTI Workshops For Decision-Making & Adaptability
- Improving Decision-Making Using the Myers-Briggs Type Workshop: Explore how personality influences decision-making in the workplace.
- Enhancing Emotional Intelligence Through the Myers-Briggs Type Workshop: Harness the power of personality insights to develop emotional intelligence (EI) in the workplace.
- Embracing Change Using the Myers-Briggs Type Workshop: Gain tools to navigate change more calmly and confidently by understanding individual reactions.
- Stress Management Workshop: Acquire tools to better manage stress based on personality preferences.
MBTI Workshops For Manager Effectiveness & Leadership
- MBTI Concepts for Managers Workshop: Equip managers with practical tools and insights to apply personality insights in leading their teams effectively.
- Leader Development Workshop: Empower leaders to better understand their own leadership style and adapt to their teams’ unique needs.
- Impactful Influencing Workshop: Develop new strategies to persuade and motivate colleagues and clients effectively.
This list is merely a jumping-off point to serve as inspiration as you explore what’s possible with the MBTI. A skilled MBTI trainer will help you develop a custom workshop or training program that meets your team’s unique needs and goals.
Final Thoughts
I hope this article has highlighted some of the many benefits of incorporating the MBTI into your workplace. If you’re interested in organizing an MBTI workshop or training program for your organization, please reach out. I’d love to help you create a more collaborative, empathetic, and productive work environment. I’m here for you! You’ve got this!
