The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality instrument provides a framework for increased understanding of personality traits, preferences and differences in people and teams.
MBTI was developed by Isabel Myers and Katherine Briggs in the 1950s and is grounded in the work of well- known psychologist Carl Jung. The tool has been used for over 65 years and around 2 million administrations of the tool are undertaken each year world-wide.
The MBTI tool identifies our preferences in terms of:
- How we focus our attention and get energy;
- The way we take in information and the kind of information we like and trust;
- Our decision making style; and
- How we like to live our outer lives i.e. a more structured and decided lifestyle, or a more flexible and adaptable lifestyle.
The MBTI highlights what personality traits each individual team member brings to their team and allows a process where team members are able to learn about their own personality traits as well as other people’s traits.
The MBTI is a useful tool for teams as it assists with:
- Increasing productivity by aligning individual MBTI preferences to particular individuals and team tasks;
- Showing team members how to approach and work effectively with others to add value;
- Identifying team skillsets and blind spots in the way work is being done and people are interacting;
- Fostering openness and trust within and between teams; and
- Reinforcing the value and power of diversity, providing practical strategies on how team members can communicate and work effectively with other types.
We have used the MBTI with many organisations and teams assisting them to understand their own team composition, preferences and how they can work together more effectively. Using the MBTI as a development tool will assist your team in leveraging their strengths, becoming more aware of their blind spots as individuals, and as a team, as well as potential areas for conflict.
Explaining the MBTI tools we recommend
MBTI® Step I
This is the world’s most popular psychometric profile for measuring personality Type and the MBTI Step I framework provides the basis for lifelong personal development, self-awareness and improved organisational effectiveness.
MBTI Step I is a powerful, versatile personality type assessment that provides the foundations for a deep understanding of personal preferences, strengths and potential blindspots. It can be applied to multiple personal and business scenarios and applications, and revisited over time as new challenges arise.
The Myers-Briggs Step I assessment looks at personality types based on four fundamental dichotomies of individual preferences, to create 16 personality type profiles:
- Extraversion (E) – Introversion (I): Where you get your energy from
- Sensing (S) – iNtuition (N): The kind of information you trust
- Thinking (T) – Feeling (F): The way you make decisions
- Judging (J) – Perceiving (P): How you prefer to organise yourself in working within the world
The Myers-Briggs Step I assessment is far more than just a personality questionnaire. The theoretical framework of the MBTI assessment provides a common language for understanding and describing the interpersonal differences that define us as individuals. The MBTI conceptual framework offers an easy-to-understand but sophisticated way of understanding personality differences.
The range of associated MBTI reports available is much more extensive than other tools on the market, and there is a vast ecosystem of resources and experts worldwide. It has a proven track-record, with over two million assessments administered annually. Most importantly, participants consistently find their experience memorable and inspiring, as the tool gives a wholly positive view, getting people on board so that they make genuine and lasting changes to their behaviour.
MBTI® Step II
The MBTI Step II goes beyond the Step I framework to reveal the unique individual behind each MBTI personality profile. It acts as a catalyst for enhancing personal and business effectiveness by providing focused insights to support development planning.
MBTI Step II is a Myers-Briggs questionnaire that hits at the heart of who someone is by tapping into the facets within each Step I Type preference. It can help you to understand the DNA of an individual’s personality, revealing what makes them different to others of the same Step I Type, and similar to those with a different MBTI Type. The result is a highly personalised profile and development plan that is perfect for coaching, action planning and building cohesive teams. It uses facets that sits behind each preference pair to understand the unique aspects of each individual.
Using the insights of MBTI Step I framework as its starting point, Step II explores these insights in greater detail. It works by drilling down into each of the preference pairs (E-I, S-N, T-F, and J-P) to reveal results on five supplementary facets of personality for each. It highlights how these fit with the overall Step I type, and where there are inconsistencies that can explain interpersonal challenges. Step II has the power to help people see in great detail where their points of compatibility and potential discord lie, providing a convincing and resonant framework for teams and individuals at all levels.
The MBTI Step II Interpretive Report uses a graphical format to display the results, guaranteed to enlighten, inspire and challenge the individual. This can also be aggregated in to team type reports that provide a MBTI assessment of teams using these insights to understand their strengths and potential blindspots.
It is important to know that the MBTI questionnaires and associated products can only be purchased and debriefed by qualified MBTI practitioners, to ensure quality standards are maintained. If you would like to learn more about our pricing and how we can assist you with MBTI implementation in your team and/or organisation, please contact our team at enquiries@brsresults.com or +61 8 8212 5752.
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