Tools
Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The world's most popular personality measurement developed by Isabel Myers and Katharine C Briggs.
A powerful and versatile indicator of personality type. Widely used for individual, group and organisational development.
This tool allows individuals to discover:
- Where they get their energy
- How they take in information
- How they make decisions
- How they orientate themselves in the world
What it measures:
The MBTI instrument describes an individual's preferences on four dimensions. The person either has a preference for:
| Extraverted Prefers to draw energy from the outer world of activity, people and things | or | Introverted Prefers to draw energy from the inner world of reflections, feelings and ideas |
| Sensing Prefers to focus on information gained from the five senses and on practical applications | or | Intuitive Prefers to focus on patterns, connections and possible meanings |
| Thinking Prefers to base decisions on logic and objective analysis of cause and effect | or | Feeling Prefers to base decisions on a valuing process, considering what is important to people |
| Judging Likes a planned, organised approach to life and prefers to have things decided | or | Perceiving Likes a flexible, spontaneous approach and prefers to keep options open |
The various combinations of these preferences result in 16 personality 'types', each associated with a unique set of behavioural characteristics and values, which provide a useful starting point for individual feedback, self-exploration or group discussion.
Applications:
The MBTI instrument is very versatile and widely used for many purposes including:
- Individual development - identifying leadership style, developing managerial potential, time and stress management, and executive coaching
- Team building and team development - improving communication, enhancing team problem solving, valuing diversity and resolving conflict
- Organisational change - understanding and dealing with responses to rapid change, understanding team and corporate culture
- Improving communication - developing selling and influencing skills
- Education and career counselling - identifying learning styles and motivations, improving teaching and training methods, and providing career guidance

