UNIT VII Personality Types in the Workplace
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Columbia Southern University *
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3551
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Communications
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Apr 3, 2024
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Article Critique
Your Name
Columbia Southern University
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Introduction
Being a team player is one of the most common phrases in job descriptions. I have encountered people who appear to separate themselves from the group and work in a vacuum on a team of their own, operating by their own rules.
Some people work best this way, but it is important to stay involved with the team and not become too separated. The freedom to be creative and then debate solutions comfortably with colleagues generates an appealing collaborative work environment for everyone (Dubrin, 2015)
. At the end of the day, everyone on the team should be working towards the same goal and outcomes. In the article from EquiManagement, which offers business solutions for horse practitioners, called “Understanding Personalities in the Workplace” by Katie Navarra (2019). She attempts to raise awareness to managers and supervisors that it is possible to “provide insight into people’s natural tendencies and outcomes” by utilizing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MTBI) (Navarra, 2019). She also provides example scenarios to explain encounters with the various personality type differences in order to reduce conflicts in order for leaders to develop a management style to the personality type that best characterize each individual.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
The MBTI was developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabell Briggs Myers
and is known as the “most popular personality test in the world” (Arthur, 2018). Neither had formal training in psychometrics or psychological assessment, but they
based their system on
psychoanalyst
Carl Jung
's theory of types (Navarra, 2019)
. The MBTI sorts people into 16 type categories and was always intended to be more than just a springboard for therapeutic self-
reflection. It is by design and in practice, a tool of workplace management that takes stock in
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personal interest and abilities in order to assist a present career situation (Arthur, 2018)
. The fundamental misconceptions about the MBTI is it’s predictive of behavior and can identify ideal types or traits that will lead to success in any given profession (Dubrin, 2015). However, when used appropriately, it can unlock the doors to a better understanding of oneself and others in the workplace. A leader’s priority should be to create a positive workplace culture that will motivate employees to collaborate and meet goals (Navarra, 2019)
. Different personalities may stand in the way of getting the job done, but by maintaining a non-judgmental attitude and knowledge on how to understand people and approach challenging situations will help diffuse potential personality conflicts (Navarra, 2019)
. According to Navarra’s article, the Myers-Briggs tool can be used to help teams understand one another and can reveal an individual’s natural tendencies in
four main categories. Then each category has a corresponding pair of classifications to result in a
four-letter combination to describe the individual’s patterns. Also, there are no right or wrong answers or negative traits (Navarra, 2019). The article stresses that it is important to understand that it is not about skill or ability, but about how an individual approaches situations. Conclusion
My work colleagues and I performed the
MBTI exercise for the company “team building day” and it helped me better understand my own behavior characteristics as well as others in the group. I recognized that my boss needed much more data than I tended to provide with my intuitive approach. Good teams need all types of people, points of view, and behavior styles. Eventually, I recognized that my best role on this team was to combine and summarize the thoughts of the whole. On another team, I may choose to apply my traits differently or I can
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remain the same. Accepting these personality traits about myself and of those I work with have greatly improved my ability to communicate more successfully with colleagues.
Reference
Arthur, M. B. (2018). The 'Strange History' Behind The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator -- And What That Can Mean For You. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelbarthur/2018/09/16/the-strange-history-behind-the-
mbti-and-what-that-can-mean-for-career-owners/#7c570dab2fb3.
DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Human relations: Interpersonal job-oriented skills (12th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson.
Navarra, K. (2019). Understanding Personalities in the Workplace - Business Solutions for Equine Practitioners. Retrieved from https://equimanagement.com/articles/understanding-
personalities-in-the-workplace.