Myers-Briggs

STRENGTHENING LEADERSHIP COLLABORATIVE MANAGEMENT AND TEAMWORK CULTURE

Strengthening the Firm

The development of effective leaders and managers requires an in depth understanding of the psychology of leadership and management rather than following a prescriptive “how to” manual.

Leadership is the ability to engender enthusiasm and commitment by people to achieve a shared goal. The leadership imperative is to maintain organisational focus on the goal and avoid distractions.

Management is the ability to reach the goal with the most efficient and effective utilisation of resources. People are being increasingly called upon to perform in a cost – driven environment and preparing them to do more with less resources is perhaps the most difficult challenge facing today’s managers.

Teamwork is measured by the degree of coordinated action, mutual support and shared responsibilities demonstrated throughout the organisation.

Cultural Change requires a new values – based approach to leadership, collaborative management and teamwork to create a high performance culture.

Insights from psychological type theory can be a catalyst to strengthen the leadership, collaborative management and teamwork culture throughout the organisation where people’s energy, drive and ambition is focused on shared goals which are congruent with their values.

Jung’s Theory of Psychological Types

The enduring contribution of Carl Jung to our understanding of the differences between normal people is expressed in his theory of psychological types.

Jung studied the conflict between Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler who developed different psychological theories from the same empirical data. Jung postulated that they looked at the same data from different viewpoints, which was an expression of their differences in psychological type.

The basic concept of Jung’s Theory of Psychological Types is that normal people exhibit fundamental differences which are explained by their preferences in how they:

These dimensions are further developed in Section 2.

Jung’s theory of psychological types provides insights that help us understand ourselves and the interpersonal dynamics and difficulties that arise between normal people.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator MBTI

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator of psychological type was developed by Katherine Cook Briggs (1875-1968) and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers (1897-1980) and is based on Jung’s theories.

The MBTI is a self report questionnaire and is administered by an accredited person who has undertaken professional training in the theory and application of psychological type. (refer section 5)

Insights from the MBTI, gives leaders and managers a model to assess the appropriateness of attitudes and behavior in a given situation and to make the appropriate changes.

The MBTI is designed to translate Jung’s theory of psychological type into an indicator of personality preferences on four dimensions.

Adapted from Introduction to Type by Isabel Briggs Myers
and Gifts Differing by Isabel Briggs Myers with Peter B Myers

The MBTI questionnaire provides an indicator of preferences on the above four dimensions which are expressed in our values and behavior.
 

The combination of one of the preferences for each of the four dimensions results in 16 broad psychological types which are a valuable way of explaining the differences between normal people.

For example a person whose preferences are for Extraversion, Intuition, Thinking and Perceiving, will be quite different to someone whose preferences are for Introversion, Sensing, Feeling and Judging.

Leadership and Management Development to Drive Breakthrough Strategies for Change

Academic and technical education programs primarily focus on the development and refinement of logical analytical skills. Little emphasis is placed on developing communication and interpersonal skills which are necessary for effective leadership and management.

As a result poor teamwork and lack of collaboration is the Achilles heel of many Australian organizations.

The root cause of the problem is that Australian business and industries have long valued technical skills and largely ignored interpersonal skills. This lack of balance explains much of the unproductive behavior and conflicts we see in the workplace. Unproductive behaviors and conflicts are cultural barriers.

Leadership and management development strategies need to focus on the ability to break through the cultural barriers to create a highly productive culture.

The first step on the path to leadership and management development is self awareness of psychological type and the way your preferences are expressed in how you:

• Communicate and engage with people
• Make decisions
• Contribute to creativity and innovation
• Contribute to building sustainable relationships
• Contribute to building effective teams
• Plan, organize and implement

Insights from psychological type theory can be a catalyst to strengthen the leadership, collaborative management and teamwork culture throughout the organisation.

Teamwork and Collaborative Management is measured by the degree of coordinated action, mutual support and shared responsibilities demonstrated throughout the organisation.

Constructive outcomes achieved from effective teamwork – supported by collaborative management – acts as a powerful catalyst to create a high performance culture where peoples energy, drive and ambition is focused on shared goals.

Using the MBTI in Organisations

There are no short cuts to enhancing leadership and managerial effectiveness and the following process has been stress - tested in change programs designed for clients in the minerals, steel and transport industries together with government organisations and professional service firms.

It is an iterative process based on adult learning methodologies where insights are applied in real work situations.

Workshop 1 - Introduction to Psychological Type

Introduction to Psychological Type is an iterative process which is ideally done in a workshop which introduces the Theory of Psychological Type and the application of the MBTI.

The self scorable edition of the MBTI enables participants to score and calculate their Reported Type. This ensures that confidentiality to be maintained for the participant at all times.

Working through the guide book Introduction to Type enables a participant to make a Self Assessment of their type and look for a “best fit” with their Reported Type as self scored in the questionnaire.

Participants are encouraged to reflect on Psychological Type Theory and how it is evidenced in their life at home - work – and play.

Key Outcomes:

Participants will better understand:

• Themselves and their behavior in different situations
• Other points of view and value individual differences
• How to solve problems and make balanced decisions.

Workshop 2 - Introduction to Psychological Type in Organisations

Introduction to psychological type in organisations follows and reinforces the introductory workshop by exploring behavioral preferences in the workplace.

Participants use the guide book Introduction to Type in Organisations to look at the 16 types and their:

• Contributions to the Organisation
• Leadership Styles
• Potential Pitfalls
• Preferred Work Environment
• Suggestions for Development
• Problem - Solving Processes

Participants are encouraged to use their new insights to re-examine critical problems in the workplace and how an understanding of type may have enabled more balanced solutions.

Key Outcomes:

Participants will be equipped with superior insights to enable them to:

• Communicate more effectively
• Solve complex organisational problems
• Develop effective leadership and management styles
• Improve collaboration and teamwork
• Understand the dynamics of change

Workshop 3 - Team Building Program

The workshop process is designed to give participants an understanding of;

• How insights from the MBTI can benefit teams
• Predictions about team behavior
• Guidelines for using the MBTI with teams to achieve common goals.

The book Introduction to Type and Teams provides participants with a guide to how they can improve their own contribution to enhance the team’s productivity by providing specific information for each of the 16 types:

• Individual Leadership Styles
• How they influence team-mates
• How they may conflict with other members
• How they may help resolve conflict
• How they can maximize effectiveness

Problem–Solving Teams are formed to address business critical problems by a collaborative approach to information sharing and decision–making.

Key Outcomes:

Team members will understand their:

• Preferred way of responding to team challenges
• Unique contribution to the effectiveness of the team
• Areas of personal strength and potential weaknesses

Teams will:

• Become highly effective in achieving common goals
• Become more effective in addressing business critical problems
• Compound the strengths and balance the weaknesses of team members
• Become a catalyst for cultural change

Individual Coaching for Effective Leaders and Managers

Individual coaching can prove valuable in preparing leaders and managers to deal with challenging interpersonal situations that demand superior understandings in:

• Conflict resolution
• Effective interpersonal relationships
• Stress Management
• Type Dynamics and Development

Myers-Briggs Resources

The following resources quoted in this briefing are available from

Australian Psychologists Press www.austpsychpress.com.au

Institute for Type Development www.itd.net.au

Both organisations also provide professional training and accreditation to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and an extensive range of resource materials.

Some of these recommended books are also available from Amazon

Introduction to Type

- Isabel Briggs Myers with Linda K Kirby & Katherine D Myers

Introduction to Type in Organisations

- Sandra Krebs Hirsh and Jean M Kummerow

Introduction to Type and Teams

- Sandra Krebs Hirsh

Gifts Differing – Understanding Personality Type

- Isabel Briggs Myers with Peter B Myers

This is an excellent introductory text to Jung’s theories and the
Myers – Briggs Type Indicator.

 
About the Author

Bede Boyle is highly skilled in the application of Psychological Type Theory to enhance personal and organizational effectiveness.

Bede’s initial training and accreditation in the MBTI in 1991 was with PriceWaterhouse. He completed advanced training in leadership, management development, teambuilding and cultural change with leading USA experts including:

Sandra Krebs Hirsh

• Using the MBTI in Organisations
• Team Building Programs

Linda V. Berens

• Working Together with the 16 MBTI Types

Dr Martine Ro Bards

• Advanced Use of the MBTI
• The Leadership Dimension

Dr Margaret Hartzler

• Using the MBTI in Organisations

He employs a powerful blend of executive consulting and mentoring to assist clients including BHP, FreightCorp, GM Holden, Newcastle Port Corporation, NSW Coal Compensation Board and Powercoal use insights from Psychological Type Theory to strengthen leadership, collaborative management and teamwork focused on organisational goals.

Bede was MD and Chairman of a management consulting firm from a merger through to successful sale to a UK based firm. He is a non executive director of an environmental consulting firm.

He assists Partners in professional service firms including actuaries, accountants, engineers and lawyers enhance business performance though clarifying leadership and management roles focused on adding value for the client.

Bede is an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and his program on Breakthrough Strategies for Change was presented through AIM as a special event attended by change leaders from the RAAF, BHP, Newcastle Port Corporation and State Rail.