Conflict management using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Conducting projects in teams might tend to conflict in smaller or bigger range of different causes. From a study stating the importance of conflict management by Thomas K.W. and Schmidt W.H. at the University of California, Los Angeles [1], it is shown that managers spend around 20 percent of their time dealing with conflicts. Another part of the survey worth pointing out is the sources of conflict. The managers showed more interest in psychological factors such as misunderstanding (communication failure), personality clashes and value differences. This article will address the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a four-factor model within personality typology with a purpose to help indicate personal communication preferences by four letters. It is a useful tool when managing a project as the indicator helps to build communication patterns and ideally analyze and prevent sources of conflict within a team, [2].
To start, this article will introduce the theory behind the MBTI followed by a description of how to apply the tool. Section 3 will... Section 4 will discuss how the tool can be applied in a situation of project, program and portfolio management.
Contents |
History
The development of the MBTI began already in 1915 when Katharine Cook Briggs noticed how different her future son-in-law Clarence Myers was from her daughter Isabel. It inspired her to develop her own typology based on Jung's personality Theory of psychological types [3]
https://web.archive.org/web/20110628131304/https://www.cpp.com/pr/Fall03TYPEwriter.pdf
Overview
According to Myers and Briggs, the indicator can be described with four letters based on how the individual chose to take on the world, enabling a deeper understanding of their own personality. There are a total of 16 personality types made up by the preffered quality of four categories: Introversion or extraversion, sensing or intution, thinking or feeling and judging or perceiving. The overall purpose of the indicator is to assign individuals into one of four categories
These letters are
Structure
The four letters
The 16 types
Application
This section will consist of a precise instruction on how to apply the tool
Outcomes of the tool
This section will discuss around the scientific results of the tools within project management. I will include some examples.
Discussion
There might be some limitations worth being noted and critically discussed. Examples will be included.
against: https://www.vox.com/2014/7/15/5881947/myers-briggs-personality-test-meaningless
Alternative tools
- ↑ "A survey of Managerial Interest with Respect to Conflict", Thomas, K. W. and Schmidt, W. H.,Academy of Management Journal, (1976),19(2),315-318, https://doi-org.proxy.findit.cvt.dk/10.2307/255781
- ↑ Costello K. The Myers-Briggs type indicator--a management tool Nurs Manage, 1993 May;24(5):46-7, 50-1. PMID: 8265080.
- ↑ "How the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Works", Cherry, K., URL: https://www.verywellmind.com/the-myers-briggs-type-indicator-2795583, (Accessed 15.02.2023)
