Library Worklife

HR Practice

Self-Awareness

A Key to Successful Relationships at Work

By Paula M. Singer, PhD, and Megan Staczek

How many of us have experienced a conversation or relationship that is frustrating and ineffective? I bet you know someone who is very scheduled, organized and quick to make decisions even when there may not be enough information to make a thorough decision. Or, perhaps you know someone who is flexible, even to the point of seeming indecisive, whose work is often delivered at the last minute. When we understand our preferences for how we like to direct our energy, collect data, make decisions and orient our lifestyle, we are better able to communicate our needs and manage our choices in relationships and work.

Increasing one’s self-awareness is a critical ingredient for success in nearly any position, particularly one of management or leadership. Self-knowledge is a tool that provides us with informed choices about our behavior, which ultimately impacts our effectiveness in relationships, work settings and how others perceive us. There are a variety of tools available for gaining insight to preferences and personality. One of the easiest to use that provides a good return for investment is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

The Assessment Tool

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is an assessment tool based on the work of psychoanalyst Carl Jung. It assesses a person’s preferences in:

How they get and direct energy (Introvert or Extravert)
How data is gathered and organized (Sensing or Intuitive)
How decisions are made (Thinking or Feeling)
How life is approached (Judging or Perceiving)

The assessment is a series of forced choice and multiple-choice questions that can be taken on-line or by paper and pencil. It is, and should be, administered by someone who is qualified (which means they have been trained in the proper requirements for understanding and applying the theory and the instrument).

For each scale there are two dimensions, which represent opposite ends of a preference. A person will "score" somewhere along the dimension indicating a preference toward one side for of the scale. Ultimately, the individual is assigned a four-letter type, relating back to the four-preference scale, with an overall description of preferences and behaviors. The output of the assessment is a report that describes the preferences and an overall type description. The description is inclusive of motivators, thinking styles, communication styles, strengths and potential liabilities giving the participant a wealth of information with which he or she can use to validate everyday experiences.

Extraversion (E)

Energized through extending themselves into the environment (i.e. talking and working with others; engaging in a physical activity or with an object.)

Introversion (I)

Energized by the inner world of thoughts, ideas and reflection; prefers engaging in thought rather than action.

Sensing (S)

Draws information through the use of five senses; prefers facts and details; understands the sequence of things.

Intuition (N)

Draws information in an ad-hoc manner, paying attention to patterns, trends and possibilities; prefers to think about what could be.

Thinking (T)

Uses logic, objectivity, and principles to make decisions; stays detached in the decision making process.

Feeling (F)

Uses a subjective approach to decision-making that relies on personal values.

Judging (J)

Prefers order, closure and planning.

Perceiving (P)

Prefers staying open to data, and being flexible and spontaneous.

How It Is Used

The MBTI is used in a variety of activities focused on increasing a person’s self-awareness and effectiveness in life, both professionally and personally. Most applications focus on personal and professional development activities led by Human Resource professionals, counselors, and consultants. In the world of work, this tool is helpful to managers and employees, intact work teams and individuals.

For many reasons, the manager/employee relationship is critical to performance. Recent studies on generational values have found that generation X and Y employees identify their manager as the most important element for influencing job satisfaction, which underscores the importance of this relationship. As a manager and employee begin working together there can be many sources of conflict, which are on the table or never addressed.

Using Myers Briggs can ease the transition into a new relationship and reevaluation of an existing relationship. Both parties may use the results of their MBTIs to inform the relationship should be best managed and how work will be done for both parties to be effective. Imagine the opportunity to sit and discuss openly your preference for planning and scheduling your work with a manager who has a preference for last minute assignments and changes. Through this discussion you can agree on how to handle those differences. Often times, this kind of collaboration is not initiated at the start of the relationship; rather it is uncovered once a problem surfaces. The Myers Briggs provides a tool and a common language for naming and understanding behaviors and values, which can help in relationships of any duration.

Another application for the MBTI is within teams. Organizations rely on teams of people to get work done, whether they are permanent teams or teams established to manage a specific project. Often, the team is formed and immediately works on the task assigned without taking the time to explore who the people are in addition to the skills they bring to the work. Using the MBTI as a foundation for building relationships by understanding how preferences will influence how the work gets done is a wise investment. Many times, the team starts off well with their assignment only to find conflict and distrust weakening the team’s performance.

When working in teams, it is helpful to understand the individual and collective impact of preferences. A team that has a dominance of one preference can be less effective if it does not draw out people who can best represent the other viewpoint. For example, consider a team that is assigned responsibility for selecting and implementing a new benefit package for which the end results is a cost increase for employees. If this team is dominated by people with a preference for thinking, it will be easy for them to overlook the impact on people. By identifying those people with a preference for feeling, the team can be sure to incorporate thoughtful ways of communicating the benefits changes and the cost increase to ensure that the message to staff will address more than financial concerns relating to the change.

For individual use, the MBTI can be used as an assessment tool for identifying underlying preferences that, when coupled with coaching and developmental support, can lead a person to improved performance. For example, consider a manager who has received feedback from subordinates and peers that he/she can be difficult to work with and appears to be unfriendly and uncaring about people. By understanding his/her preferences, a coach could better understand what behavior people are referencing and the underlying motivators for the behavior.

In this example, the individual is an introverted thinker (IT), which means he/she may be uncomfortable with or unaware of the need for sharing information and opinions at work. As an introvert, his/her best work and thinking are often kept inside. What is shared is often the final decision which, when formulated in combination with a thinking preference (using logic and detached objectivity to make decisions), gives an extraverted feeling person (EF) the impression that the decision been delivered impersonally and without full explanation. Without awareness of one’s preference and the potential to be coached to make allowances for working with others of different preferences, this manager might not reach his/her full potential and performance.

So, what difference does it make to know my personal and work preferences? You may be able to see how the four categories can complement and clash with each other. Knowing these dynamics and how they are positively maximized can mean increased satisfaction on the job and in relationships, it can mean better performance and results, and it can mean fewer misunderstandings. Insight is a gift that should be given and used often.

Paula Singer and Megan Stacek are with The Singer Group. You may reach them at pmsinger@singergrp.com (Paula) and mstacek@singergrp.com (Megan).

We would love to have your feedback on this article!