We'll explore the MBTI opposites and give you our tips on how to use this knowledge to foster better collaboration in the workplace.
I recently completed a training course to become an accredited MBTI Practitioner. I found it so interesting to learn about how people’s natural preferences shape their personality and how uncovering our strengths and blindspots can help us define what motivates and challenges us and how to use this information to understand ourselves better.
Many people gain valuable self-insight from completing the MBTI assessment and unpacking their profile in a group workshop or private session with a practitioner. Where we, at Luminate Leadership, find such powerful applications for the assessment is when using the framework to focus on enhancing collaboration and teamwork within a team or workplace. By having an understanding of your colleagues preferences you can adjust your interactions to be cognisant of the entire team’s preferences (rather than just your own) and enjoy better communication, collaboration and inclusion.
Let’s explore a little of the history of the assessment first. Over 150 years ago Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung developed a theory of personality types. He concluded that differences between people in attitudes and behaviours result from the natural tendencies people have to use their minds in different ways. When people act on their natural tendencies they develop patterns of behaviour that they find satisfying and fulfilling so these then become their go-to behaviours.
A mother – daughter team (Kathryn Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers) studied the work of Jung and their developments and innovations led to the identification of four pairs of opposite preferences and that gave way to 16 different possible personality types. By undertaking the questionnaire you will uncover your natural personality preference and your four-letter MBTI type.
Now, there are billions of people in the world and only 16 personality types so it’s important to note a few key points. Firstly, the 16 personality types are not static boxes, instead they describe how our preference types interact and make up a multi-faceted personality with its own attributes.
Secondly, there are no better or worse types - all have strengths and possible blind spots. And lastly, just because your report indicates that you prefer one dichotomy, it does not mean that you aren’t skilled and capable of using the other. It just indicates that one preference comes more naturally and easily to you.
Another comforting statistic is that MBTI is the most widely used personality assessment in the world, with more than 2 million people using it each year.
Let’s explore these opposites further and we’ll give you our tips on how to use this knowledge to foster better collaboration in the workplace.
Your preference here has nothing to do with whether you are talkative and love being the centre of attention or if you are described as being shy and likely to hide while at a party. This preference pair is about where we get our energy.
If you get energised by being around people, talking things through with people and experiencing things first-hand then it is likely you prefer extraversion. If it is more likely to energise you by having some quiet time, reflecting and being alone with your thoughts then you are likely to prefer introversion. A great way to describe those who prefer introversion is that they prefer to think, then do, then think. Whereas someone who prefers extraversion is likely to do the opposite and do-think-do.
Where we can see conflict is when people who prefer Extraversion perceive those who prefer Introversion to be uninterested in the topic or withholding information when they are just processing internally. Conversely, people who prefer Introversion may think their opposites are uncertain or inconsistent when they are simply processing a decision out loud.
To cater for those with an Extraversion preference:
To cater for those with an Introversion preference:
This preference pair is all around how we prefer to take in information and what kind of information we like and trust.
A Sensing preference means you are more likely to take in and present information in a sequential, step by step way. Sensors prefer facts to ideas and view obstacles as problems to solve rather than concepts to explore. Intuition is taking in and presenting information in a more broad and big-picture way. Intuitives prefer new ideas and like to explore options and theorise. They appreciate innovation and like to look for connections and patterns in information and data.
When confronted with a problem a person with a sensing preference is likely to look to evidence and past solutions where a person with an Intuition preference would more likely prefer to brainstorm and imagine future possibilities. Where we can see conflict is when people who prefer Sensing may think those who prefer Intuition are avoiding or changing the topic when they are brainstorming possibilities. And people who prefer Intuition may think those who prefer Sensing are being negative or unimaginative when they keep raising realistic and practical questions during the conversation.
To communicate with those who have Intuition preferences:
To communicate with people who prefer Sensing:
This preference pair has nothing to do with whether you are emotional or instead cold and calculated.
It’s all about how we make decisions.
Thinking preferences typically make decisions based on facts and figures and are analytical. When making decisions they step back from the situation and take an objective view, focusing on the task. Feeling preferences strive for harmony and are guided by their personal values. When making decisions they step into the situation and take an empathetic view, focusing on the people.
Where we often see conflict here is that people who prefer Thinking may find those who prefer Feeling are over-personalising things when they keep bringing the focus back to people and values. On the other hand, people who prefer Feeling may think those who prefer Thinking are harsh and cold when they take a detached, problem-solving viewpoint to a situation.
Feeling preference communication tips:
Thinking preference communication tips:
This opposite pairing is not talking about whether you are judgmental or perceptive, it’s about our approach to the outside world and how we organise ourselves within it.
Judging preferences like to organise themselves and their environment. They prefer to take a planned approach to meeting the deadline in a scheduled way. Perceiving preferences like to take an adaptable and spontaneous approach to meeting deadlines in a flexible way and get energised by last minute pressures. A good way to think about this pairing is that Judging preferences would prefer to complete their work first and then play where Perceiving types would typically choose to play first and then work.
Conflict can erupt when people who prefer Judging may think those who prefer Perceiving are procrastinating and unreliable when they are trying to keep their options open to ensure they have the best outcome. On the flip side, people who prefer Perceiving may think those who prefer Judging are too rigid when they are planning and scheduling their time to optimum effectiveness.
When working with people who have a Perceiving preference:
When working with people who have a Judging preference:
It would be extremely unlikely that you would find yourself in a workplace where everyone had all of the same preferences as yourself and honestly we are much better for it. It’s when we have a thorough understanding of all preference types and cater to these in the workplace to ensure everyone can contribute in the way that captures their best, natural strengths as well as balancing out blindspots that we can collaborate better together and have a more harmonious and successful working environment.
If you’d like to find out more about your MBTI preferences and how you can use them either personally or to work more effectively with your team then please get in touch on hello@luminateleadership.com.au
