Improving team work
There are three main ways that the Myers-Briggs theory can improve team working:
- understanding each member of the team
- communicating with other team members
- getting the best out of each team member
Understanding each member of the team
Sometimes people tackle tasks in different ways. This can make others frustrated or annoyed because they don鈥檛 understand why they have done this. However, by understanding each member of the team鈥檚 profile, this can help people understand each other better, which should reduce these frustrations.
For example, someone who scores highly on 鈥榩erceiving鈥 may frustrate someone who scores highly on 鈥榡udging鈥. This is because judgers like to plan things out in advance, whereas perceivers like to leave it all until the last minute.
This is important when deciding on team roles. An operations officer may frustrate others if they score highly on 鈥榩erceiving鈥.
Communicating with other team members
Understanding how people think and act means that you can alter your communication method to suit others, eg introverts like to think about things before they talk about them. Whereas extroverts like to share ideas, and as a result of sharing ideas, are able to expand on them. If an extrovert is asking an introvert for their opinion on something, it may be helpful for the extrovert to give the questions/topic to the introvert in advance, so the introvert has time to think about them.
This is important when holding team meetings. The team leader may need to issue agendas in advance so the introverts in the team have time to think about the subject matter before the meeting.
Getting the best out of each team member
By understanding each team member鈥檚 personality, it may be possible to match them up to particular job roles or tasks which would suit them best. It would also help ensure that the task or job roles were performed effectively.