The MBTI Questionnaire - 30 Years On
By Professor Jim Maxon, Maxon Associates®
Professor Jim Maxon has been using the MBTI® questionnaire for over 30 years. From initially discovering the instrument as a student, he has since used it for a range of business applications such as executive development programmes. Here he reflects on the benefits of using such a popular instrument and cautions against some common pitfalls.
"I dream that long after I'm gone, my work will go on helping people."
Isabel Myers, 1979
Background
In 1976-77, as a postgraduate student at the University of London, I was introduced to various psychometric instruments, including the MBTI questionnaire, which I’ve used ever since. In the late 70s and early 80s the main MBTI form, Form G, launched in 1975, was in use, although Form F, created for research purposes in 1958 and standardised in 1975, was still available. MBTI materials and books were often sourced from CPP in California, as few UK suppliers existed! At that time OPP® did not exist, Step I, released in 1998, was still many years off and Step II, released in 2001 was, quite frankly, beyond our imagination.
I first met Robert McHenry and Betsy Kendall, now Chairman & CEO and Executive Director of Training & International Development at OPP respectively, when we were observing and giving feedback on a programme called 'Leadership through the Looking Glass'. OPP started in 1989, the same year I began my own organisation, Maxon Associates.
Reaction to the MBTI Questionnaire – Then and Now
By the time OPP began, there were already many people using the MBTI questionnaire but for the most part, it was relatively unknown, both to practitioners of psychometric instruments and, especially, to line managers. However, in my experience both were very enthusiastic when the benefits of using it were explained. Further, with the thousands of people I have since used the MBTI instrument with, I have only received negative reactions to results from a handful of people. The same cannot be said for other instruments I have used!
The MBTI questionnaire is now the world's most popular psychometric instrument. If you 'Google' it, you will be offered 1,470,000 websites. The popularity of the MBTI instrument, and its widespread use, means it is comparatively rare for no-one within a group to have heard of it. Practitioners can therefore build on existing knowledge and find out about people’s experiences of the instrument and their reactions to their results.
There are, however, a few problems, despite the fact that there are over 13,000 registered users (through OPP) of the MBTI questionnaire in Europe, and the excellent training OPP provides.
There are practitioners and line managers who insist upon 'type-casting' people. For example, rather than saying someone seems to enjoy the world of people, places and activities, or appears to be very caring, they will say the person is an 'Extravert' or a 'Feeling type' or, worse still, will categorise them as a particular type such as ENFP or ISTJ. I always point out that whilst everyone is entitled to their opinion in terms of how someone is behaving, they are not entitled to type-cast people.
There are too many people, especially line managers, who have been given the impression there is something 'wrong' with their team if it is not composed of the 'ideal' mix of types. In my experience, there is no such thing as an 'ideal' team, nor should the MBTI instrument be used as a recruiting tool to identify someone with the 'ideal' type to make the team 'perfect'. Indeed, it is not validated for use in selection and OPP is clear that it should not be used in this way as it does not relate to someone's ability to do a job. However, there are still people who call the MBTI instrument a 'test' rather than a psychometric instrument or questionnaire.
I have observed many dysfunctional teams and there is no doubt the MBTI questionnaire is ideal for use in diagnostic and developmental processes with them. However, identification of type is only the first step in the process of enhancing strengths, identifying weaknesses and agreeing actions to improve team functionality.
Finally, I hear both practitioners and line managers talk about 16 'boxes'. In my view, there are 16 'platforms' from which people move, not boxes that restrict or define how people behave. I don't want to appear overly critical, but we should be careful in how we describe the MBTI questionnaire.
Applications
Over the years I have used the MBTI questionnaire in various management and executive development programmes, including leadership, managing change, time management and developing personal effectiveness. Whilst I haven't used it in teaching per se, I find it extremely useful in identifying learning styles. I have also used the instrument in one-to-one contexts, usually as part of executive coaching with senior managers.
I have used the MBTI questionnaire in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. I tend to use Step I in groups, where a basic, general understanding of type is adequate, and Step II on a one-to-one basis or in teambuilding - I find the richness of feedback provided by the extensive reports is invaluable.
Wherever I use the MBTI instrument, there are two associated concepts I find invaluable: making constructive use of difference and there is no such thing as reality, only an individual's perception of their reality. These are very thought-provoking. To address the opening quote from Isabel Myers, I believe she can rest peacefully in the knowledge that the MBTI questionnaire continues to help people throughout the world. She could not have asked for more.
The MBTI questionnaire has many business applications including management and leadership development, team building and development and organisational change, For more information about the MBTI questionnaire or to discuss how it could be used within your organisation, please contact the OPP Client Support Team on 0845 603 9958 or by email at: enquiry@opp.eu.com |