One of the more widely used methods of identifying personalities is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI^® assessment uses four dimensions of personality to identify 16 different personality types based on the responses to an approximately 100-item questionnaire. The MBTI personality assessment is used by some 80 percent of Fortune 1000 companies.24

The 16 personality types are based on four dimensions:

• Extraversion versus Introversion (EI)

  • The EI dimension describes an individual’s orientation toward the external world of the environment (E) or the inner world of ideas and experiences (I).

• Sensing versus Intuition (SN)

  • The SN dimension indicates an individual’s preference for gathering data while focusing on a standard routine based on factual data (S) to focusing on the big picture and making connections among the facts (N).

• Thinking versus Feeling (TF)

  • The TF dimension reflects one’s preference for making decisions in a logical and analytical manner (T) or on the basis of values and beliefs and the effects the decision will have on others (F).

• Judging versus Perceiving (JP)

  • The JP dimension reflects an attitude toward how one deals with the external world—either in a planned and orderly way (J) or preferring to remain flexible and spontaneous (P).25

Let’s give you some examples:

• ISTJ (Introversion Sensing Thinking Judging)—quiet, serious, dependable, practical, and matter-of-fact

• ESFP (Extraversion Sensing Feeling Perceiving)—outgoing, friendly, spontaneous, enjoys working with others, and learns best by trying a new skill with other people

• INFP (Introversion Intuition Feeling Perceiving)—idealistic, loyal to personal values, and seeks to understand people and help them fulfill their potential

• ENTJ (Extraversion Intuition Thinking Judging)—frank, decisive, and will assume leadership roles; also enjoys long-term planning and goal setting and is forceful in presenting ideas26

How can the MBTI assessment help managers? Proponents believe that it’s important to know these personality types because they influence the way people interact and solve problems.27 For example, if your boss prefers Intuition and you’re a Sensing type, you’ll deal with information in different ways. An Intuition preference indicates your boss is one who prefers gut reactions, whereas you, as a Sensing type, prefer to deal with the facts. To work well with your boss, you have to present more than just facts about a situation—you’ll also have to discuss your gut feeling about the situation. The MBTI assessment has also been found to be useful in focusing on growth orientations for entrepreneurial types as well as profiles supporting emotional intelligence (something we’ll look at shortly).28

Another way of viewing personality is through a five-factor model of personality—more typically called the Big Five model.29 The Big Five factors are:

The Big Five model provides more than just a personality framework. Research has shown that important relationships exist between these personality dimensions and job performance.30 For example, one study reviewed five categories of occupations: professionals (e.g., engineers, architects, attorneys), police, managers, sales, and semiskilled and skilled employees. Job performance was defined in terms of employee performance ratings, training competency, and personnel data such as salary level. The results of the study showed that conscientiousness predicted job performance for all five occupational groups.31 Predictions for the other personality dimensions depended on the situation and the occupational group. For example, extraversion predicted performance in managerial and sales positions, in which high social interaction is necessary.32 Openness to experience was found to be important in predicting training competency. Ironically, emotional security was not positively related to job performance. Although it would seem logical that calm and secure workers would be better performers, that wasn’t the case. Perhaps it’s a function of the likelihood that emotionally stable workers often keep their jobs and emotionally unstable people may not. Given that all those participating in the study were employed, the variance on that dimension was probably small.

People who understand their own emotions and are good at reading others’ emotions may be more effective in their jobs. That, in essence, is the theme of the underlying research on emotional intelligence.33

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to an assortment of noncognitive skills, capabilities, and competencies that influences a person’s ability to cope with environmental demands and pressures.34 It’s composed of five dimensions:

• Self-awareness. Being aware of what you’re feeling.

• Self-management. Managing your own emotions and impulses.

• Self-motivation. Persisting in the face of setbacks and failures.

• Empathy. Sensing how others are feeling.

• Social skills. Adapting to and handling the emotions of others.

Several studies suggest that EI may play an important role in job performance.35 For instance, one study looked at the characteristics of Bell Lab engineers who were rated as stars by their peers. The scientists concluded that these stars were better at relating to others. That is, it was EI, not academic IQ, that characterized high performers. A second study of Air Force recruiters generated similar findings: Top-performing recruiters exhibited high levels of EI. Using these findings, the Air Force revamped its selection criteria. A follow-up investigation found that future hires who had high EI scores were 2.6 times more successful than those with low scores. Organizations such as American Express have found that implementing emotional intelligence programs has helped increase its effectiveness; other organizations also found similar results showing that emotional intelligence contributes to team effectiveness.36 For instance, at Cooperative Printing in Minneapolis, a study of its 45 employees concluded that EI skills were twice as important in “contributing to excellence as intellect and expertise alone.”37 A poll of human resources managers asked this question: How important is it for your workers to demonstrate EI to move up the corporate ladder? Forty percent of the managers replied “very important.” Another 16 percent said moderately important. Other studies also indicated that emotional intelligence can be beneficial to quality improvements in contemporary organizations.38

The implication is that employers should consider emotional intelligence as a criterion in their selection process—especially for those jobs that demand a high degree of social interaction.39