UCL CAREERS

Introduction to
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Karen Barnard
Director, UCL Careers
UCL CAREERS

By the End of the Session You Will

Have…

A better understanding of your own personality

A better appreciation of those who differ from you
Insights into how to use this knowledge to:
enhance your team-working skills
enhance your leadership skills
support your own professional development
UCL CAREERS

Applications of MBTI
Developing yourself
-Problem-solving
-Understanding stress reactions
-Career development
Working with others
-Working relationships
-Communication style
-Resolving conflict
Working in teams and organisations
-Leadership style
-Managing change
-Valuing diversity
-Considering team and organisational culture
UCL CAREERS

What is MBTI?
Based on theories of Carl Jung (1875-1961)
Developed by Katherine Briggs (1875-1968) and Isabel
Myres (1897-1980)
4000+ research papers on MBTI
Today 3.5million ‘do’ MBTI annually
multinational companies
management consultancies
public sector organisations
business schools
counsellors
No right or wrong type
UCL CAREERS

What Does MBTI Measure?

MBTI considers STYLE not ability or achievement

4 dimensions
Where you get your energy from
Extraversion Introversion
How you take in information
Sensing iNtuition
How you make decisions
Thinking Feeling
How you organise yourself / your world
Judging Perceiving
UCL CAREERS

MBTI - What are Preferences?

Preferred Hand Non-preferred Hand

Feels natural Feels unnatural
Didn’t think about it Had to concentrate
Effortless, flows, easy Took more energy
Looks neat, legible, adult Awkward and clumsy
Looks childlike
May get easier with
practice
UCL CAREERS

Where You Get Your Energy From

Extraversion

Introversion
UCL CAREERS

Drawn towards the Drawn towards the

outer world inner world
EXTRAVERSION INTROVERSION
UCL CAREERS

Gains energy during Gains energy during

time with people time alone
Expends energy during Expends energy during
time alone time with people
EXTRAVERSION INTROVERSION
UCL CAREERS

Extraversion/Introversion
UCL CAREERS

Extraversion Introversion
Prefer to communicate by Prefer to communicate in writing
talking (‘talk things through’) (‘think things through’)
Learn best by doing or Learn best by reflection or
discussing mental ‘practice’
Have broad range of interests Have a depth of interests
Tend to speak /act first, reflect Tend to reflect before acting or
later speaking
Sociable & expressive Private & contained
‘Energy & Enthusiasm’ ‘Reflection, identify issues and
clarity’
UCL CAREERS

Talking to Type

Extraverts... Introverts…
Allow time for talking out loud Give information beforehand
without conclusions and allow time to think
Give time to get to know you
Show energy and enthusiasm
Encourage response with
Give some sort of response questions (gently!)
Don’t assume that they mean all Don’t assume that they are not
they say interested: they may be
reflecting
UCL CAREERS

How You Take in Information

Sensing

iNtuition
UCL CAREERS

Taking in Information - Auditory

Close you eyes and listen – what do you hear?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVhwgvj_SfA
UCL CAREERS

Reading a Novel!

Nojovik
UCL CAREERS

Tends to focus on Tends to focus on

practical facts, details and relationships, patterns and
concrete past experience future possibilities
SENSING INTUITION
UCL CAREERS

Sensing and Intuition

Sensing

Intuitive
UCL CAREERS

Sensing iNtuition
Focus on what is real & actual Oriented to future possibilities –
(the facts of the picture) will look at ‘big picture’
Observe & remember detail Imaginative & verbally creative
Oriented to present realities Will readily anticipate the future
Trust inspiration/hunches
Want information step-by-step
Focus on patterns and
Trust experience meanings in data
Ensures data is accurate, may Ensures patterns are
overlook patterns understood, may overlook
accuracy of detail
UCL CAREERS

Talking to Type

Sensing… iNtuition…
Give facts, details, instructions Give the overall picture first
and examples Emphasise future benefits and
Be accurate, practical and possibilities
realistic Don’t give too much detail,
Be orderly – show the steps adopt an imaginative approach
Emphasise continuation rather Allow space for speculation to
than radical change seek out new ideas
Explain your assumptions Ensure things work in theory
Ensure things work in practice
UCL CAREERS

How You Make Decisions

Thinking

Feeling
UCL CAREERS

Tends to see situations Tends to see situations

from the outside. Wants to help from within. Wants to help by
by fixing the problem being empathetic / supportive
THINKING FEELING
UCL CAREERS

Tends to help by Tends to help by

picking out flaws appreciating the
for improvement first positive first
THINKING FEELING
UCL CAREERS

Thinking Feeling
Task oriented People oriented
Solve problems with Empathic
logical reasoning Assess impact of
decisions on people
Make decisions on Strive for harmony and
impersonal criteria positive interactions
Strive for mutual respect Compassionate and
accepting
Fair – want to treat Fair – want everyone
everyone equally treated as an individual
Good at providing critique Good at providing positive
feedback
UCL CAREERS

Your Task – Thinking & Feeling

You are the manager of a bakery in a supermarket. One of your
team, Tina, has been caught stealing cakes. There have been
rumours over the past 6 months that she has been stealing on a
regular basis but this is the first time she has been caught. The
store has a very clear policy on theft – thieves are dismissed.

Tina has worked for the shop for 9 months. Her

work to date has been OK.
She is 34 years old and the single parent to a
son who is 8 years old.

What do you do and why?

UCL CAREERS

Talking to Type

Feeling… Thinking…
Try to establish a rapport Try to establish respect and
credibility first
before getting down to Present pros and cons,
business actions and consequences
Present areas of agreement Be ready to point out the
first weaknesses of your own
arguments and theirs
Consider how it will affect the
people involved
Encourage them to voice
their criticisms
UCL CAREERS

How You Organise Yourself / Your World

Judging

Perceiving
UCL CAREERS

Judging/Perceiving
Start Start

End End
UCL CAREERS

Prefers order Prefers going with

and structure the flow
JUDGING PERCEIVING
UCL CAREERS

Feels more comfortable Feels more comfortable

establishing closure maintaining openness
JUDGING PERCEIVING
UCL CAREERS

Judging Perceiving
Scheduled / structured / Spontaneous / flexible /
organised / methodical adaptable / casual
Like to plan Open-ended
Like ‘to do’ lists Like things loose and open to
Like completion – decisions change
made
See work and play as
See ‘play’ as a reward for
completing work interchangeable
Try to avoid last minute stresses Feel energised by last-minute
pressures
UCL CAREERS

Talking to Type

Judging… Perceiving…
Present your structure and stick Introduce new information and
to it ideas
Don’t spring surprises Allow time for exploration
Focus on concrete Be prepared for things to flow
achievements and results and change
Be decisive, not ‘wishy-washy’ Give a range of options
Allow ‘ring-fenced’ opportunity Don’t nag them
for opinion forming
UCL CAREERS

The Preferences

Extraversion Introversion
Sensing iNtuition
Thinking Feeling
Judging Perceiving
UCL CAREERS

Your ‘Type’

Self-assessed Type

Reported Type

Best Fit Type

UCL CAREERS

Why Don’t They Match?

Your “self assessed” type and your “reported type”
may not match for a number of reasons:

The indicator is not infallible

Answers can by influenced by
your upbringing
pressure from society
expected work behaviour
how you would like to be

You are the best judge!

UCL CAREERS

US Research has Found…

75% of the population are Extraverted

75% of the population are Sensing

66% men are Thinking

66% women are Feeling

J/P are equally split amongst the population

UCL CAREERS

By the End of the Session You Will

Have…

A better understanding of your own personality

A better appreciation of those who differ from you
Insights into how to use this knowledge to:
enhance your team-working skills
enhance your leadership skills
support your own professional development