It is disturbing to me that personality assessments are sometimes being used in a way that devalues their use as a management tool.
The prevalence of online personality quizzes that give you a four-letter type looking like a Myers-Briggs Assessment® result, without a debrief by a qualified professional, can take away from its importance and give the impression it is a parlour game. Without a proper debrief there is no assurance of reliability.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® is a powerful tool for both organizations and individuals. Today the MBTI is the most widely used personality type indicator in the world, and the assessment is considered a valid and reliable tool, which means it assesses what it intends to and is repeatable over time.
For management teams and boards of directors it is effective in;
- Improving communication
- Enhancing problem solving and decision making
- Planning, implementing, and managing organizational change
- Recognizing and managing stress
- Leadership and management development and coaching
- Analyzing organizational tendencies
- Understanding the differences in learning styles
For Individuals it can assist in;
- Recognizing and respecting differences between people
- Appreciating the value the differences bring
- Self-awareness
- Career decision making
- Career transition
- Career path within organizations and succession planning
- Retirement planning
While the online quizzes can be fun and certainly are an indication of type, they cannot be used as a basis for organizational or individual training.
Know what outcome you are after before deciding whether to use a quiz or an assessment.
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