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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