The Isabel Briggs Myers- and Belbin Personality Test: Theory and Practice
20th January 2018
Both of these tests are excellent tools in determining well-functioning group dynamics. The Isabel Briggs Myers test reveals that I exhibit traits of the ENFP (Extroverted, Intuition, Feeling and Perception) personality type. The Myer Briggs Foundation describes this classification as primarily imaginative and enthusiastic (Myers). This allows them to play well with others within a team. It is however notable that they want a lot of affirmation from others. A study around team collaboration within design studios revealed that participants exhibiting high iNtuition(N) are more attuned to creative endeavours. Moreover, disagreements surfaced more frequently in teams with identical personality types whereas teams with diverse MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator) were generally able to tackle both relationship- and process-based issues (Jarl, 2016). In accordance with this study, I made an observation during a class exercise. The goal was safely delivering an egg to the ground using a piece of card, paper, string, duct-tape and scissors. When it was time to make a decision two ideas were being put forward; by myself an ENFP type and an INFP type in the group. These personality types are similar and might therefore both try to fight for their ideas to be realised. When it came to making a decision we both tried to put forward our ideas but eventually, we opted for a compromise and tried to combine both concepts.
While the Isabel Briggs Myers evaluation can be applied to various areas of life ranging anywhere from interviews to social interaction, the Belbin test intends to more specifically tackle the issue of team building. The test has determined me as a Ressource Investigator and Team-Player. While that means I work well with others and communicate my ideas well these traits also come with in-decisiveness and perhaps the inability to fully commit to an idea (Belbin).
In the aforementioned class exercise, for example, I communicated a new idea to the group that consisted in attaching a parachute to the cylinder we built in the end. However, this occurred when we were already committed to the initial idea. Looking back, following through with that idea would have probably resulted in us not finishing the paper cylinder in time.
Written by Laurent Mass.
References
Belbin.com. (n.d.). Belbin | Great teams start with Belbin. [online] Available at: http://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles/ [Accessed 20 Jan. 2018].
Briggs Myers, I. (n.d.). The 16 MBTI® Types(Excerpted from Introduction to Type by Isabel Briggs Myers). [online] Myersbriggs.org. Available at: http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/the-16-mbti-types.htm [Accessed 19 Jan. 2018].
Jarl, B. (2016). The Use of Personality Type to Improve Team Collaboration within Design Studios. Masters. [online] Western Michigan University. http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1763&context=masters_theses [Accessed 19 Jan. 2018]
Having done the Belbin test (Belbin Associates 2018), I find interesting that there are quite a few similarities in the results of the test and the experience I had during the second experiment in the previous lecture that involved the egg. I am a co-ordinator and team worker, according to the test results. A co-ordinator is confident and has an interest in others. They know what needs to be done and delegate roles when needed. Additionally, they are very organised. A team worker cares about others; they support their group members so they feel like they fit in and have something to offer. Those two roles together make me a good listener and give me the abilities to work with others.
Reflecting on the experiment with the egg, I can see that I was confident in voicing out my ideas and solutions. I constantly made sure everyone had a say in the group, asking the reserved members if they had any suggestions so they felt included. I was patient, and supported language barriers. I encouraged everyone to speak their mind, even if it was difficult or they felt too shy to do so. During the planning stage, I made sure that we kept in mind what needed to be done. I reminded the group that we needed to find a solution to deliver the egg safely onto the ground. Before we executed our plan, I delegates roles so everyone knew what they had to do during the ten minutes. It shows that I like to be organised. I always made sure to listen to suggestions, and was open to new ideas.
One thing that the test told me to keep in mind was the fact that my team role fails to check details of what might be wrong. This particular aspect becomes clear when I think back to the time of creating the construction for the egg. I did not check whether the tape would remain stuck to the paper, nor did I make sure that everything would work fine. I also did not consider the weight of the egg, a detail that ultimately led to the failure of our experiment.
I also did the Myers-Briggs personality test (Humanmetrics 1998) to reflect on my performance during the egg task. My results were Introversion, INtuition, Feeling and Perceiving. However, all four categories were only a slight preference over the opposite quality, meaning I was only slightly more introverted than extroverted for instance. This rings true as I feel during the experiment I was quite vocal and outgoing, but in normal situations I tend to feel drained after a long period of socialising in a big group. It also said that INFPs have the ability to see good in almost anyone and anything, which I find true about myself. Whenever someone else offered a solution to the egg experiment, I welcomed it and was open to include them in our construction.
Overall, I think that the Belbin test was more helpful in determining how I reflect on my experience with the egg task. It showed me how I work in a team, and how that can be beneficial depending on my group members. It also offered criticism and faults, allowing me to pay attention and learn from them. The Myers-Briggs personality test only revealed qualities about myself, but the results did not provide any helpful information on my role in a team.
Written by Chee Yen Wang.
References:
Belbin Associates (2018) Belbin. Available at: http://www.belbin.com (Accessed: 17 January 2018).
Humanmetrics Inc. (1998) Jung Topology Test. Available at: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp (Accessed: 19 January 2018):
