Newsletter #21

 

 

In this issue:

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and ISTPs and ENFJs in Organizations

About the Strong Interest Inventory®: Person - Environment Fit, Part III

About the FIRO-B™: Team Transitions IV

 

ISTPs and ENFJs in Organizations

This time we'll consider ISTPs and ENFJs and examine where they might fit best and some of the possible weak spots for each.

For many ISTPs, a good job includes being rewarded for paying attention to what is logical, allows for hands-on experiences, and gives them freedom to do the work as they see fit. They often enjoy work that is project oriented and task focused, particularly if it involves immediate problem solving. Independence and autonomy are likewise important for ISTPs at work. Action is usually more important and interesting to them than long discussions. ISTPs often lead by example, and expect each person to contribute to the group effort. They can be quite expedient, finding the best solution for the moment. They usually dislike both giving and receiving close supervision. Many ISTPs can keep track of all kinds of detailed information and can become the source of "institutional knowledge" for an organization.

Some areas where ISTPs can have difficulties include taking shortcuts to get things done and skipping important steps. They might miss sharing information with others, who then assume the ISTP is uninvolved, unconcerned, and lacks interest. Sometimes, in their hurry to get things done, they can jump to a new task before the previous one is finished. Perseverance can be a problem. Likewise, goal setting can be difficult. The focus on the immediate can make it hard to look at the long term and plan accordingly, or even create a plan in the first place.

Now let's turn to ENFJs and the contrasts. ENFJs usually prefer jobs that are social and people-oriented, that encourage support, appreciation, harmony, empathy, self-expression, and orderly. Many ENFJs enjoy working with people who are dedicated to making the world a better place. Leading and working in teams is appealing, as is the focus on reaching goals. ENFJs are likely to lead by using their enthusiasm and interpersonal skills, adding in inspiration where needed. They are likely to focus on the organization's values to make sure everyone understands and agrees to them. If the organization's actions mismatch the stated values, ENFJs are probably going to speak up. As managers, they will likely have a highly participatory style.

As always, there are areas that could be trouble. ENFJs can idealize both people and organizations, becoming blind to real flaws in them. Few ENFJs enjoy conflict, so they tend to avoid it as long as possible. Of course, conflict rarely goes away, and when it surfaces again, things could be far worse. Because of their people focus, ENFJs can ignore the routine, necessary tasks of the job in favor of interpersonal activities. They can take criticism of their performance personally. They can be overly critical too, particularly if they feel their values have been compromised. Details can be overlooked, especially if there are more interesting, fun relationship matters to tend to.

 

About the Strong Interest Inventory: Person - Environment Fit, Part III

One of the foundations underlying the Strong is the idea that both people and environments can be sorted into six primary areas. While it's true that most jobs and people are more complex than a single category, it's likely the case that one of the six environmental types is dominant in a workplace. The concept is that the more closely a person's personality matches his or her work environment, the more likely that person is to enjoy a career, stay in a job, or persist in developing a career.

This issue we'll examine how this interaction works with Artistic environments and people.

Artistic people often value creative expression of ideas, emotions, or sentiments. They usually see themselves as innovative, intellectual, open to new experiences, and lacking clerical or office skills. They prefer activities and jobs that focus on the literary, musical, or artistic aspects. They prefer to avoid routines and conformity to established rules. Others can see Artistic types as unconventional, creative, and disorderly.

As you might imagine, Artistic work environments are quite similar. They require innovative or creative abilities or emotionally expressive interactions with others. Imagination in artistic, literary, or musical accomplishment is often rewarded or expected in such jobs. Unconventional ideas or manners are accepted and aesthetic values are important in Artistic jobs. Many such jobs are unstructured, and involve performing and other creative pursuits. Some examples of jobs that fit this category are musician, interior designer, author, poet, opera singer, and entertainer.

 

The FIRO-B: Team Transitions IV

This time we'll examine some common scenarios involving change and the differences between positive and negative versions.

For example, teams can cease to exist at the end of a project. If this change is positive, team members will acknowledge the personal bonds that were established during the team's existence. Some of these relationships will continue on after the team dissolves. The team members will realize that everyone on the team needs to move on to new challenges and responsibilities. In the negative case, Expressed Affection is limited or non-existent, so the team dissolves abruptly. Team members can feel vulnerable, unwanted or misused. Since Expressed Affection is so low, the team members can resist letting go of the team, and avoid the final steps needed to conclude the team's work.

A second scenario involves a new team leader. In the positive case, the new leader will be allowed to establish his or her own way of leading the team. He or she will be informed about the previous team work, background, history, and accomplishments. The new leader will learn about the abilities and skills of the team members. He or she will be able to introduce changes that will be accepted by the rest of the team. In the negative case, the new leader will be ignored, or current team members will assume the new leader knows the entire team history and understands everything that has come before. Any changes the new leader introduces will be resisted, even small suggestions. The team might pressure the new person to be like the former leader.

In these scenarios, the knowledge gained from using the FIRO-B with the team can bring these issues to light, as well as suggesting possible ways to deal with changes in the team.