The MBTI® is a forced-choice, self-reporting personality questionnaire used to discover and describe people’s preference for the way they orient their lives, how they gather information and make decisions. Based on Carl Jung’s theory of perception and judgement, it classifies people into 16 broad personality types. It provides a simple yet powerful way of seeing how people are alike and how they are unlike each other. Being aware of our differences will help us reduce misunderstandings and conflict leading to a better environment for higher productivity through effective teamwork and nurturing creativity and innovation in the workplace. At the individual level, self-awareness through MBTI® helps us to evaluate the fit between ourselves and our work, and also greater understanding of our colleagues (at work) and our spouses and friends, at a personal level. Organizationally, MBTI® is a valuable resource in training programmes through helping to build an understanding of the organization’s norm and culture. It is easy to administer and with professional interpretation, the MBTI® can assist in collecting useful and reliable data for the management development and developing competencies.
