- Judging/Perceiving (J or P).This dimension refers to how people order their
daily lives: being decisive and planned (judging) or spontaneous and flexible
(perceiving).
Let’s take a look at three examples of MBTI personality types: - INTJs are visionaries.They usually have original minds and great drive for their
own ideas and purposes. They are characterized as skeptical, critical, inde-
pendent, determined, and often stubborn. - ESTJs are organizers.They are realistic, logical, analytical, decisive, and have a
natural head for business or mechanics. They like to organize and run activities. - ENTPs are conceptualizers.They are innovative, individualistic, versatile, and
attracted to entrepreneurial ideas. They tend to be resourceful in solving chal-
lenging problems but may neglect routine assignments.
Official Myers-Briggs tests can be administered only by trained professionals. However,
if you are interested in learning about your personality type, you can get some under-
standing through the short test at the Personality Pathways website. One of the benefits
of thinking about individuals by type is that it will give you some insight into how a par-
ticular person might react in a situation. If you browse in a library or bookstore, you will
find a number of popular books designed to help you identify both your own and your
colleagues’ “personality types.” However, as we noted above in our discussion of stereo-
typing, relying solely on personality measures to judge people can have its problems.
Ironically, there is no hard evidence that the MBTI is a valid measure of personal-
ity. But lack of evidence does not seem to deter its use in a wide range of organizations.
The Big Five Model
The most widely accepted model of personality is the five-factor model of personal-
ity—more typically called the “Big Five.”^38 An impressive body of research supports
the notion that five basic personality dimensions underlie all others and include most
of the significant variations in human personality.^39 The Big Five personality factors
are as follows:- Extraversion.This dimension captures a person’s comfort level with relation-
ships. Extraverted individuals are sociable, talkative, and assertive. - Agreeableness.This dimension refers to how readily a person will go along
with others. Highly agreeable people are good-natured, cooperative, warm,
and trusting. - Conscientiousness.This dimension is a measure of a person’s reliability. People
who score high on conscientiousness are responsible, dependable, persistent,
and achievement-oriented. - Emotional stability.This dimension taps a person’s ability to withstand stress.
People high on emotional stability are calm, self-confident, and secure. - Openness to experience.The final dimension addresses a person’s range of
interests and fascination with novelty. People high on openness to experience
are imaginative, artistically sensitive, and intellectual.
Exhibit 2-4 on page 45shows the characteristics for the high and low dimensions of
each Big Five personality factor.
In addition to providing a unifying personality framework, research on the Big Five
has found important relationships between these personality dimensions and job per-
formance.^40 A broad spectrum of occupations was examined: professionals (including
44 Part 1 Understanding the Workplace
Personality Pathways: Online
Personality Test
http://www.personalitypathways.com/type
_inventory.html
extraversion A personality factor
that describes the degree to which
someone is sociable, talkative, and
assertive.
agreeableness A personality
factor that describes the degree to
which someone is good-natured,
cooperative, and trusting.
conscientiousness A personality
factor that describes the degree to
which someone is responsible,
dependable, persistent, and achieve-
ment-oriented.
emotional stability A personality
factor that describes the degree to
which someone is calm, self-confi-
dent, and secure.
openness to experience A per-
sonality factor that describes the
degree to which someone is imagi-
native, artistically sensitive, and
intellectual.