Leadership and Team Building

The Secret to High Performing Teams

MBTI type theory is vital for developing a better understanding of one’s self. When applied to team dynamics, type theory provides insights that are both powerful and profound as explained in this excerpt from Introduction to Type and Teams. According to Mary McCaulley, the MBTI tool allows us to make predictions about team effectiveness based on psychological type, such as the following:

1. The more similar the types on a team, the more readily the team members will understand each other.
2. The more dissimilar the types on a team, the slower the understanding.
3. Groups with high similarity will reach decisions more quickly but are more likely to make errors due to inadequate representation of all viewpoints.
4. Groups with members of many different types will reach decisions more slowly (and painfully) but may reach better decisions because more viewpoints are covered.
5. Teams with only a single representative of a certain preference (e.g., only one Introvert) may fail to appreciate the gifts/skills associated with that preference and may view that member as different.
6. Teams that come to appreciate and use different types may experience less conflict.
7. Successful teams with members of many different types promote the personal development of team members by encouraging learning from the gifts of other types.