Typing employees using the 16 personalities test: 6 ways to use It at work

You may have noticed that the pandemic era, lockdowns, and the overall state of uncertainty and suspension have led to yet another banal but still interesting consequence. Scientific and pseudoscientific psychological tests, socionics, astrology, and other topics about self-discovery are more relevant than ever.

People change jobs, people rediscover themselves, people go freelance or to “remote work”, their schedules, places of residence, and values change. Therefore, everyone wants to know a little more about themselves – what can an HR specialist do in such a situation? Let's try to follow the rule “if you can't stop it, you need to lead it.” We'll seek the help of one of the most popular personality tests – the MBTI test or “16 personalities” and see how trends can be turned to benefit the team and the work process.

What are the 16 personalities?

Imagine: you scroll through Steve Jobs' Instagram, and in his bio, it says: ENTJ. Four mysterious letters are sometimes indeed written in biographies or social media – but now you’re in the know and will understand that this is a personality type designation from the Myers-Briggs test. It is sometimes also called the 16 personalities test. The letters simply mean that Steve took this test and learned that he is a "commander" (wouldn't you know!).

Meyers-Briggs Personality Types Test is a psychological assessment of personality traits based on 4 descriptors that considers a person's predispositions to work activities, character, and behavior style that help them feel comfortable and develop their best qualities.

There are a total of 16 results after taking the Myers-Briggs test. These are the 16 personality types.

How to take the test, and what is it based on?

You can take the test in English here. It takes literally 10-15 minutes, and you immediately receive the results with a detailed description of the type you belong to.

You can expect similar questions:

You often remain calm, even in stressful situations.
You easily make new friends.
You are not shy about introducing yourself first in an unfamiliar company.

To answer the question, you need to rate from extremely positive to extremely negative results.

The test evaluates you based on four categories (scales), depending on what you rely on in certain circumstances:

• Consciousness (extroversion E – introversion I)
• Situation assessment (sensing S – intuition N)
• Decision making (thinking T – feeling F)
• Actions (judging J – perceiving P)

From here come the cherished four letters – a unique set of your personality type.

How can the Myers-Briggs test be used in HR?

Let's go through the areas where the 16 personalities test can help. Let's start with those already mentioned:

1. In recruiting

We at PeopleForce believe in a simple and clear recruitment process, free from unnecessary information for candidates. However, if your company welcomes preliminary testing of employees not only for their hard skills, the Myers-Briggs test can be a great addition to the hiring process. Especially if it is presented informally, or even after the job offer has been accepted. The latter can be framed to the employee as a supplemental onboarding task – suggesting that you want to get to know the newcomer better and are ready to communicate in a way that is comfortable for everyone.

2. In team buildings

Gathering everyone together and going through a couple of tests to discuss the results and get to know each other better? Sounds like a great plan for a team-building event. And if you incorporate the test into some kind of self-development training, it can become an entertaining part of the learning process (thus providing the edutainment we've talked about earlier). The results of the team-building activities can be documented somewhere, and participants can be given cards with characteristics of their personality type.

Moreover, during discussions about the most suitable type of work, employees will be much more open in an informal setting to discuss their plans and wishes for development. What if this test helps you create career plans for your colleagues?

3. In conflict resolution

Work processes are impossible without conflicts; they are a part of progress. And, as is often the case, sometimes you can inadvertently ignore an employee's feelings or treat them incorrectly. To consider how to best communicate in conflict situations, it would be useful to know what types of personalities you are dealing with. Take into account the communication recommendations for the hypothetical manager Andrey, who is a "strategist" and always wants to do everything his way. Promise him the space to implement his ideas – and the conflict will dissipate.

4. In the development of team leaders and the promotion of employees

There are many tools that help to determine who in the team possesses leadership qualities, but the 16 personalities test will be useful here as well. Pay attention to the "commanders," "debaters," "coaches," and other personality types that have inherent leader traits. But remember, the test does not always reflect the true picture, – do not focus solely on its results and ignore other, conditionally non-leadership types.

5. In the self-development of employees

Of course, there will be those in the company who have never heard of the MBTI test. This is perfectly normal. However, by asking them to take the assessment, you might encourage such employees to look at themselves from a different perspective, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and think about self-development. On your part – minimal effort, and for the team – a push towards working on themselves.

6. In working experiments

Formulate hypotheses based on the test and try to validate them. For example, there is a stereotype that extroverted types are better suited for teamwork, while introverts thrive in remote work. Try to compare the test results with real facts about the employees. A great way to check if the Myers-Briggs test holds true: if everything matches, you can reorganize working teams and approve transitions to remote work, for example.

Is it worth spending time on the MBTI test?

What if we say that the 16 personalities test is taken by 2 million people annually, it has been translated into more than 30 languages, and is often recommended in schools as a career guidance tool?

In fact, the story goes even deeper. The Myers-Briggs test was developed specifically for the workplace. During World War II, the test was used to identify women for jobs where they would find it easiest to excel, in place of the men who had gone to the front. 90% of the well-known top Fortune 100 companies use the test of 16 personalities for recruiting or as a team-building tool. So try to look at the test from a different perspective – it is a good and very simple free tool to improve work with different types of employees.