Team Effectiveness and Individual Myers-Briggs Personality Dimensions

Abstract

Competition in the business world has led to the need for increased productivity. One way that companies, as well as academic institutions, have tried to meet this need is by using teams. However, many of the expected gains from using teams have not yet been fulfilled. This research sought to find a way to make teams more effective by considering and utilizing information on each team member’s psychological type. Specifically, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was given to engineering senior design students who were completing a one- or two-semester design project in various degree programs at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The test was administered during the first week of the students’ teaming experience. At the end of the semester, team effectiveness was measured in two ways. The first measure was the grade each team received in their senior design class, while the second measure involved the Team Effectiveness Questionnaire (TEQ). The TEQ allows a team to rate its own effectiveness by answering a number of questions regarding different team-related issues. Findings showed that there was not a significant correlation between psychological type dimensions and team effectiveness, but individuals’ training on the type of personality of team members helped them to improve communication, trust, and interdependence, essential characteristics of an effective team. Therefore, understanding and tolerance of individual’s behaviors and actions are the largest benefit that the Myers-Briggs test has to offer as a contribution to teams’ effectiveness.