Adding to LO28774 --
I treat the model used by MBTI as a metafore (metaphore ?) generator, a
map of options available for the decision maker: in every situation we
have to decide -- if we do not have time to investigate and make a choice
-- on behaving extrovertly or introvertly, to use our intuition of our
reasoning. Nature -- mother nature, there is an another meta...type --
has, without goal or plans, developed a certain distribution in the
pre-wirde choices: there is even a different distribution between men and
women on the characteristics. The prevaling distribution is a response to,
an outcome of, the result of the environment in which we developed our
selves, ;-).
To me the important thing is that the MBTI, like any other metatool, is a
kind of mirror: it reflects back to you your most natural choices, your
metabolism of sensory and emotional impressions. In my opinion it should
not be used to judge people, to compete against each other or to be used
to establish if somebody fits in a group or function. What goes naturally
will come naturally or not.
In our support of group decision making - mind@teamwork - we use the
meta....type of the MBTI, translated into colours, to get an idea of the
available options, the level of the intervention and the steps in the
decision making process. For instance: most managers like to have a
sensory-thinking (blue) solution, while most people from the work floor
act as if they live in a sensory-intuitive world (red /green). However,
innovating is a mythical step (yellow) and therefor unavaible if
participants kling to their own prejudgement. These prejudgement seriously
hamper effective decision making. So first, we have to get rid of these
notions. We do this by re-affirming them, offering an opportunity to
express them. Once people have said what, why and how they see a
situation, they're free to see, note, enact a different view. In the end,
finishing of the meeting, we try to develop an action programm in which
the people take up - for themselves, we do not order them, nor do we not
advice them, assignments that "fit" their personality again. It sounds a
bit akward, but it works.
Kind regards,
Jan Lelie
Jan Lelie wrote:
> Replying to LO28771 --
>
> David, dear consultants, readers,
>
> We breath, we think, we act, we live in metaphores. MBTI and the
> philosophies of Carl Jung are - to me - such a set of metaphores (although
> Jung calls these archetypes, so maybe i should call them archephores or
> metatypes). A personality is also a metaphorical achetype and a kind of
> meta...type we can chooses to take on, like a role, an imago, a
> perspective, an outlook, an embodiment. Most of us are able to "snap-on" a
> personality within a single moment. Personalities like "manager",
> "employee", "father" or "mother", "victim", "writer of e-mails" etcetera.
> Personalities help us to survive social realities. With every personlity
> comes a language, a behaviour, a way to make choices. MBTI is a kind of
> map of the different personalities characteristics available.
--With kind regards - met vriendelijke groeten,
Jan Lelie
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