LOOKING AT LEADERSHIP AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION THROUGH THE LENS OF MBTITX CWJC/CMJC WebinarFebruary 22, 2011Sara Elliott, MDiv/MSW intern

WHY DISCUSS LEADERSHIP AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT? How many of you have had to deal with

conflict among staff members? How many of you, as you planned to lead in

ministry, thought about how you might deal with these issues of conflict?

Managers of organizations spend anywhere from 25% to 60% of their time dealing with conflicts or the fallout from conflict.

WHY MBTI? It helps us to understand who we are and

what makes us tick It helps us to understand why other people

are the way they are It helps us to appreciate the differences

between the two “And in understanding me you might come to

prize my differences from you, and, far from seeking to change me, preserve and nurture those differences.” – Kiersey and Bates, 1984

Our MBTI type does not define us, but shows us our preferences.

BASICS ON THE 8 PREFERENCES Where do you get your energy from outside yourself

(Extraversion) or from within yourself (Introversion)? Extravert

Tend to talk first, think later Know a lot of people Don’t mind reading or having a conversation while there is

another activity going on in the background Are approachable and easily engaged by friends, coworkers,

and strangers Find telephone calls to be welcome interruptions Enjoy going to meetings and tend to let your opinions be heard Prefer generating ideas with a group to doing it by yourself Find listening more difficult than talking “Look” with your mouth instead of your eyes Need affirmation from colleagues, superiors, and subordinates

about who you are

BASICS ON THE 8 PREFERENCES Introvert

Rehearse things before saying them and prefer that others would do the same

Enjoy the peace and quiet of having time to yourself Are perceived as “a great listener” Have been called “shy” from time to time Like to share special occasions with just one other person

or perhaps a few close friends Wish that you could get your ideas out more forcefully Like stating your thoughts or feelings without interruptions Need to “recharge” alone after you’ve spent time in

meetings Were told by your parents to “go outside and play with

your friends” Believe that “talk is cheap”

BASICS ON THE 8 PREFERENCES How do you gather information about your world, in a

literal, sequential way (Sensing) or in a more figurative, random way (iNtuition)?

Sensor Prefer specific answers to specific questions Like to concentrate on what you’re doing at the moment and

generally don’t wonder about what’s next Find most satisfying those jobs that yield some tangible result Believe that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” Would rather work with facts and figures than ideas and theories Think that “fantasy” is a dirty word Read magazines and reports from front to back Get frustrated when people don’t give you clear instructions Are very literal in your use of words Find it easier to see the individual trees than the forest Subscribe to the notion that “seeing is believing”

BASICS ON THE 8 PREFERENCES Intuitive

Tend to think about several things at once Find the future and its possibilities more intriguing than

frightening Believe that “boring details” is a redundancy Believe that time is relative Like figuring out how things work just for the sheer

pleasure of doing so Are prone to puns and word games Find yourself seeking the connections and

interrelatedness behind most things rather than accepting them at face value

Tend to give general answers to questions Would rather fantasize about spending your next

paycheck than sit and balance your checkbook

BASICS ON THE 8 PREFERENCES Which way do you prefer to make decisions, objectively and

impersonally (Thinking) or subjectively and interpersonally (Feeling)?

Thinker Are able to stay cool, calm, and objective in situations when everyone

else is upset Would rather settle a dispute based on what is fair and truthful than on

what will make people happy Enjoy proving a point for the sake of clarity Are more firm-minded than gentle-hearted Pride yourself on your objectivity despite the fact that some people

accuse you of being cold and uncaring Don’t mind making difficult decisions and can’t understand why so

many people get upset about things that aren’t relevant to the issue at hand

Think it’s more important to be right than to be liked Are impressed with and lend more credence to things that are logical

and scientific Remember numbers and figures more readily than faces and names

BASICS ON THE 8 PREFERENCES Feeler

Consider a “good decision” one that takes others’ feelings into account

Feel that “love” cannot be defined Will overextend yourself meeting other people’s needs Put yourself in other people’s shoes Enjoy providing needed services to people although

you find that some people take advantage of you. Find yourself wondering, “Doesn’t anyone care about

what I want?” although you may have difficulty actually saying that to anyone.

Won’t hesitate to take back something you’ve said that you perceive has offended someone

Prefer harmony over clarity

BASICS ON THE 8 PREFERENCES Do you prefer to be decisive and planned (Judging)

or flexible and spontaneous (Perceiving)? Judger

Are always waiting for others Have a place for everything “Know” that if everyone would simply do what they’re

supposed to do (and when they’re supposed to do it), the world would be a better place.

Wake up in the morning and know fairly well what your day is going to be like

Don’t like surprises Keep lists and use them Thrive on order Are accused of being angry when you’re not; you’re only

stating your opinion

BASICS ON THE 8 PREFERENCES Perceiver

Are easily distracted Love to explore the unknown Don’t plan a task but wait and see what it

demands Have to depend on last-minute spurts of energy

to meet deadlines Don’t believe that “neatness counts,” even

though you would prefer to have everything in order

Turn most work into play Change the subject often in conversations Don’t like to be pinned down about most things Tend usually to make things less than definite

from time to time

HOW SENSORS AND INTUITIVES LEAD Sensors

Tactile, literal, and practical Tend to focus their work on the actual, the present,

the doable. Natural sense of the movement of time and how

much time a project will take to complete Orientation toward implementation and actions

iNtuitives Hardwired to pick up on patterns, future possibilities,

and the proverbial big Live in the future, and lead toward it by exercising

their vision and drive to change and develop their colleagues and the systems around them

Ability to think systematically and strategically.

HOW THINKERS AND FEELERS LEAD Thinkers

Analytical and objective Naturally problem-oriented This orientation can lead to a culture of criticism

between leaders and their followers Some T leaders may even view criticism as a

compliment Feelers

Engage with the human element first and see it as the determining factor in any final outcome

Tend to exercise power through relationships and attention given to subjective human values

Circumstantial decision makers

HOW EXTRAVERTS AND INTROVERTS LEAD Extraverts

Influence others quite naturally by engaging with them Tend to be open verbal communicators who share more than

they withhold The potential liability for the Extraverted leader is that he or

she may share, talk, and disclose regardless of whether the information being imparted has been asked for or is being listened to

Introverts When Introverts do choose to influence others, they

commonly do so by presenting ideas, plans, visions, or values – often in writing – that will be compelling and attractive.

An Introverted leader has a lot brewing under the surface, but only lets out or shares a small piece of it.

Sometimes the issue for Introverted leaders is the speed with which they are able to make a decision.

HOW JUDGERS AND PERCEIVERS LEAD Judgers

Well suited to systems that are strongly oriented toward decisive action, rigid schedules, and the accomplishment of tasks

Work-now-play-later approach Can run into trouble when their drive for control,

scheduling, and closure prevents new data from being considered

Perceivers Often described as scattered, directionless, unscheduled,

and prone to having more starts than finishes. However, Ps do have many effective leadership qualities:

ability to live their lives as flexible, curious, and open-minded people who can be easygoing, informal, adaptable, and fun-loving

TEMPERAMENTS AND POWER NF Leaders – the People People

Power resides in personal relationships Constantly selling ideas and are tirelessly persuasive

NT Leaders – Competence Above All Very focused on objective clarity and tend to be quick

to criticize lack of competence SJ Leaders – the Company People

See power in the structure, hierarchy, and traditions of their organizations and work teams and emphasize the importance of detail and practicality

SP Leaders – the Troubleshooters Exercise power by solving problems and acting to

address the concerns of the moment Good skills at crisis management

ATTITUDES AND LEADERSHIP Extraverted-Judgers – Natural Influencers

Seem to emit an aura of self-confidence, capability, competency, and assurance.

Introverted-Judgers – Strong, Silent Types Behaviorially they appear focused, decisive, closure-

driven, directive, and overtly controlling Extraverted-Perceivers – Energizing Forces

Seen as energizing forces for change and creativity, but conversely, they are also seen as flighty, indecisive, and chaotic

Introverted-Perceivers – Quiet and Reflective Their flexibility, openness, and casual,

nonhierarchical style leads to their being viewed as weak and indecisive.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION Conflict can take many forms. Conflict can have many outcomes. Conflict is inevitable.

HOW THINKERS AND FEELERS DEAL WITH CONFLICT How do you define conflict? How do you deal with conflict at work? What would you like others to keep in mind when

conflict arises? Thinkers

See conflict as an inevitable process that almost always leads to creativity

Deal with conflict at work by learning, discussing the issues, and strategizing solutions.

Feelers See conflict as disharmony and avoid it at all costs Deal with conflict by reflecting on their feelings,

blaming themselves for the conflict, and often react physically

HOW EXTRAVERTS AND INTROVERTS DEAL WITH CONFLICT Extraverts

Prefer to move conflict to the external arena Say so many things in such a little time that they

can often not remember what they said Problem is exacerbated with an EJ: EJs already

know the answer Introverts

Conflicts are very physically stressful for Introverts, because they internalize everything

Introverts need to leave the playing field for a little while

HOW SENSORS AND INTUITIVES DEAL WITH CONFLICT Sensors

The information that Sensors take in deals more with the specifics of what has been said or has taken place. Precise words and events are key here and are subject to subsequent recall and scrutiny.

iNtuitives For iNtuitives, implications and meanings about

what’s transpired are far more important.

HOW JUDGERS AND PERCEIVERS DEAL WITH CONFLICT Judgers

They like structure; so any unplanned or unannounced change can lead to some abrasive responses.

Closure is important to judgers; it is their nature to sound right.

Perceivers They may have opinions on the issue, too, but

their P nature is continually to redefine things, to stay open-ended about alternative solutions, and to maintain real flexibility.

UTILIZING MBTI IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION Consider the type of the person with whom you are in

conflict. If we solicit feedback from you, we will hear your criticisms

much differently than if you were to offer the same comments unsolicited.

The more we know each other’s natural styles, the more we can help each other with our natural shortcomings.

Whose problem is this? Thinkers would naturally believe that it’s the other guy’s

problem. Feelers, meanwhile, would naturally believe that it’s their

problem. Extraverts want to talk their way through a situation without

realizing that it’s not their problem. Introverts tend to mind their own business, often keeping to

themselves ideas and information that could lead to resolution.

REFERENCE Kroeger, O., Thuesen, J., & Rutledge, H.

(2002). Type talk at work: How the 16 personality types determine your success on the job. New York: Dell Publishing.