Published 26 November 2015
For many years psychologists have known that people’s behaviour is influenced by their personalities. In 1921 the Swiss psychologist CJ Jung published an article on personality and behaviour. In this article he suggested that people have preferred ways of functioning and, when given the opportunity, will behave in ways that suit their own personalities or preferences. Please note the emphasis on “when given the opportunity”.
The key is that although people have preferred ways of doing things, this does not prevent a person from doing things in ways they might not be comfortable with. We can explain this by thinking of the use of a dominant hand. When picking up an item, it is ‘natural’ to use one’s dominant hand. Should it happen that the dominant hand is unavailable – for instance if you have something in it – you can use the other hand. Although you can use both hands, using the less developed hand remains less comfortable and even less effective. Jung indicated that in the same way an individual’s preferences do not limit their ability to function differently if circumstances require it.
A number of psychometric instruments were developed based on Jung’s theory with the MBTITM and Kersey and Bates Temperament Sorter being two of the best known. There are also numerous derivatives and unofficial versions of these instruments on the internet, with varying degrees of reliability and trustworthiness.
From a Temperament perspective, four overarching temperaments or behavioural styles were identified. These styles influence an individual’s leadership style and subsequent expectations from followers.
A blog such as this does not allow in depth discussion of leadership styles. I can only give a very brief overview of each, so please do not try to group or classify people based on this very superficial description.
The four temperament styles can be described broadly as follows; two are more group or people based, one focussing on group needs and the other on potential; of the remaining two, one focusses more on task execution, while the last focusses on achievement or competence.
The responsibility-focussed leader is usually described as creating an environment of belonging and responsibility, but expecting loyalty, conformity, stability and the adherence to rules and regulations.
The potential-focussed leader creates environments with meaning and significance and groups with unique identities. These leaders value and expect, amongst other, ethics, unity and self-actualisation of members.
The third leadership style prefers freedom to function in ways that will have an impact on the situation at hand. They will create action driven environments where flair is appreciated. They expect from their followers ability to adapt, contextual thinking and being a member of the group fraternity.
Lastly there are leaders that are driven by mastery, competence and self-control. These leaders will create teams of experts often focussing on invention, possibilities and analysis. These leaders expect team members to function autonomously, applying scientific enquiry and logical consistency.
Remember that people are unique and adaptable, so these are only a few of the many leadership styles found in business. The key is that behind leadership styles are personality characteristics that affect the way people prefer to function when given freedom to do so.
Websites providing more information are:
http://keirsey.com/
http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/ or
http://psychology.about.com/od/psychologicaltesting/a/myers-briggs-type-indicator.htm