social behaviour in a digital world
I found what we covered today to be a pretty important thing and it’s left me struggling a bit to frame it in light of learning and working in a team environment. In our morning session with Hillary, the MBTI inventory was both reassuring and disturbing.
At a surface level it wasn’t really surprising. I know I’m analytical, organized and prefer working through something by breaking it into manageable pieces. Due in large part to being a project manager, I can fairly easily take on the role of trying to get things to a logical conclusion. This is fine if you are a client and project lead and you’re paid for getting something done. Maybe not so much where the boundaries and roles are less clear and far more fluid.
I approach anything in much the same way, including ‘banging’ through a first draft of an assignment. I often write in a stream of consciousness and stop to review after producing way too much material. However, when I consider those traits in light of the projects we’re now working on, how do I apply my tendencies in a way that will most positively work with a group dynamic - one that will often include people who are less verbal or express themselves in a quieter or more reserved manner?
In producing good team projects, I’m really grappling with how to use my traits to their fullest potential while ensuring they don’t engender in teammates a feeling that my tendency to organize and focus is coming through as taking control or dominating in any way.
I’m trying to make sure I’m always bouncing things back to people, asking their feedback and ensuring I’ve acurately captured what they’ve said. Is that enough? Any thoughts from those who plot anywhere close to an ESTJ?
July 30th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Hello James, thanx for sharing your personal feelings and reactions having scored the MBTI and in reflecting on your preferences, tendencies and characteristics out loud. While I have not had the opportunity to work in a sub group with you yet, I appreciate your desire to find a way to honour the value of what you bring to a team situation while at the same time not dishonouring opposite preferences in your group.
Perhaps something that we can all make a committment to do is start any group assignment by sharing our preference type as well as our differences. This has a way of depersonalizing the dynamics and allowing for roles to be assigned based on preferences which usually contributes to a more productive team and higher quality output. As a group, I believe we have been given a gift in having completed the MBTI, lets use it in all interactions - talking about and honouring differences with a view to being more effective in our groups vs the oh so easy position to take in labelling others as you have suggested is a concern of yours that your group members may view you as dominating.
July 30th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Thanks Joan. I’m seeing lots of honesty start to creep into many posts that are being made. Seems to be a healthy thing to me.
I think that, if an online journal doesn’t have some honesty or authenticity, then it lacks a personal element.
October 13th, 2008 at 3:46 am
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