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Articles on MBTI ^® applications and Personality Type

About Jan Yuill

The following article by Canadian organizational development consultant Jan Yuill introduces a model of organizational intervention that is based on the Jung-Myers-MBTI  ® typology of personality (psychological types). The model was developed in the course of her 30 years of experience working as a group facilitator, management trainer, and organizational development consultant. Her recent book - "Organizations Alive!" - offers an indepth look into how to use this model to enhance organizational change. Jan's Website.

Jung and Healthy Organizations:
A Powerful Model for Change Agents - Page 2

Jan Yuill, INFJ - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The Four Success Factors - Strategic Vision, Resource Management, Customer Service and Membership Potential

The four Success Factors are well understood, having been the subject of much discussion, research, intervention, and study. Walk through any bookstore and you will find rows and rows of books, resources, and magazines devoted to understanding and improving the success of organizations in these four areas.

The mission and mandate, the handling of resources, the products and services offered to people, and the motivation and use of talent of members in organizations are of constant interest. But, all too often, these domains are treated a separate entities, and end up competing with each other for time and money. Organizations are often structured along these lines (Policy and Planning, Finance and Admin., Customer Service, and Human Resources), creating stovepipes that become mini-organizations fighting to survive against each other.

There must be some way of breaking down the stovepipes without breaking down the fabric and strength of the organization. Again, I think Jung had the answers. It is by understanding how each of these domains interact with each other that organizations can be understood.

The Six Interfaces

Notice that there are six possible interactions, or interfaces, between the four domains. Because of the differences between the domains, there is tension, something that Jung spoke of (if I may put it into my own words) as the spice of life. The same holds true for organizational dynamics. It’s the tension that creates conflict, energy, and creativity to strive, to continue, and to succeed.

Briefly, the six interactions are described here:

• In the interaction between Strategic Vision and Resource Management, the common element is the task. The tension is created by the differences between the macro and micro aspects. At this interface the vision becomes reality (e.g. project management), and the results of day-to-day operations are used to affect the vision (e.g. program evaluation). It is how the work gets done, and then how the results are interpreted and used to set new goals.

• The micro information is the common element in the interaction between Resource Management and Customer Service. The tension is created by the differences between the task and people aspects. At this interface the efficient, effective, and economical delivery of goods and services to customers is of utmost importance, and so the attention to, and continuous improvement of, details that meet their wants and needs is the focus.

• Between Customer Service and Membership Potential, the common element is people, and the tension is created by the differences between the macro and micro aspects. It can be said that happy customers make happy employees, and that happy employees make happy customers. This interface is about relationships, and the quality of those relationships is critical for organizational success.

• The common element between Membership Potential and Strategic Vision is the macro view, and the tension is created by the differences between task and people. The vision of the organization comes to life because of the people. Employees and other stakeholders put their hearts and souls into their work, not just their bodies and minds.

• In the interaction between Strategic Vision and Customer Service, there are no common elements. Very different domains, macro-task and micro-people, must work together to make things happen at this interface. Diagnosis of problems and finding solutions require diverse and persistent effort if success is to be achieved. How the vision of the organization is experienced and influenced by customers is the focus. Marketing, branding, and new products and services all spring out of this interface.

• As for the interface described above, the interaction between Resource Management and Membership Potential have no common elements either. Micro-task and macro-people are complete opposites. It takes concerted effort to pay attention and take positive action at this interface as well. How the resources are managed will either enable people to do their best, or prevent them from doing their worst. Successful organizations strive for the former.

The power of the Organizations Alive! model, as in Jung’s work, is in the raising of consciousness around tensions created by differing perspectives and preferences. People, who work to create positive change in organizations, use the model with clients to diagnose, understand, plan, intervene, and evaluate efforts in a more constructive, organic way.

^® MBTI, Myers-Briggs, Meyers Briggs, and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Trust in the United States and other countries (aka meyers briggs or myers briggs).

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ORGANIZATIONS ALIVE!

SIX THINGS THAT CHALLENGE ~ SEVEN THAT BRING SUCCESS

JAN YUILL
Yuill & Associates, Ottawa, Ontario
$18.95 CDN ($14.95 US), paperback, (110p)
ISBN: 0-9734207-0-7

Organizations Alive! is full of real-life examples, with tools and processes to help with its application in any organization, whether government, private sector, or not-for-profit. For more information -- testimonials, the preface of the book, book reviews, and how to obtain your copy – go to www.OrganizationsAlive.com.

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