MBTI ESFP Personality Types | Career Assessment Site

How Do Myers-Briggs (MBTI Test) ESFP Personality Types Deal with Change?

Responding to Organizational Changes as an ESFP Personality Type

ESFP (Extraverted-Sensing-Feeling-Perceiving) Personality Types have been known to be the type of people who provide enjoyment to others when placed in situations or environments where fun may not be the most prevalent. For the most part, they have a contagious energy and will contribute to their organization by spreading their vivacity to as many team members as possible. When introduced with an organizational adaptation, they typically will want to implement at a quick pace and may become irritated with others who feel the need to design meticulous arrangements for rolling out the changes. Individuals who assess with the ESFP Personality Type may react in this manner because they have a heightened awareness for midcourse changes which may occur during an established plan. Also, this reaction may be due to an ESFPs desire to gain more experience or develop additional skills which coincide with the change; therefore, they prefer to move forward in order to do so. Furthermore, if an ESFP is subjected to an environment where his or her teammates postpone implementation of a supposed change or one saturated with negativity, the individual may become anxious, losing perspective of the bigger picture. However, individuals who assess with this personality type are avid communicators and are known to announce any developments during the course of an organizational change to their teammates. ESFPs are also known for acknowledging minor victories in order to encourage others to continue on the path of positive change implementation.

Learn about ESFP Personality Types and how they handle change.

ESFPs and Processing Adaptation
When changes are introduced to an ESFP, their common reaction will be to accumulate as much information as possible on anything related to the change. This often includes gathering people as well. Next, ESFP Personality Types will generally communicate their proposed needs to their teammates and discuss the information by means of wanting to have a sense of what the end results will be following the change. Having a vision of the final outcome will help an ESFP stay focused in order to create a path to follow to obtain results. If this vision is not achieved, individuals with this personality type may become agitated and may want to settle for second best in order to move forward. They generally will prefer to move through the steps of a change in an incremental process.

ESFPs and Progression Toward Innovation
ESFPs are known to be full of energy and enjoy the comradery of teamwork. They typically are optimistic people who have a passion for innovative possibilities, so organizational change may motivate them to learn and to have new experiences. It is common for these individuals to prefer open ended timelines and may become stressed when working in environments with strict deadlines. They are known to flourish in work environments which encourage team projects or those that have team meetings. “However, because they rely on their past experience and relationships, they can struggle with seeing the big picture, understanding the theories underlying the changes, and creating logical plans.” (Introduction to Type and Change, Barger and Kirby, p.37, 2004, CPP Inc) ESFP Personality Types generally will enjoy work environments where they can have the opportunity to voice their opinions and to communicate with others about their ideas for improving policies and procedures. They generally are the type of people who deliver animation and amusement to otherwise dry or dull atmospheres by motivating others to adopt their energetic demeanor. However, because of this innate behavior, ESFPs may also tend to “involve others in unproductive activities” and may lose track of their attentiveness on the end goals. (Introduction to Type and Change, Barger and Kirby, p.37, 2004, CPP Inc) Additionally, they have been known to sidestep their obligations or ignore established policies. Nevertheless, ESFPs typically are valuable to a company during a time of change due to their behaviors they demonstrate for motivating and caring for others. They generally have little to no trouble with the idea of new policies and procedures, and when they are uneasy, they typically will communicate their needs to others. ESFPs may have difficulty facing repressions they receive after acting out and may not respond well to losing coworkers they have become close to. They may also have trouble dealing with others who reciprocate organizational adaptations with a negative attitude, but they also will generally be the type of people who will help these coworkers resolve their complications and soothe their grievances. ESFPs commonly will be the first to lay the cornerstone for celebrating the small stuff and are amazing individuals to have on a team going through a tough transitional period.
Using MBTI® Type for Professional Evolution

Learn about ESFP Personality Types and how they handle change.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® assessment has been used to provide individuals and organizations with personal and group development for many years. This tool has been revised and enhanced for validity and reliability for nearly 100 years. During a time of organizational change, it can help differing personality types understand their behavioral needs as well as the needs of others in order to devise a companywide plan to address both. For example, an ESFP may prefer to have differing involvement in a project than their counterparts. They may seek out a great deal of information in order to present their findings to others. They may support ongoing innovative changes and may not understand why others are not following their lead. Their counterparts may approach the same situations by using their experience instead of seeking out new information and may also keep their experiences and ideas to themselves unless asked. When these different personality type behaviors are addressed prior to any introduced changes, a new understanding can be recognized and managed appropriately so that both personality types feel at ease with the ongoing changes. The information gained by taking the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® assessment is valuable for identifying these behavioral differences. When individuals’ needs are being met, an overall workplace culture is affected positively by the reduction of staff turnover as well as decreasing team conflicts. When a positive work environment is created, an organization has a better chance to reach their goals and make positive changes for future development.

More About the MBTI ESFP Personality Type
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