MBTI® Test ISTJ:The Hallmark of The MBTI Personality Type in Teams

In ISTJ Personality Type Blogs, MBTI, Personality Type, Team Culture by Jonathan Bollag, Owner and Founder

Picture of team in the workplace. How does this ISTJ type fit in?Starting this week, along with our celebrity blog series, which focuses on Myers-Briggs Personality Type and celebrities, we will be writing an additional series of blogs entitled The Hallmark of The MBTI® Personality Type in Teams.  This series of blogs is based on The Booklet, “Introduction To Type And Teams” by Elizabeth, Katherine, and Sandra Hirsh (CPP, 2003). In this series, we will discuss each of the sixteen Myers Briggs® Personality Types and how each type relates to business and leadership teams in the following manner:

  • Communication & Type
  • Culture & Type
  • Leadership & Type
  • Type & Change
  • Problem Solving/Conflict Resolution & Type
  • Type & Stress

Each topic listed above will be explained in the following ways for each type:

  • How a certain Myers-Briggs personality type can contribute to a team and lead
  • What behavior by an individual with a certain MBTI personality type might affect other team members in a negative fashion
  • What behavior by other team members might negatively affect an individual with a certain Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® personality type
  • How an individual with a certain MBTI test personality type can maximize effectiveness
  • Personality and leadership in Times of Change
  • Personality type in problem solving and conflict resolution
  • Personality type and stress

The first MBTI test type we will discuss is The ISTJ Type, or more definitively The Introvert-Sensing-Thinking-Judging Type. The Hallmark of The ISTJ Personality Type is Dependability. So if you test-out as this type, people can be certain you are dependable.

How can a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test Introverted-Sensor-Thinker-Judger best contribute to a team? What are some of the simple Type Dynamics that take place within a team that includes at least one ISTJ?

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test ISTJ personalities contribute to a team communicatively by classifying data in explicit and understandable chunks. They also use logical arguments backed by specifics and realism.  They may affect members negatively by withholding viewpoints until late in the process and neglecting interpersonal gestures.

On the other hand, ISTJ types might be affected negatively themselves by team members who interrupt and over speak or by other members who waste time by discussing personal issues unrelated to the task.

ISTJ personalities are most effective in group settings and can boost a team’s communication effectiveness by keeping people informed, considering the human element and communicating well-deserved appreciation  (Hirsch et al. CPP, 2003).

How does a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test ISTJ personality Type view team culture and how do they handle the progression of that culture? How do other team members view ISTJ types ways? How can they improve in these areas?

ISTJ types find tradition and the chain of command important. They tend to stay focused to the task at hand and lead by example as they consistently follow through. Hence tweaking their team culture toward their traditional values as best they can.  They can at times negatively affect team culture by being overly serious and by having an unsupportive view towards innovation by expecting others to conform to strict operating procedures. With this said, on the other side of the coin, ISTJ personalities can become dislodged and can be affected negatively by members who lack focus, accountability, thoroughness or practicality.

At their best, ISTJ types can maximize their input towards positive team culture by having some fun, allowing some spontaneity, giving some leeway, and appreciating those who use nontraditional methods (Hirsch et al. CPP, 2003).

How do Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ISTJ personality types lead? What issues can arise within teams caused by this leadership style? How can this type be most effective as leaders?

ISTJ types contribute to teams in a leadership position by staying highly organized while usually doing so in somewhat silent fashion. In addition, ISTJ types model efficiency and dependability causing a group to stay efficient and dependable. However, they may affect other group members negatively by overly focusing on the task at hand, rigidly working between the lines while neglecting to provide reinforcement to others for their contributions. Other team members who are non-committal may negatively impact ISTJ types in leadership roles. In addition, those who are less serious and who often propose non-pragmatic plans of action can cause these types to become distracted and derailed.

ISTJ personality Types can be most effective if they learn to be more open to new ideas and alternate group business methods and procedures. They can also be much more effective by showing more appreciation of others (Hirsch et al. CPP, 2003).

How do Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test ISTJ personality types contribute when change occurs in business and leadership teams? What actions and behaviors by other team members during a time of change cause them to stress? What about team members? How do they feel about them during times of change? How can ISTJ types best culminate their effectiveness?

ISTJ types contribute to teams in times of change by paving a way for a stable future as they are mindful of what has worked for he team in the past. In addition, being detail oriented, these personalities check the details involved in change in order to have a good understanding of what can be reasonably accomplished.

An ISTJ may negatively impact other team members by resisting change while favoring the status quo. Additionally, these types depend too much on plans and schedules when flexibility is required.  Team members who want change for no particular reason other then for changes sake can negatively impact ISTJ types.

ISTJ types can be most effective in a team change scenario when they can recognize that change is a natural progression in life and is a usual progression for any long term task or business entity. It is also helpful for these types to realize that not every part of change can be planned for (Hirsch et al. CPP, 2003).

Next week we will continue The Hallmark of Personality Type in Teams with The ISTP Type.  If you are interested in finding out your MBTI test type then take the MBTI Assessment today!

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