What is it about?
Personality-based interventions for groups and teams that use assessments with names like MBTI, DISC, and Hogan are popular, but what do they attempt to achieve and how effective are they? For that matter, what makes for a good training that brings a team together versus a training that divides a group and results in hurt feelings? This article summarizes the current research on these questions and shares the answers that 26 trainers provided.
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Why is it important?
This article was designed to spark conversation and research on this commonplace yet understudied practice. It provides personality trainers with diverse training recommendations from their colleagues like, "Frame behavioral predictions as probabilistic and situational," as well as examples of learning objectives they might consider using such as, "recognize we're not all wired the same, and that's a good thing." It also highlights areas of disagreement among trainers, such as whether personality training should focus exclusively on strengths or also incorporate feedback about weaknesses. Finally, it provides context and direction for researchers who are interested in studying personality-based developmental interventions. In particular, it describes avenues for future research that could reveal which personality assessments are most effective for which situations and what aspects of personality trainings contribute to their effectiveness.
Perspectives
One thing that fascinates me about this topic is the way that people often have such strong opinions about it (some think it works wonders, and others think it should be prohibited), despite the fact that we don't really have solid research evidence to support either perspective. Prior to doing this research, I was strongly opposed to personality training for teams, because I'd had a bad personal experience with it. Studying this topic in more depth has given me a much more nuanced perspective, and I hope this article encourages others to think critically about this practice as well. I look forward to seeing how future collaborations between researchers and practitioners continue to reveal the most effective practices in this space.
Seth Osborn
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Trainer perspectives on personality-based group training: Learning objectives, training outcomes, and best practice recommendations., Consulting Psychology Journal Practice and Research, April 2023, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/cpb0000251.
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