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Beyond ISTJ: A discourse-analytic study of the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as an organisational change device in an Australian industrial firm

University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia, karin{at}uow.edu.au

Although the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is widely deployed in work organisations, very little is known about how HR practitioners customise it for use, how employees react to being typed, and how (or if) they apply it in their daily work. This article reports the findings of a study that used interviews with HR practitioners and employees to investigate perceptions and uses of the MBTI in an Australian manufacturing site. A variety of interpretations and uses was found, illustrating that the effects of a device like the MBTI cannot simply be read off from the normative claims contained within it. Despite the variety of uses to which the tool was put, employees judged its effects to be moderately beneficial.

Key Words: discourse • employee reactions. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator • organisational change • personality testing

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