How personality type and languages of appreciation interrelate
| Pages | 2-7 |
| Published date | 11 February 2019 |
| Date | 11 February 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-08-2018-0069 |
| Author | Paul White,Natalie Hamrick,Tim Hepner,Rob Toomey |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
How personality type and languages of
appreciation interrelate
Paul White, Natalie Hamrick, Tim Hepner and Rob Toomey
Abstract
Purpose –Given that assessment tools based upon the Jung/Myers personality framework and the
MotivatingBy Appreciation Inventory areused by tens of thousands of workplaces,questions have arisen
regarding their interrelatedness. The purpose of the current study is to assessthe relationship between
TypeCoachpersonality type and Language of Appreciation.
Design/methodology/approach –In total, 300 participants took both the MBA Inventory and
TypeCoach Verifier.Each person’s primary Language of Appreciationand the summary scores for each
of the four languages (Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Quality Time and Tangible Gifts) were
calculated. Each participant’s TypeCoach data were scored as 1 of 16 traditional four-letter types(i.e.
INTJ, ENFP), as well as dichotomously coded as extraversion(vs not), sensing (vs not), thinking (vs not)
and judging (vs not). Logistic regression and chi-square tests were conducted to assess the
relationshipsbetween primary Language of Appreciationand TypeCoach Verifier.
Findings –None of the analyses yielded a statistically significant relationship between Language of
Appreciationand TypeCoach scores (all ps>0.05).
Originality/value –This study is the first to assess the relationship between Jung/Myers personality
types and languages of appreciation. It appears that personality type and preferred ways of receiving
appreciation are independent, but potentially complimentary constructs. This study provides
suggestionson how to best combine the tools to create anengaging work environment.
Keywords Appreciation, Personality type, Personality in business
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Categorizing people into distinct personality types has been an area of interest for mille nnia
and numerous approaches to finding various dimensions of personality characteristics have
been used. The current study compares two frequently used assessments, TypeCoach (a
Myers–Briggs Type Indicator) and Languages of Appreciation, to determine potential overlap.
TypeCoachVerifier
®
The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator
®
is a well-known approach to assess personality (Briggs-Myers
and Briggs, 1985). Based on the theory developed by Jung (1971,2017) and Isabel Myers
(Briggs-Myers and Briggs, 1985), this model divides personality characteristics into four continua:
1. Extraversion/Introversion –where attention is focused:
䊏Extraversion (E) –people-oriented, talkative, outgoing.
䊏Introversion (I) –inward-focused, reflective, pensive, task-oriented.
2. Sensing/intuition –manner information is taken in:
䊏Sensing (S) –reality-based, practical, literal.
Paul White is President at
Appreciation at Work,
Wichita, Kansas, USA.
Natalie Hamrick is
Research Specialist at
Appreciation at Work,
Wichita, Kansas, USA.
Tim Hepner is Vice
President at TypeCoach,
Kingman, Kansas, USA.
Rob Toomey is President
and Founder at
Type Coach, Sarasota,
Florida, USA.
PAGE 2 jSTRATEGIC HR REVIEW jVOL. 18 NO. 1 2019, pp. 2-7, ©EmeraldPublishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 DOI 10.1108/SHR-08-2018-0069
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