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Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Instrument Highlights: A DiSC Comparison

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ® (MBTI®) Instrument Overview

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) instrument is the most widely used personality assessment in
the world. Formally translated into 16 1anguages, it is a growing force in team building, leadership and
individual development in organizations. Based on the breakthrough work of Carl Jung, the MBTI
assessment provides a description of individuals’ preferences for two cognitive activities: taking in
information and organizing and processing the information in order to make decisions

People make use of their entire range of cognitive processes but tend to have a preference for using one over
all the others. Understanding these preferences and the role they play in people’s behavior can help increase
collaboration and improve relationships, productivity, and efficiency in a work environment.

Key Applications

The DiSC instrument was designed to be administered with the individual considering a specific situation
when responding. The MBTI assessment is a more general instrument that provides a set of preferences and
a model for understanding the behavior of self and others across a variety of situations.

Various applications of the MBTI and DiSC instruments are detailed below.

MBTI Instrument DiSC Assessment

Leadership Development
MBTI tool helps leaders better understand their preferences N/A
and behavior in key dimensions of management and leadership.
Communication
MBTI tool provides strategies for understanding the DiSC instrument helps improve communication skills by
communication styles and needs of self and others and explores identifying how individuals work in their environment.
ways to meet those needs to enhance communication in
workplace settings.
Team Development
MBTI tool helps identify potential sources of conflict and N/A
explores how to effectively influence others, how each member
contributes to the team, and how to maximize team
effectiveness.
Career Development
MBTI tool can be used to help individuals identify careers that N/A
best match their preferences. Can also be used in conjunction
with the Strong Interest Inventory® instrument to develop a
more comprehensive understanding by examining both MBTI
preferences and interests.
Organizational Understanding
MBTI tool can be used to help groups of people better N/A
understand the impact of preferences on the corporate culture
and optimize the strengths of individual preferences.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
MBTI tool can be used to help people of all 16 types increase N/A
their level of empathy, persist in the face of obstacles, and
control impulses. EQ is believed to enhance leadership ability,
enrich relationships, and extend influence.
Stress and Coping
MBTI tool predicts how each of the 16 MBTI types reacts to DiSC requires the administration of the Coping and Stress
stressful situations and provides suggestions for managing Profile®. Not appropriate to compare Graph I and Graph II
stress. Also explains how each individual behaves under stress and examine the differences (Inscape Publishing, 1996).
and what can help individuals return to productive behavior.

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Career and Life Span Utility

The MBTI instrument offers lifelong development and learning opportunities for all individuals. Once the
instrument has been administered and adopted into a corporate culture, it can become a useful tool for cost-
effectively ensuring a shared understanding of individual preferences among all members of the organization.
Many training professionals tailor the delivery of the MBTI assessment and reports to employees at all
different levels of the organization.

One key advantage of online MBTI administration is that once a participant has completed the instrument,
multiple reports can be generated from the same set of answers. Different training sessions, based on the
needs of the trainees, can be developed based on the results of a single assessment. These reports differ in
terms of the information provided, and can be used by employees to support their long-term career growth.

MBTI Instrument DiSC Assessment

Assessments and reports developed for use with employees at Same assessment and feedback regardless of employee level
different levels of sophistication.
Non-Exempt Employees
• Form M Self-Scorable N/A
• Score, administer, and interpret individually or in group
settings
• Inexpensive support materials
Supervisors & Middle Managers
• Form M online using CareerID.com N/A
• Multiple reports for higher development
Managers & Executives
• Form Q online using CareerID.com N/A
• 4-letter type plus 20 facets
• Achieve in-depth understanding of their own and others’
behavior

Interpreting Results

Benefits of instruments such as the MBTI and DiSC assessments are enhanced by the use of a qualified
trainer or coach to help participants understand their individual results. Once the results are received, a
qualified trainer can help guide an individual with the practical application of the results in his or her
professional life. MBTI trainers and coaches receive comprehensive qualification training that equips them
to provide insightful and unique interpretation sessions with an individual. This process also helps ensure
that interested participants have the information they need to complete further discovery and exploration on
their own.

MBTI Interpretation DiSC Interpretation

• 2 hours minimum for individual interpretation • 2 hours minimum
• Half day or full day for seminars • Half day or full day for seminars
• Group or individual settings • Group or individual settings
• Completed in conjunction with a coach, trainer, or • Completed in conjunction with a coach, trainer, or
facilitator facilitator
• Wide variety of focal areas or applications

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Assessments and Administrations

There are two basic versions of the MBTI instrument, Step I (Form M) and Step II (Form Q). Step I
provides the individual with his or her four-letter type preference and an introductory understanding of
type. The Form M Self-Scorable enables individuals to compete the instrument on their own and score their
own results. Internet administration, scoring, and report generation is also available via Psychometrics’
CareerID.com site.
Step II provides both the respondent’s four-letter type and results for five facets underlying each type
preference, helping to explain the individual’s expression of his or her preferences. The DiSC 2800 series is
similarly available in self-scorable, personal computer, and Internet versions of the assessment, and reports.

MBTI Assessments DiSC Assessments

• Step I (Form M)—four-letter type • 2800 Series Personal Profile High score letter D, I, S, or C
• Step II (Form Q)— four-letter type and 20 facets and profile

MBTI Administration Options DiSC Administration Options

• Step I (Form M) • 2800 Series Personal Profile
o Self-Scorable o Self-Scorable
o Paper and pencil, mail in for scoring o Personal computer software
o Online: CareerID.com o Internet
• Step II (Form Q)
o Paper and pencil, mail in for scoring
o Online: CareerID.com
• Internet

Measurement Properties

Both the DiSC assessment and the MBTI instrument have reasonable psychometric, or measurement,
properties. Generally, two criteria are used to evaluate the measurement properties of an instrument:
reliability and validity. Reliability of measurement is the consistency of results obtained from an assessment..
Validity of measurement has to do with whether the assessment measures what it is supposed to measure. A
common measure of reliability is internal consistency reliability, which provides an indication of the internal al
consistency of the scale. Another indicator is test-retest reliability, which an indicator or the constancy of the
he
measure over time. Validity is a more complex concept, and it is typically examined by looking at the
measure’s relationships with similar and dissimilar constructs. Both the MBTI assessment and the DiSC
instrument report a number of differing validity studies, which suggest that both assessments possess
reasonable reliability and validity.

MBTI Internal Consistency Reliability Ranges DiSC Internal Consistency Reliability Ranges
Reliability Form Mi & Q Reliabilityii
• E-I - .91 • D - .84 to .95
• S-N - .92 • I - .74 to .87
• T-F - .91 • S - .74 to .88
• J-P - .92 • C - .75 to .85

Psychometrics Canada Ltd. 7125-77 Avenue, Edmonton AB 800-661-5158 www.psychometrics.com

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®
Supporting Resources and Training Materials for the MBTI Instrument

A key advantage of the MBTI tool is the wide range of support and training materials that are available to
organizations, trainers, and HR professionals to help guide individual, team, and leadership development.

MBTI practitioners have continued to generate and share lessons about the MBTI instrument. Support
materials for and training on the MBTI assessment are available from Psychometrics.com

®
Brief History of the MBTI Instrument

Based on the breakthrough work of Carl Jung, the Myers-Briggs Indicator (MBTI) instrument was developed
by the mother-daughter team of Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers. Their vision of an
uncomplicated but far-reaching instrument to provide people with insight about themselves formed the
foundation for what has become the most powerful personality inventory in history. Today, the MBTI
instrument is trusted by more than 30 million people in not-for-profit and profit organizations, and it is
known around the world for its comprehensive depth and inviting ease of use.

How the MBTI Instrument Works to Help Your Organization

The MBTI instrument uses the answers to easy-to-understand questions to classify each organizational
member as one of the 16 basic personality types. By helping all members discover their own personality
types and learn about the types of others, you can increase their understanding of and appreciation for one
another’s strengths and challenges and thereby improve their interactions. The results, once applied are
powerful. Combining the answers to the MBTI questions with various interpretive materials can create a
pathway to new levels of cooperation, productivity, and performance throughout your organization.

Summary
Both forms of the MBTI instrument provide employees who complete the assessment and the organizationss
who use type for development and learning with a complete system for understanding the behavior of self
and others. There are a variety of methods of administration and reports, which provide the opportunity forr
organizations to use the same language and approach to training across the entire workforce, and over an
employee’s entire career through different applications. Understanding of type can provide insight into the
behavior of self and others in a wide variety of situations, both at work and outside of work. Both forms of
the MBTI instrument are reliable and valid, and were developed using state-of-the-art statistical techniques..

For ease of administration, acceptance by organizational members, and ability to improve relationships,
collaboration, and productivity, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument has no equal.

B U I L D I N G B E T T E R O R G A N I Z AT I O N S T H R O U G H P E O P L E
7125–77 Ave Edmonton AB T6B 0B5 1.800.661.5158
WWW.PSYCHOMETRICS.COM

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My ers, I. B., McCaulley , M. H., Quenk, N. L., & Hammer, A. L. (1998). MBTI Manual: A guide to the development and use of the My ers-
Myers, I. B., McCaulley, M. H., Quenk, N. L., & Hammer, A. L. (1998). MBTI® Manual: A guide to the development and use of the Myers-Briggs
Briggs Ty pe Indicator. Palo Alto, CA: CPP, Inc. (Note: Reli ability for Forms M and Q are the same for ty pe preferences, since t he same items
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Psychometrics Canada Ltd. 7125-77 Avenue, Edmonton AB 800-661-5158 www.psychometrics.com