The Myers-Briggs Company are most well known for their eponymous personality test, but they also commentate on all things workplace. The company has recently launched its Global Trends Report, which explores how organizations can not only attract the best people, but get the most out of them when they’re on the payroll.
In echoes of Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic treatise on why so many incompetent men become leaders, Myers-Briggs believe that the lack of women in senior roles results in a reduction in values-driven and people-focused leadership. Indeed, those women who do climb the greasy pole were found to be less likely to have those values, with women seemingly promoted on the basis of having (bad) male traits.
Another theme emerging from the data is the challenges digital devices bring to work-life balance. Most organizations expect their employees to be always available, whilst at the same time accepting that such expectations are far from ideal. Not only does stress increase, but always-on cultures are typically less productive, with employees typically being unhappier with life and with poorer health.
It would hardly be worth assessing the workplace of today without exploring the impact of AI and other digital technologies both on the nature of work and on the availability of work itself, and Myers-Briggs offer up their two penneth on the topic. They fall down on the side of AI changing a large number of jobs, with a relatively small number actually being lost entirely, and presumably even some created.
This does present a large degree of change, and employers need to help employees adapt to those changes, not least by supporting them in the development of new skills. This might even involve pivoting into new career paths entirely.
Leadership skills
The report also touches on leadership, and especially the ‘great man’ view of the world that it believes is completely outdated. They argue that leadership is no longer really about the individual leader at all, but rather their ability to create a culture and system that is able to inspire their team.
They argue that organizations should focus on supporting young employees who have been thrust into leadership roles by rapidly advancing technologies so that they develop the interpersonal skills needed to thrive, whilst also working to ensure that experienced leaders are able to adapt to the changing times and don’t become wedded to outdated approaches.
There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking in the report, and much of it has already been mentioned in numerous other places before. Nonetheless, they are a known brand, so may help to persuade people who remain to be convinced of the need to change to do just that.
