Workplaces today aren’t just talent marketplaces—they’re ecosystems of personalities, perspectives, and potential. As teams grow more cross-functional and distributed, the challenge is no longer just about hiring the right people. It’s about helping those people understand themselves, and each other.
That’s where personality frameworks, once seen as tools for coaches or psychologists, are gaining traction within corporate settings. Among them, the MBTI test stands out—not just for its longevity, but for its practical ability to decode interpersonal dynamics at scale.
In this article, Sereda.ai explores what the MBTI test is, why it’s more relevant than ever, and how it can support better collaboration, smarter learning, and more intentional growth across teams.
What Is the MBTI Test?
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality assessment that sorts individuals into one of 16 personality types based on four psychological dimensions:
- Introversion (I) / Extraversion (E): Where people focus their energy;
- Sensing (S) / Intuition (N): How they process information;
- Thinking (T) / Feeling (F): How they make decisions;
- Judging (J) / Perceiving (P): How they approach structure and time.
It’s not about strengths or weaknesses. It’s about preferences—mental habits that shape how people lead, learn, collaborate, and navigate change.
Quick History Recap
The MBTI was created in the early 1940s by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, building on Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types. Their aim was simple, yet bold for its time: to help people better understand themselves so they could make more thoughtful choices, especially in high-stakes environments like the workplace.
During World War II, the tool was first used to match women entering the industrial workforce with roles aligned to their personality preferences. Over time, it found its way into education, and by the 1970s, it began gaining traction in the corporate world, first in the U.S., then across Europe and Asia.
Today, MBTI is used more than 2 million times a year and is adopted by:
- 89 of the Fortune 100 companies;
- Global enterprises in Japan, South Korea, India, the UK, Germany, and the Nordics.
Its appeal lies in its practicality. MBTI profiles can be used to inform everything from leadership styles and team dynamics to onboarding, conflict resolution, and learning design. It offers a shared language—one that helps organizations navigate the complexity of human behavior with a bit more clarity.
The Science Behind MBTI Test
Critics of the MBTI often point out that it oversimplifies or lacks clinical rigor. And it’s true, the MBTI doesn’t predict job performance or mental health outcomes. But that’s not what it’s designed to do. Here’s what the MBTI measures:
- Cognitive orientation (how people absorb and process data)
- Interpersonal behavior (how they interact, decide, and respond)
- Workplace tendencies (preferred environments and pressure responses)
Think of it less like a label and more like a mirror. One that gives teams a shared vocabulary for something usually left unsaid: what makes us tick, and how we work best.
MBTI is also regularly updated and statistically validated by The Myers-Briggs Company, with versions adapted for different cultures and languages. It’s not a crystal ball—but it is a tested lens.
The 16 Personalities Based on MBTI
Understanding the psychology behind MBTI is one thing—applying it is another. To make it useful in real-world settings, you need to know what these personality types actually look like in practice.
That’s where the 16 MBTI personality types come in. Each one brings a distinct way of thinking, working, and relating to others. Together, they form a toolkit for designing stronger, more balanced teams. The types are grouped into four broad categories based on common cognitive and behavioral tendencies:
Analysts
Logical, independent, and strategy-driven, Analysts thrive on problem-solving and future planning. They value systems over sentiment and often challenge ideas to improve them.
- INTJ – The Strategist: Visionary, decisive, independent
- INTP – The Architect: Analytical, curious, skeptical
- ENTJ – The Commander: Driven, organized, leadership-oriented
- ENTP – The Debater: Innovative, flexible, idea-generating
Diplomats
Empathetic and values-driven, Diplomats are natural communicators and connectors. They focus on harmony, growth, and the deeper purpose behind what they do.
- INFJ – The Advocate: Insightful, values-driven, empathetic;
- INFP – The Mediator: Creative, loyal, idealistic;
- ENFJ – The Protagonist: Inspiring, team-centered, motivating;
- ENFP – The Campaigner: Energetic, curious, connector.
Sentinels
Orderly, responsible, and reliable, Sentinels excel in structure and stability. They are the planners, implementers, and steady hands in times of change.
- ISTJ – The Inspector: Reliable, traditional, pragmatic;
- ISFJ – The Nurturer: Caring, loyal, protector of norms;
- ESTJ – The Executive: Efficient, direct, organizational leader;
- ESFJ – The Caregiver: Harmonious, service-oriented, responsible.
Explorers
Adaptable, hands-on, and action-oriented, Explorers thrive in fast-paced, unpredictable settings. They rely on instinct and excel in the moment.
- ISTP – The Crafter: Independent, hands-on, problem-solver;
- ISFP – The Artist: Sensitive, flexible, aesthetics-driven;
- ESTP – The Doer: Bold, action-first, quick thinker;
- ESFP – The Entertainer: Sociable, spontaneous, observant.
None is better or worse. The strength lies in the diversity. That’s the core value MBTI brings to team design and management—it reveals not just how people differ, but how those differences complement one another when understood and applied with intent.
Read: Why LMS Is Key to Corporate Learning That Fits Every Generation
5 Ways to Apply MBTI in Employee Development
The MBTI isn’t meant to sit in a PDF after onboarding. Organization, like Sereda.ai, already use MBTI test in various ways:
“The 16 personalities test helps better understand a candidate during team selection—how they think, communicate, and interact with others. It enables the creation of teams where people complement one another and stay motivated toward shared goals.
The test can also indicate which management style or career path will feel natural to an employee, boosting motivation, effectiveness, and business outcomes. And when conflicts arise, it offers a way to approach resolution more individually and thoughtfully.”
– Aleksandra Omelchenko, HRD at Sereda.ai
Here are a few practical ways how you can embed MBTI into your organization:
1. Start with self-awareness during onboarding
Introduce MBTI as a reflective exercise early in the employee journey. New hires can use their type insights to understand how they process information, where they thrive, and what support they might need. Pair this with onboarding checklists or team introduction documents for greater context.
2. Use MBTI to personalize learning paths
Not everyone learns the same way. MBTI can help inform learning formats inside your LMS:
- N-types might prefer strategy simulations or abstract models.
- S-types may engage more with step-by-step guides and real-world examples.
- P-types could benefit from open-ended exploration.
- J-types might thrive with clear deadlines and progress tracking.
Designing modular, personality-aware content helps increase both engagement and retention in learning programs.
3. Incorporate type insights into career development
Include MBTI as part of career growth conversations and IDPs (Individual Development Plans). For example:
- An INTP may want deeper involvement in research and innovation roles.
- An ESFJ might seek mentorship paths or people leadership roles.
Mapping development opportunities to personality strengths gives employees a stronger sense of alignment—and agency.
4. Enable managers with personality-aware toolkits
Equip managers with type-based coaching tips or one-on-one templates. Knowing that a direct report prefers written feedback (Introverted Thinking) vs. spontaneous conversation (Extraverted Feeling) can make performance conversations far more effective.
5. Layer MBTI into team collaboration rituals
In retros, project kickoffs, or conflict-resolution sessions, use MBTI as a non-personalized way to talk about working styles. “This is my style, and here’s what helps me do my best work” becomes easier to express when there’s a shared vocabulary for it.
The MBTI is most powerful when it’s not just a test, but a thread that runs through how your people learn, grow, and relate to one another. It’s not about turning personality into policy—it’s about turning insight into impact.
Tools That Power Your MBTI Strategy
For MBTI insights to create real impact, they need to live inside the tools your team already uses—not as add-ons, but quiet enhancers of how people learn and work together.
- LMS: Supports varied learning styles without overhauling content. Some need structure, others need space.
- Pulse surveys: Adds depth to engagement trends, helping you spot where certain types might feel overlooked or overwhelmed.
- Knowledge base: Offers flexible content formats—structured for some, more exploratory for others.
- Manager toolkits: Subtly shape how feedback is delivered or growth conversations unfold, based on how people process input.
No need for big rollouts. Just small, thoughtful touches that make your systems more human-aware.
Conclusion
In business, it’s easy to focus on what’s measurable—KPIs, budgets, output. These metrics matter, but they rarely tell the full story of what drives a team forward.
The real levers of long-term performance are often less visible: trust, clarity, and the ability to work in sync. That’s where tools like the MBTI come in—offering context around how people think, communicate, and make decisions. And in a world where human nuance is one of the last real advantages, that context is invaluable. The future of work won’t belong to those who simply move fastest. It will belong to those who move with intention, who understand their people, and build around that understanding.
Want to see how Sereda.ai can help you turn insight into action? Book a quick demo and let’s explore it together.