How can I incorporate personality traits into my training strategy?

Article Type: Q&A From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 11, Issue 3

Leading industry experts answer your strategic questions

Humanity has been trying to understand personality types for 2,500 years and some would say we have not got much closer. However, since Jung defined four personality types, and other psychologists devised instruments to help assess type, it has got easier to find out what’s what about a group of people.

Despite our methods having changed and becoming a little more scientific,there are a lot of similarities between modern personality types and the ancients’ views. Personality instruments look at opposites – one quality or another. Through questions you can define whether you are pre-disposed to act or react depending on whether you are introvert or extrovert, a thinker or a feeler (Jung/Myers-Briggs), an artisan or an idealist(Keirsey) and so on.

Sixteen personality types emerge from these instruments and combining personality type indicators could help create a more rounded picture of each individual. Alternatively, you may find the water more muddied than ever. However, when designing training we should acknowledge that personality plays a part in how people react to both the content of the course and how it’s delivered. This is without (so far) considering learning styles and preferences,in addition.

Actions to take

As a learning designer – I design programs for others to deliver– accommodating personality types comes down to the following three actions:

• 1.

  Recognize that people are different. I have seen comments like“they’re from manufacturing – they’ll be artisans”and “its marketing – they’re all activists.” Hogwash. We are dealing with personality types not stereotypes. The only real way of working out a person’s type is to complete a personality instrument. Given that these are often expensive and time-consuming, require licensed practitioners and may be of varying quality, this is not a goer for every course. Recognize that you have a mix of different personalities (as well as experience, education,culture and numerous other factors) and then design a range of activities,inputs and learning tools to help people develop.

• 2.

  Recognize that you cannot change anyone, they can only change themselves. As trainers we sometimes think we are changing the world one delegate at a time. We are not. We enable and invite them to change themselves. Often personality type is most manifest in motivation – what turns people on. There is no one all-encompassing motivator. For some, it is “what’s in it for me?”For others, it’s “how do others benefit?” To encompass these differences, describe the burning platform or rationale for change with, rather than to, the group.As well as building opportunities for them to describe why it is important to change, ask for their fears and anxieties. All change (and training should be about change – for the individual or team) is scary and uncertain. Change causes anxiety even for those with a personality type that embraces that uncertainty.

• 3.

  Focus on training journeys, not training events. If your training catalogue is all one-day courses and individual e-learning modules it’ll be really difficult to reflect different types in your programs. Some personality types will prefertaking a listening, reviewing, thinking approach and others will want to get their hands dirty. One group will embrace the collective experience, others will hate it. You cannot meet all preferences in one program. The most effective route to supporting different personalities will be to incorporate a number of interventions and different media. This might be a typical blend – e-learning, workshop plus coaching on the job. It should involve opportunities to reflect and contribute to blogs or wikis and read the contributions of others. It could be any combination you can think of, but meeting different types, motivations and styles is more likely to be achieved through a range of inputs. In some cases, you may choose to cover the same objective in different interventions – a workshop for some, e-learning for others, etc.Unless there is a good reason to do so I would expect people to combine different experiences, recognizing that they will struggle with some activities and feel more comfortable with others. In fact, a little discomfort may be a prerequisite for change. A journey provides a rounded learning experience and helps them appreciate that not everyone is the same. I think that is a pretty useful learning outcome at any point.

Robin HoyleHead of Learning at Infinity Learning.

About the author

Robin Hoyle is Head of Learning for Infinity Learning, an award winning learning design company. He acts as a learning and training consultant to clients and develops solutions as well as responding to client briefs. Robin Hoyle can be contacted at: info@infinitylearning.co.uk