Innovative Behaviours

Having attended a “Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) Step II” course this week I came across the behaviours that are often expressed by people with preferences for the “sensing” perceiving function and the opposite “intuition” perceiving function. This is what differentiates “step II” from “step I” as there might be what are called in- or out-of-preference behaviours expressed even though the underlying type preference remains constant. It made me wonder which of the behaviours would be most related to innovation and if any correlate with leadership behaviours…

Here’s a summary of the different behaviours followed by further implications (“et alors”):

Innovative behaviours

Within the perceiving function dichotomy of “sensing” or “intuition” preferences, there are five “facets” of behaviour relating to perceiving or gathering information:

Concrete vs Abstract (how attention is focused and on what)

Concrete people tend to notice and trust the facts and what is actually present and need to know enough facts before proceeding; whereas…

… Abstract people tend to make inferences and look for meaning beyond the original facts. Accordingly they enjoy brainstorming.

Realistic vs Imaginative (how information is used)

Realistic people tend to have a common-sense perspective and seek common-sense solutions, looking for efficiencies in everything they do; whereas…

… Imaginative people tend to value and enjoy creativity for its own sake, imagining models, products and theories and then looking for supporting facts.

Practical vs Conceptual (how ideas are used)

Practical people tend to want ideas to be applied valuing practical endeavours with tangible outcomes; whereas…

… Conceptual people tend to be excited by ideas themselves, enjoying intellectual, scholarly discussions and appreciate the intangible.

Experiential vs Theoretical (ways to find patterns and make meaning)

Experiential people tend to learn best by doing and need to experience something new before they believe it works; whereas…

… Theoretical people tend to learn best by placing new information in a theoretical framework and understand the world through abstract theories and principles.

Traditional vs Original (value of social context and conditions)

Traditional people tend to need change to be connected to what is known and occur gradually, wanting to do what is socially acceptable and not stand out from the crowd; whereas…

… Original people tend to devise original ways of doing things to stay motivated wanting to do what is different and to stand out from the crowd.

Et alors?

It would be easy to say that it was one pole of behaviours or the other which corresponds “best” to innovative behaviours; but in fact it is neither. Whilst no behaviour is better or worse than the other, the whole principle of type-dynamics and development is balance. In a team environment it is recommended to not have too many members with a preference for sensing or intuition as the team might collectively miss either the big picture or the details respectively in any given situation. Innovation is more likely to be found when either an individual can bridge the opposite behaviours or collectively the team can make the links. Innovation can be found when imaginative creativity can be channelled into practical reality. Creative thinking which adds value in a corporate context can be conceptual, theoretical and abstract but it also needs to be realistic, practical and concrete!

Leaders tend to have a preference for the “intuition” perceiving type. (This is the only one of the two functions and two attitudes which appears to show any such correlation.) Are leaders more innovative per se? Not necessarily, but they can lead their teams to be more innovative through achieving preference balance within their teams. On the other “side” of the preference, age is strongly correlated with “sensing”: the idea is that the underlying preferences might not change, but behaviours might evolve with a significant majority of the population exhibiting at least one “out-of-preference” behaviour. Leaders should note this if they wish to at least enhance the chance of achieving innovation in their teams: whilst they themselves might provide the intuition, they should make sure someone else provides the sensing. Age might well be another part of the team diversity equation!