Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a Tool for Leadership Development?: Apply With Caution

Despite its wide use as a tool to enhance leadership development, the current way in which the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is administered provides limited value to managers. This paper reviews how to interpret the MBTI, examines some of its conceptual and psychometric weaknesses, and identifies its misuse in leadership development. Inconsistencies between dung's conceptual study, upon which the MBTI is based, and how the instrument was developed and applied are examined.