Running Head: PERSONALITY
Personality and Motivation
Kelly Moriarty
MGT 300 - 5 principles of management
Colorado State University - Global Campus
Professor Cindy Atchley
Jul 27, 2017
1
Personality and Motivation
Personality and Motivation
Personalities of individual employees can have a direct impact on their performance in
the work place. Personalities have the power to effect an employee’s efficiency, their
relationships with other employees, and their overall style of fulfilling their role. The Myers-
Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a famous personality test that determines a person’s personality
type. By analyzing the personality test results of an employee from work, one can gain better
perspectives on how to better motivate them. This will shed light on the different available
motivation theories, and which ones are the most appropriate depending on the specific
personalities being assessed. The MBTI results for an employee’s personality increases
motivation understanding as well as how to best manage people based on their personality traits.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
The MBTI is one of the most widely used personality tests available today. The test asks
questions to evaluate four specific psychological functions; sensation, intuition, feeling, and
thinking (Johnson, 1992). Depending on how an individual answers the questions, a combination
of four letters will be offered as their result. There is a total of 16 different combinations of letter
outcomes for the MBTI (Johnson, 1992). The letter combinations will describe whether a person
is more extroverted or introverted. Additionally, it will describe if they make decisions based off
of sensation or intuition, and thinking or feeling. Lastly, it will show if they enjoy living through
