The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a Tool for Leadership Development in Management Education Programs - What’s Type Got to Do with It?

Sep 17, 2026

Uploaded by Connor

Leadership development begins from the inside out, requiring leaders to understand personal strengths, challenges, and situational approaches while also recognizing how others perceive them. Management education programs are often debated for their ability to foster self-awareness and essential interpersonal skills. This paper examines how the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can support leadership development in management education by enabling assessment, reflection, and classroom discussion of differing preferences and leadership approaches in workplace interactions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Management Education and Leadership

Leadership development inside-out approach

The role and criticisms of MBA programs

Perspectives, teaching methods, and experiential learning

Hard vs. soft domains in leadership development

Real-world issues, reflection, and interaction

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a Tool for Leadership Development in Management Education Programs: What’s Type Got to Do with It? Dr. Kathleen Hanold Watland 1. Abstract: Leadership development is a process that begins from the inside out. Leaders first need to be aware of their personal strengths, their challenges, and how they approach situations. Leaders also need to be aware of how others view them and how others may choose to approach situations. While many aspiring leaders enroll in management education program to help them develop their leadership skills, the value of management education programs to developing effective leaders is widely debated. Management education programs may not provide adequate opportunities for aspiring leaders to increase their self-awareness and to develop critical interpersonal skills that are considered fundamental to effective leadership. This paper explores the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in management education programs as a tool for developing leaders and providing an opportunity to explore differing views. The MyersBriggs Type Indicator is commonly used in workplace organizations but not as commonly used in management education programs. Through the lens ofthe MyersBriggs Type Indicator, aspiring leaders may gain an opportunity to assess themselves and reflect on how their preferences may affect their leadership approaches. Providing management education students with an opportunity during class time to assess their preferences and to engage in discussions about those preferences may influence their interactions with others in the workplace is a valuable learning experience. Key Words: Leadership development, self-awareness, management education, Myers-Briggs Type. 2. Management Education and Leadership Leadership development is a process that begins from the inside out. Fletcher & Baldry (2000) noted that self-awareness is critical to developing effective leadership skills. Leaders need to be aware of their personal strengths as well as their challenges. Building and enhancing their knowledge, skills, and abilities are customary steps in developing leadership skills. Some aspiring leaders participate in individualized learning opportunities such as reading, attending workshops, or seeking professional coaches or mentors to assist them in developing their leadership capabilities. However, an increasing number of aspiring leaders seek out formal management education programs to prepare them to serve in a leadership capacity. For many, management education programs seem to be a logical preparation for serving as a leader. One of the most prevalent management education offerings for those seeking to develop leadership skills is the Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) . There are more than 100,000 MBAs awarded annually in the United States and the numbers continue to increase in Europe and Asia (Sherwood, 2004) . Yet many leadership experts are critical of the gap between the theory taught in the MBA programs and the actual learning needs of leaders in the workplace (Spender, 2005) . Management education programs are frequently viewed as necessary for attaining a desired credential, but having little or no relation to actual practices or needs of organizational life (Sherwood, 2004) . Management education programs traditionally provide a foundation in multiple perspectives and theories on approaches to leadership. The lessons learned from the combination of multiple perspectives and approaches can be extremely valuable in developing critical leadership skills. Lecture, discussion, case studies, and in-basket exercises are widely used in management education programs and some of these methodologies provide an experiential component to the theories (Forrest & Peterson, 2006) . While exposure to theories, circumstances, and experiential learning opportunities are important for developing leadership skills, they do not inherently provide an opportunity

FAQs

Why is self-awareness important for leadership development in the paper?

The paper explains that leaders need awareness of their personal strengths and challenges, and also must understand how others perceive them. Self-awareness is presented as a foundational process for effective leadership.

What critique does the paper make about traditional management education programs for leadership?

The paper argues that management education often has a debated or limited value in developing effective leaders because it may not provide enough opportunities for self-awareness and critical interpersonal skills. Critics are said to highlight a gap between theory and workplace needs.

How does the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator fit into the proposed leadership development approach?

The paper proposes using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to help aspiring leaders assess their preferences and reflect on how those preferences may shape leadership approaches. It also emphasizes class-time assessment and discussion to improve interactions with others in the workplace.

Sep 17, 2026

Uploaded by Connor