Effective personality profiles in negotiation according to the Myers-Briggs type indicator

• Main Author: Truter, Hendrieka
• Other Authors: Calitz, C. J.
• Format: Others
• Language: en_ZA
• Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2012
• Subjects: Personality; Myers-Briggs Type Indicator; Negotiation; Dissertations > Industrial psychology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52254

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This explorative study set out to investigate the effectiveness of different personalities in negotiation. The research problem originated as result of the search through literature aimed at developing a negotiation skills program for the South African Army. Many authors were found to refer to the importance of personality on the process and outcome of negotiation, but that existing research focus mainly on single personality traits and often indicated inconclusive results. These findings stirred curiosity to explore the possibility that certain personality types, according to a more comprehensive theory of personality, may prove to be more effective than others. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Form G self-scoring and two separate role-plays were used to gather data for this research. The role-plays placed similar boundaries on the participants in terms of the type of agreement that could be reached as well as the financial terms involved. The MBTI results were used as continuous scores and the eight subscales as separate groups and also according to a number of combinations of the subscales. The possible influence of a number of variables were taken into account namely, age, gender, military rank, level of formal education and ethnicity. Though the majority of these variables were found to be possible covariates of personality they appear not to have influenced the outcome of the research. This was because no significant correlations appeared to exist between the outcome of the negotiation role-plays and the various scales and subscales of the MBTI. According to these results, and within the confinement of this research it would appear that the various personality types do not differ in terms of the effectiveness in negotiation. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het ten doel gehad om die doeltreffendheid van verskillende persoonlikhede in onderhandeling te ondersoek. Die navorsingprobleem het voortgespruit uit 'n literatuursoektog wat daarop gemik was om 'n kursus in onderhandelingsvaardigheid vir die Suid Afrikaanse Leër te ontwikkel. Tydens hierdie soektog is bevind dat verskeie skrywers na die belangrikheid van persoonlikheid verwys, synde 'n invloed op die proses en uitkoms van die onderhandeling te hê. Daar is ook bevind dat bestaande navorsing hoofsaaklik gebruik maak van enkele persoonlikheidstrekke en dat hierdie benadering dikwels nie afdoende bevindinge tot gevolg gehad het. Die gedagte het gevolglik ontstaan om ondersoek in te stel na die moontlikheid dat sekere persoonlikhede, gebaseer op 'n meer omvattende teorie, dalk groter sukses in onderhandeling mag behaal as ander. Ten einde die navorsingsprobleem op te los is besluit om die "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator" vorm G en twee afsonderlike rolspele te gebruik om data in te samel. Die rolspele is spesifiek vir die navorsing ontwerp om ooreenstemmende beperkinge op die deelnemers te plaas in terme van die soort ooreenkoms wat bereik moet word, asook die finsiële terme betrokke. Die resultate van die MBTI is gebruik in die vorm van kontinuë data, as aparte stelle subskale en ook volgens 'n verskeidenheid kombinasies van die subskale. Die moontlike invloed van 'n verskeidenheid veranderlikes is in berekening gebring, naamlik ouderdom, geslag, militêre rang, vlak van formele opvoeding en etniese groep. Alhoewel daar bevind is dat die meerderheid van die veranderlikes moontlike kovariate mag wees wil dit voorkom asof dit nie die bevindinge van die navorsing beïnvloed het nie. Die rede daarvoor was dat geen beduidende korrelasie gevind is tussen die resultate van die rolspele en die verskillende skale en subskale van die MBTI nie. Volgens hierdie bevindinge en binne die beperkings van hierdie navorsing wil dit voorkom dat persoonlikheidstipes nie verskil in terme van die sukses in onderhandeling nie.