Professional Note: Know Your People Better/; Use Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Testing

There is a disturbing correlation between the Navy's poorly behaved junior enlisted sailors with predictable "preferences," and prospective commanding officers (COs) and executive officers (XOs) and successful senior enlisted sailors who have equally predictable but opposite preferences. This superior-subordinate "preference conflict" is costly to the Navy. The Navy's first-term enlisted attrition—about 23,000 sailors—peaked at 41.8% in fiscal year 1999, and its associated costs were estimated at $920 million. Although it is impossible to draw a straight line from preference conflict to first-term attrition, the correlation should concern Navy leaders.

Retention Initiatives

The Bearings Retention Initiative (BRI) is a program started by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Vernon Clark in 2000 to help correct troubled junior sailors before they get into serious trouble. Overseen by the Naval Education and Training Command, the course is designed to improve first-term attrition by enhancing sailors' decision-making skills and making them aware of the assistance available to them—thus increasing their personal and professional development. The Bearings curriculum includes classes in personal growth, communications skills, and professional development; it also provides instruction in personal finances, stress and anger management, and conflict resolution.¹

Two of the program's ten days are conducted by chaplains assigned to the Chaplains Religious Enrichment and Development Operation (CREDO). In November 2001, the Commander Navy Region Southwest CREDO office (CREDO Southwest) retooled its portion of the Pacific Fleet BRI program to assist first-term sailors in coping with two related challenges: accepting authority and functioning in a relatively rigid system—the Navy. It was apparent that Bearings sailors sensed their problems, but were unable to explain why they misbehaved and were not adjusting well to Navy life. Without more instructive knowledge, there was little hope of self-correction and enhanced performance. Through trial and error, CREDO Southwest crafted a program to help sailors acquire the necessary self-knowledge. The guts of the program-now used throughout the Pacific Fleet-depend on the application and use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a popular personality survey.

As sailors learn their preferences, they begin to comprehend how those preferences might explain (at least partially) their difficulties in the Navy. They begin to understand and appreciate their interactive strengths and vulnerabilities. They know where, when, and why they are likely to experience distress or satisfaction, and why many conflicts might result from type preferences more than any other factor. By the end of the second day, most sailors are convinced that, if they are to achieve enlistment objectives and fulfill contractual obligations, they have to change their behavior—regardless of their beliefs about authority and institution. They learn their type preferences explain, but do not excuse, self-defeating behavior.

MBTl Preferences

The MBTI identifies an individual's self-reported preferences. It measures eight tendencies, organized in four sets (or dichotomies): extraversion (E) or introversion (I); sensing (S) or intuition (N); thinking (T) or feeling (F); and judging (J) or perceiving (P). This results in a four-letter type. Within a set, the preferences are opposite and mutually exclusive: one can use both preferences, but not at the same time.

* Extraversion-introversion (E-I) identifies an individual's primary orientation and source of energy: an active orientation to the outer world of people and things (e) or a reflective orientation to the inner world of thoughts and ideas (I).

* Sensing-intuition (S-N) identifies a preference for attention to detail, the present, and facts (S) or theories, the future, and possibilities (N).

* Thinking-feeling (T-F) identifies a preference for either logical analysis (T) or personal values (F) as a basis for decision making.

* Judging-perceiving (J-P) identifies a preference for a decisive and planned lifestyle (J) or a more flexible and spontaneous way of dealing with the world and others (P).

As an INTJ, I prefer smaller gatherings with intimate, in-depth conversations. I can function and even excel in larger gatherings with spirited give and take, but social gatherings and chit-chat drain my energy and require more concentration. In other words, I will have to work harder and will tire sooner than someone with preferences for larger gatherings and many contacts because those situations require me to use my less-preferred functions. Similarly, BRI sailors learn how their preferences could affect their energy levels. If a sailor learns that she has an intuitive rather than sensing preference, she will at least recognize her discomfort that six-hour watches require more of her energy than they do of a shipmate with the opposite preference. She knows she still can handle it, but understands why she tires more easily and must take preventive and restorative action to compensate. Likewise, a sailor who prefers to reach decisions on the basis of discrete, impartial, analytical criteria (T) will understand his uneasiness if his job requires greater use of his less preferred (F) way of reaching decisions.

In the case of two sailors of the same rank, it is more likely they will work well together if their type preferences are similar. The more their preferences differ, the more concentration and effort they must put into working together. If neither reports to the other, there is much potential for a complimentary and synergistic relationship when differences arise. They are more likely to compromise, negotiate, and "live and let live" without rancor. Typepreference conflict in a superior-subordinate military interaction, however, has the potential for serious and costly consequences. In most superior-subordinate relationships with people of contrasting types, conflict will follow them like a shadow and cloud the subordinate's life. The ranking individual naturally does things his way and the subordinate has to bend, sometimes with considerable frustration.

Preference Conflict in Junior Sailors

The dysfunction and maladjustment of some junior enlisted sailors who experience type-preference conflict is exacerbated by their contractual obligations. Superior-subordinate type-preference conflict is routine in the civilian sector, but civilians can quit their jobs. Sailors cannot change jobs easily and that poses a major problem for them and the Navy. For some first-termers, having to routinely function in a nonpreference world is like running a marathon in galoshes. For 18-25 year olds-especially those with certain preferences—the typical reaction to this chronic stress is to divorce themselves from the Navy at all costs.

If officers and senior enlisted sailors have the opposite preferences to those of junior enlisted sailors, type-preference conflict might be a major source of inescapable tension and discomfort for the juniors. But it is worse. When the superior's preferences are different, the subordinate has little or no opportunity to use his own preferences and has few chances to enjoy the satisfaction of directing, instructing, and leading others. A reasonable source of pleasure and enjoyment that could contribute to reenlistment is not available. Leaders should consider the cumulative effect of multiple, persistent type-preference conflicts over the length of an enlistment and how those conflicts can result in chronic stress.

BRI Data

Of the 16 preference types, a disproportionate 36% of Bearings sailors are two types: ENFP and INFP. Only 5% of prospective COs, 6% of prospective XOs, and 5% of Senior Enlisted Academy (SEA) attendees are ENFP or INFP types. The opposite type preferences-ISTJ and ESTJ-are held by 40% of prospective COs, 39% of prospective XOs, and 47% of SEA attendees. If assessment of type-preference conflict is as significant for work center success as I believe it to be, data should reflect the positive effect of type-preference agreement. As expected, ISTJ and ESTJ junior enlistees, whose preferences mirror those of senior officer and enlisted leaders, are underrepresented: only 6% of Bearings sailors have ISTJ and ESTJ preferences.

The fourth of the MBTI dichotomies, judging-perceiving (J-P), identifies how an individual interacts with the world at large-his or her life style. The J focuses on predictability, planning, organization, and control; the P focuses on adaptability, spontaneity, and openness to new information. The J types prefer schedules and timetables, dislike surprises, want advance warning, and expect others to follow through. They consider their positions and decisions as final, want to hear about results and achievements, focus on purpose and direction, and concentrate on task completion. Not surprisingly, 77% of prospective COs and XOs and senior enlisted sailors are J types. The P types prefer to discuss timetables, resist tight deadlines and unchangeable schedules, and enjoy surprises and last-minute changes. They expect others to respond to situational requirements, want to hear about options and opportunities, and focus on autonomy and flexibility. Bearings sailors are overwhelmingly P types: 77%.

Of the four possible combinations for gaining or losing energy (E/I) and taking in information (I/S), 40% of BRI sailors prefer extraversion and intuition (EN), as contrasted to 19% of senior enlisted sailors. The motto for the EN sailor is "let's change it." The motto for the 36% of senior enlisted sailors who are IS types is "let's keep it." (See Figure 1 for detailed BRI-SEA comparisons.) Consequently, from an organizational standpoint, the Navy puts serious stress on numerous Bearings sailors. It is no wonder they are not performing properly. They exist in a world of chronic discomfort and quickly conclude that something is systemically unfair. They act on the perceived sense of "things askew" when all their coping mechanisms expire and they report feeling trapped above all other feelings. Eventually, their long-term judgment suffers and their rash actions can lead to punitive or administrative discharges.

Dollars and Sense

Sailors of all preferences can compose a well-rounded organization. They increase the Navy's operational readiness, improve workplace proficiency, maximize teamwork, and enhance force protection by detecting otherwise overlooked risks. Often the intuitive, feeling perceivers are able to think outside the box. The Navy reaps huge dividends from personnel whose vision and intuition are slightly different but complement the majority types. But leaders sow seeds of tension if they continually and unnecessarily deny sailors' preferences.

Potential payoffs are huge for leaders who understand the implications of type preference. They can take advantage of teamwork benefits by recognizing the unique gifts and insights that come with each preference type. This is part of what is meant by "knowing your people." Emphasizing the self-corrective value of the MBTI will help enhance performance, increase retention, and lower attrition. Sailors become aware of how their type-preferences play into their sense of professional and vocational purpose. At the same time, they learn accountability-preference awareness is never an excuse for poor behavior.

Chaplain's Role

Vocational affirmation is a key component of a sailor's sense of personal worth and sense of participation in, and contribution to, the Navy-which affects his or her spirituality. Failure calls into question one's positive sense of self; chronic stress owing to vocational discomfort can erode the sense of spiritual wholeness. To the extent that a sailor's job is unaffirming, his well being is corroded. Similar to a virus, it infects the sense of worth, value, meaning, and participation in the larger scheme of life.

Chaplains, whose calling includes "caring for all," should be the most sensitive to the spiritual downsizing that can be caused by vocational distress. They must ask sailors, "How is your work affecting your spirituality?" Accordingly, they should advocate widespread use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in Navy commands at sea and ashore. This connects across the board, from enlisted to officer, from the bosun's locker to the boiler room.