INTP Ability and Job Satisfaction Characteristics!

You are INTP, Introverted with Intuition, Thinking and Perceiving, with INTP ability, or you are interested in someone who is, and you are perhaps seeking information regarding how the INTP personality type and associated INTP ability gleaned from the Myers Briggs Test can perform optimally and at their very best in the workplace. You may also be seeking information as to how INTP ability can be maximally used in the workplace and how all this knowledge of INTP ability can increase workplace motivation and job satisfaction for you, and your organization.

You can also learn how knowledge of INTP strengths and weaknesses in the workplace, that is INTP ability, can insure that the INTP will not fall victim to job dissatisfaction which has been termed “Falsification of Type” and which is the core reason an estimated 70% of all the workers in the world dislike (or hate) their jobs!

INTP Workplace Strengths

INTP ability and strengths are many and would mean for you in the workplace that you:

• are someone who reaches understanding by contemplating and thinking, pondering things, someone who wants to really think about it
• are reflective, quiet, and prone to consider before acting
• prefer physical work space which allows for privacy and concentration
• participate and speak up after observing and formulating your own impressions and questions; may need to be asked what you think or feel
• regard meeting as taking time away from work and as places where more work gets generated or assigned
• are aware of internal guiding principles, philosophy, and commitments
• Focus first on and are most interested in the big picture, global issues, future possibilities; you notice the “forest” before noticing the “trees”
• are speculative and work toward “what if”
• work in bursts, await inspiration, may skip around, pursuing what “strikes your fancy;” may work on several things at the same time
• elect to acquire new knowledge that is interesting even if there is no apparent use for it
• want a team to have an engaging vision and mission; initiate and enjoy consideration of possibilities or theoretical matters
• arouse energy and zeal, especially for pursuing the mission and for innovations
• may seem distant and/or unapproachable; are direct, sometimes at the cost of being insensitive to others
• focus on the work at hand; don’t allocate much time to get to know others and build relationships
• are naturally critical of ideas and proposals; identify deficiencies in ideas and plans, and impediments to achieving goals
• believe that what is accomplished is more important than how a group works together; expect the best ideas and solutions to emerge from argument and debate; enjoy give and take
• analyze impersonally; are able to step back and be impartial
• champion sticking to the principles
• are spontaneous, “go with the flow,” open to new experiences and not wanting to miss out on anything, fun loving
• bring in new information, perspectives, and options; are adaptable and often devise flexible or innovative approaches to work
• like to start things-motivation and interest may decline when it’s time to finish
• are comfortable proceeding without a definite plan; take a “let’s wait and see what rolls out” approach; may frustrate others by bringing up new information or possibilities after a decision seems to have been made
• are comfortable not having something definite to work toward, and may feel constrained by what you perceive to be narrow or rigid goals and deadlines; focus on processes and want a team to organize around the ways they will work
• initially welcome a new assignment or project, thinking there’s lots of time to get it done-and later feel pushed to fit everything in

Basically those jobs/careers that would allow the INTP to use the strengths listed above, INTP ability, as a natural part of doing the job would be the jobs/careers providing maximum workplace motivation for the INTP. With increased workplace motivation normally follows increased job satisfaction. Likewise, jobs/careers not allowing the INTP ability to be used will provide much less workplace motivation and consequently much less job satisfaction for the INTP personality type.

INTP Workplace Weaknesses

INTP personality and INTP ability would include a tendency toward the following workplace weaknesses:

• may need to be more sensitive to what others think or feel
• may view meetings as naturally negative events that cause more work that is accomplished by having them
• will have difficulty seeing in-the-moment realities and sequencing that reality
• may have difficulty focusing on one thing for great amounts of time
• may have difficulty with person centered decision making
• will be uncomfortable to troubled proceeding with strict plans
• hesitancy to finish things may be viewed as negative
• may feel stressed as workplace tension grows, too many people, no privacy, etc.
• may struggle with others who present natural personal approach to things

Now take a few moments and consider how INTP’s behave and perform in the workplace from the following seven aspects:

What Others Might Observe First

• are concerned with ideas, astute and curious, intellectually inventive, ask a lot of questions, seem to be deep thinkers
• have an opinion about what should be done (e.g., to solve a problem), often challenge others or give advice
• are objective, analytical, and critical about nearly everything
• are less involved and communicative, perhaps aloof or terse

Work Style

• can work alone and concentrate for prolonged periods of time, need private time, and often get absorbed in an idea or project and ignore other things
• want to understand the theory and principles underlying what they do, and to continue learning new things
• are independent and self-directed (prefer to set own goals and standards, and figure out how to meet them) and have a strong need for autonomy (resist structure, rules and hierarchy, and are not particularly good followers)
• may be satisfied formulating a mental solution and be less interested in implementing it, don’t like routine, and may not want to do something a second time once they have learned it

On Work Teams/In Groups

• generate creative ideas and solutions, are originators and builders of systems, and provide a framework or model to aid understanding of problems
• give more attention to the problem-solving process (e.g., questions posed, data brought to bear) than to achieving a particular result or end point
• want to base team decisions and actions on logic and tough-minded analysis, and will call the group back to the logic of the situation
• often work best alone (though they like to be in interaction with people on the “cutting edge”), not naturally collaborative, may seem to be working alone even when a member of a team, don’t give much feedback

Facing Change

• willing to take risks (though not interpersonal ones), propose unique or unorthodox approaches
• are flexible and adaptable-up to the point when strongly held principles come into play
• look for a logical basis for change, and may be impatient with and sometimes baffled by non-logical factors (such as politics, emotions, tradition)
• need time to think about change, especially when it involves personal change

During Conflict

• are tolerant and possess a capacity for detachment that allows them to see multiple perspectives and viewpoints
• look for patterns as the key to unlocking conflict, and can re-define problems to make them solvable
• may want to step back to consider their response and develop a strategy
• are not usually comfortable with and don’t give much weight to emotions; however, under stress may themselves become emotional, become hyper-logical, or withdraw

Workplace Contributions

• bring an understanding of the big picture and connections among the parts, and call attention to the long range consequences of today’s actions
• offer new perspectives and create unique solutions
• are comfortable in handling ambiguity and complexity, and are able to synthesize divergent outlooks
• incisive thinking and critiques-find flaws, inconsistencies, contradictions, and gaps in thinking

May Be Experienced As

• insightful and creative (though not necessarily concerned with the usefulness of ideas) and sometimes as overly intellectual (“head in the clouds”), having difficulty making ideas and concepts a reality
• not paying enough attention to interpersonal relationships, seeming detached and insensitive
• intense, serious, complicated, and puzzling and sometimes as making things too complex, being contentious (“splitting hairs”)
• impatient with or frustrated by those not on their wave length or who are not as quick as they perceive themselves to be; having unrealistic expectations of self and others

The Myers Briggs Test can be looked upon sometimes as an ability and personality test. Once you have identified your personality type via the Myers Briggs Test and have some understanding of the associated strengths, weaknesses, abilities and behaviors of your type you can better determine the kind of work environment and associated factors that provide the maximum workplace motivation and job satisfaction for you. Again, view the results of the Myers Briggs Test concerning work as a kind of ability and personality test.

If you would like to study a different personality type link here and go back to the Personality and Work page to find links to the other 15 personality types, follow those links and enjoy!

If you have questions regarding your personality type in the workplace as it relates to using the Myers Briggs Test as an ability and personality test, please do not hesitate to use the Support/Contact Request form on the navigation bar to the left. We would enjoy hearing from you and will try to answer any questions you may have about the Myers Briggs Test and its uses and/or the Myers Briggs focused consultation services offered by Solid Rock Consulting Group, LLC.

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