Understanding personalities as part of increasing the effectiveness of teamwork - Case Miela Designroom - Theseus

Understanding personalities as
part of increasing the effective-
ness of teamwork
Case Miela Designroom

Titta Syväoja
BACHELOR’S THESIS
May 2021

International Business

ABSTRACT

Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu
Tampere University of Applied Sciences
International Business

Titta Syväoja:
Understanding personalities as part of increasing the effectiveness of teamwork
Case Miela Designroom

Bachelor's thesis 51 pages, appendices 3 pages
May 2021

This thesis was commissioned by Miela Designroom Oy. The company is a do-
mestic design store focused on responsible fashion and consumption. The com-
pany is run by three entrepreneurs and they started operations in 2018 as a
pop-up store, from which the concept has been expanded to what it is now in
2021. The company has grown and expanded its concept at a rapid pace. The
objective was to research the understanding of personalities and their effects in
developing teamwork in this company.

The thesis consists of a theory and a research part. Theoretical part explores
personality and self-knowledge, and how personality affects the way we act.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is used in the research as a structuring
model for the differences in personalities. The second part of theory focuses on
teamwork development. Five dysfunctions of a team model is used to evaluate
team’s functionality.

The research part of the thesis was carried out by several methods. The per-
sonality types of the team members under research were determined by per-
sonality self-assessment test. Respondents were then interviewed with ques-
tions related to the topic and with team evaluation form.

As a result of the research, it can be stated that getting acquainted with one's
own personality was useful and necessary when developing teamwork. Re-
spondents felt that they had gained more self-knowledge as well as understand-
ing towards others. Concrete development proposals will help the team better
utilizing different personalities and within that their teamwork develops.

Key words: MBTI, personality, self-knowledge, teamwork development

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CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 4
2 THESIS PLAN ...................................................................................... 5
    2.1 Miela Designroom Oy..................................................................... 5
    2.2 Thesis Topic ................................................................................... 6
    2.3 Thesis objective, purpose and research questions ........................ 7
    2.4 Concepts and Theory ..................................................................... 8
          2.4.1 Teamwork ............................................................................. 9
          2.4.2 Successful teamwork.......................................................... 10
    2.5 Working methods and data .......................................................... 11
    2.6 Thesis process ............................................................................. 11
3 PERSONALITY & SELF-KNOWLEDGE ............................................. 13
    3.1 The importance of self-knowledge ............................................... 14
    3.2 Personality tests ........................................................................... 15
    3.3 MBTI-Indicator.............................................................................. 15
          3.3.1 Preferences ........................................................................ 17
          3.3.2 Cognitive styles .................................................................. 19
          3.3.3 Summary of 16 personality types ....................................... 20
4 TEAMWORK DEVELOPMENT ........................................................... 24
    4.1 Five dysfunctions of a team ......................................................... 24
    4.2 Work community skills .................................................................. 26
    4.3 Team intelligence ......................................................................... 26
5 THE DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS ............................................ 28
    5.1 Research method ......................................................................... 28
    5.2 Designing & carrying out the research ......................................... 29
    5.3 Reliability of the research ............................................................. 31
6 RESEARCH RESULTS ...................................................................... 34
    6.1 Personality test results ................................................................. 34
    6.2 Semi-structured interview ............................................................. 37
    6.3 Team evaluation........................................................................... 40
7 CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................ 42
REFERENCES ........................................................................................ 46
APPENDICES .......................................................................................... 49
    Appendix 1. Semi-structured interview questions ............................... 49
    Appendix 2. Team evaluation form ..................................................... 50

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1 INTRODUCTION

Understanding personality helps to be more empathetic and to understand why
certain situations often recur in a team with the same formula. Breaking down
personality into smaller parts helps identify and anticipate people’s reactions
and ways of acting. This can help everyone see situations less through their
own prejudices and examine the subject matter more objectively.
(Lencioni 2002, 204)

This thesis aims to help local Finnish company owners to understand each other
better and develop their teamwork more effective within that. The idea arose from
interest and a desire to help local company on the road to success. Interest in
diversity and personalities has always existed in me. This led to an attraction
towards the HR field at the beginning of my studies.

The commissioner company Miela Designroom has achieved growth in a short
time. The aim of this research is to find the strengths, weaknesses, and person-
ality types of Miela’s entrepreneurs and help the team become even more effec-
tive.

The covid-19 and the global situation have pushed companies, and many are in
an acute cash crisis. Clothing and decor are first on the list when consumers start
thinking about savings. People do not necessarily need new clothes because of
layoffs or telecommuting. (Isotalus 2020) During this time, fashion companies can
do nothing for the outside situation, but their own operations can always be im-
proved.

For those aiming to advance into leadership positions, it is crucial to understand
the importance of personalities as part of the team. By understanding diversity
and giving space to different personalities, the leader creates the conditions for
successful teamwork.

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2 THESIS PLAN

This section introduces the topic of the thesis, the objective, and the purpose for
the thesis. The plan also briefly introduces the methods and concepts. Data col-
lection methods and their structure will also be clarified. The case company will
also be introduced.

2.1 Miela Designroom Oy

Miela Designroom is a Finnish design store that rents sales space in its store to
Finnish fashion and design brands. Miela handles sales and marketing on behalf
of brands, as well as in-store, e-commerce, and social media. In addition to Finn-
ish design products, they also have a second-hand department. The store and
the whole brand focus on responsible choices. The store was opened for the first
time in June 2018 as a pop-up store called Showroom Finnish Brandstore. The
idea for this was based on a thesis that considered modern business models.
With a functioning pop-up store, it was decided to turn the business into a per-
manent store. This is how the current Miela Designroom was created. (Miela
Designroom 2021)

Behind the company is a creative team of young women entrepreneurs. They
have a common educational background, all of them have graduated from Tam-
pere University of Applied Sciences' Pro Academy's degree program in Entrepre-
neurship and Team Leadership.

PICTURE 1. Miela Designroom logo (Miela Designroom 2021)

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2.2 Thesis Topic

The topic of this thesis is about understanding personalities and increasing the
effectiveness of teamwork in Miela Designroom company. This thesis focuses on
how Miela entrepreneurs can understand each other’s better and therefore de-
velop their teamwork in the best possible way. By better understanding each oth-
er's personalities, the teamwork of the company's owners can be enhanced and
the dynamics between them will be improved. When teamwork improves, it has
a positive impact on the success of the company.

The need for this research for Miela comes from a need to develop their teamwork
as the company grows rapidly. The company consist of three entrepreneurs who
seems to have different personalities. They have found that working together can
accomplish more and bigger things. Everyone has their own areas of strength,
which by combining the company has developed. The entire team has graduated
from Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Pro Academy as a Bachelor of
Business Administration in entrepreneurship.

As the company continues to grow, work tasks and workload increases. Team-
work should be continuously developed so that group dynamics do not suffer,
and tasks are shared equally. If the company wants to continue to grow, roles
and responsibilities must be more clearly be defined. No one's workload should
accumulate excessively or affect a person’s endurance.

The main point of this thesis is to find out what personalities these three entre-
preneurs are, how they would learn to better understand each other and their
ways of working and how this will help develop their teamwork.

One of the key questions is how personalities are reflected in the work commu-
nity. "The way other people do things can even be annoying, especially if it's a lot
different from their own way." As Tiina Brandt, the Docent of Economics describes
in her book. (Brandt 2011, 9) This thesis explores the ways in which different
personalities do things and how by better understanding them we can develop
teamwork.

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This topic has been studied from different perspectives and personality is often
discovered more in psychological studies. There is a lot of research based on
leadership about the topic. Many related studies often consider the personalities
of leaders. How their personality, behaviours and actions affect the success of
the company and communication with their subordinates.

The idea for the topic came from personal interest of the effects of personalities,
experiences during life and a concrete need in Miela Designroom. We should
understand more of each other’s, so that we can succeed together better and feel
more relaxed when being in the group. During my studies, when I was part of
different group projects, I found that the dynamics and functionality of a group
can be very different depending on what kind of personalities are part of the
group. When doing my internship in HR-field, I realized that certain types of per-
sonalities are suitable for such a position and environment.

The topic itself is very up to date. In the future, employees will want to be seen
more as individuals and emphasizing their personalities. This became out with
the youth survey, commissioned by STTK, TYÖ2030 program.
(Ylä-Anttila 2021)

2.3 Thesis objective, purpose and research questions

Research has a developing objective. The objective of this thesis is to find out
how understanding personalities helps them to understand each other better
and how this helps to develop teamwork more effectively. The main research
question is “What are the benefits of understanding different personalities for
successful teamwork in a small company? “

Three sub-questions are derived from the research problem;
What kind of personalities do entrepreneurs of Miela Designroom represent?
How are their personalities reflected in the work community?
How can different personalities be better utilized in teamwork?

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The objective to research different personality types and its implications for
teamwork has been supported by these sub-questions, which facilitate the per-
ception of the whole. The growth of the Miela Designroom as a company has
been rapid and they want constantly to develop themselves as well, so that they
can also succeed better as a company.

A team can succeed if each of its members understands their role and makes
their full contribution to the team and its development. A successful team has
clear goals and activities, an atmosphere of trust and open interaction, and a
desire to develop. (Potinkara 2020, 2) In a successful team, members comple-
ment each other in a way that creates an effective, versatile, and functional en-
tity. Successful teams need an appropriate cocktail of roles that focus on think-
ing, action, and people. They need to understand each other’s personalities,
strengths, and skills to develop their teamwork to the highest.

The research examines the types of personalities in the workplace. The pur-
pose is to find out how these different personality types affect teamwork and
learn to understand why each works on its own way. It is also intended to note
whether tasks are divided according to personality weaknesses and strengths.

2.4 Concepts and Theory

Several theories and concepts are used in this thesis. These theories are clearly
presented and explained. When concepts are explained, it is easier for the reader
to understand and read the thesis.

The activities of entrepreneurs are viewed from a personality theory-based per-
spective. The Myers-Briggs type indicator is used as a model for structuring per-
sonality differences in this thesis (MBTI). MBTI is one of the world's most
widely used personality indicator. Every year, more than two and a half million
people fill out the form. (Routamaa & Hautala 2009, 19)

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“Used by more than 88 percent of Fortune 500 companies in 115 countries, and
available in 29 languages, it has become the go-to framework for people devel-
opment globally. With more than 70 years of science-based, research-based in-
sight, the MBTI assessment is a robust tool for self-awareness and improve-
ment. It provides positive language for understanding and valuing individual dif-
ferences. With practical insight that’s easy to understand and implement, the
MBTI assessment has helped thousands of organizations and millions of people
around the world improve how they communicate, learn, and work.”
(The Myers-Briggs Company 2021)

The Myers-Briggs indicator used in this thesis has been described as an excel-
lent tool for this. Myers-Briggs’s type indicator approaches personality through
positive qualities. Due to its positive and dynamic approach, it is very popular as
a tool for work community development. (Brandt 2011, 10-11) It was decided to
use this method, as it is versatile and profound. The method also has a broad
theoretical basis.

Colour-based theories will also be utilized when researching and analysing per-
sonalities. According to DISC analysis, we can be roughly divided into four dif-
ferent colours according to our personality. (DISC-profiili 2021) The personality
tests commissioned in this thesis are implemented using the MBTI indicator.
The results obtained from these are compared with Thomas Eriksson’s colour
theory based on DISC analysis. Thomas Erikson is a Swedish writer and man-
agement coach and business consultant specializing in behavioural sciences.

The terms “teamwork” and “successful teamwork” are specified here, as this
thesis focuses on researching that, it is important to know and understand the
definitions of the terms. By defining these terms, readers will also better under-
stand the topic.

2.4.1 Teamwork

In several organizations, activities have been developed for teamwork, which has
its roots in group work. Teamwork and group work are described as having similar

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characteristics and stages. Teamwork is a form of collaboration and a way of
doing work where all participants are aware of the team’s goals, reaching a com-
mon goal, and the expertise of others. Team members have complementary
skills, members strive for a common approach, and responsibility for achieving
goals is shared among team members. Team development involves a variety of
group dynamic phenomena and laws, as in all work groups: team stages and
structures, acting as a team member and leader, and solving teamwork chal-
lenges. (Koivisto, Henner, & Paaso 2017)

2.4.2 Successful teamwork

When a team does not have any of Lencioni’s (2002) five dysfunctions, it can be
assumed to be a successful team. These dysfunctions are described in more
detail in Chapter 4.

The Five Elements of Successful Teamwork:
   •   Open communication
   •   Diversity as a competence
   •   Clarity in role definition and allocation
   •   Trust
   •   Mutually beneficial conflict resolution mechanisms

(Whites, R. 2020)

FIGURE 1. The Golden Circle (Sinek 2009, 37)

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The Golden Circle pattern created by Sinek (2009) tells us how to always start
with the why question, then think about how, and lastly answer the what question.
Most businesses and people start moving from the outer edge of the perimeter
and move towards the centre because what and how the questions are easier to
understand because of their physical existence. Behind successful teamwork, the
team members have internalized the reason for the team’s existence, and they
go together towards their goals. The team has also found an answer to their own
why question, meaning what they wake up to every morning to work for their own
team. (Sinek 2009, 37-39)

2.5 Working methods and data

This section briefly explains the data collection methods, theories and models
used in this thesis and how they apply to this research. The research is imple-
mented as a qualitative research. It is appropriate for the research to find out
the personality types of the company's members.

It is going to be executed by personality tests, team evaluation, interviews with
the entrepreneurs of Miela and the available materials related to the topic. The
interview will be conducted as a semi-structured interview. A semi-structured in-
terview is freer than a structured interview. The advantage of this is that the re-
searcher receives views from the interviewees on the most important and pre-
defined topics of its research in their own words. The semi-organized and partly
open interview is formally placed between a fully structured form interview and a
thematic interview. (Puusa, A & Puuti, J. 2020, 111) The use of several methods
is intended to understand the phenomenon from several perspectives, which in-
creases the reliability of the study.

2.6 Thesis process

This chapter goes through how the thesis progresses. The first chapter of the
thesis is the Introduction and the second thesis plan. Thesis plan explains the
objective and purpose of the research to the reader. It also presents the target

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company, methods, theories, and models used in the thesis. Third chapter pre-
sents the MBTI indicator used in the research. The chapter also describes spe-
cifically with personality, self-knowledge, and personality tests in general. Fourth
chapter explains teamwork development and the five dysfunctions of the team.
Fifth chapter includes data collection and analysis. It also narrates the progress
of the research and how it was conducted. Chapter six presents the results of the
research. Chapter seven is for conclusions and recommendations. It opens the
results of the research. Together with the material, it forms the conclusions drawn
from the research.

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3 PERSONALITY & SELF-KNOWLEDGE

Personality is a broad concept. It means the physical, social, mental, and spiritual
whole of a human being. From a scientific point of view, a person’s overall per-
sonality is deep and partly enigmatic to research. (Dunderfelt 2012, 14)

Psychologist Tony Dunderfelt divides personality into distinct dimensions. The
physical self, which means our anatomical and physiological whole. Our physical
self is visible to the outside, while other dimensions work more inside. Role me,
means the image we form of ourselves according to which social communities
we are part of. Culture me is formed by different hobby groups and subcultures.
Raised me takes the effects from our parents, growth environment, school,
friends, and relatives. Temperament is innate and is the style and way we react
to prevailing conditions. Temperament is reflected in external behaviour. Core me
is the dimension of our personality that can make independent choices. Through
this part, we are also able to develop other dimensions and increase self-aware-
ness. We walk daily with our physical body in social and cultural contexts, act
according with our roles, carry with us our learned past, and strive to make inde-
pendent decisions. (Dunderfelt 2012, 15-18)

Acceptance of diversity is still fragile today, and Finland is one of the leading
countries in terms of workplace bullying. According to research commissioned by
Routamaa and Hautala (2009), 43% of the respondents had experienced bullying
in the workplace. The same 43% felt that the personality of the bullied contributed
to being the target of bullying. Increasing the self-knowledge of members of the
work community with a common concept is said to reduce bullying. This assump-
tion is reinforced by the experience of those who commissioned the research on
the successful coaching of contentious work communities by increasing work
community’s self-knowledge and self-awareness. (Routamaa & Hautala 2009,
142-143)

The atmosphere in the work community has a major impact on well-being at work,
which affects to work productivity and how well people are feeling at work. Every
member of the work community should take care of this at the individual level.

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According to Thomas Erikson, behaviour is a function of personality and circum-
stance factors. Behaviour is something we can observe. Personality is a factor
we strive to understand and circumstance factors are things we can influence.
We constantly influence each other in some way. Therefore, it would be good to
try to understand what is beneath the surface. (Erikson 2019, 29)

3.1 The importance of self-knowledge

Self-knowledge refers to an individual’s own understanding of themselves. With-
out this understanding, it is impossible to be able to lead others. Knowing one’s
own thoughts, ideas, opinions, feelings, and ways of working are all part of self-
knowledge.

When increasing self-knowledge, it is essential to be aware of one’s own needs
and desires, weaknesses and strengths, beliefs, and values. This increases the
ability to lead oneself. Our own ideals are strongly related to self-knowledge and
our own experiences of what we are now and what we want to become. One’s
own feelings for themself are strongly related to self-knowledge. The relationship
can be negative, neutral accepting, or positive. Self-knowledge is born and it
evolves in relation to other people, how we have become encountered, treated,
and what we have heard others saying about us. Based on experiences from
others, self-knowledge is not a fact but a subjective view of one’s own value and
goodness that can be changed and developed by limiting ourselves. (Ajanko
2016, 148-149)

Self-knowledge is a prerequisite for all positive development and development of
the individual, group, and organization. (Routamaa & Hautala 2009, 13) Above
all, self-knowledge helps to find your own weaknesses and strengths. Being
aware of these, oneself is better to lead and develop.

Self-knowledge helps to accept oneself better. When you accept yourself, it is
easier to accept the differences of others as well. "Only those things that you
accept in yourself will be accepted in others." When you understand the differ-
ences of others, it makes it easier to collaborate with other people. (Helin, Helin
& Saarenpää 2018, 149)

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3.2 Personality tests

When developing self-knowledge, we are assisted by various tests and indica-
tors. With respect to them, it should be noted that tests are not intended to reveal
deficiencies or give a negative image of a person. Tests should be assessed and
compared, seeing it as a tool for better self-knowledge.

Looking at the three theories that structure human differences, we can see that
they are different and suitable for different situations. Big Five describes person-
ality traits, DISC analysis focuses on describing work styles, and MBTI focuses
on models that recognize thinking styles. There is no point in comparing models
with each other because they are used to clarify different things. (Helin, Helin &
Saarenpää 2018, 41) The MBTI indicator was chosen as a research tool because
the tool is very dynamic, and things get well condensed.

Compared to the two models mentioned above, for the purposes of this research,
MBTI can provide the best assistance when our intent is to understand others
and their activities. If we had focused on personality traits or work style research,
the choice would have been different. “The MBTI model can be said to be the
crystallizer's dream, in which an unusually complex theory is condensed into four-
letter code.” (Helin, Helin & Saarenpää 2018, 42-43)

3.3 MBTI-Indicator

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) allows different people to better under-
stand and accept each other’s differences. MBTI explains people’s differences in
energy orientation, knowledge acquisition, decision-making, and attitudes toward
the outside world. Accepting these differences, it helps to interact with each other
and reduce conflicts and misunderstandings. The MBTI emphasizes an individ-
ual’s potential for development, while several other indicators keep traits un-
changed. MBTI can be used in many fields, which is one of the reasons for its
widespread popularity. Areas of application include management training, organ-
izational behaviour, group activities, team development, career choice and devel-
opment, entrepreneurship education and individual and relationship therapies.
(Routamaa & Hautala 2009, 19)

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The MBTI type indicator is based on the observations of the Swiss psychiatrist
Carl Gustaf Jung about the diversity of people's personalities. Jung published a
book called “Psychological Types” in 1921. He developed his theory by studying
his colleagues’ psychological neuroses. When making observations of them, he
noticed that both dealt neuroses from opposite sides, and not as a whole. Jung
concluded that both looked at the matter based on their own innate preferences.
This finding was a central part of Jung’s twenty-year research of human diversity.
(Auvinen 2001, 9)

Carl Gustav Jung is considered the father of mindset theory. According to Jung,
people are directed to the external and internal world. He began to call those
more strongly oriented to the external world extroverted and those more strongly
oriented to the inner world introverted. These were the first preferences. Later
Jung added mental dimensions to the preferences. The sensing - intuitive image
is a way of perceiving the world, and the thinking - feeling describes of the way
to make decisions. (Helin, Helin & Saarenpää 2018, 239-241)

Jung’s theory was not made known to the public consciousness until the 1960s
after the American Katharine C. Briggs and her daughter Isabella Briggs-Myers
adapted Jung’s ideas into a practical tool. Myers and Myers-Briggs added a fourth
preference to the dimensions perceived by Jung, judging - perceiving, which de-
scribes a lifestyle. Studies on the reliability and validity of the type indicator were
completed in the early 1970s, and in 1975 the first commercial version was pub-
lished. (Routamaa & Hautala 2009, 16-18)

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has been in use in Finland since the 1980s, but
the actual research and validation subject to authorization originated on the initi-
ative of Vesa Routamaa in the early 1990s. MBTI has been studied at the Uni-
versity of Vaasa under the lead of Routamaa for more than 20 years. Their re-
search results show that the importance of understanding personality types is
more emphasized in management work and its development, conflict resolution,
employee personal development and team building. Understanding your own
type of preferences can help you plan your career and approach work more ap-
propriately to your own style in terms of a pleasant work environment, work tasks,

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problem solving, time management, decision making and stress management.
(Routamaa & Hautala 2009, 8-10)

MBTI analysis provides a quick and easy way to get an idea of human behaviour.
It allows us to get to know ourselves and our innate abilities better. With MBTI,
people learn to be aware of and take advantage of difference. It makes it easier
for us to understand which factors in different interaction situations cause conflicts
and discord. For this reason, it is ideally suited to the development of work com-
munities and the use of their potential. (Auvinen 2001, 8-9)

3.3.1 Preferences

The MBTI model includes four different preferences. They describe the direction
of energy, perception, decision-making, and your lifestyle. Based on these, 16
different personality types are created which are described by a combination of
four letters. Each personality type represents one of these counterparts. (Table
1.) However, distinguishing between different types of traits does not mean that
a person would not be able to take a different way of thinking or approaching.
Each person uses some extent in their opposite preference. Definition refers to
the way of thinking or the way a person comes naturally and uses them more
strongly. (Brandt 2011, 18)

TABLE 1. Preference pairs (Brandt 2011, 17)

 Extraversion (E)                               Introversion (I)
 Sensing (S)                                       Intuition (N)
 Thinking (T)                                       Feeling (F)
 Judging (J)                                     Perceiving (P)

Energy direction: Extrovert – Introvert
Extroverts direct their energy outward, into things and people. They get their en-
ergy from being active and interacting with others. Introverts mainly focus on their
inner world of experience and ideas. They are energized by pondering and
spending time alone. In working life, extroverts are eager to get started, want to

18

involve others, and give feedback and to receive it as well. Introverts want to work
more independently and need more physical space. Often it does not mean shy-
ness, but they do not feel the need to participate in the conversation to enjoy it.
(Brandt 2011, 18-19)

Perception: Sensing – Intuition
The sensing ones focus mainly on what they can perceive with their five senses.
They are inherently interested in concrete and verifiable information. The intuitive
focus mainly on detecting patterns and connections. They are interested in in-
sights, abstractions, theories, and the possibility of openness. Sensing people
preferably work on one thing at a time and want clear goals and purpose. Intuitive
people usually work in under of energy and expect inspirations. They often have
multiple tasks in progress as well. (Brandt 2011, 19-20)

Decision-making: Thinking – Feeling
Thinking people tend to make their decisions based on their logicality. They em-
phasize objectivity and impartiality. Feeling people prefer to base their decisions
on their personal values, valuing understanding and harmony. Thinking people
prefer to focus on the work in progress and do not spend much time getting to
know others and building relationships. Their communication style is short and
straightforward. They tend to criticize ideas and are pleased to make suggestions
for improvement. Feeling people enjoy spending time to getting to know others.
They tend to interact, which includes both work and non-work-related issues.
They naturally appreciate the achievements of others. (Brandt 2011, 20-21)

Lifestyle: Judging – Perceiving
Judging people encourage determination and quick decision-making. They prefer
to live in a systematic way. Spontaneous people like flexibility and spontaneity.
They relish that different opportunities are open for as long as possible. Judging
people are often systematic in their way of working and they develop routine ap-
proaches to their work. Spontaneous people are often adaptable and have flexi-
ble and innovative ways of working. (Brandt 2011, 21-22)

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3.3.2 Cognitive styles

Four different cognitive styles describe the common characteristics of different
personality types. Cognitive style consists of the middle letters of the personality
type, i.e., perception and decision-making preferences. There are four cognitive
styles: sensing-thinking (ST), sensing-feeling (SF), intuitive-feeling (NF), intuitive-
thinking (NT). (Brandt 2011, 22)

Cognitive style is often used in the MBTI literature to facilitate the handling of
things. It is easier to draw conclusions as well as remember things about four
different personality trends than sixteen different types. (Routamaa & Hautala
2009, 61)

Sensing - Thinking ST (ESTJ, ISTJ, ESTJ, ISTP)
ST relies on analytical thinking when observing its senses and making decisions.
ST's data collection process is practical and realistic. When making decisions, ST
strives for objectivity. ST´s interests are usually focused on facts, as the person
can process and differentiate them through its senses. ST is a practical and fac-
tual person and does not like to take risks. In working life, ST can be found in the
following fields: law, business, accounting, production, surgery, and machinery
and material handling. (Brandt 2011, 24)

Sensing - Feeling SF (ESFJ, ISFJ, ESFP, ISFP)
SF's data collection process is also practical, and SF also relies on its senses
when observing its environment. When making decisions, SF prefers its own val-
ues and feelings. SF approaches decision-making situations with its personal
warmth because SF’s values and feelings determine how much things mean to
personally. SF is more interested in people and relationships than things in gen-
eral. SF is sympathetic in nature, social and friendly. In working life, SF likes to
focus on areas where kindness and warmth is effectively in use. These areas are,
for example, teaching, selling concrete things, medical care and other areas of
health care that may be in direct contact with the patient. (Brandt 2011, 24)

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Intuition – Feeling NF (ENFJ, INFJ, ENFP, INFP)
When observing, NF relies on intuition. NF does not pay as much attention to the
concrete situation as the ST and SF. NF prefers to focus on all types of possibil-
ities, such as new projects, events, and ideas. New ideas arise as a result of a
subconscious process that comes to NF’s consciousness in quick flashes. When
making decisions, the NF prefers its own values, like SF. NF likes people and is
happy to focus on people-oriented fields. NF´s best side is ability to work with as
many different people as possible and get the best out of each of them. NF is
polite and persuasive and often has a great need to help others. By nature, NF is
usually a positive idealist. NF enjoys the work of allowing creativity, especially if
it can still work with or for people. NF can often be found as a teacher, selling
abstract things, as a consultant, writer, or researcher. (Brandt 2011, 24-25)

Intuition – Thinking NT (ENTJ, INTJ, ENTP, INTP)
In the perception process, NT relies on intuition like NF. NT is happy to gather
information and observe abstract things and possibilities. In making the final de-
cision on all possibilities, NT ends up being analytical. NT tends to apply theory
to everything and enjoys doing things in new ways. NT easily perceives wholes
and conceptualizes things. NT expresses itself clearly and precisely when speak-
ing. NT can see the logic and principles of things deeper than the surface. Be-
cause of that, NT often focuses on being a researcher, strategic planner, or in the
technical and administrative fields. (Brandt 2011, 25)

3.3.3 Summary of 16 personality types

ISTJ – Logistician
“Practical and fact-minded individuals, whose reliability cannot be doubted.”
(NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) Serious, responsible, and systematic type.
Keeps things organized and strives for its goal despite disruptions. (Brandt 2011,
25)

ISTP – Virtuoso
“Bold and practical experimenters, master of all kinds of tools.”
(NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) Calm and reserved, takes things realistically and
works effectively in crisis situations. (Auvinen 2001, 36)

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ESTP – Entrepreneur
“Smart, energetic and very perceptive people, who truly enjoy living on the edge.”
(NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) An active and varied person who enjoys new
experiences. Not building life in living routines, rather looking for new ways to do
things that already exist. (Auvinen 2001, 40)

ESTJ – Executive
“Excellent administrators, unsurpassed at managing things – or people.”
(NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) Systematic, practical, and principled type. The
type tends to examine and put everything around in order. (Routamaa & Hautala
2009, 104)

ISFJ – Defender
“Very dedicated and warm protectors, always ready to defend their loved ones.”
(NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) Quiet, caring, and friendly type. Balances group
work and conveys the feelings of others. (Brandt 2011, 26)

ISFP – Adventurer
“Flexible and charming artists, always ready to explore and experience some-
thing new.” (NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) A compassionate character who con-
siders the needs of others and experiences strongly their grief. Very flexible and
spontaneous person who does not like precise plans. (Auvinen 2001, 37)

ESFP – Entertainer
“Spontaneous, energetic and enthusiastic people – life is never boring around
them.” (NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) Energetic, realistic, and adaptable.
Strives to find fun and excitement or is willing to create it around if necessary.
Works on a whim and meets their needs. (Routamaa & Hautala 2009, 110)

ESFJ – Consul
“Extraordinarily caring, social and popular people, always eager to help.”
(NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) Sociable, harmonious, and practical personality.
Feels a great need to help others, organize and strive to get others to collaborate.
Traditional values guide choices. (Routamaa & Hautala 2009, 112)

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INFJ – Advocate
“Quiet and mystical, yet very inspiring and tireless idealists.”
(NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) Loving, imaginative and serious person. Wants
to help the world through the work as well as inspire others. Sees the strengths
of others and has an empathetic and compassionate nature. (Routamaa & Hau-
tala 2009, 114)

INFP – Mediator
“Poetic, kind and altruistic people, always eager to help a good cause.”
(NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) Eager and loyal but trusts only after getting to
know the person well. A very pensive and helpful person. Often taking on too
many tasks at the same time. (Brandt 2011, 27)

ENFP – Campaigner
“Enthusiastic, creative and sociable free spirits, who can always find a reason to
smile.” (NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) A very individual, independent, and im-
aginative person. Often inspired by the whim of the moment. Interested in identity,
personal growth, and authenticity. Can see what is important to others and un-
derstand their thoughts. (Routamaa & Hautala 2009, 118)

ENFJ – Protagonist
“Charismatic and inspiring leaders, able to mesmerize their listeners.”
(NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) Social, popular, and sympathetic personality.
Takes care of others with their understanding and responsible nature. Interested
in things that directly and prominently affect the lives of others. (Routamaa &
Hautala 2009, 150)

INTJ – Architect
“Imaginative and strategic thinkers, with a plan for everything.”
(NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) An independent, theoretical, and inquisitive per-
son. Works in its own way and goes towards its own endeavours. Not focusing
on the details but rather on the big picture. (Auvinen 2001, 35)

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INTP – Logician
“Innovative inventors with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.” (NERIS Ana-
lytics Limited 2021) Analytical, logical, and theoretical personality. A quiet person
but pleased to discuss topics that knows plenty. Enjoys theory and scientific
goals. (Routamaa & Hautala 2009, 151)

ENTP - Debater
“Smart and curious thinkers who cannot resist an intellectual challenge.”
(NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) An energetic, inventive, and inspiring person.
Enjoys learning new things and is interested in almost everything. Good at prob-
lem solving but may neglect routines. (Auvinen 2001, 43)

ENTJ – Commander
“Bold, imaginative and strong-willed leaders, always finding a way – or making
one.” (NERIS Analytics Limited 2021) A strong-willed, straightforward, and deter-
mined person. An innate leader and organizational developer. Enjoys interacting
with others and sharing ideas and opinions. Considers it important to organize
and plan things. (Auvinen 2001, 47)

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4 TEAMWORK DEVELOPMENT

Working in teams in the corporate world has grown substantially. At the same
time, research and theory related to teamwork have steadily increased. There are
books that describes about the different stages and development of teams. The
relationship between team development and the personalities of team members
in a small company has not been significantly studied.

There is a lot more teamwork than before. According to a U.S. research, collab-
oration between managers and employees has increased by 50 percent in a few
decades. (Hiila, Tukiainen & Hakala 2019, 61)

Ideally, team members complement each other in terms of working and progress-
ing effectively. In a functioning team, roles that focus on thinking, doing, and peo-
ple are in a balanced relationship with each other. For the absolute functioning of
the team, it is not enough for the team members to get along with each other. A
successful team means a team that also succeeds commercially. Business suc-
cess comes from doing and working. (Aspegren 2015)

By understanding the thinking of others and the way things are handled, we can
better anticipate how our own behaviours or choices will affect the team and in-
dividuals. In this way, we are better able to shape our behaviour in a direction
that supports our goal.

4.1 Five dysfunctions of a team

Patrick Lencioni’s theory examines team dynamics and what things affect team
performance. Lencioni’s book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, describes one
problem step by step. When solving it, it takes us to the next level towards the
top of the pyramid. At the top there is an opportunity to get a top team experience.

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                         INATTENTION
                          TO RESULTS

                         AVOIDANCE OF
                        ACCOUNTABILITY

                      LACK OF COMMITMENT

                       FEAR OF CONFLICT

                       ABSENCE OF TRUST

FIGURE 2. The five dysfunctions of a team (Lencioni 2002, 196 modified)

The dysfunctions described by Lencioni (2002) are often interpreted as separate
problems, but he describes in his book that they are all interconnected.

1. Absence of trust
The first dysfunction is an absence of trust. Team members are not completely
open, unwilling to report mistakes, and afraid to be vulnerable. It makes building
trust challenging for the team. Genuine trust can only be created by getting to
know each other. This will lower our walls and make us vulnerable in front of
each other. (Lencioni 2002, 196-197)

2. Fear of conflict
An absence of trust prepares us for another dysfunction, a fear of conflict. This
means that team members are afraid of conflicts because they have no trust in
each other. (Lencioni 2002, 196-197)

3. Lack of commitment
When no conflicts arise, we cause the next dysfunction in the team. Team mem-
bers have not experienced conflict and have not been able to express their opin-
ions openly. This has created a lack of commitment and people are not respecting
agreed decisions. (Lencioni 2002, 196-197)

26

4. Avoidance of accountability
In the absence of commitment, a fourth dysfunction develops, avoidance of ac-
countability. Because there is no clear commitment to action, team members
seem not to intervene to things that are not for the benefit for the team. (Lencioni
2002, 196-197)

5. Inattention to results
The fifth dysfunction occurs when we are not accountable to each other. Inatten-
tion to results happens when other things are put before the common needs of
the team. (Lencioni 2002, 196-197)

4.2 Work community skills

Intelligent and innovative Teams are united by psychological security. Dare to fail
without fear of the reaction of others improves teamwork skills. (Perttula 2019)

Creating common ways of working in the work community is about learning, suc-
cess, and teamwork. The work community can experience problems in showing
emotions when difficulties cannot be dealt with together. Worrying and repeating
a problem does not benefit anyone, finding solutions takes the whole team for-
ward. Work communities need emotional sensitivity and listening to others so that
every member of the work community can experience a sense of appreciation.
The best way to take care of the emotional climate of the work community is to
take care of yourself. Maintaining one's own competence and work community
skills are important elements in the overall picture. (Lohisalo 2017)

4.3 Team intelligence

Team intelligence is a crucial competitive factor. Team intelligence arises when
all the abilities of team members are utilized to achieve a common goal. Members
trust each other, they dare to take risks, and they can tolerate changing situations.

Team intelligence differs from traditional teamwork in how it develops and takes
power from change. Team intelligence not only brings strength to the organiza-
tion, but also develops the individual. It helps us to identify our own strengths,

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develop our weaknesses, learn from others, and tolerate change. Well-being at
work also improves as interaction skills improve. While the division of roles in the
workplace is important, the ideas of all employees deserve to be heard. It is a
team intelligence democracy. At its best, team intelligence enhances the effi-
ciency of the entire company's operations. It is reflected in the financial state-
ments as an increased result. (Hiila, Tukiainen & Hakola 2019, 61-67)

In the future, machines and robots will increasingly replace our work. The things
that are not substitutable are where the thoughts should be directed. It is worth
investing in intelligent cooperation and interaction. Team intelligence is signifi-
cantly important now and in the future. (Hiila, Tukiainen & Hakola 2019, 221)

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5 THE DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS

This part of the thesis focuses to the steps of the research, the methods used,
and how the required data was collected. The research should provide an answer
to the main research question “What are the benefits of understanding different
personalities for successful teamwork in a small company?" In addition to the
research problem, the following sub-questions are clarified within the research.
   •   What kind of personalities do the entrepreneurs of Miela Designroom rep-
       resent?
   •   How is their personality reflected in the work community?
   •   How can different personalities be better utilized in teamwork?

5.1 Research method

Qualitative research means any research that seeks to achieve results without
statistical methods or quantitative methods. Qualitative research is generally cho-
sen when the phenomenon is not known. In this case, there is no theory that
would explain the phenomenon under the research. The aim is therefore to de-
scribe, understand and interpret the phenomenon under research. (Kananen
2014, 18)

The research was conducted using a quantitative research method. No previous
research or theory can be found on the same research topic. For this reason, the
method was chosen for this research topic. Qualitative research provides an op-
portunity to gain an in-depth view of the phenomenon as well as a comprehensive
description of the phenomenon. (Kananen 2014, 16-17) The qualitative research
method was also well suited as a research method because the data to be col-
lected for the research were designed to be collected from different sources.

When we research the impact of personalities in a teamwork and it´s develop-
ment in a small company, we aim to understand the phenomenon and not gen-
eralize it. For this reason, the study is not carried out as a quantitative study, as
it seeks to generalize. (Kananen 2014, 26) The data collection method and ma-

29

terial of qualitative research is often various documents, interviews, and obser-
vations. Interviews are the most used data collection method for qualitative re-
search. (Kananen 2014, 42)

The interview is especially suitable for studying abstract phenomena. The meth-
odological advantage is that certain persons can be appropriately selected for
interview. The interview as a method is also very flexible and allows the re-
searcher to gather information by directing the discussion in a direction relevant
to the research question. (Puusa & Juuti 2020, 106-107) In order to get infor-
mation about the phenomenon and the research problem, it was essential to in-
terview certain people, i.e., the entrepreneurs of Miela Designroom.

A semi-structured interview was chosen as the interview type. This allows the
researcher to formulate questions in advance based on the topic and theory. The
answer options are not predetermined, which has the advantage that the inter-
viewees get an answer from everyone's own point of view. A semi-structured in-
terview is also clear and safe for an inexperienced researcher, as the interview is
supported by a detailed list of questions. (Puusa & Juuti 2020, 111-112)

5.2 Designing & carrying out the research

From the beginning of the project, it was clear that the research would be con-
ducted using a qualitative research method. When designing data collection
methods, it was necessary to consider what is needed to carry out the research.
Once the right data sources were selected, the right tools were found to investi-
gate the problem.

The team members involved in the research first conducted a Myers-Briggs type-
indicator-based personality self-assessment test with 60 statements. The person-
ality test contains statements from which the respondent chooses the option that
best describes her. Based on this, we were able to gather information about
Miela's entrepreneurs based on our chosen personality theory MBTI-indicator.
The results of the personality tests already answered one of the sub-questions
and provided a perspective when drafting the interview questions.

30

Semi-structured interview is the most common of all qualitative research meth-
ods. (Qu & Dumay 2011, 246) In this research, it also clearly proved to be the
best method. The interviews were conducted on a pre-agreed date and time. All
three were interviewed at consecutive times and approximately the same time
was used for each of the interviews.

The semi-structured interview includes pre-planned questions guided by the iden-
tified themes in a coherent and systematic way. The questions are designed to
produce more complex answers. (Qu & Dumay 2011, 246)

When planning the interview, it was also examined how it should be conducted
and what things should be avoided during the interview. Qu, S.Q. & Dumay
(2011) mentions four important interview skills in their article:
   •   The first thing to do is establish a relationship with the interviewees.
   •   Second, the interviewer should be able to keep the conversation going and
       avoid questioning the conversation. Asking questions with one-word an-
       swers that stop the interview should also be avoided.
   •   Third, the interviewer should also know when to interrupt and learn to focus
       and accelerate the interview.
   •   Finally, the interviewer should adopt an unprejudiced attitude and increase
       patience so that moments of silence work on behalf of the interviewer.

The quality of the interview can also be maintained by paying close attention to
the following three principles:
1) Maintaining the flow of the interviewee’s story
2) Maintaining a positive relationship with the interviewee
3) Avoiding the prejudices of the interviewers
(Qu & Dumay 2011, 248) These issues were considered and practiced before
conducting the interviews to make the interview as successful as possible.

Sandy Q. Qu and John Dumay (2011) have defined guidelines for the interview
in their article. The interview questions in this research are designed based on
the research topic and these guidelines:
1. The purpose of the first questions is to stimulate discussion and move on to
the main interview.

31

2. Next questions are intended to refer to the previous one and to be a follow-up
question.
3. In this stage, the questions are intended to be exploratory and complementary.
4. Specifying questions of the interview are intended to have more detailed de-
scriptions of previous statements.
5. Direct questions for which clear and straightforward answers are desired.
6. Indirect questions to ask projective questions.
7. Structuring questions to refer to the use of key questions.
8. Allowing breaks to allow interviewees to reflect, but also the ability to break the
silence at the right point.
9. Interpreting questions to rephrase and clarify answers.
10. Throw away questions when sensitive areas have already been discussed.
(Qu & Dumay 2011, 249)

After the individual interviews were held, the interviewees were given a 15-state-
ment team evaluation form. This team assessment is based on Patrick Lencioni’s
theory of five dysfunctions in a team what was presented earlier in the chapter
four. Team assessment is a tool to help assess a team’s vulnerability to these
dysfunctions. Each team member should answer the questions and score for
each category. From the points, it can then be deduced whether there are possi-
ble dysfunctions in the team. Finally, the results are examined by discussing, re-
viewing, and comparing differences. (Lencioni 2002, 199)

5.3 Reliability of the research

The dependability and quality of the research is measured by reliability and va-
lidity. Reliability starts from the definition of the research problem. It is also im-
portant to find out whether the problem or problems are defined correctly, i.e.,
whether the right things, i.e., validity, are being investigated. If the validity, i.e.,
the problem, is not defined correctly, the next steps of the process will fail. The
material collected must be authentic and adequate, and the interpretations made
must be correct. Reliability means that if the study were to be repeated, the re-
sults should be consistent with the first research. (Kananen 2019, 31)

32

Interviewees were asked to take a free personality test available on the internet
based on the MBTI indicator (16 personalities). No results are known about the
reliability and validity of electronically commissioned personality analysis, but it is
not relevant entirely to this thesis. While this test does not have full reliability and
validity, it does increase the interviewee’s self-knowledge and understanding of
others. The research does not rely entirely on this personality test alone, as the
research problem is studied using several methods. Scientific personality re-
search uses the Finnish MBTI form, which reliability and validity have been ex-
amined. “The scientific study on personality involves the systematic investigation
of individual differences and the organized functioning of the person as a whole.”
(Pervin 2003, 33)

Conducting qualitative research interviews is not a trivial attempt. It requires the
use of a variety of skills such as intense listening and taking notes, but also care-
ful planning and adequate preparation. In order to gather useful interview data for
research purposes, it is essential that researchers develop as much expertise as
possible in the relevant subject areas so that they can ask reasoned questions.
(Qu & Dumay 2011, 239) The researcher has sought to develop interview skills
by familiarizing herself with the skills required for a successful interview. Exper-
tise has been developed by studying materials and theories related to the re-
search problem.

It is essential for quantitative research that the assessment of reliability is based
on the research's ability to produce generalizable outputs. In a qualitative study,
this is not possible, then reliability is examined within the framework of that re-
search and according to the qualitative methods used in the work. (Puusa & Juuti
2020, 178) This research should be viewed through a reliability review, i.e., to
examine whether all phases of the study have been performed correctly. (Ka-
nanen 2014, 146)

Exploring different perceptions, beliefs, values, or meanings is challenging.
Therefore, conducting successful interviews requires skills and experience. The
interview allows to find out only the interviewee's perceptions, and not the actual
thing or phenomenon. The issues raised by the subjects are always the interpre-
tation of the researcher, which must be kept separate from the phenomenon itself