The book Please Understand Me by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates was the first publication I read which provided me a common sense, yet systematic approach to understanding my clients and, particularly, their needs. Written for laymen, this book is designed to help people understand who they are, as well as to bring them greater understanding and appreciation of the people close to them. Until recently, when I devised my own instrument, I gave to each new client a simple temperament questionnaire (also called a "sorter"), an example of which was found in the front of Keirsey's book.
The temperament sorter used by Keirsey and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) were developed more than forty years ago from Alfred Jung's personality theory. These sorters have been administered to over six million people and are considered to be about 75% reliable, a satisfactory rate for my purposes. The resulting information helps me determine, among other things, how effective my client will be at future negotiations, what weakness can be improved upon, and whether this is a case that will "settle" without the need for a trial.
The sorter contained here is a "self help" tool. You simply pick one of a set of paired questions, score the outcome yourself, and then look up which of the 16 personality profiles most closely describes you. This is psychological testing at its least expensive, to be conducted by yourself, in your own home, on your own couch.
The sorter classifies four basic "temperament types" which have been noted in psychological theory. The functions within your temperament type point to how you perceive and judge, as well as not how you come to decisions. From these functions, one can reasonably describe many of the components that make up what is called your personality, with all its strengths and weaknesses. After administering the sorter to my client, I review with them the results to confirm how close the client fits into one of the 16 personality "types". Usually, we achieve a reasonable level of accuracy within 10-15 minutes. I then ask them to attempt to answer the questions in the sorter as though they were the spouse. Although less reliable, I get a reasonable close working model of what my client's potential negotiating opponent is like. Over the course of developing temperament profiles on hundreds of clients and their spouses, I have been able to observe some common patterns in the differences between the negotiating styles of these various temperament types. Understanding the four temperaments and, in particular, understanding the differences in people can, I believe, help predict how two people will be able to negotiate with each other.
I have included in the Appendix hereto, some of my research, a "sorter" that will hopefully help you determine the temperament of your client, followed by an outline of how I believe these 16 personalities negotiate with each other.
Briefly, the theory behind the different negotiating styles is predicated on the assumption that all people are predisposed toward certain ways of perceiving and behaving. These are described as follows:
My wife and I are both certified to administer the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Temperament Indicator). We offer here some explanations of the various traits and functions modelled on Keirsey's sorter, which should give you a fairly quick handle on what "type" you are.
If you are a Thinker, you probably rely on impersonal analysis and tend to be practical and logical. If you are a Feeler, you probably rely on personal warmth and tend to be sympathetic and insightful.
If you are a Sensor, you probably focus on facts. If you are Intuitive, you probably focus on possibilities.
People who intend to negotiate with each other can use either the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or a derivative, such as David Keirsey's book, as a negotiating tool to recognize their own needs and to be in touch with themselved and where they are going. The sorter helps people to validate the personal differences between each spouse while providing reminders of how to deal with those differences harmoniously. I explain to clients that it is just as important to know and understand your spouse's personality type as it is to know and understand your own. By putting yourself in your spouse's shoes, you take a giant step toward understanding your former partner's needs, fears, preferences and, ultimately, negotiating style. There are few surprises for well-informed clients at the bargaining table.
I suggest to the client, for example, that "if you know your spouse has a preference for being a Thinker (using MBTI parlance), you should be sure to have a list of logical reasons for your requests. If your spouse is introverted, you can be prepared for a few silences while he or she reflects upon ideas inwardly during your discussions. If your spouse is extraverted, you can be prepared to have him or her think out loud, but later discard some of the ideas. If your spouse is a Judger, you can understand his or her need for a timetable in the decision making process".
In summary, an understanding of the negotiation process is not complete without an appreciation of the differences that each partner brings to the bargaining table. I have found that some form of psychological testing, particularly the MBTI ir Keirsey's temperament sorter, can provide tremendous insights into the personalities involved and their needs. For the past eight years, I have been studying and observing how the 16 types of personalities interact with each other. Some of those observations, still tentative and not yet validated, are set forth in the Appendix hereto .
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