Psychological type and preferred learning styles of institutional advancement officers: an initial study using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in three geographic areas

Abstract

<p>The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was used to determine the psychological types of 545 institutional advancement officers (alumni administrators, educational fund raisers, public information officers, and senior advancement professionals) who were registered for one district conference of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in 1988, 1989, or 1990. There were 295 respondents from the Northeast (Districts I/II), 155 from the Midwest (District VI), and 95 from the Northwest (District VIII);ENTJ (18.90%) was the most frequent type in the total sample. While the general population is 75 percent Sensing, the advancement sample was 65 percent Intuitives. There were no statistically significant differences between men and women in the sample. In the total sample, there was an over-representation of IN and EN preferences, but these were not statistically significant. Geographic comparison by district revealed significant under-representation of IS in District VIII when compared to District VI, and an over-representation of ES in District VIII, when compared to District I/II;The advancement sample was analyzed using the Selection Ratio Type Table to compare it with base populations of university teachers and business managers and administrators. Compared to the teachers, the advancement officers showed stronger preference for Extraversion, but similar preference for Intuition; compared to the business managers and administrators, the advancement officers showed a stronger preference for Intuition. The facilitation role of the advancement professional was discussed as the facilitator between these two groups, the Intuitive faculty and the fact-oriented (Sensing) businesspersons;Data were presented on the frequency of MBTI types by career classification (alumni administrator, educational fund raiser, public information officer, senior advancement professional, and other) with the recommendation that further in-depth study be made of these classifications as well as specific specialties within fund-raising (annual fund, planned giving, etc.). Suggestions were made regarding how type and learning style preferences, as reported by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, can be used to structure learning experiences and improve role perception.</p>