Major and Classification
Business Administration Concentration Business Communication
Faculty Mentor
Naomi Warren, Ph.D.
Department
Marshall School of Business, Business Administration
McNair Project
“Think for Yourself: The Effects of Myers-Briggs Thinking/Feeling Dimensions on Business Team Decisions”
Project Abstract
According to Carl Jung (1921), business team members have their own individual cognitive judgment preferences for either Thinking or Feeling. However, the business arena is thought to be driven by a Thinker’s preference towards objective profit rational (Simon, 1979). Groupthink is a common phenomenon that might occur when the team makes decisions with such a narrow set of viewpoints (Janis, 1977). Prior literature suggests that heterogeneous groups lend themselves to better quality decision making to avoid groupthink (Maier, 1930). As a result, business programs and corporations alike have made efforts to create diverse teams. However, there is still debate over how to create suitably diverse teams. This study aims to analyze the influence of the Thinking and Feeling rationality preferences on team decision making. To collect data for the pilot study, we videotaped and observed the behavior of university students in a business simulation. Participants were separated into teams and were asked to collectively discuss and come to a consensus on a company issue. The participants were then surveyed and interviewed about their personal decision making preferences and their experiences in the simulation. The study suggests that personal judgment preferences are key components to forming diverse teams that ensure that business decisions are not continuously based on objective profit-driven ideals. By promoting and creating teams based on cognitive judgment preferences, business programs may make students aware of varying decision making processes that will be essential upon entering the industry.