The team role mandala can be used in some team building exercises, using ropes.  This is because the mandala not only maps onto the Jungian function-attitudes (as explained in my previous blog) but also because it maps closely to Myers Briggs theory and in a very useful way.  I'll describe the mapping today, and the exercise using ropes tomorrow.

Home Base

In Myers Briggs theory there are sixteen types, which map on to the team role mandala in the following way:

Anyone, of any Myers Briggs type, can undertake any team role.  That is, any type can move around the wheel and operate on any part of it.  What the Myers Briggs type code indicates in the above diagram is the home base, the part of the wheel that is preferred, the place where you like to be.

As you move around the wheel, the further you move from the home base the more stretch you experience (and there is also a stretch from the outside to the inside).  So, for example, if your preferences are for ISTJ and you are undertaking the Explorer team role then this is a big stretch.  You are stretching from one side of the wheel to the other, and from the inside to the outside.  On the other hand, if you are undertaking the Curator team role then this is a small stretch (or no stretch at all, perhaps).  The concept of stretch can be very useful in coaching.

Two Main Axes

The mandala is based on two axes that are at the heart of Myers Briggs theory: perception and judgement.

Perception

The vertical axis contains the perceptive functions or mental muscles.  These are the mental muscles that are used for perceiving things or information - and not only perceiving, which is passive, but they can also actively create things and/or information.

Judgement

The horizontal axis contains the judgement mental muscles.  This is not to be confused with 'judgemental', which is something quite different.  Judgement refers to decision-making, and in the Myers Briggs model of personality the judgement mental muscles are used for making decisions, or organising things/information.

Function Pairings

The mandala can also be divided into four quadrants to match the Myers Briggs function pairs.  Myers Briggs theory suggests that individuals prefer to use one perceiving function and one judging  function, as together they provide a degree of balance that every individual needs.  That is, one's home base on the wheel is usually close to the border between two functions rather than purely in the middle of one function.