Comparing SDI to Myers-Briggs

1. ! 1!
I. What is MBTI?
A basic description of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) can be found at the
Center for Applications of Psychological Type website: http://www.capt.org/mbti-
assessment/mbti-overview.htm
Two key statements from this document are as follows:
“The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in behavior is
actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the way
individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment." [my emphasis]
“The aim of the MBTI instrument is to identify, from self self-report of easily
recognized reactions, the basic preferences of people in regard to perception and
judgment, so that the effects of each preference, singly and in combination, can be
established by research and put into practical use.”
Therefore, at its core, the MBTI is about cognition, i.e. how people come to know
something through the encoding, storing, processing, and retrieving of information. The
MBTI suggests that behavior flows from understanding “What” types of questions:
• What is this?
• What is happening or what has happened?
• What does this mean?
Basically, then, the MBTI says that what people know determines what they will do.

II. What is the SDI?
A basic description of the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) can be found at the
website of the instrument’s publisher http://us.personalstrengths.com/sdi.php?id=104
The SDI is a motivational assessment that provides an understanding of what drives us
and what drives others in our relationships. As a tool about motivation, the SDI speaks to
our personal, deliberate, intentional strivings for what matters most: i.e. our values,
which raise questions of:
• What do I want?
• What is most needed?
• What are my intentions and goals?
The basic premise is that the better we understand what we want from others in our
relationships and the better we understand what others want from us, the more we can
control the outcomes of our relationships. In other words with greater understanding
comes greater power to relate in a way that achieves the results we desire.
The SDI is built on a theory that says that all people want to have relationships with other
people. Therefore, the SDI says that what people want from their relationships determines
what they will do. More simply, the SDI is about why people do what they do.

2. ! 2!
In addition, the SDI is a dual state assessment in that it addresses motives and behavior
both when things are going well in our relationships and also when we are experiencing
conflict in relationships.

III. The rationale for using both
At the highest level we can say that what is on our “minds” determines our behavior. The
concept of mind can be thought of as consisting of three components:
• Cognition – intelligence: the encoding, storing, processing, and retrieving of
information
• Affect – emotional interpretation: how do I feel about this [person, knowledge,
idea]?
• Conation – motivation: putting knowledge and feelings into action
Therefore, to more fully understand a person we need to know not only what they have
on their minds (their perceptions and judgments) but also how they feel about that
knowledge and then how those thoughts and feelings impact the way they relate to other
people. Once we understand those three things, we can significantly understand what
somebody has “on their mind.”
The MBTI is the premier assessment to address personality from the standpoint of
cognition. Advanced applications of the MBTI can also provide insight into affect and
motivation however this requires extensive knowledge of the MBTI and its theory.
The SDI focus is motivation and specifically motivation in relationships. It helps us
understand what drives us to put what we know into action. We might say that the SDI
tells me what I want and that the MBTI tells me how I go about getting what I want. In
addition, the SDI pulls in the affective component of behavior by providing insight into
what is causing us to feel the emotions we are experiencing. Very little advanced
knowledge of the SDI is required to generate these insights.
Another way of looking at the differences is to see the MBTI as an “intra-psychic” tool,
i.e. it’s goal is for me to grow in self-awareness by discovering what is going on inside
my own mind and my own “interests, reactions, values, motivations, and skills.” [from
the CAPT website]
The SDI can best be thought of as an interpersonal tool in that its purpose is help people
make behavior choices in regards to others to build communication, trust, empathy, and
effective, productive relationships.
By understanding what is going on within me and how I translate that into how I relate to
others around me, as well as how others affect me, I have a fuller understanding of my
behavior that can be applied to teamwork, mentoring/coaching, leadership and
management, job satisfaction and retention of personnel, and my own personal
development.

3. ! 3!


IV. Practical differences
MBTI SDI
16 personality types of consciousness
indicative of differing habitual modes of
gathering information and making
decisions
7 different Motivational Value Systems
indicative of themes or clusters of values
Four scales: Extraversion-Introversion;
Sensing-Intuition; Thinking-Feeling;
Judging-Perceiving
Four core motives: Altruistic-Nurturing
(Blue); Assertive-Directing (Red);
Analytical-Autonomizing (Green);
Flexible-Cohering (Hub)
Single state assessment – normal,
conscious, behavior preferences
Dual-state assessment – when things are
going well and when experiencing conflict
Flow of mental energy Emotionally satisfying motives in
relationships
Preference on each scale determines
personality type
Frequency of being driven by each core
motive determines Motivational Value
System
93 item forced choice assessment 20 item assessment with 3 choices per
item; 10 total points are allocated to each
choice by how frequently each choice is
true
Self-score option available but not as
accurate as online version so best practice
is to give the assessment prior to feedback
Self-score and online versions are the same
so the SDI can be given during a workshop
and not by necessity in advance
Additional insights provided by the Step II
instrument (no additional certification
required); and Step III instrument
(additional certification for those meeting
certain qualifications)
Additional insights provided by Portrait of
Personal Strengths, Portrait of Overdone
Strengths (no additional certification
required); and Feedback and Expectation
editions (additional certification required
but no restriction on who may be certified)
No true feedback or expectation versions Feedback and expectation versions
available
Developmental assessment (identifying and
enhancing effectiveness in perception and
judgement) available (Step III)
No developmental assessment available

4. ! 4!
V. MBTI Strengths
Robust underlying theory and supporting research
The MBTI is built upon Jung’s theory of psychological types which itself is a part of a
larger system of analytical psychology. There has been a tremendous amount written by
Jung himself and numerous books and publications by Jungian analysts.
The MBTI assessment likewise has been supported for over 60 years by ongoing
research. CAPT has listed over 11,000 references for the MBTI including doctoral
dissertations, masters thesis, journal articles, books and publications. There is virtually no
application of the MBTI that does not have documentation in support of it:
http://www.capt.org/research/MBTI-bibliography-search.htm
More trainer tools/resources
Related to above are the many books written on the MBTI that help trainers learn more
about the instrument’s applications and increase their skill level. A recent search of
Amazon.com on “Myers-Briggs” found 1,288 results.
User groups and social networks
The Association for Psychological Type International (APTi) is the international
membership organization for professional users of personality type. It’s over 2,000
members meet in local or electronic chapters to discuss type or be part of presentations
and workshops from the top practitioners in the world.
https://netforum.avectra.com/eWeb/StartPage.aspx?Site=APTI
There are also many less formally organized but very active type user groups across the
internet and most popular social media such as Linked In, Facebook and internet forums.
Finally, there are numerous business organizations devoted to advanced application
training in the MBTI provided by world-class trainers. These are done in both on-the-
ground and webinar formats.
Breadth and Depth
All of the research and writing on the MBTI has provided insights on how to use the tool
in every imaginable application. Furthermore, as noted above:
• the MBTI assessment is itself based upon a rich psychological theory;
• and that theory is also part of a larger theory of the psyche from both a personal
and collective level.
What this means is that the MBTI can have an extraordinarily long life – “give me your
four letters and I can talk to you about them for the rest of your life”. An understanding
of the structure of one’s MBTI type (the dominant, auxiliary, tertiary, inferior and
unconscious functions) has tremendous implications for personal, lifelong development.
This requires a great level of knowledge and skill by an MBTI practitioner but the
capability to generate enduring lifetime self-discoveries at very deep levels is inherent
within the MBTI assessment.

5. ! 5!
VI. SDI Strengths
Self-evident and instant “a-ha” impact
According to CAPT, the MBTI . . . “is designed to implement a theory; therefore the
theory must be understood to understand the MBTI instrument.” Therefore, MBTI
facilitators must teach a great deal of theory during the course of providing feedback.
By contrast, the four basic premises of Relationship Awareness Theory are very easily
explained and the SDI virtually teaches itself. The various motivational factors are self-
evident and self-discovery occurs in the process of listening to others rather than the
facilitator.
The practical outcome of this is that while it can take as much as 3-4 hours for a
participant to get their 4-letter MBTI results, SDI workshop participants can literally
begin the self-discovery process within minutes if they have taken the assessment prior to
their feedback session.
Easy to identify and remember differences
Because the characteristics associated with the motivational values are connected to
affect, SDI participants often “feel” (in a physical sense) the energy associated with their
MVS and an immediate sense of discomfort with MVS different than their own. This not
only validates their own personal style but also makes the styles of others very
memorable.
Also my anecdotal experience and that of others is that more people will remember their
MVS “colors” over time than their MBTI types. And the fact that there are only seven
highly identifiable colors rather than sixteen types comprised of four scales makes the
SDI easier for participants to put into practical use. The temperament model of
personality simplifies type by using four highly differentiated and very memorable
groups rather than sixteen but this is an advanced application that many trainers have no
experience with.
A system rather than a type
A frequent objection to the MBTI (and other “type” assessments) is that people feel they
are being “put into a box” or forced to decide between two acceptable choices. The SDI
describes a system of motivations rather than type of personality because it doesn’t ask
participants to make a choice between behaviors but rather state how often they use
certain behaviors. Since most people feel that their behavior “depends”, there can be a
greater sense of comfort with an assessment that allows someone to answer questions
according to the way they see themselves actually behaving.
In truth, the MBTI theory is that each type occurs because of a systematic use of one’s
preferred mode of perceiving and judging and relatively less use of one’s non-
preferences. It assumes that behavior does “depend” but the more frequent use of certain
preferences over others will result in a distinct and observable type of personality.
The practical strength of the SDI is that your result not only provides the kind of system
(most frequent theme of motivation) but your scores also plainly state the amount of time
that you see yourself in each of the core motives. With the MBTI, the underlying system

6. ! 6!
of preferences (from dominant to inferior functions) is not seen in one’s four-letter code
nor is that system typically explained in an introductory workshop.
Less trainer knowledge required
The MBTI was intentionally designed to implement a theory of psychological type. To
effectively teach the MBTI, a trainer needs to know and also be able to teach the
underlying theory. Therefore, a typical workshop involves a great deal of teaching along
with group facilitation.
The SDI, by its design, is intended to facilitate conversations between people about their
relationship. It is best taught by allowing people to quickly connect with the energy of
their inner motives and discover more about themselves by listening to others. It is much
less theory intensive and requires more facilitation skills to allow and manage the
conversations as opposed to teaching skills.

VII. When to Use the MBTI or the SDI
The basic premises in using either tool are as follows:
• The objective of using either tool is greater self-awareness for better self-
management.
• Both tools have great value and complement each other very well. Even though
they measure different things, they are both highly effective vehicles for self-
discovery.
• Because of their complementary value, best practice is to use both in an integrated
fashion.
• The key to integration is to continually be clear regarding the key difference
between the MBTI and the SDI, which is behavior preference v. motivation.
This difference can be succinctly stated as follows:
- What I want (SDI) and how I go about getting it (MBTI) or
- What I tend to do (MBTI) vs. why I want to do it (SDI)
An article entitled The SDI and MBTI: Make Distinctions Rather Than Connections with
examples of those distinctions can be found here:
http://us.personalstrengths.com/sdiblog/?p=177
Both tools have been successfully used in all of the common organizational applications
such as team building, leadership development, project management, coaching and
personal development, etc. However, in deciding which tool to use, instead of thinking
in terms of application, a better approach is to define the desired outcomes for the
application.
In other words, if using an assessment for leadership or management development, what
is it that you want them to do better: communicate; create engagement; manage change?
If it is for team building, what does the team need to do better: collaborate; communicate;
manage conflict?

7. ! 7!
Defining what the desired outcome is will often result in a decision about which tool to
use and how to focus the training. The table below provides some general considerations
regarding how to approach the use of either instrument.
MBTI SDI
Conflict prevention and
management– getting into it
less often, getting out it faster
Can indirectly point to
potential sources of conflict
but more around tasks rather
than relationships
SDI is preferred because
conflict is primary focus of
the assessment and conflict
is addressed directly in an
introductory session
Communication: the
exchanging and processing of
information
Because it deals directly with
information processing, the
MBTI is preferred
Deals with communication
indirectly as path to greater
interpersonal influence
Collaboration (Teamwork):
where are they coming from?
Why of behavior as opposed
to what; engagement,
motivators, demotivators
Good because it raises
awareness of different ways of
approaching similar tasks but
does not address motivational
issues, i.e. the why of behavior
as opposed to what
Temperament theory helps
type theory address the above.
SDI is preferred because it
makes easily identifiable
what makes a task
intrinsically satisfying, i.e.
issues of motivation,
demotivation and
engagement
Problem Solving and Decision
Making
MBTI focus is process, i.e.
what information are we using
and how will we evaluate it
SDI focus is values, i.e. what
matters most
Work Styles/Project
Management
MBTI is preferred as it
directly measures preferred
ways of approaching tasks
SDI is more relationship
focuses, i.e. preferred ways of
dealing with others
Culture: shared attitudes,
values, goals, and practices
that characterize an institution,
organization or group
Type table analysis will raise
awareness of this, especially
looking through various lenses
such as Temperament,
function pairs, attitude pairs,
interaction styles
Composite Portrait of Personal
Strengths and/or Team
Expectations Portrait analysis
will raise awareness of this
directly
Stress Task-related stressors
generally related to forced use
of non-preferences
Much research and resources
available regarding “grip”
experiences
Restriction of Valued Relating
Style of overuse of mask
behaviors as indicated by
Portrait of Personal Strengths
Change management What people will do to
manage the change
What people need during
change to fully engage it

In addition, there are two appendices to this document that address specific outcomes and
which tools are appropriate to use.

8. ! 8!
VIII. Two Critical Considerations
Time: one time vs. extended time
After hundreds of MBTI and SDI introductory workshops, my own anecdotal experience
is that the SDI provides the greatest impact on self-awareness and behavior in a short
amount of time. You teach less theory; generate more discussion and understanding of
one’s own style and that of others; provide insight to the sources of conflict; and how
conflict manifests itself. Furthermore, due to participants’ strong identification with the
color scheme of the SDI, it does appear to be more memorable and have more traction
with the organization or team over time.
This is not to minimize the value of an MBTI introductory workshop. It’s success as the
widely used psychological instrument in the world demonstrates that it is a proven
effective tool for self-discovery. Having said that, the MBTI is too often underutilized
compared to its full potential. The MBTI’s true strengths lie in its complex structure and
those strengths are best realized over time rather than at one time.
However, because the MBTI’s focus is on how people best gain and apply knowledge, it
is probably a superior tool to use in certain applications. This document contains
suggestions for where the MBTI or the SDI should be the primary assessment. But for a
one-time general teambuilding or self-discovery event, I believe a greater impact can be
achieved with the SDI.
Trainer skill and impact
In general, the things the SDI can accomplish can be done with no additional training.
Therefore, a trainer does not have to be especially skillful to create a significant impact
on the desired outcome with the SDI.
The potential for a deeper and longer-term impact is greater with the MBTI than the SDI.
However, to achieve this potential requires learning a complex theory and being able to
relate that theory in a practical and actionable way. This cannot be done without a
commitment to additional training and study as well as experience teaching the advanced
content.

9. ! 9!
Appendix A. 18 Ways You Can Use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or the
Strength Deployment Inventory to Create Better Teamwork
! MBTI!SDI!
1. It!will!tell!you!why!some!
people!think!and!act!
differently.!
Good!Good!
2. You!can!identify!areas!of!
strength!and!possible!blind!
spots!of!the!team.!
Good,!through!type!
table!analysis!
Good,!through!using!
POPS!and!PODS!
3. When!team!members!
understand!their!styles!and!
the!styles!of!others,!they!are!
likely!to!be!more!effective!
working!together.!
Yes!Yes!
4. It!will!reveal!what!types!of!
information!each!team!
member!presents!first!and!
pays!the!most!attention!to.!
Best%Good!
5. It!will!reveal!how!people!
respond!to!conflict!and!
provide!a!framework!in!
which!team!members!can!
identify!and!reduce!sources!
of!conflict.!
Good!Best%
6. It!will!help!you!understand!
team!members’!differing!
approaches!to!creativity,!
decisionOmaking!and!
problem!solving.!
Best%Good!but!
interpersonal!values!
focused!rather!than!
process!focused!
7. It!will!reveal!what!role!
people!prefer!to!play!as!part!
of!a!team.!
Good!and!even!better!
using!Temperament!
model!
Best%
8. It!will!reveal!the!cultural!
norms!of!the!team.!
Good!Good!
9. It!can!provide!team!
members!with!awareness!of!
what!irritates!them!and!how!
they!irritate!others.!
Good!and!even!better!
using!Temperament!
model!
Best%

10. ! 10!
!
! MBTI!SDI!
10. It!can!assure!that!the!
positive!contributions!of!
each!team!member!are!
recognized!rather!than!
devalued.!
Good!and!even!better!
using!Temperament!
model!
Best%
11. It!will!reveal!differences!
among!team!members!in!
their!styles!of!time!and!
project!management.!
Best%N/A,!the!SDI!is!more!
relationship!focused!
than!task!focused!
12. You!will!have!a!tool!for!
strengthening!
communication!among!team!
members.!
Best%Good!
13. It!can!help!team!members!
understand!and!adapt!to!
differences!in!management!
and!leadership!style.!
Good!Good!
14. It!will!reveal!what!types!of!
work!projects!and!
environments!each!person!
thrives!in.!
Good!Best%
15. You!will!better!understand!
team!members!who!may!
keep!their!best!side!hidden.!
Best,!relates!to!
introversion!and!
extraversion!
N/A!
16. It!will!reveal!differences!
among!team!members!in!
terms!of!what!they!value!and!
what!they!consider!“ideal”.!
Good!and!even!better!
using!Temperament!
model!
Best%
17. It!can!provide!team!
members!with!awareness!of!
what!they!find!motivating!
and!rewarding.!
Good!and!even!better!
using!Temperament!
model!
Best%
18. It!provides!insight!into!what!
causes!stress,!how!one!
behaves!under!stress!and!
how!to!recover!from!it!
Best,!especially!as!it!
relates!to!functionO
attitudes!and!
Temperament!
Good,!more!regarding!
interpersonal!conflict!
due!to!mask!
behaviors!
!

11. ! 11!
Appendix%B.!Nine%Reasons%Why%the%Myers6Briggs%Type%Indicator%or%the%
Strength%Deployment%Inventory%Can%Help%You%Be%a%Better%Leader%
! MBTI!SDI!
1. It!will!tell!why!some!people!
think!and!act!differently!than!
you.!
Good!Good!
2. It!will!reveal!the!natural!
strengths!each!person!has!to!
offer!you.!
Good,!task!focused!Good,!relationship!
focused!
3. It!will!give!you!tools!for!
strengthening!your!
communication!with!others.!
Best%Good!
4. It!will!help!you!understand!
people!who!may!keep!their!
best!side!hidden.!
Best,!relates!to!
introversion!and!
extraversion!
N/A!
5. It!will!reveal!what!types!of!
information!you!and!other!
people!present!first!and!pay!
the!most!attention!to.!
Best%Good!
6. It!will!reveal!what!types!of!
work!projects!a!person!thrives!
in.!
Best%Good!
7. It!will!reveal!what!types!of!
work!environments!each!
person!thrives!in.!
Good!and!even!better!
using!Temperament!
model!
Best%
8. It!will!reveal!how!people!
respond!to!conflict!and!
provide!a!framework!in!which!
others!can!identify!and!reduce!
sources!of!conflict.!
Good!Best%
9. It!will!reveal!what!role!people!
prefer!to!play!as!part!of!a!
team.!
Good!and!even!better!
using!Temperament!
model!
Best,!easier!to!
understand!about!
others!

12. ! 12!
Appendix%C.%Self6Selection%Ratio%Analysis%
Self-Selection ratios are used to determine how frequently different MBTI types appear
in groups of similar characteristics. It compares the percentage of each type in a sample
group to the percentage of that type in a base comparison group. When a type preference
has a ratio greater than 1, it is said that this preference is over-represented in this group.
When a type preference has a ratio less than 1, it is said that this preference is under-
represented in this group.
I did a Self-Selection ratio analysis that used my!own!database!of!225!individuals!who!
have!validated!MBTI!and!SDI!results!and!identified!a!single!MVS,!i.e.!I!did!not!include!
people!selfOreporting!multiple!MVS,!e.g.!“Hub/Red”!or!“Blue/BlueOGreen.”!An!
example!of!my!analysis!is!this:!I!looked!at!the!percentage!of!Extraverts!there!were!in!
the!Blue!MVS!group!(65%).!I!compared!that!to!the!percentage!of!Extraverts!in!my!
total!database!(52%).!65%!÷!52%!=!1.25.!Therefore,!Extraverts!are!over%represented!
with!the!Blue!MVS!group.!
This!type!of!analysis!was!done!for!each!of!the!eight!MBTI!preferences!and!each!of!
the!seven!MVS!groups.!The!overOrepresented!preferences!greater!than!1.2!for!each!
MVS!Group!are!below.!
Blue E 1.25
F 1.85
Red-Blue E 1.57
F 1.24
Red E 1.35
T 1.56
J 1.32
Red-Green T 1.95
Green I 1.72
S 1.44
T 1.69
Blue-Green I 1.64
F 1.21
Hub T 1.22

It is critical to keep in mind that all MBTI types are in each of the MVS groups.
Therefore, over-representation does not mean equivalence, i.e. Blue does not equal
Feeling or Green does not equal Thinking. 1 It is far more insightful to be able to say,
“Extraverted Blues relate to people this way and Introverted Blues relate to people that
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1!It!is!interesting!to!note!that!all!of!the!18!RedOGreens!in!my!database!prefer!
Thinking.!

13. ! 13!
way”, than to say “Blues tend to be extraverts.” Again, my article at
http://www.personalstrengths.com/sdiblog/?p=177, has a number of real-life examples of
different preference-based behavior within the same MVS group.