MBTI Team Development Activity to Explore External and Internal Motivators

Team members discuss motivators during an MBTI workshop

3-minute read

Written by: Psychometrics Canada

The External and Internal Motivators activity is an MBTI® team building exercise that helps a team understand what drives each member. Participants reflect on their own motivators, then discuss the team's strengths and blind spots together.

Team cohesion matters more as work spreads across locations. A UK study reported by HR Magazine found that remote working is putting team cohesion at risk. Cohesive teams tend to outperform less cohesive ones, a pattern explored in the psychology of team performance. The External and Internal Motivators activity works in person or virtually, so remote and hybrid teams can use it too.

Individual Reflection Questions on External and Internal Motivators

Individual reflection comes first, with each participant answering six questions on their own. The questions fall into two groups: external motivators and internal motivators.

External Motivators: Environment and Team Needs

External motivators are the conditions around a person that help or hinder their performance. Participants answer three questions about their environment:

  • What helps me to be my best?
  • What gets in the way of me being my best?
  • What do I need from the team and environment?

Internal Motivators: Values and Personal Drive

Internal motivators come from within a person, such as their values and what energizes them. Participants answer three questions about what drives them:

  • What's important to me?
  • What motivates me?
  • What demotivates me?

Group Discussion Questions on Team Strengths and Blind Spots

The group discussion shifts the focus from individuals to the team as a whole. The team works through five questions together:

  • What do you see as your team's strengths and weaknesses?
  • How might you overcome the weaknesses?
  • Is one type or preference over-represented in the team? If so, what impact could this have?
  • What might happen if you ignore different opinions in the team?
  • What does it feel like to work in this team?

Debrief Steps That Connect Motivators to MBTI Preferences

A strong debrief links what participants learned to their MBTI preferences and to daily teamwork. The facilitator can guide the debrief in two steps:

  • Ask participants to share their thoughts and connect each insight to their MBTI preferences.
  • Ask the team, "What does this mean for our team meetings?"

Tips for Running a Virtual Motivators Workshop

The External and Internal Motivators activity runs well online with a few small adjustments. Facilitators of virtual sessions can follow five tips:

  • Encourage participants to turn on their video.
  • Guide the group discussion so that everyone contributes.
  • Share the External and Internal Motivators PowerPoint template with participants.
  • Replace flip charts with a virtual whiteboard where participants can list team strengths and weaknesses.
  • Debrief the activity the same way you would in a face-to-face session.

Pairing MBTI Type With Workplace Behavior Insights

The MBTI describes how people prefer to take in information and make decisions. Teams who want a closer look at day-to-day behavior can use Team Dynamics, built on the Work Personality Index. Team Dynamics maps each member's behavior across communication, conflict resolution, teamwork, problem solving and managing change.

More MBTI Team Development Resources

Five resources extend the External and Internal Motivators activity with more MBTI exercises, guides and related reading:

Facilitators can find more resources for debriefs and group activities in the MBTI Community, which is free to access in your Psychometrics Canada online assessment portal.

The External and Internal Motivators activity comes from the MBTI Playbook for delivering programs in organizations. Teams new to type can start with an overview of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® assessment.

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