Managing stress

New research sends clear message to team leaders

Stress can affect a leader’s approach to risk which is strongly tied to investment and business strategy. But if a leader knows how their personality type affects their natural approach to risk-taking, as well as what stresses them out in the first place, they’re less likely to react to stress by making poor decisions.

New research and data shows how different personality types approach conflict. But what does it mean for Introverted types? 

Paying closer attention to employee needs is the way to make remote, in-office, and hybrid teams function better

Learn the types and causes of conflict to be better prepared in how you manage conflict 

If conflict management is something you dread, here’s how to start turning it around

What is change management and why does it matter for organizations?

The Myers-Briggs Company is launching a new podcast about psychology, personality, work life, and how to get the best from life. 

If not, you might be part of a hybrid strategy that’s about to fail.

As employees return to the office, they’re expecting more flexibility in their social contracts with employers. How can HR help?

How FIRO helps people to build trust in their relationships, improve morale and reduce stress in the workplace.

Are your employees stressed about the holidays? Help them recognize their stress triggers and better manage stress with better understanding of their personality type

Does personality impact survivor syndrome?

Explore resources to help use self-awareness for self-improvement

In light of Stress Awareness Month, OPP Lead Consultant Helen Rayner asks what we mean by ‘awareness’.

Do people with different type preferences use the same or different methods to develop their self-awareness?

Continue to explore research around self-awareness – this time focusing on the role of your MBTI type.

Research results are in! How do people benefit from improved self-awareness and how do they get there?

Gender, leadership and the pressure of organisational culture

Which MBTI book will you add to your collection this World Book Day?

Did you miss some of the most popular content from last year?

Penny Moyle reflects on an inspiring MBTI user event

How knowing your MBTI Type and Core Character can help you recover from stress

Quick fixes are great, but what about a long-term solution to managing stress?

No-one likes open plan offices, so what can we do about it? Check out this research-based advice.

Visits to our Personality Matters blog were at an all-time high in 2014, and we covered a wide range of topics in our weekly posts. Over the last 12 months we've talked about the best MBTI-based books and the various resources available for L&D teams. We’ve promoted Movember, and we’ve commented on the Paul Flowers furore. We've also continued to thrive as thought leaders in a diverse range of workplace psychology issues, from recruitment and assessment centres to polarity management. But what are the top five posts that readers have returned to again and again?

In the second of our blog posts looking at 20 invaluable books about MBTI^® and type, we review another ten titles that have impressed MBTI practitioners or been a key support in their work with the MBTI assessment. As with the first batch, the books featured here are listed in no particular order, and comments are from individual reviewers who responded to our request for reviews on the Linked In group OPP Qualified Professionals.

Few things in life are free – but OPP has some really cool free resources to support you in your work! To help celebrate our 25 years in the business, we’ve taken a trawl through the various goodies available for zero outlay on our website. They range from white papers and feedback materials to fun quick guides and infographics – many of which can also be found on our practitioner downloads page.

The blog has been increasing in popularity over the last year. We've celebrated 70 years of the MBTI system with posts on best practice, ethics and the diversity of applications; we've blogged about topical events such as the horsemeat scandal, the European elections and Andy Murray's Wimbledon win; and we've continued to thrive as thought leaders in a diverse range of workplace psychology issues, from stress to benchmarking to onboarding and retention. But what are the top five posts that have kept readers coming back again and again?

Email communication is notoriously prone to misunderstanding. Deceptively informal, it lacks the richness of face-to-face communication. I’ve just experienced this myself (again): I sent what I thought was a clear and straightforward email, which was perceived by the recipient as pointed and critical. It has taken several voice-to-voice conversations to clarify and mend fences. I don’t know about you, but I need all the help I can get to avoid my emails causing conflict and confusion.

Workplace stress accounts for 40% of work-related illness, yet employers often shy away from giving stress the attention it deserves. The business psychologists at OPP are an exception though, giving plenty of thought to this lingering problem. We believe that if organisations and individuals take the right approach, they can build resilience and boost performance. Want to know more about that ‘right approach’? Then take a look at some of the best resources we’ve put together on the subject.

With Andy Murray clinching victory in the Wimbledon final, the England cricket team winning the Ashes, Chris Froome becoming the second British winner of the Tour de France and Christine Ohuruogu scooping gold in the 400m at the World Athletics Championships, it's been another great summer of British sporting success. Of course, physical prowess and natural sporting ability are essential ingredients for elite athletes, but here we consider which personality traits might make the difference between the good and the great in the sporting world.

When I speak to people who have ‘done the MBTI’, all too often all they can recall from their experience is their four-letter MBTI type (sometimes even that is a stretch!). The initial impact has been lost, and the ongoing learning that should have opened up after cracking their four-letter code has eluded them.

We have all felt stress at work at some point in our lives. It has been estimated that over 105 million working days are lost each year because of work-related stress, and OPP’s own research found that over 70% of UK workers find their work stressful. However, whilst low-level stress affects most people, this doesn’t have to lead to distress for any one individual. Using the right coping strategies can cut the link between stress and distress; manageable amounts of pressure can then have a positive impact and enhance motivation and increase engagement.

If you think stress is everywhere, you’re right! But do you know how to cut the seemingly inevitable tie between the stressors of modern life, and the type of distress that sends people off sick, off the radar or off the rails? Our infographic takes a peek.

Having blogged on the theme of leadership through the last quarter of 2012, OPP presents 10 top tips for keeping leaders in top condition during 2013 and beyond.

In December, our lives are dominated by Christmas. That, at least, is what TV, internet and high street window displays would have us believe. In the interests of glimpsing the truth behind the tinsel glitz and Christmas muzak, OPP carried out a survey a few years ago to see how people approached the various elements of the festive season.

In December, our lives are dominated by Christmas. That, at least, is what TV, internet and high street window displays would have us believe. In the interests of glimpsing the truth behind the tinsel glitz and Christmas muzak, OPP carried out a survey a few years ago to see how people approached the various elements of the festive season.

After two years of intensive work, the Office for National Statistics has published a new report on how happy we are in the UK (Measuring National Well-being: Life in the UK, 2012).  Inevitably, the news media have picked up on the “happiest places to live in the UK” (the Outer Hebrides, Shetlands and the Orkney Islands), but overall the survey shows that things are not as bad as we might have feared, despite the downturn.

The business world is a stressful place right now. Identifying and selecting those resilient professionals who take external pressures in their stride is one thing; but there are inherent dangers in relying solely on the resilience of individuals. Creating an environment that fosters resilience is a stronger long-term solution.