What are the best personalities for an agile team?

A discussion in one of the groups am I am member of in LinkedIn asked the question – specifically which of the Briggs-Myers personality types fits best.

This off course got me thinking. First I tried a test myself so I knew what type I was myself, and if that fitted both the role I have filled on agile teams (product owner) and agile thinking in general. It turned out that I was an INTJ which means that I am Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging. Having an INTJ personality as a product owner is probably is probably a good fit, as evidenced by this qoute: ”INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability.”.

Then I turned to look at if it possible to determine if there is a single or range of characterics that fit agile thinking better then others. But I actually could not find any. Is it easier for an extrovert than introvert to think in agile terms? Is a judging personality worse at agile than a perceiving?

If we look at the agile manifesto, there is probably a good chance, that an extrovert would be better at having people and interactions come before processes and tools – and a thinking personality worse at selecting working code over documentation. But with four dictomies the Briggs-Meyers personalities have sixteen different outcomes and when I read them they all have some advantages that could be useful on an agile team.

Thats when I remembered that behind the agile manifesto there are 12 guiding principles and 3 of them are about teams (see below). Agile thinking is very team oriented. And normally you would look for a synergistic effect of a team where the whole is more then the sum of the component parts. This often require different personalities that supplement each other. A team of 5 masterminds like me (the INTJ type is called the mastermind in the Keirsey temperaments sorter) would probably not make as good a team as a team with 5 different types.

This has lead me to the conclusion, that there are no best personalities for agile thinking or teams. It will probably be a good idea not to have opposite personality types on the same team, as they might disrupt the team, unless there is also a mediator type that can talk to both of them. The Briggs-Myers personalities can be used a tool when you select your team, but you have to remember that as with any other tool individuals and interactions comes before tools and processes.

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The 3 guiding principles about teams in the agile manifesto are:

Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.

The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.