Military Review English Edition March-April 2016 | Page 59

THE BIG FIVE

Compared to the MBTI, the Big Five is a relatively
simple and frugal approach to self-awareness. Because
the Myers-Briggs instrument is a commercial product,
its use incurs a cost for both the MBTI instrument and
its administration by people certified by the corporation holding the copyright. The Big Five personality factors, on the other hand, can be measured in a
variety of ways to include online versions that are both
public domain (free) and anonymous. Versions exist
that range from an incredibly short, not-too-specific
ten-question assessment to more detailed surveys with

a hundred or more questions. Many versions of the Big
Five come with average scores of other sample populations to aid in the interpretation of the results.
The MBTI has done an admirable job in introducing self-awareness and self-reflection to the Army. The
time has come, however, for the Army to move beyond
the MBTI and adopt an approach to self-awareness
that is scientifically established and conducive to leader
development. The Big Five personality factors fulfill
that requirement. It is now up to the Army to take full
advant age of this potent leader development tool.

Col. Stephen Gerras, U.S. Army, retired, is a professor of behavioral sciences in the Department of Command,
Leadership, and Management at the U.S. Army War College. He served in the Army for over twenty-five years,
including commanding a light infantry company and a transportation battalion, teaching leadership at West Point,
and serving as the chief of operations and agreements for the Office of Defense Cooperation in Ankara, Turkey. He
holds a BS from the U.S. Military Academy, and both an MS and PhD in industrial and organizational psychology
from Penn State University.

Lt. Col. Leonard Wong, U.S. Army, retired, is a research professor in the Strategic Studies Institute at the U.S. Army
War College, who focuses on the human and organizational dimensions of the military. His career includes teaching
leadership at West Point and serving as an analyst for the chief of staff of the Army. Wong is a professional engineer,
and holds a BS from the U.S. Military Academy and an MS and PhD from Texas Tech University.

Notes
1. “MBTI Basics,” Myers & Briggs Foundation website,
accessed 23 December 2015, http://www.myersbriggs.org/
my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/.
2. Daniel Druckman and Robert A. Bjork, eds., In the Mind’s
Eye: Enhancing Human Performance (Washington, DC: National
Academy Press, 1991), 94.
3. Ibid., 96.
4. Todd Essig, “The Mysterious Popularity of the Meaningless Myers-Briggs (MBTI),” Forbes, 29 August 2014, accessed 29
July 2015, http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddessig/2014/09/29/
the-mysterious-popularity-of-the-meaningless-myers-briggs-mbti/.
5. James Michael, “Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a
Tool for Leadership Development? Apply with Caution,” Journal
of Leadership and Organizational Studies 10 (2003): 68–81.
6. Adrian Furnham, “We’ve Got Something for Everyone: The Barnum Effect,” Psychology Today website, 21
November 2014, accessed 23 December 2015, https://
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sideways-view/201411/
weve-got-something-everyone-the-barnum-effect.
7. Amaani Lyle, “Official Discusses Tools to Boost Professionalism,” DoD News, 3 October 2014, accessed 28 July 2015, http://
www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123339.
8. Robert R. McCrae and Paul T. Costa Jr., Personality in Adulthood: A Five-Factor Theory Perspective, 2nd ed. (New York: The
Guilford Press, 2003).
MILITARY REVIEW  March-April 2016

9. Timothy A. Judge, Joyce E. Bono, Remus Ilies, and Megan
W. Gerhardt, “Personality and Leadership: A Qualitative and
Quantitative Review,” Journal of Applied Psychology 87 (2002):
773.
10. Lisa A. Dragoni et al., “Developing Executive Leaders:
The Relative Contribution of Cognitive Ability, Personality,
and the Accumulation of Work Experience in Predicting Strategic Thinking Competency,” Personnel Psychology 64 (2001):
829–64.
11. Stephen J. Gerras and Leonard Wong, Changing Minds in
the Army: Why It Is So Difficult and What to Do About It (Carlisle,
PA: Strategic Studies Institute, 2013), 9.
12. Grace Fayombo, “The Relationship between Personality
Traits and Psychological Resilience among the Caribbean Adolescents,” International Journal of Psychological Studies 2 (December
2010): 105–16.
13. Judge, Bono, Ilies, and Gerhardt, 773.
14. David Mayer, Lisa Nishii, Benjamin Schneider, and
Harold Goldstein, “The Precursors and Products of Justice
Climates: Group Leader Antecedents and Employee Attitudinal Consequences,” Personnel Psychology 60 (Winter 2007):
929–63.
15. Robert Hogan, Personality and the Fate of Organizations
(New York: Psychology Press, 2007), 63.
16. Ibid., 10.
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