The Character of Organizations

Using Personality Type in Organization Development

by William Bridges

Davies-Black, 2000

ISBN: 9780891061496
Pages: 158

Category: Leadership & Management

In this summary you will learn

• What the Organizational Character Index is
• How to characterize an organization
• What the 16 different organizational types are; and 4) Why you need to understand these basic organizational types

Why you should read The Character of Organizations

Organizations have their own personalities, as William Bridges demonstrates by applying the most popular personality test ever devised for humans to groups of people working together. Bridges developed the "Organizational Character Index" (OCI) from the ubiquitous Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator. While OCI thus far lacks the rigorous testing of hundreds of certified Myers-Briggs trainers, intuitively the model makes sense. Bridges provides a useful way of thinking about organizational styles and tries to understand the nature of departments within organizations. Abundant examples, lists and charts help illustrate the principles. getAbstract recommends this book to managers and human resource professionals seeking insight into the nuances of organizational development, provided that they are willing to spoon through a certain amount of alphabet soup. (Note: Though this book has a 2000 copyright date, with the exception of a new forward by Sandra Krebs Hirsh, it is a republication of a work written in about 1990.)

About the Author

William Bridges, Ph.D., principle of Williams Bridges & Associates, has been a leader in transition management since the 1980 publication of his best-seller Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes. Bridges and his company have provided assessment, training and consulting services to hundreds of organizations, including Amoco, AT&T, Intel and Motorola. His other books include Managing Transitions, JobShift and Creating You & Co.

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