Last Friday, the Accent team gathered at The Enterprise Centre for a meaningful team-building day. Led by Molly Potter, the session involved fun group activities and offered valuable insights into how we work together whilst raising awareness of mental health in the workplace.
Understanding Our Team Through the 16 Personalities Test
Before the session, each team member completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)-based 16 Personalities test, a comprehensive personality assessment that has become one of the most widely used tools for understanding workplace dynamics and personal traits.
The 16 Personalities framework is built upon four key dimensions, each representing a spectrum of preferences:
Introversion (I) vs Extraversion (E): This scale measures where individuals draw their energy from. Introverts tend to recharge through solitude and reflection, whilst extraverts gain energy from social interaction and external stimulation.
Intuition (N) vs Sensing (S): This dimension explores how people process information. Those on the intuitive side focus on patterns, possibilities, and the bigger picture, whilst sensing types prefer concrete facts, details, and practical applications.
Thinking (T) vs Feeling (F): This scale indicates how decisions are made. Thinkers prioritise logic, consistency, and objective analysis, whereas feelers consider personal values, harmony, and the impact on people.
Judging (J) vs Perceiving (P): This final dimension reflects how individuals approach structure and planning. Judgers prefer organisation, clear plans, and decisive action, whilst perceivers value flexibility, spontaneity, and keeping options open.
These four dimensions combine to create 16 distinct personality types, each with its own strengths, communication style, and approach to problem-solving. The assessment provides valuable insights into team dynamics, helping colleagues understand each other's working preferences and potential blind spots.
A Unique Team Profile
The results from our team revealed a fascinating pattern. All but one team member scored on the intuitive scale—a strong indication of our collective focus on innovation, strategic thinking, and creative problem-solving. This makes perfect sense for a digital agency where envisioning solutions and thinking beyond the obvious are essential daily skills.
Interestingly, introverts outnumbered extraverts within the team. This preference for reflection and deep focus aligns well with the nature of development and design work, where concentration and thoughtful consideration often yield the best results.
We also discovered more thinkers than feelers amongst the group, reflecting our analytical approach to solving complex technical challenges. Finally, the team leaned towards perceiving rather than judging, suggesting a preference for flexibility and adaptability—crucial traits in the ever-evolving world of web design, WordPress development, and custom software creation.
Considering the technical and creative nature of our work at Accent, these results weren't entirely surprising. However, recognising that we form quite a unique group with such concentrated preferences provided valuable context for how we collaborate, communicate, and support one another and our clients.
Focusing on Men's Mental Health
The timing of this workshop, at the end of Men's Mental Health Awareness Month, added an important dimension to the day. Understanding personality types and communication preferences isn't just about improving workplace efficiency—it's also about creating an environment where team members feel understood, valued, and comfortable discussing mental health.
Men's Mental Health Awareness Month, observed each November, aims to break down the stigma surrounding men's mental health and encourage open conversations. By exploring our personality types and working styles, we created a foundation for better understanding and supporting each other, particularly in recognising when colleagues might be struggling.
Discovering Norwich Together
After the workshop, the team headed into the city centre for a whistlestop tour of Norwich. For some team members who were new to the area or hadn't visited in a while, it was an opportunity to explore the city's rich history, vibrant culture, and medieval streets. The meal that followed provided the perfect counterbalance to the morning's structured session, allowing everyone to relax, bond, and continue conversations in a more casual setting.
Building a Stronger Team
Days like these reinforce what we've known for over 30 years at Accent: success comes from understanding not just the technical aspects of our work, but the people behind it. By investing time in team development and mental health awareness, we strengthen the foundation that enables us to deliver exceptional results for our clients.
Our unique team profile—with its concentration of intuitive, introverted, thinking, and perceiving types—reflects the specialised skills required in digital development and design. But more importantly, understanding these preferences helps us create a supportive, collaborative environment where everyone can thrive.