Individual Differences
Personality
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Personality
Describe yourself….
What is Personality?
Personality refers to the relatively
stable pattern of behaviors and
consistent internal states that
explain a person’s behavioral
tendencies.
Role of Formative Years
Interactionist Perspective
Situational Influences + Personal Influences
Situational Personal
Influences Influences
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Personality- Personal Influences
Influenced by Nature
• Heredity explains about 50 percent of behavioral
tendencies and 30 percent of temperament
• Minnesota studies – twins had similar behavior
patterns
Influenced by Nurture
• Socialization, life experiences, learning also affect
personality, primary groups
• Personality isn’t stable at birth
• Stabilizes throughout adolescence
• Executive function steers using our self-concept as a
7 guide
Personality Types in OB
Big Five-Personality Model
Openness to experience This trait features characteristics such as
imagination and insight, and those high in this trait also tend to have a broad
range of interests
Conscientiousness: Common features of this dimension include high levels
of thoughtfulness, with good impulse control and goal-directed behaviors.
Those high in conscientiousness tend to be organized and mindful of details.
Extroversion: This trait includes characteristics such as excitability,
sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness and high amounts of emotional
expressiveness.
Agreeableness :This personality dimension includes attributes such as
trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other pro social behaviors.
Emotional stability: Individuals high in this trait tend to experience less
emotional instability, anxiety, moodiness, irritability, and sadness.
How Do the Big Five Traits
Predict Behavior?
Research has shown this to be a better framework.
Certain traits have been shown to strongly relate to higher job
performance:
Highly conscientious people develop more job knowledge, exert
greater effort, and have better performance.
Other Big Five Traits also have implications for work.
Emotional stability is related to job satisfaction.
Extroverts tend to be happier in their jobs and have good social
skills.
Open people are more creative and can be good leaders.
Agreeable people are good in social settings.
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Other Personality Traits
Relevant to OB
1.Core Self-Evaluation
2. Affectivity
3. Machiavellianism
4.Self Monitoring
5. Risk Taking
4. 5-11
1.Core Self-Evaluations Who am
I
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Core Self-Evaluations Who am I
Self Esteem :The overall value that one
places himself upon
Generalized Self Efficacy: Belief in ones
capacity to achieve something
Locus of Control: Extend of feeling that
they can control their situations
Emotional Stability: Tendency to see one as
confident, Secure and steady, Opposite of
neuroticism
2.Affectivity
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Work related aspects of personality
3. Machiavellianism
A personality trait involving willingness to
manipulate others for one’s own purposes
(high machs)
Low on big 5 agreeableness and
extroversion
Only Successful in loose structures
Work related aspects of
personality
4.Self-Monitoring
The ability to adjust behavior to meet external, situational
factors.
High monitors conform more and are more likely to become
leaders.
5.Risk Taking
The willingness to take chances.
May be best to align propensities with job requirements.
Risk takers make faster decisions with less information.
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Linking Personality and Values
to the Workplace
Managers are less interested in someone’s ability to do
a specific job than in that person’s flexibility.
Person–Job Fit:
John Holland’s Personality–Job Fit Theory
Six personality types
Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI)
Key Points of the Model:
There appear to be intrinsic differences in personality between
people
There are different types of jobs
People in jobs congruent with their personality should be more
satisfied and have lower turnover
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Still Linking Personality to the
Workplace
In addition to matching the individual’s personality to
the job, managers are also concerned with:
Person–Organization Fit:
The employee’s personality must fit with the
organizational culture.
People are attracted to organizations that match their
values.
Those who match are most likely to be selected.
Mismatches will result in turnover.
Can use the Big Five personality types to match to the
organizational culture.
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Achieving Personality-Job Fit
Personality
PersonalityTypes
Types
• •Realistic
Realistic
• •Investigative
Investigative
• •Social
Social
• •Conventional
Conventional
• •Enterprising
Enterprising
• •Artistic
Artistic
Holland’s Typology of Personality and
Congruent Occupations
Summary and Managerial
Implications
Personality
Screen for the Big Five trait of conscientiousness
Take into account the situational factors as well
MBTI® can help with training and development
Values
Often explain attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions
Higher performance and satisfaction achieved when the
individual’s values match those of the organization
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Measuring Personality
Objective tests
Projective tests
Test properties
• Reliability
• Validity
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Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Extroversion versus introversion
similar to five-factor dimension
Sensing versus intuition
• collecting information through senses versus through
intuition, inspiration or subjective sources
Thinking versus feeling
• processing and evaluating information
• using rational logic versus personal values
Judging versus perceiving
• orient themselves to the outer world
• order and structure or flexibility and spontaneity
Copyright © 2011 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
All rights reserved. 2-23
The Types and Their Uses
Each of the sixteen possible combinations has a name,
for instance:
Visionaries (INTJ): original, stubborn, and driven
Organizers (ESTJ): realistic, logical, analytical, and
businesslike
Conceptualizers (ENTP): entrepreneurial, innovative,
individualistic, and resourceful
Research results on validity mixed
MBTI® is a good tool for self-awareness and counseling.
Should not be used as a selection test for job candidates.
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