Personality in the Workplace

Module from SIOP

Personality in the Workplace

• Personality includes the unique ways people think, act, and behave

• Personality tends to be fairly stable over the lifespan, though it can be influenced by situations

• Thus, personality is an individual difference variable that could be viewed as important in the workplace

Personality Traits in the Workplace

• Trait theories are most relevant to work and the workplace– The Big Five, most common– Research on other traits: negative affectivity,

curiosity• How do different personality traits become

important in the workplace?

The Big Five and Job Success

• Conscientiousness– Shown to be related to success in most jobs– Also predicts honesty

• Extraversion– Related to success in sales jobs– Also related to leadership

• Openness to Experience– Related to success in training on the job– Also related to success in working overseas

• Agreeableness• Neuroticism

Other Workplace Issues and Personality Traits

• Negative Affectivity– Defined as the tendency to display negative states or

view situations negatively– Correlated with reports of job satisfaction (negatively),

organizational commitment (negatively), work stress (positively), work-family conflict (positively)

• Trait Curiosity– Defined as the desire for new information that influences

a person to explore issues and ideas– Predicts information seeking in new hires and the

tendency to frame new information positively

Class Discussion• How can employers use the research on

personality traits to help them find employees who will be successful on the job?

• Are there legal implications of using personality testing for employment decisions?

• What are some examples when you or others acted in a way that was not consistent with your or their personality? – What characteristics of the situation might be responsible

for this?

For more information…

Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1991). The Big Five personality dimensions and job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44, 1-26. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.1991.tb00688.x

Barrick, M. R., Mount, M. K., & Judge, T. A. (2001). Personality and performance at the beginning of the new millenium: What do we know and where do we go next? International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 9, 9-30. doi: 10.1111/1468-2389.00160

Harrison, S. H., Sluss, D. M., & Ashforth, B. E. (2011). Curiosity adapted the cat: The role of trait curiosity in newcomer adaptation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96, 211-220. doi: 10.1037/a0021647