personality & job performance

8/16/2019 Personality & Job Performance

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Introduction

In some ways we are all the same. We all have the same human nature.

We share a common humanity. We all have human bodies and humanminds, we all have human thoughts and human feelings.

Yet in other ways we are all completely different and unique. No two people are truly alike. No two people can ever have the same experienceof life, the same perspective, the same mind.

omewhere between these two ! our common humanity and our unique

individuality ! lies personality.

"ersonality is about our different ways of being human. #ow the humannature we all share manifests in different styles of thinking, feeling andacting.

"ersonality is something we can consciously develop, like our physicalhealth and fitness. $his includes the possibility of developing character %a set of strengths and virtues &as well as weaknesses and vices' thatindividuals can adopt and develops throughout life.

"ersonality is who we are, or at least who we seem to be, as individualsin everyday life. It(s how we express ourselves to others and how we

perceive ourselves as a result. ome of us are more extravert than others.ome of us are more neurotic than others. It(s all relative.

$he definition of personality we most frequently use was produced by)ordon *llport nearly + years ago. *llport said personality is -thedynamic organi ation within the individual of those psychophysicalsystems that determine his unique ad/ustments to his environment.0

o we can say that, personality as the sum total of ways in which anindividual reacts


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to and interacts with others. We most often describe it in terms of themeasurabletraits a person exhibits.

#ow we measure "ersonality

Measuring Personality $here are no right or wrong answers in the personality test. $here is also no positive or negative personality.

"ersonality is measured based on its suitability to the /ob requirements.1anagers need to know how to measure personality because personalitytests may be useful in hiring decisions and help managers forecast whois best for a /ob. $he most common means of measuring personality isthrough self2report surveys, with which individuals evaluate themselveson a series of factors, such as -I worry a lot about the future.0 $houghself2report measures work well, one weakness is that the respondentmight lie or practice impression management to create a goodimpression. When people know their personality scores are going to beused for hiring decisions, they rate themselves as about half a standarddeviation more conscientious and emotionally stable than if they aretaking the test /ust to learn more about themselves. *nother problem isaccuracy. * perfectly good candidate could have been in a bad moodwhen taking the survey, and that will make the scores less accurate.3bserver2ratings surveys provide an independent assessment of

personality. #ere, a co2worker or another observer does the rating&sometimes with the sub/ect(s knowledge and sometimes not'. $hough

the results of self2 report surveys and observer2ratings surveys arestrongly correlated, research suggests observer2ratings surveys are a

better predictor of success on the /ob. #owever, each can tell ussomething unique about an individual(s behavior in the workplace. *nanalysis of a large number of observer2reported personality studiesshows that a combination of self2report and observer2reports predicts


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performance better than any one type of information. $he implication isclear% use both observer ratings and self2report ratings of personalitywhen making important employment decisions.

"ersonality 4eterminants$here are three personality determinants. $hese are%

5 #eredity6 7nvironmental 8actors9 *ging

"ersonality $raits7arly work on the structure of personality tried to identify and label

stable characteristics that describe an individual(s behavior, includingshy, aggressive, submissive,la y, ambitious, loyal, and timid. Whensomeone exhibits these characteristics in a large number of situations,we call them personality traits of that person. $he more consistent thecharacteristic over time, and the more frequently it occurs in diversesituations, the more important that trait is in describing the individual.1yers2:riggs $ype Indicator and the :ig 8ive 1odel are the dominantframeworks for identifying and classifying traits.

1yers2:riggs $ype Indicator It is most widely used personality assessment instrument in the world. Itis a 5 2question personality test that asks people how they usually feelor act in particular situations. $his model shows ; differentclassifications for individuals. or 7 $>'. 8our classifications individuals areclassified as with the 1yers2:riggs $ype Indicator. $hese are%

5 7xtroverted or Introverted &7?I'6. ensing or Intuitive & ?N'9. $hinking or 8eeling &$?8';. >udging or "erceiving &>?"'

$hese classifications together describe 5= personality types, identifyingevery person by one trait from each of the four pairs. 8or example,Introverted?Intuitive?$hinking?>udging people &IN$>s' are visionaries


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with original minds and great drive. 5= personality types are stated below%

5 IN$> % Imaginative and trategic thinkers with a plan foreverything

6 IN$" % Innovative inventors with an unquenchable thrusts forknowledge

9 7N$> % :old, imaginative and strong willed leaders, always findinga way or making one

; 7N$" % mart and curious thinkers who cannot resist anintellectual challenge

@ IN8> % Auiet and mystical ,yet very inspiring and tireless idealists

= IN8" % "oetic, kind and altruistic people, always eager to help agood cause

+ 7N8> % % Eery dedicated and warm protectors, always ready to defendtheir loved ones55 7 $> % 7xcellent administrators, unsurpassed at managing things

or people56 7 8> % 7xtraordinary, caring, social C popular people, always

eager to help59 I $" % :old C practical experimenters, masters of all kind of tools5; I 8" % 8lexible C charming artists, always ready to explore and

experience something new5@ 7 $" % mart, energetic and very perceptive people, who truly

en/oy living on the edge5= 7 8" % pontaneous, energetic and enthusiastic people F life is

never boring around them1:$I can be a valuable tool for increasing self2awareness and providingcareer )uidance. :ut it is tough for mangers to correlate this model to


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performance evaluation. 3ne problem is that it forces a person into onetype or anotherG that is, you(re either introverted or extraverted. $here isno in2between, though in reality people can be both extraverted andintroverted to some degree.

$he :ig 8ive "ersonality 1odel

1ost researchers agree that while more than five dimensions of personality are present in human beings, nearly all of them can besubsumed within five% emotional stability, conscientiousness,agreeableness, extraversion, and openness to experience. $hese fiveglobal factors are often called the :ig 8ive or the 8ive28actor 1odel.$hey are summari ed in $able 5.

Openness &sometimes called intellect or imagination' $hismeasures

your level of creativity, and your desire for knowledge and newexperiences.

Conscientiousness F $his looks at the level of care you take in your lifeand work. If you score high in conscientiousness, youHre organi ed and


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thorough, and you know how to make plans and follow them through. Ifyou score low, youHre likely to be lax and disorgani ed.

Extraversion/Introversion F $his dimension measures your level of

sociability. *re you outgoing or quiet 4o you draw energy from acrowd, or do you find it difficult to work and be around others

Agreeableness F $his dimension looks at your level of friendliness andkindness to others. 4o you have empathy


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manipulate more, win more, are persuaded less, and persuade othersmore than do low 1achs.5+ Yet these high21ach outcomes aremoderated by situational factors. It has been found that high 1achsflourish &5' when they interact face to face with others rather thanindirectlyG &6' when the situation has a minimum number of rules andregulations, thus allowing latitude for improvisationG and &9'whenemotional involvement with details irrelevant to winning distracts low1achs.

Narcissism

* person high in narcissism has a grandiose sense of self2importance,requires excessive admiration, has a sense of entitlement, and is

arrogant. sually narcissists are rated by their bosses as less effective attheir /obs, particularly when it comes to helping other people.

Kisk $aking

"eople differ in their willingness to take chances. $his propensity toassume or avoid risk affects how long it takes managers to make adecision and how much information they require before making achoice.

$ype * "ersonality

$ype * and $ype : personality theory describes two contrasting personality types. In this theory, personalities that are more competitive,outgoing, ambitious , impatient and?or aggressive are labeled $ype *,while more relaxed personalities are labeled $ype :.

$ype *(s differ from $ype :(s in their ability to get hired. $ype *(s do better in /ob interviews because they are more likely to be /udged as

having desirable traits such as high drive, competence, aggressiveness,and success motivation.

"roactive "ersonality

Individuals with a proactive personality identify opportunities, showinitiative, take action, and persevere until meaningful change occurs.


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$hey create positive change in their environment, regardless or even inspite of constraints or obstacles.

"ersonality and National


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management or customer service department. $hey are also extrovert people and high in openness. $hey are good at team work.

In summary, high emotional stability and conscientiousness are desirable

in nearly all /obs, and the level of agreeableness, extraversion, andopenness to experience are dependent on the /ob duties andrequirements. While personality can relate to how well a person

performs a /ob, it is not the only characteristic upon which a hiringdecision should be made. Ideally, a personHs education, experience, andintelligence should be evaluated for a position, with personality being

part of the criteria considered.

personality & job performance

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