ORGANISATION BEHAVIOUR

Topic: personality

Personality in Organisational Behavior (OB)

Personality in Organisational Behavior of an individual plays an extremely important role in
assessing the behaviour of a person at an organization. Personality can be defined as those
inner psychological characteristics that both determine and reflect how a person think and act in
an environment.
The inner characteristics of personality are specific qualities, attributes, traits, factors and
mannerism that distinguish one individual from other individuals. Personalities are likely to
influence the individual’s product and store choices. They also affect the way consumer
responds to a firm’s communication efforts. In case an individual who is holding a senior
position in an organization has a wrong type of personality, it may lead to a very bad impact on
the relationship and ultimately it may lead to protests and unrest at the workplace.

Sometimes the personality difficulties are the root cause of labour strikes. No matter how good
the superior is in technical knowledge or other behavioural characteristics, it is the
‘temperament’ of the superior that is crucial in ensuring a cordial interaction with subordinates.
Many businesses have realized the importance of leadership in an organization in shaping the
personality of employees

Personality Characteristics
Managers should learn as much as possible about personality in order to understand their
employees. Hundreds of personality characteristics have been identified.

7 personality characteristics that influence individual are:

1. Locus of Control
2. Self-Efficacy
3. Self-Esteem
4. Self-Monitoring
5. Positive/Negative Affect
6. Risk-Taking
7. Type A and Type B Personality

Locus of Control
The degree to which individuals perceive control over a situation being internal or external is
called locus of control. Locus of control refers to the range of beliefs that individuals hold in
terms of being controlled by self (internal locus) or controlled by others or the situation (external
locus).

Self-Efficacy
Generalized self-efficacy refers to a belief about one’s own ability to deal with events and
challenges. High self-efficacy results in greater confidence in one’s job-related abilities to
function effectively on the job. Success in previous situations leads to increased self-efficacy for
present and future challenges.
Self-Esteem
An individual’s self-worth is referred to as self-esteem. Individuals with high self-esteem have
positive feelings about themselves. Low self-esteem individuals are strongly affected by what
others think of them, and view themselves negatively.Self-Monitoring
The extent to which people base their behavior on cues from other people and situations is self-
monitoring. Individuals high in self-monitoring pay attention to what behavior is appropriate in
certain situations by watching others and behaving accordingly. Low self-monitoring individuals
prefer that their behavior reflects their attitudes, and are not as flexible in adapting their behavior
to situational cues.

Positive/Negative Affect
Individuals exhibit attitudes about situations in a positive or negative fashion. An individual’s
tendency to accentuate the positive aspects of situations is referred to as positive affect, while
those accentuating less optimistic views are referred to as having negative affect. Employees
with positive affect are absent from work less often. Negative affect individuals report higher
levels of job stress.

Risk-Taking
People differ in their willingness to take chances. High-risk-taking managers made more rapid
decisions and used less information in making their choices than low risk-taking managers.

Type A and Type B Personality

Type A personality individual is aggressively involved in a chronic, struggle to achieve more and
more in less and less time, and if required to do so, against the opposing efforts of other things
or other persons.Type B personalities are rarely harried by the desire to obtain a wildly
increasing number of things or participate in an endless growing series of events in an ever
decreasing amount of time.

The Big Five Personality Model

A personality assessment model that describes five basic dimensions of
personality.

These are the Big Five factors:

• Conscientiousness. The conscientiousness dimension is a measure of per- sonal consistency
and reliability. A highly conscientious person is respon- sible, organized, dependable, and
persistent. Those who score low on this dimension are easily distracted, disorganized, and
unreliable.
• Emotional stability. The emotional stability dimension taps a person’s abil- ity to withstand
stress. People with emotional stability tend to be calm, self-confident, and secure. High scorers
are more likely to be positive and optimistic and to experience fewer negative emotions; they
are generally happier than low scorers. Emotional stability is sometimes discussed as its
converse, neuroticism. Low scorers (those with high neuroticism) are hypervigilant and
vulnerable to the physical and psychological effects of stress. Those with high neuroticism tend
to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and insecure.
• Extraversion. The extraversion dimension captures our relational approach toward the social
world. Extraverts tend to be gregarious, assertive, and sociable. They experience more positive
emotions than do introverts, and they more freely express these feelings. On the other hand,
intro- verts (low extraversion) tend to be more thoughtful, reserved, timid, and quiet.
• Openness to experience. The openness to experience dimension addresses the range of
interests and fascination with novelty. Open people are cre- ative, curious, and artistically
sensitive. Those at the low end of the cat- egory are conventional and find comfort in the
familiar.
• Agreeableness. The agreeableness dimension refers to an individual’s pro- pensity to defer to
others. Agreeable people are cooperative, warm, and trusting. You might expect agreeable
people to be happier than disagree- able people. They are, but only slightly. When people
choose organiza- tional team members, agreeable individuals are usually their first choice. In
contrast, people who score low on agreeableness are cold and antagonistic.

Positive and Negative Psychosocial Outcomes of the “Dark” Personality Traits

the dark triad refers to a trifecta of unfortunate personality traits. Personality traits that, when
found in the employees at your company, need to be managed with care.
These traits are Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy.
People who possess these traits can be very unpleasant to work with. They are often
domineering, manipulative, and arrogant. They may even become violent. Fortunately, there are
ways that you, as a leader at your company, can manage people with dark triad traits effectively
and maintain harmony in your workplace.

The Three Pillars of the Dark Triad

Let’s dive into each of these dark triad traits, explain what they are, and discuss how to identify
them in your employees.
Narcissism
Narcissism is characterized by feelings of intense self-admiration at the expense of others.
People who possess this dark triad trait are selfish, vain, and crave the spotlight.. If you’re a fan
of the show, you’ll understand his narcissistic tendencies.
But there are varying degrees of this condition. A hint of narcissism usually doesn’t hurt
anybody. It becomes a problem, though, when the narcissistic person neglects to recognize the
feelings of others. In extreme circumstances, general narcissism can become a genuine mental
illness called narcissistic personality disorder.
Identifying Narcissism
Narcissism can be identified by themes of superiority. If you have an employee who’s cons tantly
propping himself up, taking credit for the hard work of others or bullying co-workers, they might
have this dark triad trait.

Machiavellianism
Machiavellianism is characterized by a lack of empathy, manipulation, deceit, and a self-
interested focus on personal gain. Think back to your childhood. Remember the Disney classic,
The Lion King? Scar is an excellent example of Machiavellianism. He is completely devoid of
empathy and manipulates his way to the lion throne.
Identifying Machiavellianism
If you have an employee that uses charm and friendliness as a means to a personal end, she
may be a “Mach”. Folks like this are often emotionally detached, patiently seeking opportunities
that will benefit them. Admittedly, Machiavellianism is often hard to detect because it can be
subtle.

Psychopathy
Finally, we have psychopathy, a character trait defined by a lack of empathy, manipulative
behavior, and antisocial tendencies. It’s important to note that, should you identify certain
psychopathic traits in an employee, they are NOT necessarily murderous criminals! It’s perfectly
possible for someone to struggle with psychopathy and not break the law.
Identifying Psychopathy
Just like Machiavellianism, psychopathy can be hard to spot. You’ll need to look at your
employees and ask yourself which, if any, display unnaturally low levels of empathy for co-
workers, or tend to manipulate their colleagues for personal gain.

The Effect of Dark Triad Traits in the Workplace

It’s not difficult to see how dark triad traits can be destructive in the workplace. If one or more of
your employees display narcissistic, Machiavellian, or psychopathic characteristics, your entire
office will suffer. Your other employees will feel uncomfortable, maybe even unsafe. And you’ll
have your hands full constantly playing referee between them.
Furthermore, those with strong dark triad personality traits are often prone to unethical decision-
making. Meaning your business as a whole could also be at risk of lawsuits if their shady deeds
are discovered.

4 Steps to Managing “Dark Triad” Employees

Now that we know what each of the dark triad traits is and how to spot them, let’s discuss
managing employees who have these characteristics.
1. Do an Honest Evaluation
The first step is to do an honest evaluation of your team. Which members are harder to work
with than others? Why are they so difficult? Go through your entire staff and determine whether
your troublesome employees display any dark triad traits.
Does he or she constantly puff themselves up at the expense of others? They might struggle
with narcissism. Does he or she tend to manipulate their co-workers in order to get what they
want? Classic Machiavellianism. What about empathy? If your troublesome employee(s) don’t
display any, they might lean towards psychopathy.
Remember, isolated incidents don’t necessarily mean any of your employees suffer from dark
triad traits. You’re looking for patterns. The team members that regularly display narcissistic,
Machiavellian, or psychopathic characteristics.

2. Address Your Difficult Employee(s)

Once you’ve honestly evaluated your team and determined who might suffer from the dark triad,
it’s time to address them. BUT, this must be handled with care. You don’t want to trigger an
episode or make a tough situation even worse.
So approach them when they’re in a good mood. Be honest with them. Tell them that they’re
behavior is affecting those around them in a negative way. Give precise examples to back up
what you’re telling them. And make it clear that they must change their ways.
Remember, you’re the boss. While addressing dark triad traits with your staff may be
uncomfortable, you’re in the position of power. And addressing their poor actions is in the best
interest of your entire company.
Finally, we need to say this. If you feel unsafe at any time during your meeting with an employee
with dark triad traits, remove yourself from the situation. While rare, some folks, especially those
who suffer from psychopathy, could get violent.

3. Identify Triggers
If you’ve handled step two correctly and your employee is able to respond in a reasonable
manner, the next step is to work with them to identify triggers. Are there specific situations at
work that cause their narcissism, Machiavellianism, or psychopathy to emerge?
For example, perhaps your difficult employee just can’t stand working with a certain team
member. Every time he does, this other woman just drives him crazy and he loses it. As the
team’s manager, you’re in a prime position to defuse these kinds of issues. Simply ask these
staffers to refrain from working together. Problem solved!
Now, not every situation will have such a simple fix. But do what you can to remove those
employees who struggle with dark triad traits from the things that trigger them.

4. Don’t Support Their Behavior

Lastly, it’s important that you don’t support a troublesome employee’s bad behavior. Don’t
defend them or make excuses for them. Not only will this enable them to continue acting poorly,
but it will also alienate your other staffers and kill healthy team development.
If the rest of your staff is convinced that you’d rather support the office narcissist, Mac hiavellian,
or psychopath rather than them, you’ll lose respect. You’ll likely lose your best workers too as
they’ll eventually find employment somewhere else where the working environment is more
enjoyable.

And, 4 More Management Tips

There you have it, four steps to properly dealing with difficult employees. If you manage a
person or two with dark triad traits, these four steps will help you. But we’re not done yet. We
have four special tips for you to keep in mind.

1. Look for the Dark Triad While Hiring

The easiest way to remove dark triad traits from your workplace is to look for them during the
hiring phase. Then choose NOT to hire folks who have them.
Like we mentioned earlier, narcissistic, Machiavellian, and psychopathic characteristics can be
hard to identify. Especially in a relatively short span of time like a job interview. But if you do
happen to notice them in a potential job candidate, we recommend you hire someone else.

2. Stand Your Ground

Eliminating those with dark triad traits from your place of work during the hiring phase is ideal.
But what if your team already has these kinds of difficult employees on it? Or what if you simply
weren’t able to identify the characteristics before making a job offer? One of the best things you
can do is stand your ground.
Don’t be intimidated, swayed, or wooed by psychopathic, Machaevelien, or narcissistic
employees. You’re the manager. You’re in charge. Handle the situation properly, but don’t let
their bad behavior slide.

3. Maintain Your Calm

Equally as important as standing your ground is maintaining your calm. If you fly off the handle
when dealing with those with dark triad characteristics, you’ll only escalate the problem. You’ll
also show them that they can manipulate you to some degree.
The absolute best thing you can do is stay calm and handle their poor behavior in a rational
way. It’s not always easy. But as a leader at your company, it’s your best course of action. So
do what you can to keep your emotions in check and remain calm.

4. Cut the Cord if Necessary

Finally, you need to be willing to cut the cord if necessary. Meaning, if a specific employee is
bringing down office morale with their dark triad personality traits, you need to be willing to end
your working relationship with them.
Obviously, you need a legitimate reason for firing someone. You’ll need to double check the
laws in your area. But generally, an employee that exhibits a large amount of narcissism,
Machiavellianism, or psychopathy will likely commit a fireable offense. Especially if they get
violent when aroused.