HOW THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS AFFECT PERFORMANCE, COMMUNICATION, TEAMWORK, LEADERSHIP, AND SALES Second Edition Pierce J. Howard, Ph.D. Jane Mitchell Howard, M.B.A. 7 P rr yew we be APpueD CosNITiE sTuDiESfor The Owner’s Manual for Personality at Work Second Edition Acknowledgments The Authors About CentACs Introduction ay gC AG) Setting the Stage: Why Study Personality at Work? 27 Need for Stability: How We Respond to Stress 37 Extraversion: How We Tolerate Sensory Stimulation 55 71 Originality: How Open We Are to New Experience Accommodation: How We Defer to Others 85 Consolidation: How We Focus on Work and Goals Traits: Working Together to Create Personality NOUawne 11_—— Manual for Personality at Work, Second Egitian FETT a ave Pare “ mee antl 8 Leadership: More Substance, Less Glitter 125 9 __ Selling and Influencing: How to Build Rapport 141 10 Career Planning: If the Job Fits, Work It 4155 11 One-on-One: Troubleshooting Partnerships and Relation- 167 ships 12 Team Development: Roles, Phases, Needs, and All That 179 Selection: Reducing Risk in Hiring Decisions Tae pyeyayere Nature Versus Nurture: What You Can Change, and What You Can’t The Right Stuff: The Raw Material for Performance Com- 211 petencies When Pigs Can’t Fly: Human Resource Optimization (HRO) 227 The Big Five After Five: ‘amily, Hobbies, and Spirituality At the End of the Day: Accepting Who You Are, but Not 253 Bowing to Fate Appendix: Time Line for the Hi ig Fi Bibliography e History of the Big Five na Index 267 How to Order This Book 213 How to Estimate Scores 24 Your WorkPlace Big Five Pr ofile™ Estimate 275 a Soon? os areremeenennaatelAcknowledgments ‘Acknowledgment pages should perhaps increase in volume from a barely detectable rumble to ear-piercing thunder and lightning. Please do not, however, interpret the order of these names as an indication of the degree of significance they have played in the creation of this book. Each has been a necessary voice in the composition that is now a book. Our customers, without whom we never would have gone down the path of human resource . consulting and who have provided interesting case studies for us to use to explain personality. Our investors, without whom we never would have been able to launch our business. Our global Big Five consulting network of users, without whom we would not have been able to let go of our earlier consulting work in order to focus on Big Five research, dissemination, and program and product content development. Our international business affiliates, without whom our focus would be provincial to the point of naiveté. Our original manuscript readers for the first edition—Mark Ardis, Stephen Brock, Caryn Col- gan, Joachim de Posada, Carolyn Nash Edwards, Richard Grant, Vicki Halsey, Michael Herbert, Susan Hewitt, Marcia Jackson, Gary John, Shirley Lim, Teresa Oliszewicz, Gerry Singleton, and Jack Zenger—without whom our point of view would have been far more inward than out- ward. Caryn C. Lee, our employee (who joined us in 2003) and our business partner (since Septem- ber 2008), who is the Managing Director for Marketing and Operations at the Center for Applied Cognitive Studies. Her assumption of day-to-day management and operations at Cent- ACS, especially when we are traveling or writing, has been invaluable to our creative process and peace of mind. Our current full-time team at the Center for Applied Cognitive Studies who support us daily with their energy, enthusiasm, and loyalty for the work that we do: Wendy Cauthen, Laraine Gans, Caryn Lee, Ruchi Shah, Lisa Struckmeyer, and Bryce Woods. Our online system testing expert, Colleen Turner, who has spent countless hours making cer- tain that our online assessments function flawlessly. 13’s Manual for Personality at work, Second Edition The Owne! house computing expert, John Sanchez, who is even on-call at night and whenever on Our in- ° are having computer difficulties logging in from remote corners of the globe. Wendy Accetta of W. Accetta Design, who has helped build a new brang hic designer, eal aa \k, and improved reports for the WorkPlace Big Five Profile for the Center, a new website loo! 4.0™. © Katherine (Kandy) Cosper, a dear friend and choir mate whose literary proficiency has taken ‘on the challenge of editing our book. © Jane Wiley, another dear friend and choir mate whose photography has captured our faces to provide readers with a view of the authors. © Flying Bridge, our website experts who present our information and content in a helpfi:! and pleasing way on the Internet at www.centacs.com. © Our university colleagues and many interns, from Davidson College, Queens Univers! Charlotte, Pfeiffer University at Charlotte, and the University of North Carolina at Charisite, without whom it would have taken another decade to collect and analyze normative anc va- lidity data for the WorkPlace Big Five Profile. © Chip Bell, a former business partner, who encouraged us and introduced us to Ray Bard. ¢ Ray Bard, our original publisher of this book and the publisher of all three editions (to date) of Pierce’s book, The Owner's Manual for the Brain, © 1994, 2000, 2006, whose flexibility, vision, companionship, and resourcefulness have made authorship a deeply pleasurable chapter in our professional lives. To each other, for patience, solace, creativity, stimulating discussion, and fun in the face of long hours, constant travel, client projects, too much other work to finish, hurried-yet-usually gourmet meals, and the seemingly unending revisions. Thanks, team! Pierce and Jane August 18, 2010 Charlotte, North Carolina‘he Authors eee ek ae ___ Pierce J. Howard, Ph.D., is managing director for research and development for the Center for Applied Cognitive Studies in Charlotte, North Carolina, Since starting the company in 1986 with his partner and wife, Jane, Pierce has specialized in organizational development consulting, assessment, and the most current research in cognitive science, especially regarding the Five-Factor Model of per- sonality. As the manager of the research division of the Center, he compiles data from ongoing re- search projects on the Five-Factor Model of Personality, develops special reports, tests and develops ew assessment protocols, consults on selection projects, and continues to develop the in-class and online WorkPlace Big Five Profile Certification Program with Jane. Pierce received his Ph.D. degree in education with a special interest in curriculum and re- search in 1972 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For the last thirty-five years, he has been an organizational psychologist. Between 1996 and 2005, he taught both organization behavior and problem solving for managers for the MBA and Organizational Leadership programs at Pfeiffer University at Charlotte. Between 2005 and the present, Pierce has been an Ad- junct Professor in Industrial and Organizational Psychology with the University of North Carolina at Char- lotte, advising students on theses and research. Currently, Pierce teaches as an Adjunct Professor in the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte. Pierce is the author of three editions of The Owner’s Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind-Brain Research. He and his book were featured on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in May 1997. He and Jane have coauthored workbooks, manuals, and articles on the Five-Factor Model and are frequent presenters at region- al, national, and international conferences. Pierce’s professional affiliations include the American Psychologi- cal Association, International Society for the Study of Individual Differences, North Carolina Psychological Asso- ciation, and the Carolinas Organization Development Network. Jane Mitchell Howard, M.B.A., is the managing director for programs and consulting for the Center for Applied Cognitive Studies. Since 1991, Jane has worked actively with clients in applying the Five-Factor Model of personality, developing Big Five materials, conducting executive coaching, leading team-building retreats and sessions with the Big Five, integrating the Big Five into training programs,Work, Second Edition I for Personality at ‘The Owner's Manual developing and continuing to teach the CentACS WorkPlace Big Five Profle Ceri, jerce, is and wi mn incass and online. tion Program in-cl : .B.A. degree with a concentration in organization behavior in 1987 he eee Sa of Management at Wake Forest University. A member of the cae area Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) for many Years, Jane was ssident of the chapter in 1989 and was National ASTD’s 1990 Regional Director for Region 4. In 1993 the received the chapter's annual Excellence in Service to the Community Award, and in 1995 she Te. ceived National ASTD’s Women’s Network Professional Development Leadership Award, Jane also served for 12 years on the Steering Committee for the Carolinas Organization Development Network She has been active on the Educational Services Committee for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and on the Volunteer Personnel Committee of the Carolinas Region of the American Red Cross. She also served as president of the Carolinas Organization Development Interest Group. In the University of North Carolina at Charlotte certificate Program in organization develop. ment, Jane teaches participants to apply the WorkPlace Big Five Profile to teams, She and Pierce both together and singly have presented sessions for conferences and clients across North America and in Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia, Together, the Howards wrote the first article about the Bi Five Model that was ever published in a trade journal. Their article, “Buddy, Can You Paradigm?” \ : Published in the September 1995 issue of Training and Development. egERTS MERC neem eee iN “yout ai (CANT TY COpnitivestudies (GentAGs) ee Applied Our Business We are in business because we are passionate about optimizing people at work and at school. Our goal is to provide state-of-the-art personality assessments, reports, and systems applications for businesses, schools, and organizations through a global network of internal and external consultants and interna- tional affiliate companies who use the Five-Factor Model of Personality and related brain research in their work. Through the Internet, training programs, annual learning conference, organizational con- sulting, and publishing, the Center for Applied Cognitive Studies provides high quality products, cutting edge information, and support services. Who We Are Established in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 1, 1986 by Jane Mitchell Howard, M.B.A., Managing Director—Programs and Pierce J. Howard, Ph.D., Managing Director—Research and Development, as a consulting and training company, the business has evolved into a research, production, publishing, training, and consulting company. Who We Serve Primarily, CentACS operates in the United States and Canada, with certified consultants located from California to Massachu- setts and from Florida to Ontario. The customer base includes many Fortune 500 companies, medium and small companies, government and non-profit organizations, university programs MBA schools, graduate psychology programs, and undergradu- CENTER FOR ( APPLIED COGNITIVE STUDIES ate business and psychology programs), and various-sized con-ity at Work, Second Edition ‘es and Canada, three companies currently hold right ights ive geographic areas: T ‘The owner’s Manual for Personall sulting companies: Outside the United State WorkPlace Big Five Profile™ in their respect! tothe Mexico India gapore and Hong Kong «People Value, e Chatur Knowledge, e _DistinctTions Asia, Sin For More Information out how you may use the WorkPlace Big Five Profile™ in your organizati CentACs or its affiliate companies, or to inquire how your organization n or fer to the following information: may For further information a in your work, to contact become an affiliate, please rel United States and all other countries not listed below: Contact: Customer Relationship Representative The Center for Applied Cognitive Studies 4701 Hedgemore Drive, Suite 210 Charlotte, NC 28209-2200 USA Telephone: 4+1.704,331.0926 US Toll Free: +1,800.244.5555 (BIG-5555) Fax: +1.704,331.9408 E-mail: info@centacs.com Website: www, centacs.com Mexico: People Value Contact: Celina del Castillo eae cdelcastillo@ peoplevalue.com.mx fe: www.peoplevalue.com.mx Oo / Chatur Knowledge Networking a Jayant and Chatura Damle coma Jachin Padhye a sachin.padhye @chati . ur. Website: www, chatur.com om Ree and long Kong: DisTinctions Asia ° 4 esciee Quek Website: \quiry@distinctions-asia.com www.distinctions-asia.comThe Owner’s Manual for Using This Book ‘ake a few minutes with us to consider how to get the most benefit from this book. The book is T= exclusively either an academic textbook or a how-to manual; however, it is oriented more toward application than toward theory. Although we will pay appropriate homage to the re- searchers, our emphasis will be on applying their knowledge to the workplace, Thus, this introduction is really an “Owner's Manual” for the “Owner's Manual.” In it we will give you several pointers that will “Time spent in planning is saved in execution.” ~-Management adage help you to focus effectively on this book as a professional re- source. How Did You Come to This Book? Perhaps you were browsing online or at your favorite bookstore, or in a bookstore new to you, far from home, on vaca- tion or on a business trip, and you came upon this book in the business or psychology section. You might have absolutely no background in studying personality models or dynamics, you might have an extensive background, or you might fall somewhere in between. If you are a shopper who has had no introduction to the Big Five personality model and you find that you'd like more per- sonalized assistance than this book can provide, we suggest that you visit our website at www.centacs.com. There you'll find two | particularly helpful kinds of resources: first, a guide to additional resources—printed materials, websites, training opportunities, and | so forth—and second, a listing of affiliate companies and consult- ants from around the world who have been trained in the WorkPlace Big Five Profile and the Big Five personality model. They have learned about ways to use these tools for professional growth, and they would be delighted to work with you and your organization. A logical next step for you would be to take a Work- .cctt Place Big Five Profile, if you have not already done so. Knowing‘k, Second Edition ual for Personality at Work, “olin ons The ee eee your depth of understanding of the material in this book. score ‘ave received brief feedback in a training class, coaching Session, ning cs f es Loceaaty a university classroom, or some similar format and wish to go intcy te ie. more deeply, this book will serve to cement new learnings eee training and development activi. ties: it will provide you with a “take-home’ tool to use in reviewing i pe and exploring them in greater depth. Why go into more depth? Because we know (Detterman and Sternberg, 1993) that, on average 90 percent of every training and development dollar is wasted because of a failure to transfer the learning back to the job. In addition to follow-up, this book can also be used as preparation for receiv. ing feedback. Reading it before receiving feedback from your WorkPlace Big Five Profile™ feedback that much more meaningful. Or perhaps you attended training, team-building, coaching, or another kind of session the session leader used the WorkPlace and gave you a personal report. Perhaps the sessio, either gave you this book or recommended that you get a copy for follow-up. In this case, yor have your scores. Keep them handy as you read this book. your Will make the in Which n leader U already Perhaps you are a trainer or other human resource professional who already knows the Big Five Model or the WorkPlace Big Five Profile in depth. We think you'll find that this book is a helpful refresher course. Or perhaps you've learned about the Big Five from a source other than our organiza- tion. In that case, we hope you'll find our perspective an enriching one for your professional practice, Perhaps you are a regular citizen who has discovered this book by chance. If so, we ho: benefit from reading our work. Let us know if you'd like ideas for ways to follow up. Or finally, perhaps an associate has given or loaned you this book. In that case, find ou® if she or he can arrange for you to complete the WorkPlace assessment. You'll find your reading much score meaningful if you do so. you From our website, www.centacs.com, it may be helpful to you to discover other reports that ‘our consulting network can use in working with you or your organization. Some of these include the Teamer (for team analysis and role planning), the Leader (for use in leadership programs or with lead- ers at all levels), the Career Guider (for helping plan career options), and the Comparer (a way to compare one’s self-perception to the way one is perceived by his/her manager and/or other team members, previously known as the “Grouper”), You could be in a role where you would like to become certified or qualified to administer the WorkPlace within your own company or for Client groups. Our website can Provide more information about this process, Another possibility is that you are a parent of oer Riad Woon eR Ee P an adolescent. In that case, once you your ov Pon the information within this book, you will likely wish to have Trove insight into your teenager's personality. To broaden your knowledge, look for our adolescent and of you. Beyond the SchoolPla lolescent book will be more enlightening for both ies, leader ce assessment, Tos oe nay want to learn more about specific learning strat- and career planning options that can accompany the assessment 20Introduction How to Read This Book More Selectively Certainly we encourage you to read this book from cover to cover! However, we know the time crunch most people face. If you want a more streamlined approach, see if one of these approach- es fits better for you. Everyone: Read Chapters 1 through 7. ‘Managers: Focus on Chapters 8, 12, and 14 through 17. Team members: Focus on Chapters 9, 11, and 12. Salespeople: Focus on Chapters 9 and 11. Educators, including trainers, teachers, and instructional designers: Focus on Part Three (Chapters 14 through 17), plus any specific chapters in Part Two that apply to your special area of interest or responsibility. People with a “life after work": Focus on Chapter 18. People who are in conflict with others: Focus on Chapters 9, 11, and 14. People in career transition: Focus on Chapters 10, 14, 15, and 16. Team leaders: Focus on Chapters 8, 11, and 12. People with hiring and staffing responsibility: Focus on Chapters 8 through 10 and 13 through 16. People who coach others: Focus on Part Three (Chapters 14 through 17). Organization development consultants: Sorry, you need to read the whole book! Three Ways to Focus While Reading: Self, Others, and Organization Having knowledge of personality structure, dynamics, and development will be helpful in three primary contexts: your personal professional development, how you relate to your associates, and how you relate to your boss and your organization in general. In the concluding pages of Chapters Two through Six, we guide you in considering specific implications of personality trait patterns for these three areas. In addition, we recommend that you periodically ask the following three questions: 1. How can this material help me to be more productive and more satisfied at work? Perhaps you should redesign your job, delegate more or differently, get some training (or mentoring or coaching), ask for reassignment, share jobs with others on your team, change jobs, change in- dustries, or change your career path and goals. How can this material help me to take a significant relationship to the next level? Perhaps you d inappropriate amounts of time struggling and you want to minimize that yere to stay and won't go x and your boss spent struggle. Or you may be in conflict with one or more people who are hi away, and you'd like to try to understand what’s going on between you and those people in or- der to ease the conflict. Or maybe someone at work is presenting an obstacle to your goals and you're losing sleep and growing ulcers from worry over it. This book may provide you with some insights into better understanding that person or your job difficulties. Or perhaps you enjoy a particularly fruitful relationship—with your manager or any other colleague or associate who's 21‘The Owner's Manual for Personality at Work, Seco! , ly sabot derail i ing thi * intentional tage or derail it. Readi important to you-and you don’t want to unl a e ial dis a Jp you to communicate more effectively and avert a potential disaster. izational culture so th: 3. How can this material help me and others to influence our organ! othatt hamesses the right people in the right way for the optimum performance and quality of life of our owners, associates, and customers? This book can help by potentially giving you answers tg the following questions. ‘Are you selecting the right people for jobs that experience high turnover or marginal performance? « Are your or others’ well-intentioned but misguided expectations causing frustration, boredom, and marginal performance? * Isyour research and development strategy aimed at satisfying the unique personality needs of your market segment? + Is your sales and advertising strategy appropriate for achieving the maximum impact on the unique personality profile of your market segment? * Do your project and long-term teams have the appropriate mix of personality traits to accomplish their missions effectively? Periodically ask the three overall questions and shape your answers into an action plan. When no answers are forthcoming, identify a resource (such as CentACS’ global affiliate companies and con- sulting network on our website) to help you find them. And, Finally, Some Definitions Words, words, words. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them! Most of this book is yit- ten in everyday, accessible language, yet a few special terms litter the landscape. If we've erred and included an obscure word here or there, we apologize in advance and hope that your favorite diction- ary will suffice for clarification. However, several terms do appear throughout the book that might be confusing. They ail real- ly refer to just two concepts: broad categories and subcategories of personality structure. For the most part, the various synonyms we use are perfectly interchangeable, although a couple of subtle differ- ences in meaning do exist. Broad Categories of Personality Structure __ For broad categories, we use the words trait, dimension, continuum, scale, supertrait, second- ary trait, and domain. All of these are interchangeable. Supertrait refers specifically to a broad category (such as Extraversion) that has been arrived at through the statistical procedure called factor analysis. Secondary traits are so called because they refer to supertraits are made up of smaller elements, which are called primary traits or subtraits, Domain refers to a broad category that represents the simple av- ee of erste example, the domain of Extraversion (a secondary, or broad, catego") Sart seca . Foee of its subcategories (also called primary traits or subtraits), such 2 broad categories that ee cre trust, and tact. Continuum emphasizes the Ser or solitary to Social. Each of the Big Five terms is pi ieee the continua from hot to co! 22Introduction Subcategories of Personality Structure For subcategories of personality structure, we use the words primary trait, subtrait, or simply, trait. Each broad category can be understood in terms of its components. Extraversion is made up of warmth, sociability, activity level, taking charge, trust, and tact. Extraversion is a supertrait, and the others are subtraits. Notice that we have included the word trait in both groups. All recognizable patterns of be- havior are called traits, whether they are broader and more inclusive (such as Extraversion) or narrower and more stand-alone (such as sociability). Thus it is common to use the word trait in both the broad and the narrow senses. That's enough for the preliminaries. Let's now take a look at personality at work. 23Setting the Stage Why Study Personality at Work? D these two effects. uring a typical week, while trying to get our jobs done, each of us runs head-first into personali- ties. Personaiities at work are like cars in the city: they often can keep us from our destination. On the other hand, personalities can also make the job easier. Here are just a few examples of An insensitive manager: Elien was an award-winning architect and had been managing a team of a “Why is it that I always geta whole person when what I really want is a pair of hands?” —Henry Ford, Industrialist dozen architects and project managers for about two years. Everyone in her department, to a person, hated her and complained to her manager as a group about her unfair, insensitive management prac- tices. Her manager didn’t know how to get to the next level short of firing her. ‘A model employee: Tomas was the number-one border patrol agent in the Drug Enforcement Agency. He consistently had the highest arrest rate and could do no wrong, and the powers-that-be wanted to clone him. How did he accomplish this? A team that was breaking down: A training team delivered top- notch programs to the thirty-campus health care conglomerate for which it was responsible, However, team meetings typically ran over by several hours, members resented the intrusion into their private planning time, and their respect for their team leader and each other was eroding. Fighting managers: Jon and Fran managed two different manufactur- ing processes housed under one common roof, Jon’s bottom line looked great, but sales were stagnant; Fran’s margins were nonexist- ent, but sales were soaring. They were at each other's throats dai 27oo dition | for Personality at Work, Second E / ; ad aerial so clue how to resolve their back-biting, destructive conflict, blaming, and lacy of mutual respect. as a successful litigant who had grown to hate the law, ap A who hated her Job: Hemingway W: Aen, she was rolling in money, but she was sleepless. She dreaded the thought of going to cour, one more day. Personality and the Bottom Line The bottom line in these examples is performance, for the individual and the organization, Understanding your own personality better as well as the personalities of those you work with can make a significant difference in your performance and advancement. The way you communicate, per- suade, and motivate is important whether you are working on a team, leading a department, or selling ’ service or product, Much of your success may depend on how well you understand and act on the personality dynamics in your workplace. Whether you're a vice president of a division, a professional who has no staff, a team leader, a new supervisor, or a customer service rep, you have goals to achieve. Your ability to understand the personalities of the people you work with and those of your customers or clients plays a major part in how quickly and effectively you can achieve results in the functions for which you're responsible. We wrote this book so that you can better understand how personality can both obstruct and enhance work. Before you reach the end of the book, you'll be able to name the traits responsible for each of the dilemmas just described, understand the dynamics that contributed to the problem, aod identify strategies for getting to the next level. To help you do this, at the end of each of the next five chapters, we have included implications of the Big Five personality dimensions for your performance and that of your associates. What Is the Big Five Model? The terms Big Five and Five-Factor Model are, for our purposes, interchangeable. This empiri- cally-based model is a proven system for identifying and describing individual personality traits that determine human behavior. It emerged from a line of research begun in 1936 (see the time line in the Appendix) when Gordon Allport and Harold Odbert threw out a challenge to the psychological research community. They had identified approximately 18,000 words in the unabridged English dictionary that described personality. After paring away some 13,500 words because they didn’t portray normal eve- tyday personality characteristics, Allport and Odbert (1936, p. 24) suggested that psychological researchers determine how many synonym clusters—or groups of similar descriptive words—were required “to distinguish the behavior of one human being from that of another.” An empirical solution to the problem of accurately identifying and describing personality traits was finally reached in the 1980s. Why did it take so long? Early solutions were based on factor analyses that were done manually and were full of errors. The invention of the personal computer and the availability of factor analysis software enabled a flurry of research in the early and mid-1980s to converge on a common solution. 28Setting the Stage Need for Stability ‘Also known on other assessments as Negative Emotlonality, Neuroticism, or Resilience Low scorers Midrange scorers High scorers Resilient Responsive Reactive (calm, controlled, | (calm but sometimes | (tense, alert, anxious, secure, rational, | bothered by stressful conscience of stress-free) situations) organization) Extraversion ‘Also known on other assessments as Extroversion, Positive Emotionality, or Soclability Low scorers Midrange scorers High scorers Introvert Ambivert Extravert (private, reserved, | (enjoys abalance of | (sociable, friendly, in independent, quiet) solitude and charge, high energy) sociability) Originality ‘Also known on other assessments as Openness, Openness to Experience, of Imagination Low scorers Midrange scorers High scorers Preserver Moderate Explorer (practical, efficient, (comfortable in (curious, creative, tactical,doer, between innovation | visionary, strategic, in the present) and efficiency) the future) Accommodation Also known on other assessments as Agreeableness or Adaptability Low scorers Midrange scorers High scorers Challenger Negotiator ‘Adapter (questioning, (comfortable holding | (accepting, team competitive, proud) | outforthe win-win | player, promotes situation) harmony, helpful) Consolidation Also known on other assessments as Conscientiousness or Will to Achieve Low Scorers Midrange scorers High scorers Flexible Balanced Focused (spontaneous, multi- | (keeps work and (organized, tasker, comfortable | private demands in perfectionistic, ith chaos, playful) balance] ambitious) FIGURE 1.1 Personality Dimensions of the WorkPlace Big Five Profile 4.0™ 29The Owner's Manual for Personality at Work, Second Edition .ar to account for the majority of the differences among individual personalities, Today, these five supertraits are tia rfere & w the five ite ferent ign ae Super. N, E, 0, A, and C. Although different researchers sometimes assign traits (sometimes for eee veasons and sometimes for business ones), N, E, O, A, and C (OCEAN tart dless of what the act t fer to the same personality dimensions, regar ‘ual lore often in Europe) always refer marized in Figure 1.1. lames are. These five basic trait dimensions are sum! he cP gh in N (who scores toward the right end of Refers to one’s “Need for Stability.” A person high i : a co ‘scale on the last page in the back of this book) is more reactive as the con- science for the organization and prefers 2 stress-free workplace. A person low in N (who scores toward the left end of our graphic scale) is calm and relatively unaffected by stress that might hamper others from more rational problem-solving. Refers to one’s level of “Extraversion.” A person high in E likes to be in the thick of the crowd and the action, while a person low in E likes to be away from the noise and hubbub. E We are looking, essentially at one’s tolerance for sensory bombardment which often comes The conclusion? Five synonym clusters appe: from people but can also come from light, sound, or tastes. Refers to one’s “Originality.” A person high in O has a voracious appetite for new ideas and activities, the future, change, the big picture, and can be easily bored, while a person low in Oo O prefers familiar territory and tends to be more practical, more connected to the present, more comfortable with repetition, and more geared to handie details. Refers to one’s “Accommodation.” A person high in A has a tendency to accommodate or A defer to the wishes and needs of others, while a person low in A tends to cater to his or b: ‘own personal priorities. Refers to one’s “Consolidation.” A person high in C tends to consolidate her or his energy and resources on accomplishing one or more goals, while a person low in C prefers a mors C spontaneous work style that involves switching from one task to another and having many things to deal with in a multi-tasking fashion. The next five chapters define and explain in greater depth each of these five basic dimen- sions—what we call, “Supertraits” of the WorkPlace Big Five Profile™. In your reading, you will discover that each of the Supertraits also has an additional set of “Subtraits” that provide us with even more understanding about the meaning of the Big Five Model. How Do We Know This Model Is Good? The psychological community has reached near consensus on the validity of the Five-Factor Pe iS feresliy Digman and nouye (1986, p. 116) call it “a finding consistent enough to approach le status of law,” This should tell those of us in the business world that, finally, a standard vocabulary is available with which to discuss individual differences, In the past, a virtual alphabet soup was used in selection, training, coaching, team building, succession planning, and all manner of human resource 30Setting the Stage development applications. You may have taken some of these other assessments. Why, after so many different models have been proposed and dissected, do psychologists affirm the Big Five? Here are some of the reasons. * Reliability: For many of the Big Five assessments, the coefficient alpha statistic—which measures reliability on a scale of -1.00 to 1.00—ranges from .80 to .90 for many of the Big Five assessments, This unprecedented high level of reliability offers a consistency of measurement that is extremely attractive to a business environment that emphasizes high quality. Validity: The Five-Factor Model has demonstrated an impressive ability to predict future perfor- mance. In classic studies such as one conducted by Barrick and Mount (1991), Big Five traits show clear associations with a variety of job types. This stands in contrast to the popular Myers-Briggs ee (MBTI), whose validity had suffered severe attacks earlier (see McCrae and Costa, 1989). Age 20 Age 30 FIGURE 1.2 How the Big Five Traits Develop over the Life Span * Norms: At the Center for Applied Cognitive Studies (CentACS), we generated norms for our Work- Place Big Five Profile 4.0™ (© 2009) from more than 60,000 administrations of the WorkPlace assessment to people who are working full time in the United States. Our current US norm group of 1,200 people is based upon US ethnicity percentages in the 2006 American Community Survey con- ducted by the US Census Bureau, and the norms are balanced by industry, job, age, and gender. Using rapidly escalating global research, CentACS added Global norms in 2009 (preferred by global organizations and based upon balanced input from more than 20 countries) and Mexican norms in 2010. We will continue to add more country-specific norms over time. Another earlier assessment of the Big Five that included both working and non-working US adults from society at large, Costa and McCrae’s NEO PI-R (1992), is based on 500 men and 500 women pulled randomly from three different studies conducted in connection with Costa and McCrae’s work with the Baltimore Longi- tudinal Study of Aging, which is a part of the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of 31‘The Owner's Manual for Personality at Work, Second Edition Health; it is housed at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. CentACs was a the publisher to provide certification training for people in how to use the NEO PIR, a cou at fered from 1993 until 2009, aie Global applicability: The Five-Factor Model has held up in a variety of national, economic, culty; religious, and linguistic settings, including versions in US English, UK English, Southeast Asian — lish, Mexican Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hebrew, * Turkish, Shone, Finnish, Swedish, Czech, Polish, Russian, French, Norwegian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Taiwanese, and other languages in process at the time of this printing. a © Descriptive power: The Big Five model has facilitated the unearthing of new knowledge about per. sonality, such as the discovery that N, E, and O decrease measurably from age 20 to age 30 (that is, we become somewhat less reactive, sociable, and curious) and that A and C increase during the same period (that is, we become somewhat more team-oriented and ambitious). As a general rule these are minor shifts in personality of five to 10 points, not large point swings on the 100-point scale. This relationship, which is crucial to understanding what happens to candidates we bring into the workforce in their late teens and early twenties, is portrayed in Figure 1.2. Interestingly, in our research, we have found that working full time escalates the speed at which a student makes this transition, How This Book Is Organized Okay, so we know the Big Five Model is good! How do we proceed? The remainder of Part One provides in-depth definitions and examples of the Big Five personality dimensions in * place. Part Two explains how to use the WorkPlace Big Five Profile in a variety of contexts, ‘vc! sales, leadership, and teams. Part Three provides a somewhat more theoretical slant on how to regard and use the Big Five. Don’t grimace! This theory stuff is actually very basic and hands-on. it deals with the nature-nurture debate and its implications for competency development in your professional per- formance using our Human Resource Optimization Model™ (HRO™). As researchers have been advised by social psychologist Kurt Lewin, "There is nothing so practical as a good theory!” Developing a Model for the Workplace This book is based on the Five-Factor Model, but you should be aware that dozens of tests are available for measuring this model. We began our initial work with client corporations in the late 1980's and early 1990's with Costa and McCrae’s NEO PI-R, assisting them with Beta-testing for the revised version that was launched in 1992 and certifying people to use the NEO from 1993-2009; our program was authorized by Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR), the US publisher of the NEO series. AF though our work with the NEO was reasonably acceptable, it quickly became apparent to us that 2 need existed for a five-factor instrument that was designed with only the workplace in mind. In the mid-1990s at the urging of our business clients, we began to develop such an assessment, starting with more than 800 items that were tested as valid and discriminating (meaning that people answered them in more than one way) and approved as legally defensible by a law firm that specializes in us employ ment and human resources law, In the fall of 2000 we introduced the WorkPlace Big Five Profile™ (or 32Setting the Stage more simply, the WorkPlace), which featured questions and reports based upon the language of work. To our knowledge at this publication of our second edition of this book, the WorkPlace Big Five Profile was the first exclusively work-related and working-adult, normed Big Five assessment available any- where in the world, Keeping the tradition established in the mid-1980s when Costa and McCrae added A and C to their original three-factor assessment, we referred to the five supertraits as N, E, 0, A, and C, but we changed the terminology to reflect the needs and language of work. In addition, we found that four of the NEO PI-R subtraits were less appropriate in workplace applications such as employee selection {creating potential issues with ADA and EEOC), coaching, team building, training, and leadership devel- ‘opment, so our assessment did not incorporate these problematic traits. Also, after reviewing other assessment instruments, we identified additional traits that weren’t included in the NEO but were im- portant in work-related settings such as the subtraits of taking charge (a willingness to take on leadership or supervisory responsibilities as opposed to preferring to be more independent of others’ work) and scope (a preference for handling repetitive details as opposed to working more with the big picture). The letters N, E, O, A, and C refer to the same five supertraits whether you are using the WorkPlace, the NEO, or a variety of later Big Five assessments. We have changed the names of four of the five dimensions for the WorkPlace from the original NEO terms so that they are less value-laden and more businesslike. Extraversion (yes with an “A” instead of an “O” as MBTI uses no matter what Spell Check may tell us) is the only name we did not change, because it is commonly used and under- stood in business environments and doesn’t have the same socially desirable (or undesirable) meanings as are associated with the words, “Neuroticism,” “Openness,” “Agreeableness,” and “Conscientious- ness” that are used in the NEO PI-R. Most of the subtraits in each assessment also have clear parallels in both work and private life. The behaviors associated with either label are the same, whether they emerge at work or at home. The generic adult personality, mainly off the job is what we regard as “life at large,” whereas the WorkPlace is used for describing adult personality at work. It is also interesting to note that from the thousands of people we have trained and with whom we have consulted using the WorkPlace since launching it in 2000, a majority of those people report that their behaviors are at least somewhat different at work than in their lives at large. We would argue that such a shift could be attributed to the role of hierar- chies in our work environments. This book is about our lives at work, so we will use our WorkPlace Big Five Profile™ terms throughout. The Concept of a Continuum Each of the five supertraits (and its subtraits) forms a continuum. For example, imagine that we're talking about how hungry you are. Now convert your level of hunger into a 100-point scale. De- fine 0 on your scale as the area where you're so hungry that your stomach is growling repeatedly, your blood sugar level is dropping, and you feel that you must find something to eat immediately. Next, de- fine 100 on your imaginary scale as the saturation limit, where you’re completely full and feel that you 33The Owner's Manual for Personality at Work, Second Edition "hmta- | “Tm getting hungry *Mimmm...Just right! “¥'m stil Kind of fat Fullness mishedt | and need to eat Medium Fullness and donivcee || tay Scale Very soon.” Fe anything right now.* ae cal Low Low Fullness (Comfortable) High Fullness Ve ir (Only anexample, | ytiness F Fe bd nota personality Fe (Growing Empty) (ABit Full) Files measure!) (Empty) Fay TRERED Engh] "The Markel Researcher” | “The Department Te | neer” Medium Extraversion Manager” Sales. Low Extraversion E= (Ambivert) High Extraversion | persone % E+ ¥ Extraversion (Introvert) (Extraver) | High's Scale EH (Extra. vert) Scores 100 =e i ium, High © Yer Scale/Continuum | Very Lew eta bs . ' ay aerees Low : rane | we Percentage of Extraverted Norm |-——24: BBY 24-— Group Scoring Te 24% ——| F | In Each Range ere re FIGURE 1.3 The 100-Point Scale or Continuum with Examples of Fullness (F) and Extraversion (E) simply can’t eat another bite without making yourself sick. With your 100-point scale or continuum firmly in mind, decide how hungry you are at this moment. Are you just beginning to think that you! need to eat in an hour or so? Maybe that would translate into a score of 40 on your imaginary scale Or, are you still uncomfortably full from eating your last meal? That feeling might translate into a score of 75. If you're neither hungry nor full, you might equate this midrange level to a score of 50. This men, tal exercise with your hunger level should give you an idea of how the continuum works. (Of course, i may send you elsewhere in search of a snack!) Based on the way test makers have constructed the 100-point trait scale, a little over one third of the population will score in the midrange, between 45 and 55; just under one-third will scor from 56 to 100, and another third will score from 0 to 44. This distribution is presented in Figure 1-3 Obviously, hunger is not the same thing as personality. For one thing, hunger changes hourly throueh out the day, whereas adult personality remains fairly stable. Someone who scores extremely high on ‘Accommodation (A) will exhibit the behaviors and characteristics associated with the high endpoint the A continuum most of the time: he or she will usually be a classic team player who accommodates other people. Yet occasionally, even those who score at one endpoint may show behaviors or char" 34Setting the Stage teristics associated with the other end of the scale. People who are high in A, for example, will occa- sionally (not continually and not consistently) stand up for themselves and challenge others, behaviors more often associated with lower scores on A. Someone who scores in the midrange between 45 and 55 may alternate fairly equally between the behaviors and characteristics associated with scores near the endpoints of the continuum, seeming to balance between them. A person who scores 50 on A, for example, is more likely to exhibit a balance of challenging and accommodating behaviors, believing that “you win some, you lose some”—the person we term a negotiator. We will consider some exceptions to these rules in Chapter Seven. How the Letters and Signs Work Throughout this book, we'll refer to the traits with letters and signs. It may take a chapter or two for you to get the hang of it, but we'll offer reminders at the beginning of each of the next five chapters. Five signs and five letters. That's it. Each continuum (see Figure 1.3) is, divided into five sec- tions, with a very high score (from 66 to 100) represented by two plus signs (+4), a moderately high score (between 56 and 65) by one plus sign (+), a midrange score (between 45 and 55) by the equal sign (=), a moderately low score (between 34 and 45 by one minus sign (-), and a very low score (from 0 to 34) by two minus signs (—). So, E+ refers to someone who scores very extraverted—perhaps a con- summate salesperson who is very friendly, very sociable, and very active. Likewise, A= would refer to someone who scores in the midrange on Accommodation, someone who leans toward neither chal- lenging (A- or A~) nor adapting (A+ or A++), a negotiator who is comfortable working toward a win-win solution or collaboration. A person who is N— would be very calm, at ease most of the time, and have nerves of steel, as would be true of an effective surgeon or a pilot (remember ‘the calmness of Captain "Sully" Sullenberger who landed the US Airways jet on the Hudson River in New York City in 2009?). The difference between a C+ and a C+ executive would be that one is focused and hardworking (C+) and the other is compulsively focused and constantly hardworking, likely a workaholic (C+4). Got it? Good! Estimating and Remembering Your Personal Profile Now turn to the final page in this book. You'll see that it’s entitled “Your WorkPlace Big Five Profile Estimate.” You will want to refer to it while reading the rest of the book. It will serve as a re~ minder of the trait definitions as well as showing you how you fit into the model. Take some time at the end of each of the next five chapters to estimate whether you belong in the very high (+4), high (+), middle- (=), low (-), or very low (--) range of each of the Big Five traits. If you already know your scores from having taken the WorkPlace or another Big Five instrument, enter them on the page now. A Word of Caution We wish to emphasize one point before delving into definitions and examples. Human per- sonality is complex, mysterious, and wonderful. Even though we have agreed upon five supertrats, we haven't unlocked the mystery of personality; we've merely found a uniform language to use in our ex- 35d Edition The Owner's Manual for Personality at Work, Secon! . ploration. Having the building blocks of personality in re a ‘ a ee 0 Senne N, je javor The ir E, 0, A, and C are to the individual as sugar, flour, eggs, r | ret ents re not the same as the final product. ‘And we must remember os peuee) a cm nage y describe individuals does not indicate that there’s any one right et fo be ors my ie prof le that rep resents an ideal. As Ralph Waldo Emerson reminds us, Every individual ate or oy eauty," No matter your personality, there is something you can contribute to a work environme: Many forces are at work in shaping the individual, with the five suns forming ony the main infrastructure. If there were only ten personality traits, with ten levels of cat trait, we d be able to describe some ten billion unique combinations. In fact, more than two dozen i rete traits are sub. sumed under the Big Five (including supertraits and subtraits), providing om literally Ailfions of combinations. In his book The Roots of the Self, Robert Ornstein (2993, p. 4) wrote: ‘So don’ t expect to discover in these pages a formula for finding yourself. It just can’ t be done. Consider this: at any mat- ing, one male and one female could produce 52 trillion biologically distinct ndiyidual + +. Simply put, human individuality is genetically too complex for any one system to explain. But just because perfect knowledge of ourselves and others is impossible, that doesn't Mean we shouldn’t endeavor to build and develop that knowledge. As Stephen Jay Gould wrote in his book, Eight Little Piggies (1993), “Details are all that matters. God dwells there, and you never see Him ifyou don’t struggle to get them right.” Let us now start the struggle, together, and catch a glimpse of the wonder of human personality at work. If you haven't read the Introduction yet, please do so now before begin- j ning Chapter 2. We know that realistically speaking, many of us skip book introductions in our eagerness to get to the “real” content. However, we would be remiss if we didn’t point out to you that the Introduction con- tains important information about the way to approach our WorkPlace Big Five Profile™ material. The Introduction: © Provides tips for the several different kinds of readers who have found their way here, © Highlights specific chapters that are the most relevant for particu- Jar jobs, Includes guidelines and questions to help you focus on aspects of the book that may be of special interest to you, and Contains definitions for the multitude of personality terms that are used throughout the remaining chapters of our book. 36to remain always cool and unruffled under all circu How We Respond to Stress “Nerves ont me with eee They work don’t have them, when | feel at ease, that! get von ilies Nictioks ran “To despise the animal basis of life, to seek value only at the level of conscious intelligence and rational effort, is ultimately to lose one’s sense of cosmic relationships.” —Lewis Mumford (philosopher/historian) “Nothing gives one person so much advantage over an —Thomas Jefferson (Third U.S. President)The Owner's Manual for Personality at Work, Second Edition 7 ™ N E 0 A c Need for Extraversion Originality | Accommodation | Consolidation Stability N+ Reactive E+ Extravert. O+ Explorer. At Adapter. C+ Focused N= Responsive E= Ambivert O= Moderate A= Negotiator ce Balanced N- Resilient E- Introvert (O- Preserver ‘A- Challenger C- Flexible (NI: Worry N2; intensity N3: Interpretation N4: Rebound Time Need for Stability: Definitions of the N Supertrait medium, or lower regions on the Need for Stability, or N, continuum. ihe three statements that introduce this chapter are examples of ways in which individuals speak according to their higher, Speaking in this manner doesn’t necessarily imply that a person will stay in that area of the con- tinuum all of the time. Thomas Jeffersor Guide to This Chapter: >N: Definitions of Supertrait >N: Three Case Studies >N: The Four Subtraits >N: Implications for Your Job and Career >N: Implications for Your Manager and Associates >N: How Others May Perceive You >A Note on the Biological Basis of Behavior >N: The Biological Basis n, for instance, speaks of the value of cool rationality. But the fact that he did not always behave with cool rationality, as with his mistress, Sally Hemings, was proof that he could be- have according to both ends of the N continuum—in control as well as out of control. These quotes are not intended to identify the speaker as possessing the trait expressed in the quote but only to illustrate the meaning of the quote. All of the quotes are meant to portray positive be- haviors, If a quote sounds negative or undesirable to you in some way, that’s probably because it differs from how you personally might feel or think. In the proper context, the quotes are all healthy, positive, productive, and desirable. When mentally healthy, we all demonstrate behaviors at both ends of each continuum—we can be both excitable (N+) and cool (N-). Commenting on one of the behaviors doesn’t nec- essarily mean we endorse that behavior. The statement “Nerves provide me with energy" doesn’t imply that the speaker is N+ or N-, only that he or she is talking about an N+ behavior: feeling nervous or plugged in. Let’s now take a closer look at the types of behavior associated with the three areas within the Need for Stability dimension. 38Need for Stability Resilient (N-) Ifyou are a Resili woot matfonet way. Tyolesily vow to 44), you tend to handle stressful situations in a calm, secure, steady, ere are stress-free, guilt-free, and urge-resistant. Unless you are very atten: tive, you may appear to others to be too lai, it ee ee es aid back and relaxed; to be uncaring, lethargic, insensitive, or Responsive (N=) Ifyou area Responsive (45-55), you tend to be calm, secure, and steady under normal circum- stances. However, surprises, pressures, emergencies, difficult situations, or stressful circumstances can sometimes lead you to some worry, anger, discouragement, or other types of stressful responses. Basi- cally, you have a moderate threshold for handling stress in the workplace. When difficulties arise, you may need a moment or two to blow off steam or get over your disappointment before resuming your regular activities or moving into a problem-solving mode. Reactive (N+) If you are a Reactive (56-100), you tend to respond to most situations in an alert, sensitive, concerned, attentive, excitable, or expressive way. Under stress, you may be perceived by others as being anxious, tense, restless, easily discouraged, temperamental, or worried. Typically, you feel the effect of even a little workplace stress more readily than most people and often serve as the “con- science” of the organization and those around you. When problems or difficult situations arise, you may tend to take them personally, thinking of them as your problems to solve or as your responsibility even if they really belong to or were caused by someone else. In tough times, you may need plenty of time to vent your frustrations or get over your concerns before you're ready to tackle the next job chal- lenge or move into a problem-solving mode. Need for Stability: Three Case Studies N Case Study 1 —_ The Customer Problem In the workplace, some of the dynamics that occur among low, middle, and high-scoring mension can be classically illustrated by the following situation. The SET ea roblem with a customer, rushes into the office of i i cerned about a p! e Reactive subordinate 04}, 299 “We're in real trouble! We've got a critical prob- ili er (N-), where he exclaims, ' ke 9 D ten rth sore They've threatened that if we don’t take action now on this morning’s product complaint, they'll take their account to our biggest competitor. We need to call the team together immediately to discuss what we're going to dol 39‘The Owner’s Manual for Personality at Work, Second Edition The Resilient manager (N-) calmly rolls her eyes toward the Responsive (N=), another sub- ordinate, who happens to be in her office. The boss calmly says to the Reactive (N+), “Now Bill you just need to chill a bit. Yes, XYZ threatens to pull their account away every other day over any minor little difficulty. It’s just their way to get quick action and to get us to hop when they say ‘frog.’ Calm down and we'll get back to them after lunch.” The Responsive subordinate (N=) squirms a little uncomfortably in her chair and says, “Well, | think we shouldn't wait too long to respond. One of the main reasons XYZ originally gave Us their business was that we guaranteed them a prompt response to any product problems any- time, Putting them off until this afternoon could affect our company's business relationship with them. | know they complain a lot. While this is probably a minor problem, | think we need to deal with it within the next hour or so and get back to our customer. Bill, I think you are right to bring it to our attention at this time.” This story emphasizes that people who score in the midrange and higher in N (N= and N+) tend to take the concerns of their workplace customers more seriously. Often people who score lower in N (N-) don’t take the concerns of their customers seriously enough. This difference in the level of seriousness can apply to both the internal and external customers we deal with in our daily work. In the overall workplace, however, we need both the calming, rational force of the N-, the strong ownership and sense of conscience about problems of the N+, and the equalizing ef- forts of the N= in order to accomplish our daily work. In fact, people who score in the midrange, like the N= in this case study, often serve as a bridge or a communication link between low- and high-scoring people to enable them to communicate more effectively. The gap between low- and high-scoring people sometimes makes it difficult for them to understand their opposite’s ra- tionale or reasoning. Midrange people can often assist in bridging this gap in understanding between low- and high-scoring people. N Case Study 2 The Late Overview At a leadership retreat in the mountaintop North Carolina conference center Wild- acres, fifty executives were presented with this situation: “You have just picked up your office tele- phone to hear the voice of a manager two levels above you in your organization angrily asking, “Where in the heck are you? You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago to do an overview for my senior management team.’ Without talking to anyone, write down what you are thinking or feeling at this very moment and how you would handle the situation.” The spokesman for the N-- group (those who scored 0-34 on the N scale) calmly stood up and said that they would get the appropriate file and either go to the meeting or ask whether the manager wanted to reschedule the meeting for another time. The spokeswoman for the N- group (35-44) said that her group felt a little anxious about the situation but were sure that someone had forgotten to tell them about the meeting. Howev- er, they would collect their materials and go to the meeting. A spokesman for the N= midrange scorers (45-55) looked a little concerned but appeared to become more comfortable as he continued. He told us that his group was worried and anxious about how the boss might fee! toward them and said that they had debated about whether they d failed to put the meeting on their calendars or whether someone else had made the error. 40aE “Well, since vaweon oes You've stopped, take a look at this memo for me, will pa “OK, leave it and | will.” aa Al was hopi thecgh orl you Could just look it over now and give me your "7 Teally want to send it out within the next few minutes.” E-(sighing audibly): “Ireally prefer having time to read and digest it first.” Ee ve i m st peokine for a three-hour speech from you about it. | simply Pee fear off the top of your head if you think the memo covers F points from our meeting last week.” = “Take it to Jill She's better with fast responses than | am, Other- wise, I need until tomorrow to look it over.” E= (Ambivert, walking by): “What are you guys up to?” Et: “I need a quick critique of this memo. | want to send it out right away, and Fred says he needs until tomorrow to ‘read and digest’ i I’ve written before he answers. He suggested you might do it ster.” “Well, | agree with Fred. You don’t always give us time to look at something before you want to talk about it. You've waited four days since the meeting to send it out, so a few more minutes won't make any difference. Give me the memo and show up at my desk in an hour. I'll give you my comments then so you can e-mail the memo today.” E+: “Great!” situations li is i it’sin derstand the per- Situations like this occur constantly in the workplace, so it’s important to unders! sonalities of our co-workers. Without knowing how others handle or process information, we one assume that their way is the same as ours. ‘When they try Oe os PuscD peat ee Nas i Y't care abot bY sume that they're just being uncooperative or selfish, that they don't care at fe that they ‘ont ie us. We aed to learn to respect our individual pereenary sce and recognize that it takes all of our personalities working together to get an organization’ - E Case Study 3 The Recognition Event “You have just been nization Ws ye i ject. - ation wants to honor you. Expense is no object j told that your organizati mee : le size of the Bt who will be invited, the location of the event, and the way in whi ich you wi 59own \d Edition ’s Manual for Personality at Work, Secon . _ ; me be oe are entirely up to you.” When 50 leaders were given this situation, they respondeq with the following scenarios: E- (extreme Introverts): “Vd like a manager | respect to email me or leave me a voice mail tg tell me that I'm doing a good job.” ; td il ive dit t a nice, low. E- (moderate Introverts): I'd like to receive dinner for my spouse and me at , Lowske f restaurant. It would be quiet and dark and there'd be a softly glow. ing fire in the restaurant fireplace.” E= (Ambiverts): “Vd like a gathering of my teammates where we could have a nice meal in an elegant setting for a couple of hours after work. We would celebrate the work of the team. There wouldn't be ar speeches, just a nice time knowing what we had accomplished to.. gether.” E+ (moderate Extraverts): “I'd want to get the whole department together with our families or life partners and have a picnic at the lake all day. There'd be boating, skiing, horseshoes, volleyball, games for the kids, and lots of good food and drinks. The department manager might give me a plaque for the accomplishment.” E++ (extreme Extraverts): “I'd rent the local stadium and send invitations to everyone | know or have ever met. I'd encourage people to bring their friends so there'd be a huge party atmosphere. Bands would be playing from the field while everyone partied. There’d be all kinds of food and drink. The party would start at noon and go on for 24 hours. About midnight, I'd go up on the stage and thank everyone for coming. Then the company president would tell everyone what I'd done. An annual scholarship would be set up in my honor, and all the broad- cast media would cover the event to photograph and interview me. Afterward, we would take a two-week cruise with a thousand of our closest friends!” Obviously, the last scenario is extremely far-fetched for today’s real workplace, especially with major corporate cutbacks for frills in the new economy. Unlimited budgets are never available for par- ties or recognition. Still, participants have enjoyed the process of discussing these situations, and interesting truths do emerge from these scenarios, Can you spot those that relate to Extraversion? One of the most obvious elements is the number of people involved in each scenario. AS We move from E~ at the low end of the scale to E++ at the high end, the number of people who are includ- ed in the event increases, from one manager by email or telephone, to my spouse, to my team, to my department, to everyone | ever knew and their friends! One reason for this increase is that additional People contribute to the sensation of the overall experience. This relates to sociability, our second sub- trait of Extraversion. You will also notice that the examples tend to describe more and more about the senses as the E score increases—more sights, more sounds, more tastes, more sensations for the bodY to experience, longer times allocated to enjoy the sensory bombardment, A third element in analyzing 60Extraversion the responses has to do with how large a leadership role the person is comfortable taking when being recognized. Extraversion: The Six Subtraits We have identified six important subtraits of Extraversion for the workplace and included them in our WorkPlace Big Five Profile. In the table below, you will find their anchor terms (descriptive phrases) for the high, middle, and low ranges on the continuum for each subtrait, followed by defini- tions. These are the six subtraits that contribute the most to your overall score on Extraversion. Use these descriptions of the subtraits to estimate your subtrait scores on the WorkPlace Big Five Profile on the final page of this book. Remember, a midrange score could mean you use the behaviors described in the midrange fairly consistently, or, if you determine that you demonstrate a balanced combination of behaviors from both the low range and the high range, you will likely score in the midrange as well. In that case, you might have a personality that is more of a challenge for your work colleagues to figure out. £1; Warmth Higher scorers tend to express positive feelings to others more naturally than lower scorers. Typically, they find it natural to give verbal recognition and positive strokes to associates. Engaging eas- ily in chit-chat with co-workers, E1+ people typically share much personal information (both about work and their private lives) with work associates. They are more likely to have co-workers as personal friends. On the other hand, lower scorers tend not to share as much information and find it easier to keep confidences, making them more trustworthy when it comes to protecting confidential infor- mation. Because they reveal little of what they may be feeling, either verbally or nonverbally, E1- people may be harder to read unless they tell you directly. Cautions for both high and low scorers are in order. Higher scoring people may feel that lower scoring people don’t like them because of the cool- ness that middle to lower scoring people typically exude. Lower scoring people may feel that higher scoring people are “over the top” in their interactions by often functioning as organizational cheer leaders. £2: Sociability For this scale, we are examining the degree to which you enjoy working with others (E2+), the degree to which you enjoy working with a few people (E2=), or the degree to which you enjoy working alone (E2-). Higher scores are associated with being comfortable working as part of ateam, while lower scores are associated with a preference for working in more solitary settings. It is not that E2- people dislike others and relationships; rather, they tend to be more discriminating in allotting their smaller amount of “extraverted fuel” (remember our buckets or fuel cans from earlier?) for such activity. E2+ people tend to initiate get-togethers and often make the first move for face-to-face contact. On the other hand, E2- people are often call-reluctant and would likely be less comfortable with a career in sales, E2- people tend to prefer solitary work such as working at a computer writing, reading, proof- reading, drawing, assembly, and paperwork, while E2+ people tend to prefer tasks that involve being around other people such as meetings, conferences, training, coaching, presentations, negotiations, interviewing, selling, and serving customers. An interesting task involves conducting telephone conver- sations which appears to be very compatible with an E2= profile—selling by phone as opposed to selling face-to-face. 61etd eae eeu) E1: Warmth How much we express positive The Owner's Manual for Personality at Work, Second E (emcee 31% Holds down positive feelings ‘dition rea eed 38% Demonstrates some positive feelings Ceca Sty) Ea Shows a lot of positive feelings feelings to others E2: Sociability The degree to which we enjoy being with others ‘Prefers working alone Occasionally seeks out others Prefers working with others | E3: Activity Mode Our need for keeping ‘on the move Prefers being still or.in one place Maintains a moderate activity level Prefers to be | physically active | ‘ | 4: Taking Charge The extent to which we want to lead Prefers being independent of others Accepts some responsibility for others Enjoys responsi of leading others believe other people others ee ES: Trust of Others « . Is somewhat How easily we Wsskeptical of others trusting of others Readily ania others E6: Tact Tends to speak Exerts moderate The degree of care te weishtin speaking (tao directl care in selecting words 3: Activity Mode High scorers need to keep on the move, as in a floor supervisor. We have had the experie! of teaching supervision workshops, and inevitably we encounter two or three supervisors out of a class Sane to move, stand up, stretch, or just lean against a wall with some frequency. Contrast is Ww scorers who typically are satisfied with a more sedentary role where they spend lonze’ periods of time in one place. Please note: E3- people do not necessarily have less energy but rather @ different mode by which t aa by wich ther energy expressed High, mile, and low scorers can put inthe Ios 62