Ch5

Personality and values

 Personality

• What is personality
– The sum total of ways in which an individual r
eacts to and interacts with others
• Measuring personality
– Self-report surveys → problems : fake, accur
acy
– Observer ratings surveys
 Personality determinants

• Heredity vs. environment

– Identical twins researches
– Genetics accounts for 50% of the personality
similarities between twins
• Personality changes
– Ex. Dependability tend to increase over time
– More changeable in adolescence and more s
table among adults.
 Personality determinants

• Personality traits
– Enduring characteristics that describe an indi
vidual’s behavior
– Ex. Lazy, loyal
– More frequently occurs, more consistent over
time → more important in describing the indiv
idual
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator(MBT
I)

• 100-question personality test that ask people h

ow they usually feel or act in particular situation
s.
– Extraverted(E) vs. Introverted(I)
Sensing(S) vs. Intuitive(N)
Thinking(T) vs. Feeling(F)
Judging(J) vs. Perceiving(P)
→16 personality types
• Validity-most of the evidence suggested not
• Valuable tool for increasing self-awareness
 The Big Five Personality Model

• Big Five factors: Extroversion

Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Emotional stability
Openness to experience
• How do the Big Five traits predict behavior at work?
– Higher conscientious  higher levels of job knowledge 
higher job performance
– Conscientious is more important than other traits(to Busin
ess success)
Exhibit 5-2
Other Personality Traits Relevant to O
B

• Core self-evaluation
– Positive core self-evaluation related to job sat
isfaction and better job performance
• Machiavellianism
– The degree to which an individual is pragmati
c, maintains emotional distance, and believes
that ends can justify means
– High-Mach outcomes are moderated by situa
tional factors
Other Personality Traits Relevant to O
B

• Narcissism
– While they thought they were better leaders than their c
olleagues, their supervisors actually rated them as wor
se.
• Self-monitoring
– High in self-monitoring show considerable adaptability i
n adjusting their behavior to external situational factors
• Risk taking
– People differ in their willingness to rake chances, a affe
cts how much time and information managers need to t
ake a decision
Other Personality Traits Relevant to O
B

• Type A personality
– Aggressive involvement in a chronic, incessa
nt struggle to achieve more and more in less
and less time and, if necessary , against the
opposing efforts of other things or other peopl
e.
• Proactive personality
– People who identify opportunities, show initiat
ive take action, and persevere until meaningf
ul change occurs.
 Values

• Basic convictions that a specific mode of

conduct or end-state of existence is pers
onally or socially preferable to an opposit
e or converse ones.
• Contain judgment element, have both co
ntent and intensity attributes.
• Value system-based on a ranking of an in
dividual’s values in terms of their intensity
.
 Values

• Generational values
– Contemporary work cohorts
Cohort Entered the Workforce Approximate Current Dominant Work Values
Age
Veterans 1950s or early 1960s 65+ Hardworking, conservative,
conforming; loyalty to the
organization
Boomers 1965-1985 Mid-40s to mid-60s Success, achievement,
ambition, dislike of authority,
loyalty to career
Xers 1985-2000 Late 20s to early 40s Work/life balance, team-
oriented, dislike of rules;
loyalty to relationships
Nexers 2000-present Under 30 Confident, financial success,
self-reliant but team-oriented;
loyalty to both self and
relationships
Linking an individual’s personality and
values to the workplace

• Person-job fit theory

– Vocational Preference Inventory questionnair
e
– The theory argues that satisfaction is highest
and turnover lowest when personality and oc
cupation are in agreement
• There do appear to be intrinsic differences in perso
nality among individuals
• Different types of jobs
• People in jobs congruent with their personality →
more satisfied and less likely to voluntarily resign
Linking an individual’s personality and
values to the workplace

• Person-organization fit
– People are attracted to and selected by orga
nizations that match their values, and they le
ave organizations that are compatible with th
eir personalities
– Fit better with the organization’s culture → hi
gher employee satisfaction and reduced turn
over
 Global Implications

• Personality
– Big Five model appear in almost all cross-cult
ural studies
– Differences tend to be in the emphasis on di
mensions and whether countries are predomi
nantly individualistic or collectivistic
– The GLOBE Framework for Assessing Cultur
es
• An ongoing cross-cultural investigation of leadershi
p and national culture
• Identified 9 dimensions on which national cultures
differ
• Ex. humane orientation, performance orientation
Summary and Implications for Manag
ers

• Personality
– Personality and job performance were not me
aningfully related across traits or situations
• Values
– Employee’s performance and satisfaction are
likely to be higher if their values fit well with th
e organization