11
The Manager
as a Person
Personality Traits
Personality Traits: Characteristics that influence
how people think, feel and behave on and off the job.
Include tendencies to be enthusiastic, demanding, easygoing, nervous, etc.
Each trait can be viewed on a continuum, from low to high.
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There is no “wrong” trait, but rather managers have
a complex mix of traits.
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The Big Five Traits:
Figure 11.1
I
Low
Extroversion
High
Low
Negative Affectivity
High
Low
Agreeableness
High
Low
Conscientiousness
High
Low
Openness to Experience
High
II
III
IV
V
The Big Five
Extroversion: people are positive and feel good about 
themselves and the world.
Managers high on this trait are sociable, friendly.

Negative Affectivity: people experience negative 
moods, are critical, and distressed.
Managers are often critical and feel angry with others and
themselves.

Agreeableness: people like to get along with others.
Managers are likable, and care about others.

Conscientiousness: people tend to be careful, 
persevering.
Openness to Experience: people are original, with 
broad interests.
Traits and Managers
Successful managers vary widely on the “Big Five”.
It is important to understand these traits since it helps
explain a manager’s approach to planning, leading,
organizing, etc.
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Managers should also be aware of their own style and try to tone 
down problem areas.
Internal Locus of Control: People believe they are
responsible for their fate.
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See their actions are important to achieving goals. 
External Locus of Control: People believe outside
forces are responsible for their fate.
Their actions make little difference in achieving outcomes. 
Managers need an Internal Locus of Control!
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Other Traits
Self-Esteem: Captures the degree to which
people feel good about themselves and abilities.
High self-esteem causes people to feel they are
competent, and capable.
Low self-esteem people have poor opinions of
themselves and abilities.
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Need for Achievement: extent to which people
have a desire to perform challenging tasks and
meet personal standards.
Need for Affiliation: the extent to which
people want to build interpersonal relationships
and being liked.
Need for Power: indexes the desire to control
or influence others.
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Values
Values: describe what managers try to achieve
through work and how to behave.
These are personal convictions about life-long goals
(terminal values) and modes of conduct (instrumental
values).
A person’s value system reflects how important their
values are as a guiding principle in life.
Terminal values important to managers include:
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Sense of Accomplishment, equality, self-respect. 
Instrumental values include:
hard-working, broadminded, capable. 
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Terminal and Instrumental Values
Figure 11.3
TERMINAL VALUES
INSTRUMENTAL
VALUES
Prosperous life
Exciting life
Sense of Accomplishment
A world at peace
Salvation
Self-respect
Pleasure
Wisdom
True friendship
Equality
Ambitious
Broadminded
Capable
Cheerful
Clean
Helpful
Honest
Obedient
Loving
Responsible
Attitudes
Attitudes: collection of feelings about something.
Job Satisfaction: feelings about a worker’s job.
Satisfaction tends to rise as manager moves up in the organization.
Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: actions not required of
managers but which help advance the firm. Managers with high
satisfaction perform these “extra mile” tasks.
Organizational Commitment: beliefs held by people toward the
organization as a whole.
Committed managers are loyal and proud of the firm.
Commitment can differ around the world.
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Moods
Moods: encompass how a manager feels while
managing.
Positive moods provide excitement, elation and
enthusiasm.
Negative moods lead to fear, stress, nervousness.
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Moods can depend on a person's basic outlook as well as on current 
situations.
Managers need to realize how they feel affects how
they treat others and how others respond to them.
Workers prefer to make suggestions to mangers who are in
“a good mood”.
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Perceptions
Perception is the process through which people
select, organize and interpret input.
Manager’s decisions are based on their perception.
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Managers need to ensure perceptions are accurate. 
Managers are all different and so are their perceptions of a
situation.

Perceptions depend on satisfaction, moods, and so forth. 
A manager’s past experience can influence their
outlook on a new project.
Good managers try not to prejudge new ideas based on
the past.
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Career Development
Career: sum total of the work-related experiences
through a person’s life.
Linear career: person moves through a sequence of jobs
of higher levels.

Can build different experience in different positions. 
Steady State career: worker chooses to keep the same
kind of job over much of a career.

Become highly skilled in a given area. 
Spiral Career: worker holds fundamentally different jobs
that still build on each other.
Worker gains wide experience yet skills continue to build. 
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Career Stages
Figure 11.7
Preparation
for Work
Organization
Entry
Early Midcareer
Midcareer
Late
Career
Career Stages:
Preparation for Work: decide on kind of career,
determine qualifications needed.
Organizational entry: find a “first” job.
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Managers usually start in a functional area first. 
Early career: establishes person in the firm and
begins achievement.
Worker learns firm’s values and duties. 
Also begins to achieve noteworthy results in the job. 
Worker tries to stand out as a good performer. 
Mentors (experienced manager who shows you the
ropes) are valuable during this stage.
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Stages, cont.
Mid-career: usually have been in workforce 20-35
years.
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Usually provides major accomplishments. 
Career plateaus can occur as chances for further
promotion dwindle.

Plateau managers can still enjoy a fruitful career. 
Late career: continues as long as the manager
works and is active.
Many managers choose to stay active well past normal
retirement.
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Career Management
Managers need to consider both personal
career management as well as the careers of
other workers in the firm.
Ethical practice: managers need to ensure worker
promotions are based on outcomes, not friendships.

This means all workers are treated equally. 
Accommodation of other demands: Workers have
many things in their lives besides work. Managers need to
consider these issues as well.
The dual career couple is the norm. 
Workers have family commitments. 
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Stress
Results when people face important
opportunity or threats they are uncertain can
be handled.
Managers almost always face stress. 
Physiological issues: stress can result in sleep problems,
headaches, and other issues.

Long-term levels of stress can result in heart attack, and high blood 
pressure.
Different people experience stress differently. 
Psychological issues: stress can result in bad moods,
anger, nervousness.

Can result in lower work output and frustration. 
Behavioral issues: stress can actually enhance job
performance as well as impair it.
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Stress & Performance
Figure 11.8
Level of
Performance
High
Low
Low
Positive Stress
Negative Stress High
Level of Stress
Sources of Stress
Role Conflict: results from conflict between
managerial roles.
Conflict can result when managers want to present a
problem with the firm but still want to present firm in best
possible light.
Role Overload: managers have too many duties and
activities.
Most managers have several roles but they can become
over-powering.
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Coping with stress
Problem-focused: actions taken to directly deal with
stress.
Emotion-focused: actions taken to deal with stressful
feelings.
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Time Management: allows people to accomplish
more with less wasted time.
Mentoring: mentor shows how to deal with stress.
Exercise: can reduce stressful feelings.
Meditation: puts current cares aside.
Social support: can come from family or other
workers.