ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
PERSONALITY
Learning Objectives
At the end of the lecture and tutorial, you should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Define personality.
Identify the factors that determine an individual’s personality.
Explain the major personality traits affecting OB and interpersonal relationships.
Describe the common techniques used for personality assessment.
Explain the Big 5 Personality Model and how the Big 5 Personality Model help
identify one’s own personality profile and impacts on work performance
1.
DEFINITION OF PERSONALITY
Personality
is
the
sum
total
___________________________.
of
It
ways
in
which
is often described
an
individual
in
terms of
__________________ that a person exhibits. (Stephen Robbins)
2.
FACTORS THAT DETERMINE AN INDIVIDUAL’S PERSONALITY
Knowing an individual’s personality can help one to understand why he / she
behaves or reacts in a particular way that differs from others.
According to Stephen Robbins, there is now a general consensus that an adult’s
personality is generally considered to be made up of both _____________ and
environmental factors.
OB – Personality
1
a.
______________
Heredity refers to factors which are determined at the time of ___________
(birth) which are transmitted from ________________________ through
genetics. The ultimate explanation is the molecular structure of the genes,
located in the chromosomes.
Examples are physical stature, facial attractiveness, gender, temperament,
muscle composition and reflexes, energy level and biological rhythms
influenced by the parents’ biological, physiological and psychological makeup. Physical characteristics and rate of maturation also affect personality.
Certain body builds are associated with specific personality traits. The
physical characteristics will influence a person’s impression on others and
affect his/her self-concept.
Studies have suggested that parents do not add much to our personality
development.
The personalities of identical twins raised in different
households are more similar to each other than to the personalities of
siblings with whom the twins were raised. Ironically, the most important
contribution our parents may make to our personalities is giving us our
genes.
b.
_______________
Heredity may set the parameters or outer limits, but an individual’s full
potential will be determined by how well he/she adjusts to the demands and
requirements of the environment.
The culture in which we are raised, our early conditioning, the norms among
our family, friends and social groups, and other influences that we
experience could also play a critical role in shaping our personalities.
Family has the most significant impact on early personality development.
Parents can establish a stimulating and loving environment for the child
which is crucial for the development of personality.
Siblings can also
contribute to personality development, and advocates of birth order data
OB – Personality
2
claim that it is possible to describe major personality characteristics on the
basis of position in the family.
Socialisation by the family, friends, other social groups and especially
organisations can greatly influence an individual’s personality.
3.
PERSONALITY TRAITS THAT AFFECT ORGANISATIONAL
BEHAVIOUR AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
The main personality traits / attributes that influence organisational behaviour
are:
a.
________________
Machiavellianism (or Mach for short) refers to the degree to which an
individual is pragmatic, maintains __________________, and believes that
____________________________.
An individual ______ in Machiavellianism is pragmatic, maintains emotional
distance, and believes that ends can justify means. “If it works, use it” is
consistent with a high-Mach perspective.
A considerable amount of research has found that high-Machs
___________ more, _____ more, are __________ less by others but
persuade others ________ than do _____________. They are more likely
to act ____________ and engage in other counterproductive work
behaviours as well.
Machiavellianism
A recent review of literature reveals that
does
not
significantly
predict
overall
___________________. High-Mach employees, by manipulating others to
their advantage, win in the ____________, but they lose their gains in the
____________ as they are not well-liked.
b.
_______________
Narcissism refers to the tendency to be ___________, have a __________
________ of self-importance, requires _____________________, and has
a _____________________.
OB – Personality
3
Evidence suggest narcissists are __________________ than others. Both
leaders and managers tend to score____________ on narcissism,
suggesting that a certain self-centredness is needed to succeed.
Narcissists also report higher levels of ________________________, job
engagement and ___________________ than others.
c.
_____________________________
People
who
have
positive
core
self-evaluation
[CSE]
__________________ and they see themselves as _____________,
capable and ______________ of their environment. Those with negative
core self-evaluation tend to ___________ themselves, question their
_________________, and view themselves as ___________ over their
environment.
People with positive core self-evaluations _________________ than others
because
they
set
___________________
goals,
are
_____________________ to their goals, and ____________ longer in
attempting to reach their set goals.
d.
_____________________
Self-monitoring is an individual’s ability to _________ his/ her behaviour to
_________, _____________ factors.
_______ self-monitoring individuals show considerable ___________ in
adjusting their behaviour to external situational factors. They are highly
sensitive to external cues and can behave ___________ in ____________
situations.
High self-monitors are capable of presenting striking
contradictions between their ________ persona and their _________ self.
On the other hand, low self-monitors cannot disguise themselves in that
way. They tend to display their _________________ and attitudes in every
situation; hence there is ________________________ consistency
between who they are and what they do.
OB – Personality
4
Evidence indicates high self-monitors pay _______________ to the
behaviour of others and are more capable of _____________ than low selfmonitors. They also receive _________ performance ratings, are more
likely to emerge as _________, and show ________________ to their
organisations.
In addition, high self-monitoring managers tend to be
____________________
in
their
careers,
receive
____________________, and are more likely to occupy __________
positions in an organisation.
e.
Proactive personality
Proactives are people who _________ opportunities, show __________,
take _________, and ___________ until meaningful change occurs,
compared to others who passively react to situations. Proactives create
______________ in their environment, regardless of, or even in spite of,
constraints or obstacles. Proactives have many __________ behaviours
that organisations covet.
They also have higher levels of _____
performance and ___________ success.
Are there any downsides to having a proactive personality? A recent study
of 231 Flemish unemployed individuals found that proactive personality was
negatively related to persistence in _____________ - proactive individuals
abandoned their job searches sooner. However, it may be that proactivity
includes knowing when to ____________ and___________ alternatives in
the face of failure.
Proactive personality may be important for ___________. One study of 95
R&D teams in 33 Chinese companies revealed that teams with highaverage levels of proactive personality were _____________. Proactive
individuals are also more likely to exchange information and build trust
among team members. Like other traits, proactive personality is affected
by the context. One study of bank branch teams in China found that if a
team’s leader was not proactive, the benefits of the team’s proactivity will
lie dormant or, worse, be suppressed by the leader.
OB – Personality
5
In short, while proactive personality may be important to ____________
and ___________ performance, like all traits it may have downsides, and
its effectiveness may depend on the context.
4.
COMMON TECHNIQUES USED TO ASSESS PERSONALITY
Background and Uses of Personality Tests
Personality tests are the most commonly used method of assessing an
individual’s personality characteristics. Choosing the right candidate for a job, or
selecting the right person for promotion, is a crucial organisational decision.
Incorrect
decisions
can
lead
to
__________
employees
and
______________________. In addition, selection and appraisal procedures can
be costly and ________________________.
Advantages and disadvantages of Personality tests
The advantages of using Personality tests are their _______ of administration.
However, they pose a problem of possible “_________” of answers and the
related issue of “__________________” i.e. the respondent’s tendency to
answer in a socially desirable fashion. To tackle the problem, some of the more
sophisticated inventories provide __________________.
Despite the possible “faking” of answers, many companies are using
psychometric or personality tests in the hiring process to assess the “personalityjob fit. Examples of commonly-used personality test are as follows:

____________________________

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator [MBTI]

Cattell’s 16 Primary Traits Questionnaire

Dominance - Influence - Steadiness - Compliance [DISC]
OB – Personality
6
Enneagram - a new personality test outlining 9 personality types.

5.
The Big Five Personality Model
An impressive body of research supports the Big Five Model which is a
personality assessment model that outlines 5 basic personality dimensions/traits
which define human personality and account for individual differences. Test
scores on these traits do a very good job of predicting how people behave in a
variety of real-life situations. The following are the Big 5 traits:
No
1
Dimension/Traits
____________
Description
Describes one’s comfort level with relationships.
__________: gregarious, assertive, sociable.
__________: reserved, timid, quiet.
2
____________
Describes one’s propensity to defer to others.
_____________:
cooperative,
warm,
and
disagreeable,
and
trusting
_____________:
cold,
antagonistic
3
_____________
Describes the measure of reliability of an
individual.
________________: Responsible, organised,
dependable, and
persistent.
________________: Unreliable, easily
distracted, and
disorganised
OB – Personality
7
4
______________*
Describes one’s ability to withstand stress;
_______: calm, self-confident, secure
_______: Nervous, anxious, insecure, and
depressed
* Emotional stability is often labelled by its converse, neuroticism.
5
______________
Describes one’s range of interests & fascination
______________
with novelty.
____: curious, creative, artistically sensitive.
____: conventional, finds comfort in the familiar.
How Do the Big Five Predict Behaviour at Work?
Research on the Big Five has found relationships between these personality
dimensions and _______________. The main findings are:
1.
Extraversion
Extraverts tend to be happier in their jobs and in their lives as a whole. They
experience more positive emotions than do introverts, and they express
these feelings more freely. They also tend to perform better in jobs with
____________ inter-personal interaction. They have more social skills and
friends. Finally, extraversion is a relatively strong predictor of __________
____________ in groups; extraverts are more _________________, “take
charge” type of people, and they are generally more ___________ than
introverts.
One downside of extraverts is that extraverts are more __________ than
introverts; they are more likely to be absent from work and can find it quite
difficult to be alone or in solitude for too long.
2.
Agreeableness
You might expect agreeable people to be ________ than disagreeable
people. They are, but only slightly. When people choose romantic partners,
OB – Personality
8
friends or organised team members, ___________ individuals are usually
their first choice.
Agreeable individuals are _____________ than
disagreeable individuals, they tend to do better in interpersonally oriented
jobs such as _______________. They are also more compliant and rule
abiding and less likely to get into ________________ and more _________
in their jobs. They contribute to organisational performance by engaging in
________________ behaviour and are less likely to engage in
organisational deviance. Agreeableness is associated with ____________
of __________________ [especially earnings].
3.
Conscientiousness
Individuals who are dependable, reliable, careful, thorough, able to plan,
organised, hardworking, persistent and achievement-oriented tend to have
________________________ in most if not all occupations. Employees
who score higher in ____________________ develop higher levels of
_____ ____________, probably because highly conscientious people learn
more. Higher levels of job knowledge can then contribute to higher levels
of ______________________. Conscientiousness is as important for
managers as for front-line employees. Conscientiousness is important for
______________________________.
Interestingly, conscientious people live ___________ as they take better
care of themselves and engage in fewer ______________________ like
reckless driving.
4.
Emotional stability
Emotional stability is most strongly related to life satisfaction, job
satisfaction and low stress levels.
High scorers are more likely to be
_________ and ______________ and experience ________ negative
emotions; they are generally __________ than low scorers. Low scorers
are _____________ (looking for problems or impending signs of danger)
and are _____________ to the physical and psychological effects of stress.
OB – Personality
9
5.
Openness to experience
Individuals
who
score
high
on
openness
to
experience
are
_______________ in science and art than those who score low. Because
creativity is important to leadership, open people are more likely to be
___________
leaders.
_________________.
They
are
They
also
more
cope
comfortable
better
with
with
_____________________________ and are more ________________ in
varying contexts. Recent evidence suggests that they are especially prone
to workplace accidents.
REFERENCES
Robbins, S. P. & Judge, T. (2018). Organisational Behaviour. (18th ed.). Harlow,
England: Pearson.
OB – Personality
10