Introduction Personality A person's personality is a set of consistent traits and states that affect how they behave to attain their goals. Moreover, it is also the way an individual reacts and interacts with others. Personality has several reasons such as heredity, environment, culture, and many more. What exactly makes up a personality? Characteristics such as consistency of behaviours, psychological and physiological constructs, how we behave and express ourselves, thoughts, feelings, close relationships, and other social interactions make up a person’s personality. (Kendra Cherry, 2022) Source: Big 5 Personality Test Many contemporary personality psychologists believe that there are five basic dimensions of personality, generally referred to as the "Big 5" personality traits. These five primary personality traits are extroversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. These Big 5 Personality Traits can be remembered with acronyms such as “OCEAN” or “CANOE”. Agreeableness is kindness, neuroticism often involves sadness or emotional instability, conscientiousness is thoughtfulness, openness is creativity and intrigue, and Extraversion is sociability. Understanding what each personality trait is and what it means to score high or low in that trait can give your insight into your own personality – this is done by taking a personality traits test. It can likewise assist you with a better understanding of others, considering where they fall on the continuum for every one of the personality attributes shown. (Cherry, 2022) Here’s each personality trait and their general introduction: Openness: Very creative, open to trying new things, focuses on tackling new challenges Conscientiousness: High levels of thoughtfulness, good impulse control, goal-directed behaviours Extraversion: Excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and high amounts of emotional expressiveness Agreeable: Cares about others, feels empathy, enjoys helping others Neuroticism: Experiences stress and dramatic shifts in mood, feels anxious, worries about different things, gets upset easily, struggle to bounce back after stressful events Perception Perception, in humans, is the process whereby sensory stimulation is translated into organized experience. That experience, or percept, is the joint product of stimulation and of the process itself. In simple words, perception is the interpretation of thoughts, visual and audible information. Perception can be different for different people. Perception can often help shape an individual’s personality and how they act in certain situations. Some Factors that influence an individual’s perception are personality, self-concept, motives, attitude, past experiences, expectations, and learning. Different people perceive the same message differently. How people perceive and react to each other's personalities and qualities is a significant aspect of communication. Communication is a two-way street; people's perceptions of their own and others' behaviours greatly impact communication. (Cherry, 2022) Power and politics and Culture Power and politics assume a colossal part in industry and oversee how to simply decide, the interaction of employees with each other. The two ideas on a very basic level impact the way of behaving of people gather and aid critical thinking in an organizational setting. (Service, 2022) Organizational culture is the collection of values, thoughts and practices that show the activities and behaviour of all employees in the company. This collection of qualities will make accompany what it stands for. A company with great organization culture would have positive characteristics in them, whereas a lowperforming organization would have low-quality traits and cultural beliefs. (Wong, 2020) Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory, developed by Geert Hofstede, is a framework used to understand the differences in culture across countries. Source: Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory Hofstede’s initial six key dimensions include: 1. Power Distance 2. Uncertainty Avoidance 3. Individualism-collectivism 4. Masculinity-femininity 5. Short vs. long-term orientation 6. Restraint vs Indulgence Many countries have several common factors like language and location. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions are generally utilised to understand communication, respect, and beliefs in culture from areas ranging from business to diplomacy (Nickerson, 2022) Personal Personality Tests and Results The Company that I have been assigned to is Walmart (Chile) on which this assignment is based. This Big Five assessment measures my results on 5 main dimensions of personality: Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Openness, and Neuroticism. Here is a description of each of these five factors of personality, as well as a description of my score on that measure: Openness Openness depicts an individual's ability to think in abstract, complex ways. High scorers will quite often be creative, courageous, and open-minded. They appreciate entertaining thoughts, and ideas and finding new experiences. Low scorers will often be reasonable, conventional and focused on the important materials. They will often stay away from the unknown and follow traditional ways. Here I scored a high 92% which indicates that I would be open to new ideas and innovation. This is score is what needed for the company because in Walmart the staff should be intelligent enough to do creative ideas to gain more customers. Hence, my tendency to think in an abstract or creative manner is very likely. (Truity, 2021) As an employee working at Walmart having a high score of openness allows me to adventure a lot of opportunities and experiment lot of creative ideas. As an individual I tend to be unique and eccentric which would affect the organization in a positive manner, having an infectious energy and motivation towards my work would allow whichever team I work in to also be motivated, not just the team or department having individuals like me would make the working environment friendly and that would lead to employees avoiding conflicts or other issues. Not just employees interacting with customers, having an open mind and being friendly and expressive would lead to better interaction with the customers at Walmart which would lead to customer relationship would being healthy, which would lead to loyal customers towards Walmart which is a positive outcome such as increased productivity at Walmart. Walmart being a retail company usually has more opportunities for creativity and as an employee, if I would be resisting creativity working at Walmart could cause interpersonal conflicts, and it would affect my work relationships with my work and co-workers. Having such a personality could make me less motivated towards my work which would affect Walmart’s productivity as I would be causing conflicts or would not be able to complete my work up to date, which would eventually cause a negative outcome for Walmart. Conscientiousness Conscientiousness represents individuals with good impulse control, self-discipline, and goal driven behaviour. Individuals with high score tends to be very organized and do not give into their pleasures, whereas individuals with low score tends to be less structure or organized. I have a high score of 81% which is needed in the company as the employees should always be organized in nature and determined to do a task perfectly. The employees that work in the company should never be easily sidetracked and should not be impulsive. (Truity, 2021) Having self-efficacy, is my ability to achieve goals and complete tasks on time, I can be competent and selfcontrolled which means I will always be up to date with my work and will maintain self-discipline at work environment by being organized and structured as an employee, which would lead to efficiency and effectivity at Walmart. However, If I was the opposite of goal-driven with a low score in conscientiousness which would mean I would tend to be less organized. I as an employee become less structured or unorganized which would lessen the efficiency at my workplace, which would delay the work at Walmart assigned to me as an employee and it would affect Walmart’s reputation and productivity. Extraversion Extraversion portrays an individual's tendency to look for excitement from the exterior world, particularly as consideration from others. Extraverts connect effectively with others to acquire friendship, admiration, power, status, energy, and sentiment. Introverts, then again, preserve their energy and don't work as hard to acquire these social results. Here we can see that the extraversion score that I have scored here is 79%. This score is perfect when it comes to companies like lulu as the employees should be the extrovert type so that they can interact with more customers and gain their friendship and admiration. (Truity, 2021) Having the ability to have a wide social circle helps in networking and bonding which would help Walmart as an employee networking with merchandisers is very important to allow Walmart to gain loyal merchandisers or brand dealers. Similarly, the ability to communicate, which allows me as an employee to communicate with customers or co-workers, is beneficial. However, if I was the opposite of friendly/outgoing with a low score in extraversion it would affect Walmart because an employee being reserved at Walmart goes against their friendly working environment. Agreeableness Agreeableness represents individuals with prosocial behaviour, such as kind and affectionate personalities. Individuals with a high score tend to be more cooperative and, individuals with a low score tend to be competitive or manipulative. Here in this picture, we can see the score I got is 90%. This score is known to be a perfect kind of company employee as the customers need employees who can help them and can be empathetic, trustful, and forgiving. (Truity, 2021) Having such a personality gives me the ability to be a trusting individual and when working at Walmart the teams we work in if I can trust each member and be reliable then as a team we could work, and it would be smooth and it would lead to efficiency at Walmart. However, if I were the opposite of affectionate with a low score in Agreeableness means I would tend to be sceptical. As an employee, if I can’t cooperate with everyone it would cause conflicts which would disturb the working environment and that would affect the organization. Neuroticism Neuroticism depicts a person’s negative feelings such as anger, guilt, shame, anxiety, tension, and fear. almost everybody has these feelings occasionally, but some people have them more than the general public. People who score high in neuroticism are generally sad in nature, whereas people with low scores are comparatively happier and brush off the negative feelings as and when they happen. In the picture depicted, we can see that my neuroticism score is 23%, which is great for the company. This is something which the companies can have to maintain positivity but advised to have a lower percentage and the company does not want individuals with more than 60% score as they are most likely to be angry and negative in different situations. (Truity, 2021) As an employee who is emotionally stable, I can understand my co-workers and act in a particular manner. Similarly, I tend to adapt to new situations easily, and at Walmart, new situations do arise whether with customers or new brands. However, if I was the opposite of an emotionally stable person then as an employee I would tend to struggle through negative thinking or anxiety and that could push my confidence down instead of working cooperatively, I would be a lot more reserved and with constant negative thoughts would come in the way with the work. Hofstede’s Insights Cultural Dimension Source: Country Comparison - Hofstede Insights If we look at Chile's way of life with respect to the model off the 6 dimensions, we would be able to understand how Chile’s culture fares with the rest of the world cultures. POWER DISTANCE The dimension of Power distance makes us understand that societies are different and not all are equal in terms of power. It also tells us how we must live with the differences among us. Power distance can also be inferred to as the working class believing that there is not proper distribution of power among the given hierarchy of an organization or the country. However, the country of Chile scores relatively low on Power Distance compared to the other countries in that region, at 63% it let us know that it is almost halfway on the scale of power distance. Chile's authoritative past also tells us about its current rating. When we look at the organizational perspective in Chile there is a huge distance between there are different levels of hierarchy and hence there is lower delegation. There tends to be more corruption in that case. People with more power tend to flourish more in that case leaving the lower class of society to have less power and be under the upper class which shows itself in an organization as well. (Hofstead, 2022) INDIVIDUALISM Individualism is a characteristic which basically tend to categorise on whether an individual is selfish and categorise themselves as “I” rather than “We”. Chile having a score of 23 seems to be low compared to the other countries in that region. As per the recent survey we have found that there seems to be a low amount of selfishness and people tend to be selfless in these regions. This in turn is good news for Chile's Gross domestic product and the way that it will help the country progress financially. There seem to be some paternalistic exceptions but that is out of Santiago. (Hofstead, 2022) MASCULINITY Masculinity refers to the high accomplishment, drive, and rivalry that the general public showcases in all fields of life where a person can be categorised as being winner in which this concept starts from birth. A high number on this scale would mean that the country would be masculine and hence show related traits. On the other hand, being feminine (femininity) is a lower score on the scale and is seen as the lower quality traits which would be focusing on one's own petty interests and personal gratification. A feminine society is one where a person does not want to be standing apart from the crowd and doesn't want to achieve something great. A country’s masculinity depends on how high the individuals of the country want to achieve in life In this case Chile acquires a low score of 28 on this aspect which thereby, represents feminine culture. Chilean culture in which both males and females seem to be far from arrogant and are more cooperative in ways of behaving or in their mentality which here shows as a feminine trait. In countries with high feminine traits and low masculinity people have a mindset of “working to live” and feel to have a place in society. In the country of Chile, there seems to be less competition and any dispute is settled by discussion and compromise. (Hofstead, 2022) UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE The dimension of uncertainty avoidance can be understood by how the public deals with the uncertain future and how they try to control it. This act leads to nervousness which is one of the main factors that is measured, and this determines how well a certain country or organization handles pressure and tension. The score shows how well a country takes precautions beforehand or lets everything happen on its own. This would be a dimension which measures how well people avoid certain convictions and different circumstances. The country of Chile scores a high 86% on uncertainty avoidance which is higher compared to the countries in that region. This also shows that there is high scrutiny and a tendency for rules and administration in the country. Compared to other nations, Chile stands low in corruption and other unruly behaviours. If you look at Chile’s highly administrative past you would see that there was high reliability on a strong administration, specialists, and experts (Hofstead, 2022) LONG TERM ORIENTATION Long term orientation shows how a society adjusts itself by depending on their past and culture but also building and changing its present and future while keeping in mind all the changes occurring in the modern world. Chile having a low score of 31 would show that the society would be regulating and not being inclined for the long term. People of such cultures would be living in the present more than the future. People from such cultures would be putting more emphasis on the present and the needy and would rarely plan heavily for the future. These are the people who have high regard for their customs and traditions. (Hofstead, 2022) INDULGENCE Indulgence shows the way people try to control themselves, their desires, and impulses this dimension shows if the cultures can be Indulgent or Restrained. This is shown by the degree to which people put aside their desires and wants for something to be achieved for the future. This is shown by the upbringing off children in the society as well. The lack of control over oneself is termed "Indulgence" and self-discipline against one’s desires is known as "Restraint". Societies can be classified as Restrained or Indulgent. Chile has a high score of 68 in indulgence which shows that they lack a certain amount of restraint. People in such societies lack motivation and give in to their pleasures and wants, with the main goal being to have fun in life and have a great time. These types of people generally obsess over their leisure time and do not care about burning all their cash. (Hofstead, 2022) Conclusion To conclude, personality is a set of traits that affect how an individual behaves to attain a goal. It plays an important role in affecting the workplace and also plays a big part in organizational behaviour. We can also say that perception gives us the process of selecting and turning perpetual data into something which gives us meaningful information. Perception in an organization plays a role in determining the person’s personality and behaviour in particular circumstances. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension helps us to understand the different characteristics of different cultures across the globe within a workplace. Hofstede’s cultural dimension also include the basic 6 dimensions which are masculinity, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, indulgence, and power distance. As per the Big 5 Personality Test, my outcomes show I would be a great fit for the company Walmart in Chile and would help in communication, being empathetic and focused and bringing out the best in my current line of work. My personality would be shown as having a direct positive impact on the workplace and Walmart Chile in my case and there are some areas where my personality in Walmart could be improved. Nevertheless, it is a good initiative to help improve the all-round development and motivation of a company through personality and perception. References Cherry, K., 2022. What Is Perception?. [Online] Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/perception-and-the-perceptual-process-2795839 [Accessed 11 November 2022]. Hofstead, 2022. Hofstead Culture Comparison. [Online] Available at: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/ [Accessed 13 November 2022]. Kendra Cherry, 2022. What Is Personality?. [Online] Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-personality-2795416 [Accessed 8 November 2022]. Nickerson, C., 2022. Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory. [Online] Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/hofstedes-cultural-dimensionstheory.html#:~:text=Hofstede's%20Cultural%20Dimensions%20Theory%2C%20developed,long%2Dterm%20or ientation. [Accessed 2022]. Service, I., 2022. The individual processes: Power and Politics (Organisational Behaviour and Design). [Online] Available at: https://www.civilserviceindia.com/subject/Management/notes/the-individual-processes-powerandpolitics.html#:~:text=Power%20and%20politics%20play%20a,problem%20solving%20in%20organizational%20 setting. [Accessed 11 November 2022]. Truity, 2021. Truity THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TEST. [Online] Available at: https://www.truity.com/test/big-five-personality-test [Accessed 6 November 2022]. Wong, K., 2020. Organizational culture: Definition, importance, and development. [Online] Available at: https://www.achievers.com/blog/organizational-culture-definition/ [Accessed 11 November 2022].
