Personality

 Gordon Allport:
Personality is the dynamic
organisation within the individual
of those psycho-physical systems
that determine his unique
adjustment to his environment.
Personality
 The sum total of ways in which an
individual reacts and interacts with
others.
Determinants of Personality
 Heredity
 Environment
 Situation
Big Five Personality
Dimensions
The Big Five Locator instrument was
developed by P.J. Howard, P.L. Medina
and J.M. Howard.
 Conscientiousness: Careful,
Dependable, self disciplined
 Agreeableness: Courteous, good
natured, empathic, caring
Big Five Personality
Dimensions
 Neuroticism / Weak emotional stability:
Anxious, Hostile, depressed
 Openness to Experience: Sensitive,
flexible, creative, curious
 Extroversion: Outgoing, talkative,
Sociable, assertive
Big Five Personality
Dimensions
Big Five Personality Factor
Extroversion
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Relationship to Job
Performance
* Positively related to job
performance in occupations requiring
social interaction
* Positively related to training
proficiency for all occupations
* Positively related to job
performance in service jobs
* Positively related to job
performance for all occupational
groups
* May be better than ability in
predicting job performance
Relationship to Team
Performance
* Positively related to team
performance
* Positively related to degree of
participation within team
* Most studies found no link
between agreeableness and
performance or productivity in teams
* Some found a negative link between
person’s likeability and team
performance
Big Five Personality
Dimensions
Big Five Personality Factor Relationship to Job Relationship to Team
Performance Performance

Emotional Stability * A minimal threshold amount may be

necessary for adequate performance;
greater degrees not
related to job performance
* Positively related to performance in
service jobs
* May be better than ability in
predicting job performance across all
occupational groups

Openness to Experience *Positively related to training *Data unavailable

proficiency
The Myres-Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI)
 The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Instrument (MBTI) was developed by Isabel
Briggs Myers and her mother, Katharine Cook
Briggs.
 Classifications:
 Extroverted (E) or introverted (I)
 Sensing (S) or intuitive (I)
 Thinking (T) or feeling (F)
 Perceiving (P) or judging (J)
MBTI
 Favorite world: Do you prefer to focus on
the outer world or on your own inner world?
This is called Extraversion (E) or Introversion
(I).
 Information: Do you prefer to focus on the
basic information you take in or do you prefer
to interpret and add meaning? This is called
Sensing (S) or Intuition (N).
MBTI
 Decisions: When making decisions, do you
prefer to first look at logic and consistency or
first look at the people and special
circumstances? This is called Thinking (T) or
Feeling (F).
 Structure: In dealing with the outside world,
do you prefer to get things decided or do you
prefer to stay open to new information and
options? This is called Judging (J) or
Perceiving (P).
Major Personality Attributes
Influencing OB
 Locus of Control: The degree to
which people believe they are masters
of their own fate.
 Those who believe that they control their
destinies have been labeled as Internals.
 Those who see their lives as being
controlled by outside forces have been
called Externals.
Major Personality Attributes
Influencing OB
Machiavellianism: Degree to which
an individual is pragmatic, maintains
emotional distance and believes that
ends can justify means.
Self Esteem: Individual’s degree of liking
or disliking himself / herself.
Major Personality Attributes
Influencing OB
 Self Monitoring: Ability to adjust his /
her behaviour to external, situational
factors.
 Risk Taking: People differ in their
willingness to take chances.
Major Personality Attributes
Influencing OB
 Type A Personality: Aggressive
involvement in a chronic struggle to
achieve more and more in less and less
time, if necessary, against the opposite
efforts of other things or other people.
Major Personality Attributes
Influencing OB
 Proactive Personality: People who
identify opportunities, show initiative,
take action and work until meaningful
changes occur. They create positive
changes in the environment, regardless
of constraints or obstacles.
Achieving Personality Fit
 Person-Job Fit Theory identifies six
personality types and proposes that the
fit between personality type and
occupational environment determines
satisfaction and turnover.
Holland’s Typology of Personality
& Congruent Occupations
 Type:
 Realistic: Prefers physical activities that
require skill, strength and coordiation.
 Personality:
 Shy, genuine, persistent, stable,
conforming, practical
 Congruent Occupations:
 Mechanic, assembly line worker
Holland’s Typology of Personality
& Congruent Occupations
 Type:
 Investigative: Prefers activities that involve
thinking, organizing and understanding.
 Personality:
 Analytical, Original, curious, independent
 Congruent Occupations:
 Economist, mathematician, news reporter
Holland’s Typology of Personality
& Congruent Occupations
 Type:
 Social: Prefers activities that involve
helping and developing others.
 Personality:
 Sociable, friendly, cooperative,
understanding
 Congruent Occupations:
 Social worker, teacher, counsellor
Holland’s Typology of Personality
& Congruent Occupations
 Type:
 Conventional: Prefers rule regulated
orderly and unambiguous activities.
 Personality:
 Conforming, Unimaginative, inflexible
 Congruent Occupations:
 Accountant, Bank teller, file clerk
Holland’s Typology of Personality
& Congruent Occupations
 Type:
 Enterprising: Prefers verbal activities in
which there are opportunities to influence
others and obtain power.
 Personality:
 Self confident, ambitious, domineering
 Congruent Occupations:
 Lawyer, PR specialist, small business Mgrs.
Holland’s Typology of Personality
& Congruent Occupations
 Type:
 Artistic: Prefers ambiguous and
unsystematic activities that allow creative
expression.
 Personality:
 Imaginative, idealistic, emotional,
impractical
 Congruent Occupations:
 Painter, musician, writer, interior decorator
Achieving Personality Fit
 Person-Organisation Fit: P-O fit
argues that people leave organisations
that are not compatible with their
personalities.