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Chapter 4

Personality and Values

MRS. Shefa EL Sagga.

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Learning ObjectivesDefine personality, describe how it is measured, and explain the factors that determine an individual’s personality.

Describe the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality framework and assess its strengths and weaknesses.

Identify the key traits in the Big Five personality model.

Demonstrate how the Big Five traits predict behavior at work.

Identify other personality traits relevant to OB.

Define values, demonstrate their importance, and contrast terminal and instrumental values.

Compare generational differences in values, and identify the dominant values in today’s workforce.

Identify Hofstede’s five value dimensions of national culture.17/2/2011 OB17/2/2011 OB

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Personality

What is Personality?

The sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others, the measurable traits a person exhibits.

The dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment.

“Gordon Allport”.

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Personality

Measuring Personality

Personality Tests Helpful in hiring decisions.

Self Report Surveys Most common method.

Observer Rating SurveysProvide an independent assessment of personality – often better predictors.

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Personality

Personality Determinants

HeredityFactors determined at conception: physical stature, facial attractiveness, gender, temperament, muscle composition and reflexes, energy level, and bio-rhythms.

Personality Traits Enduring characteristics that describe an individual’s behavior.

“Heredity Approach” argues that genes are the source of personality

Twin studies: raised apart but very similar personalities.

Parents don’t add much to personality development.

There is some personality change over long time periods.

The more consistent the characteristic and the more frequently it occurs in diverse situations, the more important the trait.

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Personality

The Myers – Briggs Indicator (MBTI)

A personality test that taps four characteristics and classifies people into 1 of 16 personality types using 100 questions

Extroverted (E) vs. Introverted (I) Sensing (S) vs. Intuitive (N)

Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F) Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)

Most widely-used instrument in the world

Each of the sixteen possible combinations has a name.

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Personality

The Big Five Personality Model

Extraversion+ + + Extraversion Introversion - - -

The quality of being comfortable with relationships (Sociable, gregarious, and assertive).

A personality assessment model that taps five basic dimensions

Higher performance – Enhanced leadership – Higher job & life satisfaction.

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Personality

The Big Five Personality Model

Conscientiousness+ + + High Low - - -

The number of goals on which a person focuses (Responsible, dependable, persistent, and organized).

Higher performance – Enhanced leadership – Greater longevity.

Agreeableness+ + + High Low - - -

The ability to get along with others (Good-natured, cooperative, and trusting).

Higher performance – Lower levels of deviant behavior

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Personality

The Big Five Personality Model

Openness+ + + More Less - - -

The capacity to entertain new ideas and to change as a result of new information (Curious, imaginative, artistic, and sensitive).

Training performance – Enhanced leadership – More adaptable to change.

Emotional Stability+ + + More Less- - -

Less moodiness and insecurity (Calm, self-confident, secure under stress (positive), versus nervous, depressed, and insecure under stress (negative).

High job & life satisfaction – Lower stress level

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How Do the Big Five Traits Predict Behavior?

Research has shown this to be a better framework.

Highly conscientious people develop more job knowledge, exert greater effort, and have better performance.Other Big Five Traits also have implications for work.

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Emotional stability is related to job satisfaction.Extroverts tend to be happier in their jobs and have good social skills.Open people are more creative and can be good leaders.Agreeable people are good in social settings.

Certain traits have been shown to strongly relate to higher job performance:

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Personality

Other Personality Traits Relevant to OB

Core Self Evaluation

Machiavellianism

Narcissism

Self Monitoring

Risk Taking

Types A Personality

The degree to which people like or dislike themselves.

A pragmatic, emotionally distant power-player who believes that ends justify the means.

An arrogant, entitled, self-important person who needs excessive admiration.

The ability to adjust behavior to meet external, situational factors.

The willingness to take chances.

Aggressively involved in a chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more in less time.

Proactive Personality

Identifies opportunities, shows initiative, takes action, and perseveres to completion. 1111

higher job performance.

win more often.

Less effective in their jobs.

more likely to become leaders.

make faster decisions with less information.

High performance.

Creates positive change in the environment .

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Values

What is Values?

Basic convictions on how to conduct yourself or how to live your life that is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of

conduct or end state of existence.

Attributes of Values

Content Attribute

Intensity Attribute

That the mode of conduct or end-state is importance.

Person’s beliefs about his or her capabilities to perform a task.

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Values

What is Value System?

A hierarchy based on a ranking of an individual’s value in terms of their intensity.

A person’s values rank-ordered by intensity.Tends to be relatively constant and consistent.

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Values

What is the Importance of Values?

Provide understanding of the attitudes, motivation, and behaviors.

Influence our perception of the world around us.

Represent interpretations of “right” and “wrong”.

Imply that some behaviors or outcomes are preferred over others.

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Values

Terminal Versus Instrumental Values “Rokeach Value Survey”

Terminal Values

Instrumental Values

Desirable end-states of existence; the goals that a person would like to achieve during his or her lifetime.

Preferable modes of behavior or means of achieving one’s terminal values.

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People in same occupations or categories tend to hold similar values.

But values vary between groups.Value differences make it difficult for groups to negotiate and may create conflict.

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Values

Generational Values

CohortEntered Workforce

Approximate Current Age

Dominant Work Values

Veterans1950-196465+Hard working, conservative, conforming; loyalty to the organization

Boomers1965-198540-60sSuccess, achievement, ambition, dislike of authority; loyalty to career

Xers1985-200020-40sWork/life balance, team-oriented, dislike of rules; loyalty to relationships

Nexters2000-PresentUnder 30Confident, financial success, self-reliant but team-oriented; loyalty to both self and relationships

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Linking an Individual’s Personality and Values to the Workplace

Personality - Job Fit Theory

A theory that identifies six personality types and proposes that the fit between personality type and occupational environment determines satisfaction and turnover.

Realistic

Investigative

Artistic

Social

Enterprising

Conventional

John Holland’s Personality-Job Fit TheoryVocational Preference Inventory (VPI).

1. There appear to be intrinsic differences in personality between people.

2. There are different types of jobs.3. People in jobs congruent with their personality should be

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Linking an Individual’s Personality and Values to the Workplace

Person – Organization Fit

The extent that employee’s personality must fit with the organizational culture.

People are attracted to organizations that match their values.

Those who match are most likely to be selected.

Mismatches will result in turnover.

Can use the Big Five personality types to match to the organizational culture.

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Global Implications

Personality

Values

Do frameworks like Big Five transfer across cultures?.

Yes, but the frequency of type in the culture may vary.

Better in individualistic than collectivist cultures.

Values differ across cultures.

Hofstede’s Framework for assessing culture – five value dimensions: Power distance - Individualism vs. Collectivism - Masculinity vs. Femininity - Uncertainty Avoidance - Long-term vs. Short-term Orientation.

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Global Implications

Hofstede’s Framework for Assessing Cultures

Power DistanceThe extent to which a society accepts that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally.

Relatively equal power between those with status / wealth and those without

status / wealth.

Low Distance

Extremely unequal power distribution between those with status / wealth and

those without status / wealth.

High Distance

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Global Implications

Hofstede’s Framework for Assessing Cultures

The degree to which people prefer to act as individuals rather than as

members of groups.

Individualism

A tight social framework in which people expect others in groups of

which they are a part to look after them and protect them.

Collectivism

The extent to which the society values work roles of achievement, power, and control, and where assertiveness and

materialism are also valued.

Masculinity

The extent to which there is little differentiation between roles for men

and women.

Femininity

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Global Implications

Hofstede’s Framework for Assessing Cultures

Uncertainty Avoidance

The extent to which a society feels threatened by uncertain and ambiguous situations and tries to avoid them.

Society does not like ambiguous situations and tries to avoid them.

High Uncertainty Avoidance

Society does not mind ambiguous situations and embraces them.

Low Uncertainty Avoidance

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Global Implications

Hofstede’s Framework for Assessing Cultures

A national culture attribute that emphasizes the future, thrift,

and persistence.

Long-term Orientation

A national culture attribute that emphasizes the present and the

here-and-now.

Short-term Orientation

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Term Orientation

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Hofstede’s Framework: An Assessment

There are regional differences within countries.The original data is old and based on only one company.Hofstede had to make many judgment calls while doing the research.Some results don’t match what is believed to be true about given countries.Despite these problems it remains a very popular framework.

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Global Implications

GLOBE Framework for Assessing Cultures

Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) research program (Nine dimensions of national culture).

How much society rewards people for being altruistic, generous, and kind.

Humane Orientation

How much society encourages and rewards performance improvement and

excellence.

Performance Orientation

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Global Implications

Summary and Managerial Implications

Screen for the Big Five trait of conscientiousness

Take into account the situational factors as well

The Myers – Briggs Indicator (MBTI)® can help with training and development

• Personality

Often explain attitudes, behaviors and perceptions

Higher performance and satisfaction achieved when the individual’s values match those of the organization

• Values

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