SESSION-3

PERSONALITY AND VALUES

Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
4.1 Describe the differences between person-job fit and
person-organization fit.
4.2 Describe personality, the way it is measured, and the
factors that shape it.
4.3 Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the Myers-
Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality framework and
the Big Five model.
4.4 Discuss how the concepts of core self-evaluation (CSE),
self-monitoring, and proactive personality contribute to
the understanding of personality.
Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
4.5 Describe how personality affects job search and
unemployment.
4.6 Describe how the situation affects whether personality
predicts behavior.
4.7 Contrast terminal and instrumental values.
4.8 Compare Hofstede’s five value dimensions and the
GLOBE framework.
Describe Personality, the Way It Is Measured,
and the Factors that Shape It (1 of 4)
• Defining Personality
– Personality is a dynamic concept describing the
growth and development of a person’s whole
psychological system.
– The sum of ways in which an individual reacts to and
interacts with others.
Describe Personality, the Way It Is Measured,
and the Factors that Shape It (2 of 4)
• Measuring Personality
– Managers need to know how to measure personality.
 Personality tests are useful in hiring decisions and
help managers forecast who is best for a job.
– The most common means of measuring personality
is through self-report surveys.
Describe Personality, the Way It Is Measured,
and the Factors that Shape It (3 of 4)
• Personality Determinants
– Is personality the result of heredity or environment?
– Heredity refers to those factors that were determined
at conception.
 The heredity approach argues that the ultimate
explanation of an individual’s personality is the
molecular structure of the genes, located in the
chromosomes.
Describe Personality, the Way It Is Measured,
and the Factors that Shape It (4 of 4)
• Early research tried to identify and label enduring
personality characteristics.
– Shy, aggressive, submissive, lazy, ambitious, loyal,
and timid.
 These are personality traits.
Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (1 of 7)
• The most widely used personality framework is the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
• Individuals are classified as:
– Extroverted or Introverted (E or I)
– Sensing or Intuitive (S or N)
– Thinking or Feeling (T or F)
– Perceiving or Judging (P or J)
 INTJs are visionaries.
 ESTJs are organizers.
 ENTPs are conceptualizers.
Type Table (guide only – refer to detailed
descriptors / reference material)

ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ

Inspector Protector Counsellor Mastermind

ISTP ISFP INFP INTP

Crafter Composer Idealistic Architect

ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP

Promoter Performer Champion Inventor

ESTJ ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ

Organiser Provider Coach Leader
Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (2 of 7)
• The Big Five Model
– Extraversion
– Agreeableness
– Conscientiousness
– Emotional stability
– Openness to experience
Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (3 of 7)
Exhibit 4-1 Traits That Matter Most to Business Success at Buyout
Companies

Most Important Less Important

Persistence Strong oral communication

Attention to detail Teamwork

Efficiency Flexibility/adaptability

Analytical skills Enthusiasm

Setting high standards Listening skills

Source: Based on S. N. Kaplan, M. M. Klebanov, and M. Sorensen, “Which CEO Characteristics and Abilities Matter?”
The Journal of Finance 67, no. 3 (2012): 973–1007.
Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (4 of 7)
Exhibit 4-2 Model of How Big Five Traits Influence OB Criteria
Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (5 of 7)
• The Dark Triad (three non-pathogical personality types.
These personality type people do anything to go
ahead)
– Machiavellianism: the degree to which an individual is
pragmatic, maintains emotional distance, and believes
that ends can justify means.
– Narcissism: the tendency to be arrogant, have a
impressive sense of self-importance, require excessive
admiration, and have a sense of entitlement.
– Psychopathy: the tendency for a lack of concern for
others and a lack of guilt or regret when their actions
cause harm.
Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (6 of 7)
• An emerging framework to study dark side traits:
– First, antisocial people are indifferent and callous
toward others.
– Second, borderline people have low self-esteem
and high uncertainty.
Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (7 of 7)
– Third, schizotypal individuals are eccentric and
disorganized. It is a personality disorder
characterized by odd behaviour, feelings, and
perceptions
– Fourth, obsessive compulsive people are
perfectionists and can be stubborn, yet they attend
to details, carry a strong work ethic, and may be
motivated by achievement.
– Fifth, avoidant individuals feel inadequate and hate
criticism.
CSE, Self-Monitoring, and Proactive
Personality
• Other Personality Traits Relevant to OB
– Core Self-Evaluation: bottom line conclusions
individuals have about their capabilities,
competence, and worth as a person.
– Self-Monitoring: measures an individual’s ability
to adjust his or her behavior to external, situational
factors.
– Proactive Personality: people who identify
opportunities, show initiative, take action, and
persevere until meaningful change occurs.
The Situation, Job Search, and
Unemployment
• What personality characteristics predict job search
behaviors among the unemployed?
– Conscientiousness and extraversion are the two
strongest predictors of job search behavior,
 Self-esteem and self-efficacy (parts of CSE) are
also important.
The Situation, Personality, and
Behavior (1 of 3)
• Situation strength theory: indicates that the way
personality translates into behavior depends on the
strength of the situation.
– The degree to which norms, cues, or standards
dictate appropriate behavior.
 Clarity
 Consistency
 Constraints
 Consequences
 The Situation, Personality, and
Behavior (2 of 3)
Exhibit 4-3 Trait Activation Theory: Jobs in Which Certain Big Five Traits
Are More Relevant
Detail Orientation Required Social Skills Competitive Innovation Dealing with Time Pressure
Required Work Required Angry People (Deadlines)

Jobs scoring high (the traits blank blank blank blank blank
listed here should predict
behavior in these jobs)

Air traffic controller Clergy (ritual or Coach/scout Actor Correctional Broadcast

spiritual leader) officer news analyst

Accountant Therapist Financial Systems analyst Telemarketer Editor

manager

Legal secretary Concierge (like Sales Advertising writer Flight attendant Airline pilot
a hotel staff to representative
assist guest)
Jobs scoring low (the traits blank blank blank blank blank
listed here should not predict
behavior in these jobs)

Forester (logical reasoning) Software Postal clerk Court reporter Composer Skincare
engineer specialist

Masseuse (who messages) Pump operator Historian Archivist Biologist Mathematician

 The Situation, Personality, and
Behavior (3 of 3)
[Exhibit 4-3 Continued]

Detail Orientation Required Social Skills Competitive Innovation Dealing with Time Pressure
Required Work Required Angry People (Deadlines)

Model Broadcast Nuclear Medical Statistician Fitness trainer

technician reactor technician
operator

Jobs that score high activate blank blank blank blank blank
these traits (make them
more relevant to predicting
behavior)

Conscientiousness (+) Extraversion (+) Extraversion Openness (+) Extraversion (+) Conscientiousn
(+) ess (+)

Blank Agreeableness Agreeableness Blank Agreeableness Neuroticism (–)

(+) (–) (+)

Blank Blank Blank Blank Neuroticism (–) Blank

Contrast Terminal and Instrumental
Values (1 of 3)
• Values: basic convictions about what is right, good, or
desirable.
– Value system: ranks values in terms of intensity.
• The Importance and Organization of Values
– Values:
 Lay the foundation for understanding of attitudes
and motivation.
 Influence attitudes and behaviors.
Contrast Terminal and Instrumental
Values (2 of 3)
• Terminal vs. Instrumental Values
– Terminal values: desirable end-states of existence.
– Instrumental values: preferred modes of behavior
or means of achieving terminal values.
Contrast Terminal and Instrumental
Values (3 of 3)
Exhibit 4-4 Dominant Work Values in Today’s Workforce

Entered the Approximate

Cohort Workforce Current Age Dominant Work Values
Boomers 1965–1985 50s to 70s Success, achievement, ambition,
dislike of authority; loyalty to career
Xers 1985–2000 Mid-30s to 50s Work-life balance, team-oriented,
dislike of rules; loyalty to
relationships
Millennials 2000 to To mid-30s Confident, financial success, self-
present reliant but team-oriented; loyalty to
both self and relationships
Terminal and Instrumental Values in an
Organization’s Culture
Person-Job Fit vs. Person-
Organization Fit (1 of 3)
Exhibit 4-5 Holland’s Typology of Personality and Congruent
Occupations
Type Personality Characteristics Congruent Occupations

Realistic: Prefers physical activities that Shy, genuine, persistent, stable, Mechanic, drill press operator,
require skill, strength, and coordination conforming, practical assembly-line worker, farmer
Investigative: Prefers activities that Analytical, original, curious, independent Biologist, economist,
involve thinking, organizing, and mathematician, news reporter
understanding
Social: Prefers activities that involve Sociable, friendly, cooperative, Social worker, teacher, counselor,
helping and developing others understanding clinical psychologist
Conventional: Prefers rule-regulated, Conforming, efficient, practical, Accountant, corporate manager,
orderly, and unambiguous activities unimaginative, inflexible bank teller, file clerk
Enterprising: Prefers verbal activities in Self-confident, ambitious, energetic, Lawyer, real estate agent, public
which there are opportunities to domineering relations specialist, small
influence others and attain power business manager
Artistic: Prefers ambiguous and Imaginative, disorderly, idealistic, Painter, musician, writer, interior
unsystematic activities that allow emotional, impractical decorator
creative expression
Person-Job Fit vs. Person-
Organization Fit (2 of 3)
• Person-Organization Fit
– People high on extraversion fit well with aggressive and
team-oriented cultures.
– People high on agreeableness match up better with a
supportive organizational climate than one focused on
aggressiveness.
– People high on openness to experience fit better in
organizations that emphasize innovation rather than
standardization.
Person-Job Fit vs. Person-
Organization Fit (3 of 3)
• Other Dimensions of Fit
– Although person-job fit and person-organization fit are
considered the most salient dimensions for workplace
outcomes, other avenues of fit are worth examining.
 Person-group fit
 Person-supervisor fit
Hofstede’s Five Value Dimensions
and GLOBE (1 of 2)
• Hofstede’s Framework
– Power distance
– Individualism versus collectivism
– Masculinity versus femininity
– Uncertainty avoidance
– Long-term versus short-term orientation
Hofstede’s Five Value Dimensions
and GLOBE (2 of 2)
• The GLOBE Framework for Assessing Culture
– The Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Effectiveness (GLOBE) research program updated
Hofstede’s research.
 Data from 825 organizations and 62 countries.
 Used variables similar to Hofstede’s.
 Added performance orientation and humane
orientation as new dimensions of culture.
Performance orientation denotes degree of
emphasis on performance and achievement, and
humane orientation denotes degree of importance
on fairness, altruism (selfless for the wellbeing of
others), and caring.
Implications for Managers (1 of 2)
• Consider screening job candidates for high
conscientiousness—and the other Big Five traits—
depending on the criteria your organization finds most
important. Other aspects, such as core self-evaluation or
narcissism, may be relevant in certain situations.
• Although the MBTI has faults, you can use it for training
and development; to help employees better understand
each other, open communication in work groups, and
possibly reduce conflicts.
Implications for Managers (2 of 2)
• Evaluate jobs, work groups, and your organization to
determine the optimal personality fit.
• Consider situational factors when evaluating observable
personality traits, and lower the situation strength to
better ascertain personality characteristics more closely.
• The more you consider people’s different cultures, the
better you will be able to determine their work behavior
and create a positive organizational climate that performs
well.