Chapter 5

Personality and
Individual Differences
 Learning Objectives
1. Describe personality, the way it is measured, and the factors that
shape it.
2. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the Myers- Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI) personality framework and the Big Five
model.
3. Discuss how the concepts of core self-evaluation (CSE), self
monitoring, and proactive personality contribute to the
understanding of personality.
4. Describe how personality affects job search and unemployment.
5. Describe how the situation affects whether personality predicts
behavior.
6. Contrast terminal and instrumental values.
7. Describe the differences between person-job fit and person
organization fit.
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 6)

• 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.
Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI and
Big Five Model (2 of 6)

• The Big Five Model

– Extraversion
– Agreeableness
– Conscientiousness
– Emotional stability
– Openness to experience
 Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (3 of 6)
Exhibit 5-1 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 6)
Exhibit 5-2 Model of How Big Five Traits Influence OB Criteria
Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI and
Big Five Model (5 of 6)

• The Dark Triad

– 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
grandiose 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 remorse when
their actions cause harm.
Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI and
Big Five Model (6 of 6)

• 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.
– Third, schizotypal individuals are eccentric and
disorganized.
– 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 & 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 & Behavior (2 of
3)
Exhibit 5-3 Trait Activation Theory: Jobs in Which Certain Big Five Traits
Are More Relevant

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

Jobs scoring high (the traits

listed here should predict
behavior in these jobs)

Correctional Broadcast
Air traffic controller Clergy Coach/scout Actor
officer news analyst

Financial
Accountant Therapist Systems analyst Telemarketer Editor
manager

Sales
Legal secretary Concierge Advertising writer Flight attendant Airline pilot
representative

Jobs scoring low (the traits

listed here should not predict
behavior in these jobs)

Software Skincare
Forester Postal clerk Court reporter Composer
engineer specialist

Masseuse Pump operator Historian Archivist Biologist Mathematician

The Situation, Personality & Behavior (3 of 3)

[Exhibit 5-3 Continued]

Social Skills Competitive Innovation Dealing with Time Pressure

Detail Orientation Required
Required Work Required Angry People (Deadlines)

Nuclear
Broadcast Medical
Model reactor Statistician Fitness trainer
technician technician
operator

Jobs that score high activate

these traits (make them more
relevant to predicting
behavior)

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

Agreeableness Agreeableness Agreeableness

Neuroticism (–)
(+) (–) (+)

Neuroticism (–)
Contrast Terminal and Instrumental Values
(1 of 2)

• 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.
• 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
(2 of 2)

Generational Work Values

 Person-Job Fit vs. Person- Organization Fit
(1 of 3)

Exhibit 5-5 Holland’s Typology of Personality and Congruent Occupations

Type Personality Characteristics Congruent Occupations

Realistic: Prefers physical Shy, genuine, persistent, Mechanic, drill press
activities that require skill, stable, conforming, operator, assembly-line
strength, and coordination practical worker, farmer
Investigative: Prefers
Biologist, economist,
activities that involve thinking, Analytical, original, curious,
mathematician, news
organizing, and independent
reporter
understanding
Social: Prefers activities that Sociable, friendly, Social worker, teacher,
involve helping and developing cooperative, counselor, clinical
others understanding psychologist
Conventional: Prefers rule- Conforming, efficient, Accountant, corporate
regulated, orderly, and practical, unimaginative, manager, bank teller, file
unambiguous activities inflexible clerk
Enterprising: Prefers verbal
Lawyer, real estate agent,
activities in which there are Self-confident, ambitious,
public relations specialist,
opportunities to influence others energetic, domineering
small business manager
and attain power
Artistic: Prefers ambiguous
Imaginative, disorderly,
and unsystematic activities Painter, musician, writer,
idealistic, emotional,
that allow creative interior decorator
impractical
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 some news ones.
 Implications for Managers (1 of 2)

• Consider screening job candidates for high

conscientiousness4and 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.