Organizational Behavior

Seventeenth Edition

Chapter 5
Personality and
Values

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Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
5.1 Describe personality, the way it is measured, and the
factors that shape it.
5.2 Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the Myers-
Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality framework and the
Big Five model.
5.3 Discuss how the concepts of core self-evaluation (CSE),
self-monitoring, and proactive personality contribute to the
understanding of personality.
5.4 Describe how the situation affects whether personality
predicts behavior.

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Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
5.5 Contrast terminal and instrumental values.
5.6 Describe the differences between person-job fit and
person-organization fit.
5.7 Compare Hofstede’s five value dimensions and the
GLOBE framework.

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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 total of ways in which an individual reacts
to and interacts with others.

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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.

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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 {he·red·i·ty [həˈredədē]} 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 {mo·lec·u·lar
[məˈlekyələr]} structure of the genes, located in the
chromosomes.

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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 {sub·mis·sive [səbˈmisiv]},
lazy, ambitious, loyal, and timid {tim·id [ˈtimid]}.
§ These are personality traits.

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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.

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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

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Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (3 of 7)
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

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Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (4 of 7)
Exhibit 5-2 Model of How Big Five Traits Influence OB Criteria

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Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (5 of 7)
• 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
(gran·dee·ows = fantasize about superiority & perfection) 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 (ruh·mors = deep regret) when their
actions cause harm.

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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
(ka·luhs= hard-hearted) toward others.
– Second, borderline people have low self-esteem
and high uncertainty.

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Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (7 of 7)
– Third, schizotypal [/ˈskɪt.soʊ.taɪp(ə)l/] 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.

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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. Individuals high in self-monitoring show considerable adaptability.
– Proactive Personality: people who identify
opportunities, show initiative, take action, and
persevere until meaningful change occurs.

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The Situation, Personality, and
Behavior (1 of 2)
• 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.
Ø Clarity, or the degree to which cues about work duties and responsibilities
are available and clear.
Ø Consistency, or the extent to which cues regarding work duties and
responsibilities are compatible with one another.
Ø Constraints, or the extent to which individuals’ freedom to decide or act is
limited by forces outside their control.
Ø Consequences, or the degree to which decisions or actions have important
implications for the organization or its members, clients, supplies, and so on.

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 The Situation, Personality, and
Behavior (2 of 2)
Exhibit 5-3 Trait Activation Theory: Jobs in Which Certain Big Five Traits Are More Relevant
Detail Orientation Social Skills Competitive Innovation Dealing with Time Pressure
Required Required Work Required Angry People (Deadlines)

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

Air traffic Clergy Coach/scout Actor Correctional Broadcast news

controller officer
Accountant Therapist Financial manager Systems analyst Telemarketer Editor
Legal secretary Concierge Sales representative Advertising writer Flight attendant Airline pilot

Jobs scoring low (the traits listed here should not predict behavior in these jobs)

Forester Software engineer Postal clerk Court reporter Composer Skincare specialist
Masseuse Pump operator Historian Archivist Biologist Mathematician
Model Broadcast Nuclear reactor Medical Statistician Fitness trainer
technician operator technician
Jobs that score high activate these traits (make them more relevant to predicting behavior)

Conscientiousness Extraversion (+) Extraversion (+) Openness Extraversion (+) Conscientiousness (+)
(+) Agreeableness Agreeableness (−) (+) Agreeableness (+) Neuroticism (−)
(+) Neuroticism (−)

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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.

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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.

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Contrast Terminal and Instrumental
Values (3 of 3)
Exhibit 5-4 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 present To mid-30s Confident, financial
success, self-reliant but
team-oriented; loyalty to
both self and relationships

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

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Implications for Managers (1 of 2)
• Consider screening job candidates for high
conscientiousness—as well as 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 up communication in work groups, and
possibly reduce conflicts.

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Implications for Managers (2 of 2)
• Evaluate jobs, work groups, and your organization to
determine the optimal personality fit.
• Take into account employees' situational factors when
evaluating their observable personality traits, and lower
the situation strength, to better ascertain personality
characteristics.
• 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.

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Copyright

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