Perspectives Journal
S.SHARON
lecture3_personalityindividualdifferences.pptMGMT 200
Personality &
Individual Differences
What is Personality?
Personality is defined as the combination of characteristics that comprise a person’s unique nature
Nature vs. Nurture
Proactive vs. Reactive
Organizational Needs…is there an “ideal personality” type?
One size does not fit all!
Big Five Personality Model
Extraversion: Outgoing, sociable, assertive
Agreeableness: Good-natured, cooperative
Conscientiousness: Responsible, dependable
Emotional stability: Secure, relaxed, calm
Openness to experience: Imaginative, broad-minded
Personality: Jung Typology
- Four personality dimensions that identify 16 different personality types:
Extraversion-Introversion
Sensing-Intuitive
Thinking-Feeling
Judging-Perceiving
- Also researched by Myers & Briggs, and Keirsey
- Job characteristics matched to individual traits, preferences
*
Fig. 2.3
Personality & Locus of Control
INTERNALS
EXTERNALS
People and circumstances control my fate!
I control what
happens to me!
A person’s general predisposition to feel and exhibit certain behaviors
Negative Affect (NA)
Individuals prone to experience anxiety, depression, guilt, cynicism
Positive Affect (PA)
Individuals prone to describe themselves as cheerful, enthusiastic, confident, active, & energetic
Emotional intelligence (EI)
Ability to understand others’ emotions, manage relationships well
Personality & Affect
Positive & Negative Emotions
Emotions are the most short-lived, and often intense, range of feelings we experience!
Can lead to changes in our mood, which are longer-lasting.
How do emotions & moods influence organizational behavior?
Emotion and mood contagion
spillover effects of one’s emotions and mood onto others – stress and coping mechanisms factors
Emotional labor
regulating one’s emotions to display those desired by the organization
Emotional dissonance
inconsistencies between emotions we feel and emotions we project
Understanding Individual Differences
Important for predicting individual & group behavior across
situations:
Self awareness: a conscious understanding of ourselves (personality, talents, preferences and biases)
Self-monitoring: adjusting behavior to situational factors
Self-concept: the perception individuals have of themselves
Self-esteem: belief in one’s self worth
Self-efficacy: belief in one’s ability to accomplish a task
Link between Individual Differences
& Behavior in Organizations
Figure 3.1: The Link between Attributes and Behavior in Organizations
Source: K. R. Murphy (1996a).
A Combination of
“Can-do” &
“Will-do”
Workforce Diversity
- Diversity: Variation in the human characteristics that distinguish one individual from one another
- Trends Affecting Workforce Diversity
Economy, cost of living = dual-income households
Globalization
Demographics = age/generation groups, ethnic and racial shifts
Employment Legislation in the U.S.
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, sex, national origin, and veteran status in all employment decisions, applies to any organization with 15 or more employees
Enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or the EEOC
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Protects rights of people with disabilities involving forms of impairment, limitations, and inability to perform normal daily functions
- Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
Protects employees and job applicants from discrimination on the basis of age for everyone over the age of 40
Benefits of Workplace Diversity
- Companies that promote equal employment opportunity generally do better at attracting and retaining talented employees
Diversity of talents and skills enables competitive advantage
- Global marketplace demands a workforce with language skills, cultural sensitivity, and awareness of global differences
- Companies with effective diversity programs can avoid lawsuits and damage to their reputation
- Progressive organizations:
articulate a clear diversity mission, set objectives, and hold managers accountable for fair decisions and actions
find the most diverse possible pool of qualified candidates
help employees trying to balance the complex, multiple demands of work and personal life work-life balance support and programs
provide awareness training and opportunities for collaboration across diverse work groups
identifying in-group/out-group mentality and stereotypes
focus on inclusion
