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BY
Mrs. Rand Omran Alastal
Robbins & Judge
Organizational Behavior
14th Edition
Personality and Values
Kelli J. Schutte
William Jewell College
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After studying this chapter you should be able to:
1. Define personality, describe how it is measured, and explain
the factors that determine an individual’s personality.
2. Describe the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality
framework and assess its strengths and weaknesses.
3. Identify the key traits in the Big Five personality model.
4. Demonstrate how the Big Five traits predict behavior at
work.
5. Identify other personality traits relevant to OB.
6. Define values, demonstrate their importance, and contrast
terminal and instrumental values.
7. Compare generational differences in values, and identify the
dominant values in today’s workforce.
8. Identify Hofstede’s five value dimensions of national culture.
content
 1. what is personality?
 2. values.
 3. linking an individual’s personality
and values to the workplace
 4. international values
 5. Summary and implications for
managers
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1. What is Personality?
 Defining personality:
(Gordon Allport) “The dynamic
organization within the individual of those
psychophysical systems that determine his
unique adjustments to his environment”.
 Personality:
The sum total of ways in which an individual
reacts and interacts with others, the
measurable traits a person exhibits.
 Personality: Enduring characteristics that
describe an individual's behaviour.
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1. What is Personality?
 How to Measuring Personality?
Helpful in hiring decisions.
Most common method self-reporting surveys
Observer-ratings surveys:
provide an independent assessment of personality –
often better predictors.
Note:
the implication use both observer ratings and self
report rating of personality when making important
employment decision.
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Personality Determinants
Definition of Heredity:
Factors determined at conception. one’s biological and
inherent psychological makeup.
Like:(physical stature, facial attractiveness, gender,
temperament, muscle composition and reflexes, energy
level, and biological rhythms).
 This “Heredity Approach” :
argues that genes are the source of personality
 Twin studies:
raised apart but very similar personalities
 There is some personality change over long time
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periods
Personality Traits
 Enduring characteristics that describe an
individual’s behavior including:
(shy, aggressive, submissive, lazy,
ambitious, loyal, and timid).
 The more consistent the characteristic and
the more frequently it occurs in diverse
situations, the more important the trait.
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Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
 Two dominant frameworks used to describe
personality:
 Definition of MBTI:
a personality test that taps four characteristics
and classifies people into (1 of 6) personality
types.
 The term defined as:
1. Extraverted versus introverted.
2. Sensing versus intuitive
3. Thinking versus feeling
4. Judging versus perceiving.
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The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
 Most widely used instrument in the world.
 Participants are classified on four axes to determine one of
16 possible personality types, such as ENTJs.
Quiet and Shy
Sociable and
Assertive
Introverted
(I)
Extroverted
(E)
Practical and
Orderly
Sensing
(S)
Use Reason
and Logic
Want Order
& Structure
Intuitive
(N)
Thinking
(T)
Judging (J)
Unconscious
Processes
Feeling
(F)
Uses Values
& Emotions
Perceiving
(P)
Flexible and
Spontaneous
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The Big Five Model of Personality Dimensions
Extroversion
• gregarious, assertive and Sociable.
Agreeableness
• Agreeable: cooperative, warm and trusting.
• Agreeableness: cold, disagreeable, and antagonistic.
Conscientiousness
• High: Responsible, organized, dependable, persistent.
• Low: distracted, disorganized and unreliable.
Emotional Stability
• Positive: Calm, self-confident, secure
• Negative: nervous, anxious, depressed, and insecure.
Openness to Experience
• Creative, Curious, artistically, and sensitive.
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How do the big five traits predict behavior at work?
 Research has found relationships between these personality
dimensions and job performance.
 Certain traits have been shown to strongly relate to higher
job performance:
1. Highly conscientious people develop more job knowledge,
exert greater effort, and have better performance.
2. Other Big Five Traits also have implications for work.
3. Emotional stability is related to job satisfaction.
4. Extroverts tend to be happier in their jobs and have good
social skills.
5. Open people are more creative and can be good leaders.
6. Agreeable people are good in social settings.
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Other Personality Traits Relevant to OB
1. Definition of Core Self-Evaluation:
Bottom line conclusions individuals have
about their capabilities, competence and
worth as a person.
 The degree to which people like or dislike
themselves
 Positive self-evaluation leads to higher job
performance
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Cont.
 2. definition of Machiavellianism:
the degree to which an individual is pragmatic, maintain
emotional distance and believes that ends can justify
mean.
 High Mach's are manipulative, win more often, and
persuade more than they are persuaded. Flourish when:
1. Interact face to face directly.
2. Work with minimal rules and regulations
3. Emotions involvement details irrelevant distract
others
 3. definition of Narcissism
the tendency to be arrogant have a grandiose sense of self
importance require excessive admiration and have a sense
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of entitlement.
Cont.
 4. definition of Self-Monitoring
 A personality trait that measures an individual’s ability to
adjust his or her behaviour to external, situational factors.
 High monitors conform more and are more likely to
become leaders.
 5. definition of Risk Taking
 The willingness to take chances. That affects how much
time and information they need to make a decision.
 May be best to align propensities with job requirements.
 Risk takers make faster decisions with less information.
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Cont.
 6. definition of Proactive Personality
 People who Identifies opportunities, shows initiative, takes
action, and perseveres until meaningful change occurs.
 Creates positive change in the environment
 7. Type (A ) Personality:
 Aggressively involved in a chronic, incessant struggle to
achieve more in less time
• Impatient: always moving, walking, and eating rapidly
• Strive to think or do two or more things at once
• Cannot cope with leisure time
• Obsessed with achievement numbers
 Prized in North America but quality of the work is low
 8. Type (B ) personality:
people are the complete opposite
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2. Values
 Definition of values:
Basic convictions that a specific mode of conduct
or end state of existence is personally or socially
preferable to an opposite or converse mode of
conduct or end state of existence.
 Definition of Value System:
a hierarchy based on a ranking of an individual’s
values in terms of their intensity.
 A person’s values rank ordered by intensity
 Tends to be relatively constant and consistent
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Importance of Values
1. Provide understanding of the attitudes,
motivation, and behaviors.
2. Influence our perception of the world around us.
3. Represent interpretations of “right” and “wrong”.
4. Imply that some behaviors or outcomes are
preferred over others
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Terminal Values versus Instrumental Values
 Classifying Values – Rokeach Value Survey(RVS)
 1. Terminal Values
Desirable end-states of existence; the goals that a person would
like to achieve during his or her lifetime.
 2. Instrumental Values
Preferable modes of behavior or means of achieving one’s
terminal values.
 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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Value Differences Between Groups
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Generational Values
Cohort
Entered
Workforce
Approximate
Current Age
Veterans
1950-1964
65+
Boomers
1965-1985
40-60s
Success, achievement, ambition,
dislike of authority; loyalty to
career
Xers
1985-2000
20-40s
Work/life balance, team-oriented,
dislike of rules; loyalty to
relationships
Nexters
2000-Present
Under 30
Dominant Work Values
Hard working, conservative,
conforming; loyalty to the
organization
Confident, financial success, selfreliant but team-oriented; loyalty to
both self and relationships
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3. Linking Personality and Values to the Workplace
 Managers are less interested in someone’s ability to do a
specific job than in that person’s flexibility.
 Person-Job Fit theory:
 John Holland’s Personality-Job Fit Theory;
That identifies Six personality types and proposes that the
fit between personality type and occupational environment
determines satisfaction and turnover.
 Key Points of the Model:
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 more
satisfied and have lower turnover
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Relationships Among occupational Personality Types
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Cont.
In addition to matching the individual’s personality to
the job, managers are also concerned with:
 Person-Organization Fit:
1. The employee’s personality must fit with the
organizational culture.
2. People are attracted to organizations that match
their values.
3. Those who match are most likely to be selected.
4. Mismatches will result in turnover.
5. Can use the Big Five personality types to match to
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the organizational culture.
4. international value :
 Personality:
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: Values differ across cultures.
Hofstede’s Framework for assessing culture – five
value dimensions:
1. Power Distance
2. Individualism vs. Collectivism
3. Masculinity vs. Femininity
4. Uncertainty Avoidance
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5. Long-term vs. Short-term Orientation
1. Power Distance
Definition of power distance:
National culture attribute that describes the extent to
which a society accepts that power in institutions and
organizations is distributed unequally
• Low distance
Relatively equal power between those with
status/wealth and those without
status/wealth
• High distance
Extremely unequal power distribution
between those with status/wealth and those
without status/wealth
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2. Individualism
 Individualism
National culture attribute that describes the degree to
which people prefer to act as individuals rather than as
member of groups.
 Collectivism
National culture attribute that describes a tight social
framework in which people expect others in groups of
which they are a part to look after them and protect
them.
Versus
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3. Masculinity
 Masculinity
National culture attribute that describes the extent to
which the society values work roles of achievement,
power, and control, and where assertiveness and
materialism are also valued
 Femininity
National culture attribute that describes the extent
to which there is little differentiation between roles
for men and women
Versus
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4. Uncertainty Avoidance
 The extent to which a society feels
threatened by uncertain and ambiguous
situations and tries to avoid them:
 High Uncertainty Avoidance:
National culture attribute that describes a Society
does not like ambiguous situations and tries to avoid
them.
 Low Uncertainty Avoidance:
National culture attribute that describes a Society
does not mind ambiguous situations and embraces
them.
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5. Time Orientation
Long-term Orientation
A national culture attribute that emphasizes
the future, thrift, and persistence.
Short-term Orientation
A national culture attribute that emphasizes
the past and the present, respect for tradition,
and fulfillment of social obligation.
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6. An Assessment
1. There are regional differences within countries
2. The original data is old and based on only one
company
3. Hofstede had to make many judgment calls while
doing the research
4. Some results don’t match what is believed to be true
about given countries
5. Despite these problems it remains a very popular
framework
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5. Summary and Managerial Implications
 Personality
– Screen for the Big Five trait of conscientiousness
– Take into account the situational factors as well
– MBTI can help with training and development
 Values
– Often explain attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions
– Higher performance and satisfaction achieved when the
individual’s values match those of the organization
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