2. CHAPTER 2 Individual Differences: Personality and Ability Copyright © 1999 Addison Wesley...

Copyright © 1999 Addison Wesley Longman

2 CHAPTER 2 Individual Differences: Personality and Ability

Definition

Personality: The pattern of relatively enduring ways in which a person feels, thinks, and behaves.



Determinants of Personality

• Nature: Biological heritage, and genetic makeup.

• Nurture: Life experiences.



FIGURE 2.1 Nature and Nurture: The Determinants of Personality



FIGURE 2.2 The Interaction of Personality and Situational Factors



Attraction-Selection-Attrition (A.S.A.) Framework

The idea that an organization attracts and selects individuals with similar personalities and loses individuals with other types of personality.



Advice to Managers

• Acknowledge and appreciate that workers’ feelings, thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors are partly determined by their personalities, which are difficult to change. Realize that you might need to adjust your own feelings and actions to work effectively with others.



Advice to Managers

• When you are trying to understand why workers’ have certain attitudes and behave in certain ways, remember that attitudes and behaviors are determined by the interaction of an individual’s personality and the situation in which the individual works.



Advice to Managers

• When feasible, structure an individual’s work situation to fit his or her personality. A good match is likely to result in positive attitudes and behaviors.

• Encourage an acceptance and appreciation of the diverse personalities in your organization.



The Big Five Model of Personality

• Extroversion

• Neuroticism

• Agreeableness

• Conscientiousness

• Openness to Experience



FIGURE 2.3 The Hierarchical Organization of Personality

Source: Adapted from R. R. McCrae and P. T. Costa, "Discriminant Validity of NEO-PIR Facet Scales,” Educational and Psychological Measurement, 52, pp. 229–237. Copyright 1992. Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications, Inc.



FIGURE 2.4 A Big Five Personality Profile



Extroversion• The tendency to

experience positive emotional states and feel good about oneself and the world around one; also called positive affectivity.

• Specific traits include positive emotions, gregariousness, and warmth



Neuroticism• The tendency to

experience negative emotional states and view oneself and the world around one negatively; also called negative affectivity.

• Specific traits include anxiety, self-consciousness, and vulnerability.



Agreeableness• The tendency to get

along well with others.• Specific traits include

trust, straightforwardness and tender-mindedness.



Conscientiousness• The extent to which a

person is careful, scrupulous, and persevering.

• Specific traits include competence, order and self-discipline.



Openness to Experience• The extent to which a

person is original, has broad interests, and is willing to take risks.

• Specific traits include fantasy, actions, and ideas.



Other Organizationally Relevant Personality Traits

• Locus of control

• Self-monitoring

• Self-esteem

• Type A and Type B personality

• Need for achievement

• Need for affiliation

• Need for power



FIGURE 2.7 Personality Traits Specifically Relevant to Organizations



Locus of Control

• External Locus of Control: describes people who believe that fate, luck, or outside forces are responsible for what happens to them.

• Internal Locus of Control: describes people who believe that ability, effort, or their own actions determine what happens to them.



Definition

Self-Monitoring: The extent to which people try to control the way they present themselves to others.



Definition

Self-Esteem: The extent to which people have pride in themselves and their capabilities.



Definitions

Type A Personality: A person who has an intense desire to achieve, is extremely competitive, and has a strong sense of urgency.

Type B Personality: A person who tends to be easygoing and relaxed.



Definitions

Need for Achievement: The desire to perform challenging tasks well and to meet one’s own high standards

Need for Affiliation: The desire to establish and maintain good relations with others.



Definition

Need for Power: The desire to exert emotional and behavioral control or influence over others.



Advice to Managers

• Realize and accept that some workers are more likely than others to be positive and enthusiastic because of their personalities. Similarly, realize and accept that some workers are more likely than others to complain and experience stress because of their personalities.



Advice to Managers

• Provide an extra measure of direct supervision to workers who don’t take the initiative to solve problems on their own and always seem to blame someone or something else when things go wrong.



Advice to Managers

• Provide additional encouragement and support to workers with low self-esteem who tend to belittle themselves and question their abilities.

• Realize and accept that Type A individuals can be difficult to get along with and sometimes have a hard time working in teams.



Advice to Managers

• Let subordinates who seem overly concerned about other people liking them know that sometimes it is necessary to give honest feedback and be constructively critical (such as when supervising others.)



Definition

Ability: The mental or physical capacity to do something.



FIGURE 2.9 Types of Cognitive Ability



Types of Ability

Cognitive Ability

Verbal Ability

Numerical Ability

Reasoning Ability

Deductive Ability

Physical Ability

Spacial Ability

Perceptual Ability

Ability to Remember



FIGURE 2.10 Nature and Nurture: The Determinants of Cognitive and Physical Abilities



Managing Ability in Organizations

• Selection

• Placement

• Training

2. CHAPTER 2 Individual Differences: Personality and Ability Copyright © 1999 Addison Wesley...

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