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Leadership TestsBig Five Personality Test

Using five factors to describe a persons personality, theBig Five personality

test is a purely descriptive model that is based on the idea that five maindimensions are necessary and sufficient for broadly describing human personality.

Knowing ones placement within the five factors can be a very practical way for

personal insights and improvements, which can further be used for personaldevelopment, career development, leadership training, or teambuilding.

If you are looking for a job, the Big Five personality test can help you understandmore about your strengths and weaknesses and help you find a more fulfilling job.

If you are an employee or manager, understanding your employees personality with

this test can help you to manage different personalities and perform task allocationmore efficiently.

The five dimensions of the Big Five personality test are openness, conscientiousness,extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. It is often abbreviated as OCEAN.

The Five Dimensions of Personality

1. OpennessAn open team member can be someone that is curious, original, intellectual, creative

and open to new ideas. They tend to be more aware of their feelings and are morelikely to hold unconventional beliefs.

Others with lower scores prefer the straightforward over the complex or ambiguous.This is because they may have more conventional and traditional interests.

It is also found that people who are more open are more appreciative of the arts,and may approach the sciences with more apprehension while it is the reverse forpeople who are more closed.

Some behavourial examples of those who are highly open include taking the initiative

to learn something new simply for the joy of learning, watching documentaries or

educational television, looking for stimulating activities that break up ones routine.

2. ConscientiousnessA conscientious team member can be someone who is organized, systematic,punctual, achievement oriented and dependable. These people show a distinct

preference for planning their schedule ahead.

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They also have act dutifully according to jobs tasked to them, and aim forachievement against measures or outside expectations.

The trait generally describes someone who brainstorms ideas before acting, delaying

gratification, following norms and rules, and planning, organizing and prioritizingtasks.

Some behavourial examples of those who are highly conscientious include arrivingearly or on time for meeting, double-checking work before submission.

3. ExtraversionA team member who is extraverted can be outgoing, talkative, sociable, and enjoys

social situations. It is characterized by positive emotions, and the tendency to seekout stimulation and the company of other colleagues.

Extraverts enjoy being around their colleagues, and are often perceived as full ofenergy because of their enthusiasm and quest for excitement. In groups, they like totalk, assert themselves, and draw attention to themselves.

The opposite of these extroverts seem quiet, low-key, deliberate, and less involvedin the social world. However, their lack of social involvement should not be

interpreted as shyness or depression.

Introverts simply need less stimulation than extraverts and more time alone. Theymay be very active and energetic, simply not socially.

The trait generally implies an energetic approach toward the social and materialworld.

Some behavourial examples of high openness include approaching new colleagues

and introducing themselves; taking the lead in organizing a project. The reverseincludes keeping quiet when one disagrees with others.

4. AgreeablenessA team member who has high levels of agreeableness can be affable, tolerant,sensitive, trusting, kind and warm.

Agreeable individuals value getting along with other colleagues and are generally

considerate, friendly, generous, helpful, and willing to compromise their interestswith others.

Disagreeable individuals on the other hand are less concerned with others well being,

and are less likely to extend themselves for other people. They have more skepticismabout others motives, which causes them to be suspicious, unfriendly, anduncooperative.

Some behavourial examples of highly agreeable individuals include emphasizing thegood qualities of other people during peer evaluation.

5. NeuroticismA team member who is neurotic can be anxious, irritable, temperamental, and

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moody. People who are more neurotic have a higher tendency to experiencenegative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, or depression during stress at work.

At the other end of the scale, individuals who score low in neuroticism are less easilyupset.

They tend to be calm, emotionally stable, and free from persistent negative feelings.However, freedom from negative feelings does not mean that low scorers experiencea lot of positive feelings.

Some behavourial examples of those who are not highly neurotic are acceptingmistakes and failures within the team without complaining.

The Limitation of the Big Five Personality Test

Before one proceeds ahead with the Big Five personality test, it is good to note that

each of the Big Five factors are very broad and comprise of a range of more specifictraits.

Thus, there are many aspects of your team members personality that are not

subsumed within the Big Five. Also, people vary continuously along the factors, withmost falling in between the extremes.

For this reason, even a very comprehensive profile of somebody's personality traitscan only be considered a partial description of their personality.

The test is to be analyzed as a rough outline of a persons personality and not a

determinant of it. It should not be used to predict and explain actual behaviour at

the workplace.