Organizational Behavior

Eighteenth Edition, Global Edition

Chapter 4
Personality and Values

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Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
4.1 Describe personality, the way it is measured, and the
factors that shape it.
4.2 Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the Myers-
Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality framework and
the Big Five model.
4.3 Discuss how the concepts of core self-evaluation (CSE),
self-monitoring, and proactive personality contribute to
the understanding of personality.
4.4 Describe how personality affects job search and
unemployment.

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Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
4.5 Describe how the situation affects whether personality
predicts behavior.
4.6 Contrast terminal and instrumental values.
4.7 Describe the differences between person-job fit and
person-organization fit.
4.8 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 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 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 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, lazy, ambitious, loyal,
and timid.
 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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 4-9

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 ENTJ.

Sociable Extroverted Introverted Quiet and

and (E) (I) Shy
Assertive
Practical Sensing Intuitive Unconscious
(S) (N) Processes
and
Orderly
Use Reason Thinking Feeling Uses Values
(T) (F) & Emotions
and Logic

Want Order Judging Perceiving Flexible and

(J) (P) Spontaneous
& Structure

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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 4-1 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

Source: Based on S. N. Kaplan, M. M. Klebanov, and M. Sorensen, “Which CEO Characteristics and Abilities Matter?”
The Journal of Finance 67, no. 3 (2012): 973–1007.

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Strengths and Weakness of the MBTI
and Big Five Model (4 of 7)
Exhibit 4-2 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 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 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
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 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.
– Proactive Personality: people who identify
opportunities, show initiative, take action, and
persevere until meaningful change occurs.

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The Situation, Job Search, and
Unemployment
• What personality characteristics predict job search
behaviors among the unemployed?
– Conscientiousness and extraversion are the two
strongest predictors of job search behavior,
 Self-esteem and self-efficacy (parts of CSE) are
also important.

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The Situation, Personality, and
Behavior (1 of 3)
• 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.
 Clarity
 Consistency
 Constraints
 Consequences

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 The Situation, Personality, and
Behavior (2 of 3)
Exhibit 4-3 Trait Activation Theory: Jobs in Which Certain Big Five Traits
Are More Relevant
Detail Orientation Required Social Skills Competitive Innovation Dealing with Time Pressure
Required Work Required Angry People (Deadlines)

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

Air traffic controller Clergy Coach/scout Actor Correctional Broadcast

officer news analyst

Accountant Therapist Financial Systems analyst Telemarketer Editor

manager

Legal secretary Concierge Sales Advertising writer Flight attendant Airline pilot
representative

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

Forester Software Postal clerk Court reporter Composer Skincare

engineer specialist

Masseuse Pump operator Historian Archivist Biologist Mathematician

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 The Situation, Personality, and
Behavior (3 of 3)
[Exhibit 4-3 Continued]

Detail Orientation Required Social Skills Competitive Innovation Dealing with Time Pressure
Required Work Required Angry People (Deadlines)

Model Broadcast Nuclear Medical Statistician Fitness trainer

technician reactor technician
operator

Jobs that score high activate blank blank blank blank blank
these traits (make them
more relevant to predicting
behavior)

Conscientiousness (+) Extraversion (+) Extraversion Openness (+) Extraversion (+) Conscientiousn
(+) ess (+)

Blank Agreeableness Agreeableness Blank Agreeableness Neuroticism (–)

(+) (–) (+)

Blank Blank Blank Blank Neuroticism (–) Blank

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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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 © 2009 Prentice-Hall Inc. All
rights reserved. 4-23

Values in the Rokeach Survey

E X H I B I T 4–3

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Contrast Terminal and Instrumental
Values (3 of 3)
Exhibit 4-4 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 To mid-30s Confident, financial success, self-
present 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 4-5 Holland’s Typology of Personality and Congruent
Occupations
Type Personality Characteristics Congruent Occupations

Realistic: Prefers physical activities that Shy, genuine, persistent, stable, Mechanic, drill press operator,
require skill, strength, and coordination conforming, practical assembly-line worker, farmer
Investigative: Prefers activities that Analytical, original, curious, independent Biologist, economist,
involve thinking, organizing, and mathematician, news reporter
understanding
Social: Prefers activities that involve Sociable, friendly, cooperative, Social worker, teacher, counselor,
helping and developing others understanding clinical psychologist
Conventional: Prefers rule-regulated, Conforming, efficient, practical, Accountant, corporate manager,
orderly, and unambiguous activities unimaginative, inflexible bank teller, file clerk
Enterprising: Prefers verbal activities in Self-confident, ambitious, energetic, Lawyer, real estate agent, public
which there are opportunities to domineering relations specialist, small
influence others and attain power business manager
Artistic: Prefers ambiguous and Imaginative, disorderly, idealistic, Painter, musician, writer, interior
unsystematic activities that allow emotional, impractical 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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Person-Job Fit vs. Person-
Organization Fit (3 of 3)
• Other Dimensions of Fit
– Although person-job fit and person-organization fit are
considered the most salient dimensions for workplace
outcomes, other avenues of fit are worth examining.
 Person-group fit
 Person-supervisor fit

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Hofstede’s Five Value Dimensions
and GLOBE (1 of 2)
• Hofstede’s Framework
– Power distance
– Individualism versus collectivism
– Masculinity versus femininity
– Uncertainty avoidance
– Long-term versus short-term orientation

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 •Acknowledge a leader's
status. As an outsider, you
•Centralized organizations.
may try to circumvent his
•More complex hierarchies.
or her power, but don't
High PDI •Large gaps in
push back explicitly.
compensation, authority
•Be aware that you may
and respect.
need to go to the top for
answers.

•Delegate as much as
•Flatter organizations. possible.
•Supervisors and •Ideally, involve all those
Low PDI
employees are considered in decision making who
almost as equals. will be directly affected by
the decision.
 •High value placed on people's time
•Acknowledge individual
and their need for privacy and
accomplishments.
freedom.
•Don't mix work life with social life too
High IDV •An enjoyment of challenges, and
much.
an expectation of individual rewards
•Encourage debate and expression of
for hard work.
people's own ideas.
•Respect for privacy.

•Wisdom is important.
•Suppress feelings and emotions that
•Emphasis on building skills and
may endanger harmony.
becoming master of something.
•Avoid giving negative feedback in
•People work for intrinsic rewards.
Low IDV public.
•Maintaining harmony among group
•Saying "No" can cause loss of face,
members overrides other moral
unless it's intended to be polite. For
issues.
example, declining an invitation several
times is expected.
 •Be aware of the possibility of differentiated
gender roles.
•Strong egos – feelings of pride and •A long-hours culture may be the norm, so
importance are attributed to status. recognize its opportunities and risks.
High MAS
•Money and achievement are •People are motivated by precise targets,
important. and by being able to show that they
achieved them either as a group or as
individuals.

•Success is more likely to be achieved

through negotiation, collaboration and input
from all levels.
•Avoid an "old boys' club" mentality,
•Relationship oriented/consensual. although this may still exist.
Low MAS
•More focus on quality of life. •Workplace flexibility and work-life balance
may be important, both in terms of job
design, organizational environment and
culture, and the way that performance
management can be best realized.
 •Conservative, rigid and structured, •Be clear and concise about
unless the danger of failure requires a expectations and goals, and set
more flexible attitude. clearly defined parameters. But
•Many societal conventions. encourage creative thinking and
•People are expressive, and are dialogue where you can.
High UAI allowed to show anger or emotions, if •Recognize that there may be
necessary. unspoken "rules" or cultural
•A high energy society, if people feel expectations you need to learn.
that they are in control of their life •Recognize that emotion, anger and
instead of feeling overwhelmed by vigorous hand gestures may simply
life's vagaries. be part of the conversation.

•Ensure that people remain focused,

•Openness to change or innovation, but don't create too much structure.
and generally inclusive. •Titles are less important, so avoid
Low UAI •More inclined to open-ended learning "showing off" your knowledge or
or decision making. experience. Respect is given to those
•Less sense of urgency. who can cope under all
circumstances.
 •People often wonder how to know
•Behave in a modest way.
what is true. For example, questions
•Avoid talking too much
like "What?" and "How?" are asked
about yourself.
more than "Why?"
Long-Term •People are more willing to
•Thrift and education are seen as
Orientation compromise, yet this may not
positive values.
always be clear to outsiders;
•Modesty.
this is certainly so in a culture
•Virtues and obligations are
that also scores high on PDI.
emphasized.

•People often want to know "Why?" •Sell yourself to be taken

•Strong convictions. seriously.
Short-Term •As people tend to oversell •People are less willing to
Orientation themselves, others will assess their compromise as this would be
assertions critically. seen as weakness.
•Values and rights are emphasized. •Flattery empowers.
Hofstede’s Five Value Dimensions
and GLOBE (2 of 2)
• The GLOBE Framework for Assessing Culture
– The Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Effectiveness (GLOBE) research program updated
Hofstede’s research.
 Data from 825 organizations and 62 countries.
 Used variables similar to Hofstede’s.
 Added some news ones.

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Implications for Managers (1 of 2)
• Consider screening job candidates for high
conscientiousness—and 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 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.
• Consider situational factors when evaluating observable
personality traits, and lower the situation strength to
better ascertain personality characteristics more closely.
• 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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