PERSONALITY
Our personality is our whole character and nature.
Almost every day we describe and assess the personalities of the people around us. "He has such
a great personality," we might say about a friend. "He gets his personality from his dad," we
might say about rambunctious son. While there are many theories of personality, the first step is
to understand exactly what is meant by the term personality.
The word personality itself stems from the Latin word persona, which referred to a theatrical
mask worn by performers in order to either project different roles or disguise their identities.
A brief definition is that personality is made up of the characteristic patterns of thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique. In addition to this, personality arises
from within the individual and remains fairly consistent throughout life.
Overview
Individual differences can be divided into personality and ability differences. Understanding the
nature, determinants, and consequences of individual differences is essential for managing
Organizational behavior. An appreciation of the nature of individual differences is necessary to
understand why people behave in certain ways in an organization. A review of the personality
literature offers general guidelines that can lead to effective job performance. As such, it can
improve hiring, transfer, and promotion decisions. Because personality characteristics create the
parameters for people’s behavior, they give us a framework for predicting behavior. For
example, individuals who are shy, introverted, and uncomfortable in social situations would
probably be ill-suited as salespeople.
The “Big Five” Personality Traits
The Nature of Personality
Personality refers to set of traits and behavior that characterize individual.
It has both internal and external elements. The external traits are observable behavior that
we notice in an individual’s Personality. i.e. aggression
Internal trait represents thought, feeling, and genetic characteristics.
Acknowledge and appreciate that workers’ feelings, thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors are
partially determined by their personalities, which are difficult to change—adjust your
own behaviors to work with them.
When trying to understand workers’ attitudes and behaviors, remember that they are
determined by the interaction of an individual’s personality and the situation.
If possible, structure the work environment to suit an individual’s personality.
Encourage an acceptance and appreciation of the diverse personalities in the organization.
Knowledge of an individual’s personality can aid in reducing mismatches, which, in turn,
can lead to reduced turnover and higher job satisfaction.
The Big Five Model of Personality
The combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual's distinctive
character.
Since its development in the early 1990s, the Big Five model has been used widely by
researchers, business professionals, and others. This is partly because it’s an effective model.
The Big Five model of personality, also called the Five-Factor Model (FFM), and the OCEAN
model is one the popular model.
The Big Five model represents five major personality traits
Openness
Conscientiousness
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
Openness
Extraversion/Extroversion
Openness
Openness, or openness to experience, refers to a sense of curiosity about others and the world.
enjoy trying new things
be more creative
have a good imagination
be willing to consider new ideas
A high score on openness can mean you have broad interests. You may enjoy solving problems
with new methods and find it easy to think about things in different ways. Being open to new
ideas may help you adjust easily to change.
Low score
A low openness score can mean you consider concepts in straightforward ways.
Low openness score might mean you:
prefer to do things in a familiar way
avoid change
are more traditional in thinking
Conscientiousness
People that have a high degree of conscientiousness are
keep things in order
come prepared to school or work
are goal-driven
are persistent
If you are a conscientious person, you might follow a regular schedule and work hard to achieve
your goals. Coworkers and friends might see you as a reliable, fair person.
A low score on conscientiousness might mean you:
are less organized
complete tasks in a less structured way
take things as they come
finish things at the last minute
A low conscientiousness score might mean you prefer a setting without structure. You may
prefer doing things at your own pace to working on a deadline. This might make you appear
unreliable to others.
Extraversion/Extroversion
Extraverts get their energy from interacting with others
seek excitement or adventure
make friends easily
speak without thinking
enjoy being active with others
You might enjoy attention and feel recharged after spending time with friends. You likely feel
your best when in a large group of people.
On the other hand, you may have trouble spending long periods of time alone.
low extraversion score can mean you:
have a hard time making small talk or introducing yourself
avoid large groups
are more reserved
A low extraversion score can mean you prefer to spend time alone or with a small group of close
friends. You might also be a more private person when it comes to sharing details about your
life.
Agreeableness
People that have a high degree of Agreeableness are
always ready to help out
are caring and honest
are interested in the people around you
believe the best about others
If you have high degree of Agreeableness, you’re helpful and cooperative. Your loved ones may
often turn to you for help. People might see you as trustworthy. You may be the person others
seek when they’re trying to resolve a disagreement. In some situations, you might a little too
trusting or willing to compromise.
Low agreeableness score might mean you:
are stubborn
find it difficult to forgive mistakes
are self-centered
Neuroticism
Neuroticism describes a tendency to have unsettling thoughts and feelings.
often feel vulnerable or insecure
get stressed easily
struggle with difficult situations
have mood swings
If you score high on neuroticism, you may blame yourself when things go wrong. You might
also get frustrated with yourself easily, especially if you make a mistake.
f you score low on neuroticism, you likely:
keep calm in stressful situations
are more optimistic
worry less
have a more stable mood
A low neuroticism score can mean you’re confident. You may have more resilience and find it
easy to keep calm under stress. Relaxation might also come more easily to you. Try to keep in
mind that this might not be as easy for those around you, so be patient.
