Personalities and

Values

Instructor: Pham Thi Bich Ngoc, PhD

Learning Objectives
 Describe personality, the way it is measured, and the factors
that shape it.
 Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI) personality framework and the Big Five model.
 Discuss how the concepts of core self-evaluation (CSE), self-
monitoring, and proactive personality contribute to the
understanding of personality.
 Describe how the situation affects whether personality predicts
behavior.
Contrast terminal and instrumental values.
 Describe the differences between person-job fit and person-
organization fit.
 Compare Hofstede’s five value dimensions and the GLOBE
framework.
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 total of ways in which an
individual reacts to and interacts
with others.
 Personality consists of stable
characteristics which explain why
a person behaves in a particular
way
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.
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.
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.
The Myers-Briggs Type
I
ndicator

Personality Types
• Extraverted or Introverted (E or I)
• Sensing or Intuitive (S or N)
• Thinking or Feeling (T or F)
• Judging or Perceiving (J or P)
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Extraverted Characteristics Introverted Characteristics

 Think/reflect first, then Act

 Act first, think/reflect later
 Regularly require an amount
 Feel deprived when cutoff from of "private time" to
interaction with the outside world recharge batteries

 Usually open to and motivated  Motivated internally, mind is

by outside world of people and sometimes so active it is
things "closed" to outside world

 Enjoy wide variety and change in  Prefer one-to-one

people relationships communication and
relationships
 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Sensing Characteristics
 Mentally live in the Now, attending to
present opportunities
 Using common sense and creating
practical solutions is automatic-
instinctual
 Memory recall is rich in detail of facts
and past events
 Best improvise from past experience
 Like clear and concrete information;
dislike guessing when facts are
"fuzzy"
Intuitive Characteristics
 Mentally live in the Future, attending to
future possibilities
 Using imagination and creating/inventing
new possibilities is automatic-
instinctual
 Memory recall emphasizes
patterns, contexts, and
connections
 Best improvise from theoretical
understanding
 Comfortable with ambiguous, fuzzy
data and with guessing its meaning
 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Thinking Characteristics Feeling Characteristics

 Instinctively search for facts and  Instinctively employ personal

logic in a decision situation feelings and impact on people in
decision situations

 Naturally notices tasks and work

to be accomplished.  Naturally sensitive to people needs
and reactions

 Easily able to provide an

 Naturally seek consensus and
objective and critical analysis
popular opinions

 Accept conflict as a natural,  Unsettled by conflict; have almost a

normal part of relationships with toxic reaction to disharmony.
people.
 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Judging Characteristics Perceiving Characteristics

 Comfortable moving into action

 Plan many of the details in
without a plan; plan on-the-go.
advance before moving into
action.
 Like to multitask, have variety,
mix work and play.
 Focus on task-related action;
complete meaningful segments
before moving on.
 Naturally tolerant of time
pressure; work best close to the
 Work best and avoid stress when deadlines.
keep ahead of deadlines.
 Instinctively avoid commitments
 Naturally use targets, dates and which interfere with flexibility,
standard routines to manage life. freedom and variety
The Big Five Model
Short Form for the IPIP-NEO
 http://www.personal.psu.edu/~j5j/IPIP/ipipneo120.htm
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 Listening skills
standards
Model of How Big Five Traits Influence OB Criteria
Other Personality Traits Relevant to OB

 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.
 Other Personality Traits Relevant to OB

 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.
Other Personality Traits Relevant to OB

 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.
 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.
Other Personality Traits
Relevant to OB
 Locus of control
 Machiavellianism
 Self-esteem
 Self-monitoring
 Propensity for risk taking
Locus of Control
Machiavellianism

Conditions Favoring High Machs

• Direct interaction
• Minimal rules and regulations
• Distracting emotions
Self-Esteem and Self-Monitoring
Risk-Taking

 High Risk-taking Managers

 Make quicker decisions.
Use less information to
make decisions.
 Operate in smaller and
more entrepreneurial
organizations.
 Low Risk-taking Managers
 Are slower to make
decisions.
 Require more
information before making
decisions.
 Exist in larger
organizations with stable
environments.
 The Situation, Personality, and Behavior (1 of 2)

 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: degree to which cues about work duties and
responsibilities are available and clear

 Consistency: the extent to which cues regarding work duties

and responsibilities are compatible with one another

 Constraints: the extent to which individuals’ freedom to

decide or act is limited by forces outside their control
 Consequences: the degree to which decisions or actions have
important implications for the organization or its members,
clients, supplies, and so on.

5-24
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.
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.
Contrast Terminal and Instrumental Values
(3 of 3)

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 present To mid-30s Confident, financial
success, self-reliant but
team-oriented; loyalty to
both self and relationships
 Values in
the Rokeach
Survey

Source: M. Rokeach, The Nature of Human

Values (New York: The Free Press, 1973).
 Values in
the Rokeach
Survey
(cont’d)

Source: M. Rokeach, The Nature of Human

Values (New York: The Free Press, 1973).
 Mean Value Rankings of
Executives, Union Members,
and Activists

Source: Based on W. C. Frederick and J. Weber, “The Values of

Corporate Managers and Their Critics: An Empirical Description and
Normative Implications,” in W. C. Frederick and L. E. Preston (eds.)
Business Ethics: Research Issues and Empirical Studies (Greenwich,
CT: JAI Press, 1990), pp. 123–44.
Importance of Values
 Provide understanding of the attitudes, motivation, and behaviors of
individuals and cultures.
 Influence our perception of the world around us.
 Represent interpretations of “right” and “wrong.”
 Imply that some behaviors or outcomes are preferred over others.
Person-Job Fit vs. Person-Organization Fit (1
of 3)

Holland’s Typology of Personality and Congruent Occupations

Type Personality Characteristics Congruent Occupations

Realistic: Prefers physical activities Shy, genuine, persistent, stable, Mechanic, drill press operator,
that require skill, strength, and conforming, practical assembly-line worker, farmer
coordination

Investigative: Prefers activities that Analytical, original, curious, Biologist, economist,

involve thinking, organizing, and independent mathematician, news reporter
understanding

Social: Prefers activities that involve Sociable, friendly, cooperative, Social worker, teacher,
helping and developing others understanding counselor, clinical psychologist

Conventional: Prefers rule-regulated, Conforming, efficient, practical, Accountant, corporate

orderly, and unambiguous activities unimaginative, inflexible manager, bank teller, file clerk

Enterprising: Prefers verbal activities Self-confident, ambitious, in Lawyer, real estate agent,
which there are opportunities to energetic, domineering public relations specialist,
influence others and attain power small business manager

Artistic: Prefers ambiguous and Imaginative, disorderly, Painter, musician, writer,

unsystematic activities that allow idealistic, emotional, interior decorator
creative expression impractical
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.
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
Hofstede’s Five Value Dimensions

 Hofstede’s Framework

 Power distance
 Individualism versus collectivism
 Masculinity versus femininity
 Uncertainty avoidance
 Long-term versus short-term
orientation
 Hofstede’s Framework for
Assessing Cultures
Power Distance
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
Hofstede’s Framework
(cont’d)
Individualism Vs.
The degree to which
people prefer to act as
individuals rather than
a member of groups.
Collectivism
A tight social framework in
which people expect
others in groups of which
they are a part to look
after them and protect
them.
 Hofstede’s Framework
(cont’d)

Masculinity Vs.

The extent to which the Femininity

society values work roles The extent to which
of achievement, power, there is little
and control, and where differentiation
assertiveness and between roles for
materialism are also men and women.
valued.
Hofstede’s Framework
(cont’d)
Uncertainty Avoidance
The extent to which a society feels threatened by
uncertain and ambiguous situations and tries to
avoid them.
• HighUncertainty Avoidance:
Society does not like
ambiguous situations & tries to
avoid them.

• LowUncertainty Avoidance:
Society does not mind
ambiguous situations &
embraces them.
 Hofstede’s Framework
(cont’d)

Long-term Orientation Vs. Short-term Orientation

A national culture A national culture attribute
attribute that that emphasizes the
emphasizes the future, present and the here and
thrift, and persistence. now.
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.