Premium Essay

Personality in the Workplace

In:

Submitted By amarah
Words 373
Pages 2
MGT 30O
Write Up #1

“Why Personality Matters in the Workplace” http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/03/07/personality-matters/ This article by FoxBusiness states the importance of understanding personalities in the workplace, first by understanding your own personality. Business is based on relationships so it is pertinent that individuals understand how they interact, but also be knowledgeable on how others interact. This knowledge will create successful teams and overall a successful business.
This articles uses OCEAN to talk about the Big Five in personalities. I thought this was an easy anagram to remember the personality traits for everyday knowledge. You can simply and daily refer to OCEAN as you interact with co-workers, employees, new business partners, etc. OCEAN stands for openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion/introversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism (emotional stability). Openness to experience refers to how an individual responds to new experiences and how flexible their thinking is. Conscientiousness refers to how you approach work and life and view the details. Extroverts like to interact with others, while introverts do well working in small groups or alone. Agreeableness looks at the level of friendliness versus hostility while interacting with others. Neuroticism talks about emotional stability; whether you show constant negative emotions or are generally more pleasant and resistant to stress. “Behavior vs. Personality: Behavior is what we observe in others as bystanders. We all learn about others and make attributions based on what we see. However, personality is not the only driver of behavior, there are always external forces operating to influence how we behave. Thus, we have to be careful about the attributions we make based on limited observations within certain contexts.” I felt this was an

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Workplace Personalities

...It is an obvious observation that different personalities within the workplace make a difference in the environment. We spend the majority of our waking hours with the people that we work with and the different personalities within the workplace can make it enjoyable or unbearable. The articles that I will discuss in the essay focus on the types of personalities and the cultural fit of those personalities in the workplace. The first article titled Why Personality Matters in the Workplace by Michael Woody focuses on the types of personalities and refers to them as the Big Five. The Big Five include Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion/Introversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Openness to Experience describes personalities that are open to experiencing new things and are flexible on how they approach situations and new ideas. Conscientiousness are the personalities that are meticulous in the way they approach situations as well as work; people that are on the other end of this spectrum see the big picture and do not get lost in the details. Extraversion is someone that is social and enjoys being around others; introversion is just the opposite of extraversion and tends to work best alone and prefers to work alone or in a small group. Agreeableness easily interacts with others and are generally more trusting of others. Finally, Neuroticism tend are the types of personalities that tend to be negative and are more frequently stressed making them difficult...

Words: 774 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Personality in the Workplace

...Personality in the Workplace Personality in the Workplace Personality can be thought of as the sum total of ways in which an individual interacts and reacts to other individuals (Stephen & Robbins, 2013). Research has shown that measuring personality is a useful tool in making hiring decisions and helping organizations forecast who is best for each unique position. The Big Five Model Personality Model does a great job of predicting how individuals will behave in a wide range of real-life situations, including in an individual’s work life (Stephen & Robbins, 2013). After taking the assessment, my results showed that I scored highest in openness to experience/intellect and lowest in agreeableness. Though not surprising, these results will help me reevaluate my personality and behaviors within my workplace so that I can adapt to become more successful and effective in my position. The Big Five Personality Model consists of five basic dimensions that incorporate the most important variations in human personality (Stephen & Robbins, 2013). These five basic dimensions include extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to experience. Research on how the Big Five Personality traits predict work performance has found significant relationships between these five personality dimensions and work performance (Stephens & Robbins, 2013). For instance, individuals who score highest on conscientiousness develop higher levels of job knowledge...

Words: 1462 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Personality Inventories in Workplace

...Importance of Understanding Different Personality Types in the Workplace It is not surprising that the concept of personality has been a popular topic throughout the history of organizational behavior studies. Personalities make some people stand out from the others and make some people seem very ordinary. It may have different effects on people’s lives, but there is no doubt that it influences individuals’ both social and work lives either way. Therefore, it is very important to recognize and know different personality types in the workplace especially if you are a manager. A manager’s job in a workplace includes many tasks. First of all, they have to keep the highest possible work efficiency. If a manager does not know about different personalities and their traits, he could make wrong decisions that could influence work efficiency negatively. For instance, if you put a shy, yet, perfectionist person in a team work that would require a lot of socializing, then that person may not give his best work. Or if you choose someone, who does not have leadership skills, as the leader of the group you would encounter some problems. Secondly, managers have to inspire workers. It is not easy to influence someone positively. A manager has to know what type of personalities his workers have to be able to affect them. If he tries to deliver a somewhat romantic and idealistic speech to a rather realistic worker, he will not have any kind of influence on that person. Therefore, managers must...

Words: 613 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Understanding the Role of Perceptions, Personality and Emotions in the Workplace

...Understanding the role of perceptions, personality and emotions in the workplace Perceptions, personality and emotions cannot be ignored when discussing the workplace because quite simply, the workplace is made up of people who come with different personalities, subject to different emotions and ways of looking at things. A successful company will understand this and its managers will work to create a positive atmosphere. Emotions, personalities and perceptions all have an effect on how employees interact with one another, how decisions are made, how managers are able to motivate their employees to increase productivity, and how conflicts and negotiations are handled. It stands to reason that if employees are happy and enjoy coming to work then they will be more productive. According to Barsade and Gibson, “…the evidence is overwhelming that experiencing and expressing positive emotions and moods tends to enhance performance at individual, group, and organizational levels” (Barsade & Gibson, 2007). Frost describes a mechanism of “emotional contagion” where when the leaders express positive emotions, the staff will be influenced by this and the outcomes tend to be positive (Frost, 2004). It would stand to reason then, that in a company with displays of negative emotions, the opposite would result. Affect is an umbrella term used by Barsade and Gibson as a range of discrete emotions (fear, anger, joy), moods (cheerful, sad), dispositional traits (negative, upbeat)...

Words: 5752 - Pages: 24

Premium Essay

Plan for Positive Influence in the Workplace

...for Positive Influence in the Workplace Influencing is committing oneself to work successfully with others. Influencing is using a range of skills to get work complete and maintain good relationships with others. This plan will address specific differences and how each difference influences behavior in the attitudes, emotions, personalities, and values of people to collaborate with in the workplace. Also, the differences will be addressed on how to effectively address these behaviors to positively influence the team. Differences Attitude is the way people feel about their work and the approach that is taken towards the work. Others can feel the belief through another’s attitude towards work. A positive attitude can be a transfer of feelings to others. Attitudes are focused around three components; beliefs, intentions, and feelings. Attitudes can be addressed by creating the proper workplace climate, establish rules of discipline, overcoming resistance to change, and dealing with age and cultural differences. A change in a person’s thinking is the best way to make a change in others people’s life and workplace. People’s attitudes are affected by organizational changes, life imbalances, less social interactions, and new technologies. These can affect a person’s attitude to be negative in the workplace. To address these stresses, organizations need to develop employees through training and group meetings. Emotions are experienced daily in workplace among all workers. These are...

Words: 773 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Understanding Motivation

...ILM Course Level 3 Understand How To Motivate To Improve Performance AC1.1, AC1.2, AC1.3, AC1.4, AC2.1, AC2.2, AC2.3 Table of Contents Define the term motivation 3 Define the factors that may affect motivation levels in the workplace 3 Explain how individual differences affect levels of motivation in the workplace 3 Explain the potential impact on organisational performance if employee motivation levels are low 4 Describe a recognised theory of motivation 5 Describe ways in which knowledge of a theory of motivation can be used to improve performance in the workplace 5 Explain how to use employee engagement to increase motivation levels 6 References 7 Bibliography 7 Understand How To Motivate To Improve Performance Define the term motivation The term motivation in my opinion is a strong desire to achieve something. The drive to be motivated I believe comes from aspirations or enthusiasm to achieve a goal or target (whatever that might be). More often than not though I think motivation or the desire to do great things can also be inspired by support from other individuals. Motivated people work with enthusiasm. Define the factors that may affect motivation levels in the workplace Salary Bonuses and incentives play an important role in keeping employees motivated, but usually work best as part of a comprehensive program that provides opportunities to grow. A carefully designed rewards program in my opinion will reinforce behaviours...

Words: 1797 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Personalities Theories

...Personality Theory Lady Psych/504 May 14, 2012 Joanna Day, Ph.D. Personality Theory Carl Rogers Personality Theory has most influenced my understandings of personalities, behaviors of people in society and the workplace, as well as, how it influences my role in society and workplace along with my interactions with others. Since the study of personality began, personality theories have offered a wide variety of explanations for behavior and what constitutes the person. Carl Rogers is truly the central figure in the humanistic orientation. Rogers theory of personality development is based upon nineteen propositions but the central focus is on the concept of ‘self’. In Rogers' view, the self is the central ingredient in human personality and personal adjustment. Society Carl Rogers in his theory of personality explains that human behavior is exquisitely rational (Rogers, 1961). Rogers went on to theorize that the core of nature in man is essentially positive and he is a trustworthy organism. On the other hand, there is the belief that personality traits can be heavily influenced by culture (Triandis, 2002). Personality traits are developed early on, but can change as a person matures. While culture and environment serve to heavily influence these traits from the very beginning of one’s life, life style and experiences continue to do so even when adulthood is reached. The differences lie in the ability to make choices. Whereas children often have no control of their...

Words: 1080 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Workplace Deviance

...Critique Workplace deviance/counterproductive workplace behaviour/justice perceptions/goldbricking/cyberfloating Motivation Job Satisfaction Organisational Citizenship Group cohesion and high performance work teams Motivation: A study of sales representatives conducted by Barrick, Stewart and Piotrowski, 2002 has defined two unique aspects of motivation: status striving and accomplishment striving, recording positive correlations with extraversion and conscientiousness variables respectively. Both subsets of motivation directly affect sales performance although the data implies that the accomplishment striving factor results in improved performance only indirectly, accompanied by a status striving variable. The study has been criticised for its sole reliance on participants drawn from sales representatives. Such a narrow band of individuals may be expected to show extraverted behaviour given the arguable necessity of such behaviour in ensuring success. Recruitment of sales representatives is dominated by a focus on selecting extraverted individuals and as such, the generality of the study regarding a correlation between the FFM and job performance is questionable. Job satisfaction: Workplace Deviance and counterproductive workplace behaviour (include in this Buckner’s excessive use of technology study): Organisational commitment: Organisational citizenship: Sean P. Neubert’s study, “The Five-Factor Model of Personality in the Workplace” posited and...

Words: 892 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Person

...Would personality differences disappear if men and women were complete equals in the workforce? I believe if personality differences were to disappear in the workplace, complete gender equality must be branded on the individual first. But, complete gender equality is shunned away from society because of these four theories: Strength theory, Compatibility with Childcare theory, Economy of Effort and Expendability theory. These theories are the division lines for labor and are the deciding factors for gender equality. The three theories I have listed above are also the separation between male and female roles in workplaces. For example, the Strength theory, which states that men are generally stronger than women, can be used against a women in terms of not being capable to move large amounts of equipment, while a man of the same physical characteristics would be looked more upon for his capability to move the equipment and further segregating occupations. Women are more likely to apply themselves to secondary subsistence jobs, such as shopping and preparing food, and with this likelihood of subsistence jobs female personalities are preconceived as fragile because of the gender roles that have been applied on society for hundreds of years and have now been molded into their occupation approach. My opinion is that the workplace shapes our personalities, and with the workplace shaping our personalities I believe that complete gender equality would alter gender personality differences...

Words: 643 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Motivation Plan

...cultivating relationships is an integral part of any career strategy” (para. 1). The leader must understand the organizational culture and each team member’s attitudes, emotions, personality, behavior, and values before implementing the changes for the new motivational plan. Organizational Culture When identifying the culture of the organization, Robbins and Judge (2013) stated, “Organizational culture refers to a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations” (p. 512). At each of level, division, department, and team, the cultural identification philosophy is also used. A leader can treat the culture as the personality of the organizational and align his or her management style to that personality. Mentor identified the organizational culture as fun and inviting with a high level of required results (personal communication, June 6, 2013); Palmira (2013) classifies this as a “Work Hard/Play Hard Culture” (para. 12). The personality is one of fun, humor, and dedication to the customer. When viewing the culture as a personality, Schein (1996) states, “Inattention to social systems in organizations has led researchers to underestimate the importance of culture – shared norms, values, and assumptions – in how organizations function” (para. 1). If the personality is poor, a good leader should use transformational leadership to lead employees in a new direction. Attitudes Mentor identifies his team member’s attitudes as good...

Words: 1734 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Hostile Workplace In Canada

...Canadian are facing hostile work environment that employees that are dealing with hostile workplace. They are developing stress and unproductive work environment because of this hostile workplace, due to bad management, poor training and conflicting personalities. There are many causes that make the workplace a hostile place in Canada. The first immediate cause of a hostility workplace is bad management. For example, management that is unqualified they can’t guide, control employees making the workplace respectable environment. Also, if employees that have unqualified management can cause confusion if their communication aren’t good. The respect for management will fall if communications aren’t good between employers and employee. In additions,...

Words: 405 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Jung Typology Test Paper

...This paper will breakdown the personality type of an ESTJ and how they fit in the workplace setting. The Jung Typology Test is a test written by Carl Jung and Isabel Briggs Meyers that identifies peoples personalities based on the answers given to certain personality questions. The test will give you your personality in four letters, mine being ESTJ, where each of the letters describes a certain part of your personality. Based on the information I have found on my personality type, I know what jobs I would work best in, what learning style works best for me, how my communication skills affect me at my workplace, and even other famous people who are also ESTJ’s. This paper will go into detail of each of the four letters of ESTJ, being Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging, and how I have applied them in my daily workplace. It will also tell how I react and interact with those of the other personality types as well....

Words: 1757 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Economics

...Personality plays a key role in organizational behavior because the way that people think, feel, and behave affects many aspects of the workplace. People's personalities influence their behavior in groups, their attitudes, and the way they make decisions. Interpersonal skills hugely affect the way that people act and react to things during work. In the workplace, personality also affects such things as motivation, leadership, performance, and conflict. The more that managers understand how personality in organizational behavior works, the better equipped they are to be effective and accomplish their goals. People have many different views of the world that affect their personalities. When a situation arises, an individual will handle it based upon his or her personal values, beliefs, and personality traits. These traits are developed throughout a person's lifetime and cannot be easily changed, so it is more helpful for managers to attempt to understand this rather than to fight it. Traits such as openness, emotional stability, and agreeableness all predict that an individual will have less conflict, work better in teams, and have positive attitudes about his or her work. People with this type of personality should be placed in situations where they would be working with or leading others. Those who do not have these traits will have less motivation and be more negative when they are placed in these same situations. Positive interpersonal skills is a personality trait that...

Words: 389 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Personality

...Personality * Personality Development - Introduction * Importance of Personality Development * Personality Development Tips * Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory * Importance of Character in PD * Different Types of Personality * Personality Traits * Personality Disorders * Personality Development at Workplace * Personality Traits of a Manager * Dressing and Personality Development * Communication Skills and PD * Role of PD in Reducing Stress * Role of PD in Organizational Success Personality and Personality Development - An Overview Every individual has his own characteristic way of behaving, responding to emotions, perceiving things and looking at the world. No two individuals are similar. You might like going out for parties but your friend might prefer staying back at home reading his/her favourite book. It is really not necessary that if you like partying around, your friend will also like the same. Here comes the role of personality. What an individual sees in his childhood days and most importantly his/her growing days form his personality. How an individual is raised plays an important role in shaping his/her personality. Personality is nothing but the aggregate conglomeration of memories and incidents in an individual’s entire life span. Environmental factors, family background, financial conditions, genetic factors, situations and circumstances also contribute to an individual’s personality. In a layman’s language...

Words: 8238 - Pages: 33

Free Essay

'Personality, Attitudes, Values and Motivation

...An individual’s effectiveness in the workplace often depends on his/her personality, attitudes and values, along with his/her motivation to succeed. Concurrently, the perception, attitudes and values of colleagues in the workplace play a role in determining the individual’s effectiveness. Understanding these characteristics of employees can be very crucial for organizations to operate successfully. At the same time, it is essential that employees understand the values associated with the organization in order to avoid any conflicting feelings toward the work they are employed to do. By recognizing and appreciating each other’s characteristics and constraints, employees and the organizations they are part of, form a highly-beneficial symbiotic relationship. Thus, it becomes imperative for employees to remain motivated and for organizations to keep them motivated. Personal Reflection Having read and understood the importance of personality, attitudes, values, and motivation to succeed, in the workplace, I reflected upon my own characteristic traits to predict my effectiveness in the workplace. Personality Heredity. A very important factor that determines certain aspects of our personality is heredity. Although heredity is responsible for one’s biological, physiological and psychological makeup, and it plays a major role on the personality characteristics of a child, but as you grow into an adult, it is possible, and highly probable that a lot of these characteristics would...

Words: 296 - Pages: 2