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Personality in the Workplace

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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 which lends to better work performance. Evidence shows that individuals who are reliable, careful, organized, hardworking, reliable, and persistent have higher job performance in almost all occupations, so it is crucial that employers and individuals in the workforce are cognizant of the personalities that best fit different positions within an organization (Stephens & Robbins, 2013).

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