Personality, Behavior & Attitudes By John Martin

Understanding Individual Differences Personality, Behavior & Attitudes

R.John Martin

©

The HuMan Creation

Concept of Personality

Definition: Personal characteristics that lead to consistent patterns of behavior

Important Note*: Personality alone accounts for only 2-12% of the variance in behavior

Sources of Personality Differences •

Heredity:

Research on the nature-nurture controversy* indicates that about 50% of the variance in personality is inherited, thus setting limits on development •

Environment:

Shapes at least 50% of personality? – – –

Culture Family

Group Membership –

Life Experiences

• Situation

Personality Structure: The “Big Five” Personality Factors (Each factor is a continuum of many related traits)

Adjustment (Stable, confident, effective)

(Nervous, self-doubting, moody) Sociability

(Gregarious , energetic, self-dramatizing)

(Shy, unassertive, withdrawn)

Conscientiousness (Planed, neat, dependable)

(Impulsive, careless, irresponsible) Agreeableness

(Warm, tactful, considerate)

(Independent, cold, rude) Intellectual Openness

(Imaginative, curious, original)

(Dull, unimaginative, literal-minded)

The Big Five Personality Factors n Sociability (Extraversion): Outgoing, talkative, sociable, assertive o Agreeableness: Trusting, good natured, cooperative, soft hearted p Conscientiousness: Dependable, responsible, achievement oriented, persistent q Adjustment (Emotional stability): Relaxed, secure, unworried r Intellectual Openness: Intellectual, imaginative, curious, broad minded Research finding: Conscientiousness is the best (but not a strong) predictor of job performance

Personality and Behavior: Specific Personality Traits* and Their Linkage to the “Big Five”

• • •

Self-esteem (“self-worth”) is part of adjustment

Locus of control (“fate vs. personal control”) is part of conscientiousness

Introversion and extraversion (preference for thinking vs. interacting--NOT “social skills”) are part of sociability • Dogmatism (generalized rigidity of beliefs) and authoritarianism (narrower personality type who prefers to follow orders) are part of intellectual openness

REMEMBER: Traits are continua—people may be high, low, or in-between. Most people are in-between!

An OB Model for Studying Individual Differences The Unique Individual Personality traits

• Self-esteem • Self-efficacy • Self-monitoring

Forms of Self-Expression

Self-Management Attitudes Abilities Emotions

Self-Efficacy “A person’s belief about his or her chances of successfully accomplishing a specific task.”

A Model of Self-Efficacy Sources of Self-Efficacy Beliefs: - Prior experience - Behavior models - Persuasion from others - Assessment of physical/emotional state

Locus of Control

Î Internal locus of control: belief that one controls key events and consequences in one’s life.

Î External locus of control: One’s life outcomes attributed to environmental factors such as luck or fate.

For discussion: What sort of locus of control “balance” do today’s managers need to seek to be successful without experiencing excessive stress?

Seven Major Mental Abilities

n Verbal comprehension: Meaning of words and reading comprehension o Word fluency: Ability to produce isolated words to meet specific requirements p Numerical: Arithmetic computation q Spatial: Perceive spatial patterns and visualize geometric shapes r Memory: Good rote memory of words, symbols, and lists s Perceptual speed: Perception of similarities and differences in figures t Inductive reasoning: Reasoning from specifics to general conclusion

Personality Type Indicator

Type of Social Interaction

Extrovert (E)

Preference for Gathering Data

Sensing (S)

Preference for Decision Making Style of Decision Making

Introvert (I)

Intuitive (N) Feeling (F) Thinking (T) Perceptive (P) Judgmental (J)

Personality Attributes and Behavior Personality Attributes and Behavior

Locus of Control

Machiavellian Traits

Self-Esteem

Self-Monitoring

Risk Taking

Type A Personality

Holland’s Personality-Job Fit Theory

Type

Personality

Occupations

Realistic

Shy, Stable, Practical

Mechanic, Farmer, Assembly-Line Worker

Investigative

Analytical, Independent

Biologist, Economist, Mathematician

Social

Sociable, Cooperative

Social Worker, Teacher, Counselor

Conventional

Practical, Efficient

Accountant, Manager Bank Teller

Enterprising

Ambitious, Energetic

Lawyer, Salesperson

Artistic

Imaginative, Idealistic

Painter, Writer, Musician

It’s Exciting

R

I

es

t ig at iv e

C

A

E rpr

isin

S g

So cia l

Ent e

Artistic

Conventional

lis a Re

In v

tic

What Are Emotions?

Affect Affect

Emotions Emotions

Moods Moods

Six Universal Emotions

Fear

Happiness Surprise

Anger Sadness

Disgust

Emotions Emotions: “Complex, patterned, organismic reactions to how we think we are doing in our lifelong efforts to survive and flourish and to achieve what we wish for ourselves.” Negative emotions (Goal incongruent): - Fright/anxiety - Sadness - Disgust -Guilt/shame - Envy/jealousy - Anger Positive emotions (Goal congruent) - Happiness/joy -Pride - Love/affection - Relief

Emotions and Organizational Behavior

Emotions Emotionsand and Organizational Organizational Behavior Behavior

Felt Felt Emotions Emotions Emotional Emotional Labor Labor

Displayed Displayed Emotions Emotions

Emotions In The Workplace

Intensity of Emotions

Frequency and Duration

Gender and Emotions

Emotionless People

External Constraints on Emotions •Organizational Influences •Cultural Influences

Emotions and OB Applications Ability and Selection Deviant Behavior

Leadership

Decision Making

Motivation Interpersonal Conflict

The Concept of Attitude

Definition: Relatively lasting feelings, beliefs, and behavior tendencies directed toward specific people, groups, ideas, issues, or objects. Attitudes consist of three components:

–

– AFFECTIVE = feelings – COGNITIVE = beliefs BEHAVIORAL = predispositions to act

Attitudes and Behavior Attitudes do not normally predict or cause behavior in a simple and direct way •

Three principles relate attitudes to behavior: –

General attitudes best predict general behaviors

–

Specific attitudes best predict specific behaviors – The less time that elapses between attitude measurement and behavior, the more consistent will be the relationship between them

Attitude-Behavior Relationship

Moderating Variables •

Importance

•

Specificity

•

Accessibility

•

Social pressures

•

Direct experience

Behavioral Influence High

Low

Job Satisfaction The general attitude towards job

Job satisfaction is enhanced when: • Work is challenging and interesting but not tiring. • Rewards are equitable and provide feedback. • Working conditions match physical needs and promote goal attainment. • Self-esteem is high. • Others in the organization hold similar views and facilitate reward attainment. • Policies and procedures are clear, don’t conflict, and aid goal attainment.

Organizational Commitment Refers to the strength of an employee’s involvement in and identification with the organization

Strong organizational commitment entails: –

Strong belief in acceptance of an organization’s goals and values –

Willingness to exert considerable effort on behalf of the organization –

Strong desire to maintain membership in the organization

Higher commitment is negatively related to absenteeism and turnover, and positively related to productivity

Changes in Organizational Commitment Over Time

•

Initial Commitment is determined by individual

characteristics and degree of congruence between their expectations and organizational realities •

Subsequent Commitment is influenced by job

experiences, including many of the same factors which influence job satisfaction (such as pay, interpersonal relationships, working conditions, advancement opportunities, etc.)

Measuring Job Satisfaction

Productivity Productivity Job Job Satisfaction Satisfaction

and andEmployee Employee Performance Performance

Absenteeism Absenteeism

Turnover Turnover

Responses to Job Dissatisfaction

Active

Exit

Voice

Destructive

Constructive

Neglect

Loyalty

Passive

Ethical Attitudes and Behavior •

Characterized by significant individual differences •

People are more likely to behave ethically if: –

They have reached a higher level of cognitive moral development –

They possess a high internal locus of control –

Organizational culture supports and

reinforces specific ethical attitudes and behavior

Types of Management Ethics • –

Immoral management

Devoid of any ethical principles, characterized by exploitation for corporate or personal gain • –

Moral management

Guided by appropriate ethical principles •

Amoral management

– Indifference toward ethical principles, characterized by a lack of awareness of ethical issues

Types of Management Ethics • –

Immoral management

Devoid of any ethical principles, characterized by exploitation for corporate or personal gain • –

Moral management

Guided by appropriate ethical principles •

Amoral management

– Indifference toward ethical principles, characterized by a lack of awareness of ethical issues

Steps for Instilling Moral Management

3.

1.

Identify ethical attitudes crucial for the organization’s operations, and use training programs to foster them

2.

Select employees with desired attitudes

Incorporate ethics in the performance evaluation process 4.

Establish a work culture that reinforces ethical attitudes

Good Luck!

……About the Speaker

R. John Martin

Visiting Professor – Intelligent Computing Technologies Soft skills Trainer - Speaker Director - The Human Creative Minds email : [email protected]