PERSONALITY AND ATTITUDES

Concept of Personality Definition of Personality It is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment. Personality is the product of social interaction in group life. It refers to the habits, attitudes as well as physical traits of a person which are not same but have vary from group to group and society to society, everyone has personality, which may be good or bad, According to Arnold and Feldman,” Personality is a stable set of personal characterstics and tendencies that determine the commonalities and differences in people’s thoughts, feelings and actions.”

Power Distance: This dimension explains the extent to which members who are less powerful in a society accept and also expect that the distribution of power takes place unequally. Uncertainty Avoidance: It is a dimension that describes the extent to which people in society are not at ease with ambiguity and uncertainty. Individualism vs. Collectivism: The focus of this dimension is on the question regarding whether people have a preference for being left alone to look after themselves or want to remain in a closely knitted network. Masculinity vs. Femininity: Masculinity implies a society’s preference for assertiveness, heroism, achievement and material reward for attaining success. On the contrary, femininity represents a preference for modesty, cooperation, quality of life and caring for the weak. Long-Term vs. Short-Term Orientation: Long-term orientation describes the inclination of a society toward searching for virtue. Short-term orientation pertains to those societies that are strongly inclined toward the establishment of the

Table 1. Personality Factors Measured by the 16PF Questionnaire FactorLow ScoreHigh Score WarmthReserved, detachedOutgoing, supportive IntellectConcrete thinkerAnalytical Emotional stabilityMoody, irritableStable, calm AggressivenessDocile, submissiveControlling, dominant LivelinessSomber, prudentAdventurous, spontaneous DutifulnessUnreliableConscientious Social assertivenessShy, restrainedUninhibited, bold SensitivityTough-mindedSensitive, caring ParanoiaTrustingSuspicious AbstractnessConventionalImaginative IntroversionOpen, straightforwardPrivate, shrewd AnxietyConfidentApprehensive OpenmindednessCloseminded, traditionalCurious, experimental IndependenceOutgoing, socialSelf-sufficient PerfectionismDisorganized, casualOrganized, precise TensionRelaxedStressed

The DiSC profile, published by Wiley, is a non- judgemental tool used for discussion of people's behavioral differences. If you participate in a DiSC program, you'll be asked to complete a series of questions that produce a detailed report about your personality and behavior. You'll also receive tips related to working with people of other styles.

DISC profiles help you and your team: Increase your self- knowledge: how you respond to conflict, what motivates you, what causes you stress and how you solve problems Improve working relationships by recognizing the communication needs of team members Facilitate better teamwork and teach productive conflict Develop stronger sales skills by identifying and responding to customer styles Manage more effectively by understanding the dispositions and priorities of employees and team members Become more self-knowledgeable, well-rounded and effective leaders

Dominance Person places emphasis on accomplishing results, the bottom line, confidence Behaviors - Sees the big picture - Can be blunt - Accepts challenges - Gets straight to the point

Influence Person places emphasis on influencing or persuading others, openness, relationships Behaviors - Shows enthusiasm - Is optimistic - Likes to collaborate - Dislikes being ignored

Steadiness Person places emphasis on cooperation, sincerity, dependability Behaviors - Doesn't like to be rushed - Calm manner - Calm approach - Supportive actions

Conscientiousness Person places emphasis on quality and accuracy, expertise, competency Behaviors - Enjoys independence - Objective reasoning - Wants the details - Fears being wrong

Major Personality Attributes Influencing OB Locus of Control Authoritarianism Dogmatism Machiavellianism Self- Esteem Self Monitoring Risk Taking Personality Type

Authoritarianism: It is the personality trait developed by Psychologist Adorno. A high authoritarian prefers to hold  Conventional/Traditional values  Believe in the moral correctness of his/her position  Views obedience to authority as highly essential  They tend to be quite rigid in his/her beliefs  They are strongly oriented toward conformity with rules and regulations  They prefer autocratic and directive style of leadership

Dogmatism: Dogmatism refers to the rigidity level of person’s beliefs. There are two types of dogmatism as explained below:  High Dogmatism: The people possessing High dogmatism are close minded and inflexible in their approach. They pretend to behave as if they are high risk takers in decision making. However, they search less information to take quick decisions. They depend more on senior executives in the organization for guidance and direction.

 Low Dogmatism: The people who possess low dogmatism on them tend to be open minded and flexible in nature. Such people are sensitive and conscious in searching information. They take sufficient time to make decision. They are less influnced by their bossess.