Personality and Individual Characteristics Class 3

Question An effective manager will always hire the smartest person available. –True? False? –Why? What do you think?

Personality Enduring traits that describe an individual’s behaviour –Stable over time –Genetic component (~30%) Although intelligence is really important, personality is more likely to affect employees’ attitudes and behavior

Personality “Big Five” personality traits 1.Extroversion Energized by spending time with others Sociable, assertive, comfortable in large groups Tendency to “think out loud” Advantages? Disadvantages? 2.Agreeableness Defers to others Cooperative, trusting, not antagonistic Advantages? Disadvantages?

Personality 3.Emotional stability (neuroticism) –Ability to withstand stress: backbone –Calm, self-confident, resilient 4.Openness to experience –Interested in novel things vs. comfortable with the familiar –Adventurous, curious, artistic 5.Conscientiousness –Reliable, follows through –Responsible, organized, dependable, persistent

Personality Locus of Control –Degree to which you believe you are in control of your own fate –“Internal” vs. “External” –Which type is a better employee? –Internals are more satisfied: why?

Personality Self-Monitoring –How much do you adjust your behavior to the situation? –Big difference between public and private selves Risk-Taking –Uncertainty Avoidance –How much does a person like to take a chance –Is this a desirable or an undesirable characteristic in a worker?

Personality Machiavellianism –“The ends can justify the means” –Pragmatic, keeps an emotional distance from others –Manipulative, always want to win, difficult to persuade, can persuade others –Especially successful when: Face-to-face contact No rules When others are distracted by emotions –Are these people good employees? How will you manage them?

Personality How does understanding theories of personality help managers to be more effective? How else will it help you in your career?

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Classifies people into one of sixteen personality types Four dimensions –Extroversion / Introversion –Sensing / Intuiting How do you gather information? –Thinking / Feeling How do you like to make decisions? –Judging / Perceiving Are you more decisive or are you more spontaneous?

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator NOT reliable –People who re-take assessment may have different outcomes each time NOT valid –Not an accurate representation of how people behave –“cut points” are arbitrary

Group Activity Even though Myers-Briggs is not valid or reliable, it is still widely used in organizations. Why? –Form a group of 4 people, and discuss. –Come up with at least three reasons –Be ready to report back to the class.

Emotions Intense feelings that are directed at someone or something Often in response to a stimulus (i.e., not personality) Important because they influence workers’ –Attitudes –Behaviors

Emotional Labour When an employee expresses organizationally desired emotions during interpersonal interactions –e.g., “smiles are free” –But NOT just service industry or jobs that deal with the public –NOT impression management Surface Acting vs. Deep Acting What are the advantages and disadvantages of having workers pretend to be happy or enthusiastic (when they are not)?

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) An assortment of non-cognitive skills, capabilities, and competencies that influence a person’s ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pressures. –How well does a person “deal with life” –Not correlated with intelligence e.g., Sheldon from “Big Bang Theory”

Emotional Intelligence 1.Self-Awareness –Recognizes own moods, emotions, feelings –Expresses these naturally 2.Other Awareness –Recognizes and understands other people’s emotions 3.Emotion Regulation –Able to avoid disruptive impulses or moods (in response to a stimulus) 4.Use of Emotions –Can control what emotions are felt (even if not in response to a stimulus) –Able to “psych” self up if necessary

Six common emotions

What about botox? Makes people look younger (not necessarily more attractive) Partial facial paralysis can result in other parts of the face being more expressive Can interfere with interpersonal relationships (especially with children) Can interfere with people’s ability to detect others’ emotions

Mini-Case: BankCo Your friend Cheryl has come to you for advice about a new subordinate. He tends to drone on and on about political issues, he makes inappropriate jokes, and he takes up way too much of your friend’s time. This fellow is smart and knowledgeable. In fact, he is an excellent performer. When she hired him HR administered a personality assessment and found that he was highly extraverted and conscientious, with moderate levels of emotional stability, agreeableness, and openness to new experiences. Cheryl is very, very frustrated. What advice can you give your colleague?

Summary Intelligence is very, very important, but it is not the only factor that will affect performance Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is not a scientific test. The best leaders and colleagues are people who have the ability or skills to interact with others (as well as other positive qualities). Biology is NOT destiny; the role of personality should not be overstated when predicting workers’ behaviors

Snakes in Suits What were the primary conclusions of the article? What did you like about the article? What did you dislike about the article? What else could the authors have included? What is your overall assessment?