1. Individual differences
Dynamics of Organizational Behavior
Virginia Tech MBA Program
Andrew Watson

2. Agenda Shanghai Tang case Break Individual Differences (Ch. 2)
10 minutes
Please indicate your NPA scores (but not your name) on board
Individual Differences (Ch. 2)
Personality
Including Big 5 traits
Ability
Looking forward

3. Shanghai Tang Case Questions posed on Canvas, such as:
What is [organization]?
What advice would you give?
What other questions does the case raise?
Is it a good case?
What do we mean by good, in this context?
We might not agree

4. Individual Differences
Chapter 2, also known as:
Personality and Ability
Personality basics
Traits
Including Big Five
Scores on each trait on board
Measuring personality
Abilities

5. Personality and Related Concepts
The pattern of relatively enduring ways that a person feels, thinks, and behaves (G&J’s words, my emphasis)
Trait
Component of personality
Traits > Types?
As a means of understanding and describing personality

6. Influences Influences on Personality Personality influences
Nature: genetic heritage
Nurture: life experiences
Including early life
Personality influences
Affect
Cognition
Behavior
Also influenced by situation

7. The Big Five Model of Personality
Dimensions, or general traits of personality
Each comprises multiple more specific traits
Big Five
Extraversion
Positive affectivity
Neuroticism
Negative affectivity
Agreeableness
Toward others
Conscientiousness
Key difference between Theory X and Theory Y?
Openness to Experience
Includes the more specific trait of willingness to take risks

8. Other Traits Locus of control Self-monitoring Self-esteem
External or internal?
Self-monitoring
Attention to image presented to others
Self-esteem
Type A or Type B?
Needs, for:
achievement, affiliation, power

9. Measuring Personality
Multiple instruments are available
What criteria should we use to select an instrument?
Academic: is it valid? is it reliable?
Personal: it did (not) seem to work on me
References: which organizations have used it?
Web user’s filter: is it free and quick?
Two instruments meeting the last criterion:
Newcastle Personality Assessor (NPA)
Let’s get scores on board, if we haven’t already
Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS)
Similar to Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI)

10. Type Table MBTI ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ ISTP ISFP INFP INTP ESTP ESFP ENFP
ENTP
ESTJ
ESFJ
ENFJ
ENTJ
MBTI
Based on 4 dichotomies from Jung’s theory
Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I)
Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)
Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)
Based on types, rather than on traits
c.f. Big Five

11. Ability Capability to do something Cognitive Physical Emotional
General intelligence, comprising more specific abilities:
Verbal, numerical, reasoning, memory,…
Physical
Emotional
Emotional intelligence: ability to understand and manage feelings and emotions
One’s own, and those of others
We’ll discuss emotions soon

12. Individuals and Organizations
Attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) model
Individuals tend to be attracted to, and selected by, organizations with “personalities” similar to their own
Those with different personalities tend to leave
The organization converges toward a particular personality
How can organizations and managers use the material in this chapter?
Problems with trying to change personality with training
Personality is “relatively enduring”
Would it ethical to try to change an employee’s personality?
So how else can we use the material in this chapter?

13. Looking Forward Syllabus Before next meeting Get to know it
Add to Apr 27: Paper 2 due
Let me know of other ways in which syllabus could be clearer
Before next meeting
Canvas
Get to know the site for this course
Check that I send via Canvas gets to you
Watch one of two videos
Canvas Discussion for 02/03 includes links
Skim the motivation chapters: 6, 7

14. Standard Closing Preparation for next meeting: see Canvas Discussion
Anything else I should say to the whole class?
Rest of evening
Safe home
Enjoy
Anything you’d like to discuss with me?
As individual or group