1. Individual Differences and Traits
Chapter 4
Individual Differences and Traits
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Learning Objectives
Explain the elements and impact of individual difference characteristics in leadership
Discuss the role demographic characteristics play in leadership
Identify the impact of values on leadership
Present the relationship between abilities and skills and leadership including emotional intelligence and creativity
Highlight the role of key personality traits relevant to leadership including the following
The big five
The proactive personality
Type A
Self-monitoring
The dark triad
Be able to use individual characteristics appropriately
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3. The Leadership Question
You now know that leadership is more than just a set of traits. Personal characteristics, including personality, however, do matter. What personal characteristics do you think matter most in leadership? Which ones detract from leadership effectiveness?
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4. Individual Differences Framework
Heredity
Genes
Race/ethnicity
Gender
Environment
Culture and education
Parental influence
Physical environment
Individual characteristics
Demographic factors
Values
Abilities
and
skills
Personality traits
Leadership styles and behaviors
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5. Individual characteristics
Behavioral Range
Comfort zone
Individual characteristics
Demographic
factors
Abilities
and
skills
Personality
traits
Values
discomfort
Zone of
discomfort
Zone of
Comfort zone
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6. Demographic Characteristics
U.S. business leaders are a homogeneous group
U.S. leaders are similar in
Birthplace
Religion
Education
Social class
Gender
Race
Homogeneity may negatively affect ability to innovate and be creative
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Values
Values are long-lasting beliefs about right and wrong and what is worthwhile and desirable
Factors that affect values include
Culture
Personality
Gender
Ethnicity
Generational differences
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Values and Culture
Culture is the basis of a person’s values
Individualism is related to values of achievement
Collectivism is related to values of sacrifice for the group
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9. Generational Differences in Values
60+: The Tradionalists: GI generation
Hard work, frugality, patriotism
50–65 Baby Boomers
Nonconformity, idealism, self-focus, happiness, and peace
40–50 Baby Busters: Yuppies/me generation
Ambition, material comfort
30–40 Xers
Enjoyment of life, autonomy, flexibility, work-life balance
Younger than 30 millenials/nexters
Flexibility, meaningful experiences, tolerance, and openness
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Values and Ethics
Relativist view
Right and wrong depends on the situation
Universalist view
All situations and actions are judged by the same standard
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Abilities and Skills
Ability or aptitude
Stable, natural talent for doing something
Skill
Acquired talent developed for a specific task
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12. Abilities: Practical and Emotional Intelligence
Cognitive abilities, problem-solving
Important but not sufficient for leadership
Practical intelligence
Skills needed to succeed in life
Ability to work with others
Key role in leadership
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13. Emotional Intelligence
Self-awareness
Self-regulation
Self-motivation
Empathy for others
Interpersonal and social skills
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Creativity
Perseverance in the face of obstacles
Self-confidence
Willingness to take moderate risk
Willingness to grow and openness to new experiences
Tolerance of ambiguity
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Leadership Skills
Technical
Interpersonal
Conceptual
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16. Skills and Career Progression
Upper
management
Middle
management
Level of leadership
Supervisory
Technical
skills
Interpersonal
skills
Conceptual
skills
Leadership skills
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Personality Traits
Psychological characteristics
Develop early in life and hard to change
Stable over time and across situations
A set of characteristics rather than one trait
Make the person unique and different from others
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18. Traits that Contribute to Leadership
Some traits are a precondition to leadership, but not enough to predict it
Drive
Motivation to lead
Integrity
Self-confidence
Intelligence
Knowledge of the business
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19. How Traits Play a Role in Leadership
Some traits are associated with leadership
Traits and personality influence a leader’s preferences, style, and behavior
Traits may affect the ease of learning new skills and behaviors
Being aware of one’s traits helps in learning and development
Traits along with other individual and situational factors can predict leader behavior
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20. Big Five Personality Traits
Conscientiousness
Extraversion/introversion
Openness to experience
Emotional stability
Agreeableness
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21. Proactive Personality
Action
Goals
Change
Identify opportunities
Take initiative
Take control
Remove obstacles
Unconstrained by situations
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22. Type A Characteristics
High need for control
“Doing more in less and less time”
Defining characteristics
Time urgency
Competitiveness
Polyphasic behavior
Hostility
Work-related behaviors
Poor delegation
Like to work alone
Jump into action
Set high goals
Hard working
Experience more stress
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23. Characteristics of High Self-Monitors
Able to read cues from the environment
Able to change behavior to match situation
Comfortable in new situations
Ability to cope in cross-cultural situations
May be a key factor in leadership effectiveness
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The Dark Triad
Machiavellianism
Psychopathy
Narcissism
Nonpathological
Self-promoting
Disagreeable
Exploitative
Duplicitous
Offensive
Cold
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25. The Leadership Question Revisited
There is no one trait, or a set, that matters more although some can be very destructive.
Any characteristic that helps the leader make a connection with others is likely to be desirable for leadership.
Self-awareness, building on existing strengths, and addressing areas of weakness through either personal development or through organizational support are key to success.
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What Do You Do?
A new employee is transferred to your department and you hear from several people around the organization that she is hard to manage. She has a reputation for questioning everything, challenging her boss, and refusing to give up when she wants something. Several of her previous team members tell you that she does not play well with others and is always second-guessing their actions and decisions. Your supervisor, however, thinks she is a star and believes that you are lucky to get her. How do you approach the situation?
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Leadership Challenge
Psychological tests vary in degree of validity and reliability
In the workplace, primary use of psychological tests should be development not assessment
Selection should be based on past performance and relevant work behaviors not personality tests
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28. Leading Change: Katzenberg
Typical Type A
Ambitious
Impatient
Competitive
Angry
Booted out of Disney
Developed self-awareness
Working on changing behaviors
Shifted his focus to followers
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29. Leadership in Action: Zhang Xin
Chinese self-made billionaire
Well-educated family during Mao’s revolution
Experienced persecution and hardship
Those events have shaped her life and approach
Highly intelligent and educated
Married entrepreneur and built an empire with him
Creative, hard-working, frugal, high perseverance, high initiative
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