Personality

Consider the following quote….“Regarding behavior – forget about personality – it’s the
situation that determines how someone will behave!”

What is personality?

The sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others,
measurable traits a person exhibits.

Personality Traits

Enduring characteristics that describe an individual’s behavior.

Personality Determinants
§ Heredity – so we’re born to be “just the way we are”?

§ Environment – oh, so it’s the environment instead?

§ Situation – or is it the situation that determines our personality??

So – what determines your personality???

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

A personality test that taps four characteristics and classified people into 1 of 16
personality types.

Ex) Extroverted vs. Introverted (E or I)

Your score is a combination of four dimensions (e.g., “ENTJ”)

The Big Five Model

1. Extroversion (sociable, gregarious, assertive)

2. Agreeableness (good-natured, cooperative, trusting)

3. Conscientiousness (responsible, dependable, persistent, organized)

4. Emotional Stability (calm, self-confident, secure under stress)

 5. Openness to Experience (curious, imaginative, artistic, sensitive)

Major personality attributes influencing OB

· Core Self-Evaluation (self-esteem, locus of control)

· Machiavellianism
· Narcissism
· Self- Monitoring

Values

Definition: Mode of conduct or end-state is personally or socially preferable (i.e.,

what is right and good)

• They contain a judgmental element in that they carry the individual’s idea of
what is right, good, or desirable.
• Value System -- a hierarchy based on a ranking of an individual’s values in
terms of their intensity.

Note: Values tend be relatively stable and enduring

• A significant portion of values are genetically determined. Other factors -
include national culture, parental dictates, teachers, friends, and similar
environmental influences.

- Importance of Values
• Provide understanding of the attitudes, motivation, and behaviors of
individuals and cultures
- Influence our perception of the world around us
- Represent interpretations of “right” and “wrong”
- Imply that some behaviors or outcomes are preferred over others

– Types of Values
• Terminal values = “desirable end states”
• Instrumental values = “modes of behavior or means towards achieving
one’s terminal values”

Values, Loyalty, and Ethical behavior

• Do ethical values and leader behavior impact the ethical climate in the
organization?
Values Across Cultures: Hofstede’s Framework

• Power distance
• Individualism vs. Collectivism
• Masculinity vs. Femininity
• Long term vs. short term orientation