The Role of Personality Within the Workplace - Essay Example

Personality ID Lecturer Introduction Workplace is a very difficult place as there are personality clashes happening for good and bad reasons. Personality is such an important topic that it is being given more and more importance with the passage of time. The employers are studying their employees’ personalities so that the workplace environments are made better and grey areas are taken care of. In essence, personalities must be monitored so that the best possible results are derived on a constant basis. Personality in the Workplace The role of personality within the workplace domains is magnified when there are individuals who come from different cultural backgrounds and societal positions. What this means is the fact that personality plays a very important role at highlighting how an organizational setting would be bringing about values and beliefs as per its work realms (Wislar 2002). The actions and reactions at work are constantly gauged so that there are no conflicts which might arise every now and then. Workplace scenarios get boosted in a positive sense when there are no personality problems. However when these do appear, it is best for the management to tackle them in a quantifiable manner so that future predicaments do not come about again. In the modern times, it is important to have a clear cut policy as per the personality manifestations because this can have lasting affects on the people as well as the workplace where they spend most of their waking hours. It is of paramount significance to understand that personality domains do take the toll more and more when there are people from different backgrounds who have completely unique and distinct childhood memories, work experiences and family structures. All such aspects are covered in entirety within the umbrella of personality when one tries to comprehend the basic rationale behind the very same (Harvey 2003). What is of essence here is to find out how personality can have lasting affects on the workplace regimes and how this will bring about solid results as far as work performance and compliance with the rules and regulations is related. Workplace personality issues are getting greater importance now than ever before (Henle 2005). This is because no employer would like to have such subordinates which will break the organizational basis of harmony. In other words, it would mean that personalities have to co-exist with one another and work hand in hand so that all related problems could be envisaged and later on rectified for the betterment of just about everyone at work. If personalities clash within a workplace setting, it is tiresome to make amends (Knouse 1994). The people who have an egoistic tilt towards their respective domains usually mar the very basis of organizational harmony and thus must be kept out of the workplace realms. Personality traits help understand the different people about the way personalities shape up, and how people will react to varied situations under normal and differential circumstances. It is necessary that a peaceful workplace has people who cultivate harmony amongst one another, and that their different personalities do not clash with one another (Mount 2006). In handling personality issues, the role of the employer is of immense significance, because this would reap rich dividends for the sake of the workplace and indeed the entire organization in the end. If there are no steps taken to assure the same, there would be conflicts and disputes under the related aegis of the organization and the climate of the workplace would get affected in a very negative fashion. In essence, this indeed is the way personality has a hold over the fabric of a workplace in entirety. Personality Characteristics When it comes to understanding the basic personality types, the self-assessment tests are important to gain something from. It is necessary to exactly know how personality domains could have absolutely different meanings yet remain the same on a consistent basis. In a workplace regime, an individual could either be quiet or very talkative but then again there are levels which gauge his behavior as doing the upper or the lower limits. The same could be said about the aspects which are his tolerance, organization, calmness, imaginative, cooperation, outgoing nature, security, goal-oriented and so on. The scores that are derived from these self-assessment tests are very quantitative as well as qualitative as it deciphers the exact basis of one’s personality. Now how interpretation and analysis is done for such discussions is very quintessential (Furnham 1999). Personality aspects could also be understood for statements pertaining to one of the two options. It gives the person who is being analyzed with regards to his personality a sense of understanding as to how he would react under different circumstances and situations. There are a number of instruments which could be used here to find out which is the best one, and which shall bring the best possible results as far as comprehending personality traits and changes are concerned. All these instruments bring out the true implications that are required for understanding the exact basis of success as far as personality domains are related, because these pave the way for highlighting the strong as well as the weak points within an individual’s personality (Weitzul 1994). These methodologies depict the manner in which personality characteristics can have a long-lasting effect on the organization or when one speaks of a commoner alone, then there are the self-assessment tests which give a quick overview about how an individual would fare when he is under some form of pressure and even in normal, day to day routines and situations. As discussed in part 1, personality within a workplace actually defines how people would react with regards to their needs and requirements and how they will cope up with pressure once they settle down into a workplace regime. All these discussions have serious consequences because these underpin the need to have a balanced mindset at work, and even in real life situations, which is so very important (Matthews 2003). Personality derivations do come about when there are scenarios which are uncalled for and extremely difficult to predict. This is because there are different people on the face of this earth and understanding all of them is a mighty Herculean task by all means. It is therefore the prerogative of the organization to guarantee how personalities can shape up within the said discussions and how these could be in line with the workplace requirements and situations. More than anything else, it is the mere difference that every man is separate and unique from one another, which makes the whole exercise of comprehending personality regimes very interesting. At the same time, it is pretty difficult to fathom the end results without a doubt. Personality Question: What advice would you offer to Alice regarding this dilemma? Do you believe employers should use personality testing to select their employee? Support your argument with evidence from the literature. Answer. The advice that would be given to Alice regarding this dilemma is that she should speak to Mark a little bit. This is because Mark must really be a good employee but his introvert personality is eventually affecting the workplace environment where extrovert individuals are unwelcome under his aegis. This is a conflict of interest situation for Alice to comprehend, because on the one hand Jana can bring wonders for the company yet Alice does not want to unsettle Mark at all. My advice would bank on having a more social approach towards work domains on the part of Mark so that there is a friendly climate within the workplace and that people like Jana could be accommodated at this office environment. I am of the view that personality testing methodologies should essentially be made use of by employers when they are selecting the right employees, as this gives them the much needed space to understand the newly hired and the potential candidates. As discussed before, personality domains call for extreme understanding of all the people who might be from different backgrounds yet have to work along with one another for the collective good of the organization where they are employed. This dilemma could also be handled properly if Alice realizes that she needs to give a chance to Jana more so due to her immense talent and skills that she brings to this job. She must not limit her employment in the organization just because Mark is not ready to change (Nelson & Quick). A dialogue is therefore needed to bring about sanity within the relevant domains. Jana must be given her room to explore herself and bring about the best for the sake of the business yet Mark will have to get out of his cozy self and start talking to people. I am sure that if Alice speaks to Jana she will achieve the results that she is looking forward to having, for the betterment of the organization and indeed towards hiring the right candidate in the form of Jana. This would solve the dilemma as it stands today. Conclusion Hence it is pretty clear from the discussion above that personality regimes have a major say within the making up of workplace manifestations. It is due to these aspects that personality conflicts are now being avoided because these can have long-lasting problems for the organization. Personality realms are consistently monitored over a period of time because these keep on changing and have serious ramifications for the sake of the workplace. References Furnham, A (1999). Personality at Work: The Role of Individual Differences in the Workplace. Routledge Harvey, S (2003). Predicting the Risk for Aggression in the Workplace: Risk Factors, Self-esteem and Time at Work. Social Behavior and Personality, Vol. 31 Henle, C (2005). Predicting Workplace Deviance from the Interaction between Organizational Justice and Personality. Journal of Managerial Issues, Vol. 17 Knouse, S (1994). Personality at Work: the Role of Individual Differences in the Workplace. Personnel Psychology, Vol. 47 Matthews, G (2003). Personality Traits. Cambridge University Press Mount, M (2006). Relationship of Personality Traits and Counterproductive Work Behaviors: the Mediating Effects of Job Satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, Vol. 59 Nabi, R (2008). Personality Traits, Television Viewing, and the Cultivation Effect. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Vol. 52 Nelson, D. L. & Quick, J. C. Understanding Organizational Behavior (3rd Ed). OH, USA: Thomson Weitzul, J (1994). Personality Traits in Professional Services Marketing. Quorum Books Wislar, J (2002). Sexual Harassment, Generalized Workplace Abuse and Drinking Outcomes: the Role of Personality Vulnerability. Journal of Drug Issues, Vol. 32 Read More