Personality and Job Performance - Assignment Example

Managing People and Organizations Name Institution Introduction Personality is an important aspect at the work place. Allocating tasks to employees with regard to their personality is crucial since not all traits are suited for all tasks. Personality differentiates one individual from another and can be used to predict job performance. The following paper discusses the effects of the Manager’s personality on the individual behavior and performance at the work place. In addition to that, it outlines a reflection on the writer’s personality and the characteristic traits the writer desires to use at the place of work. The paper will also highlight the changes desired at the work place and how the traits discussed will make it possible for the changes to take place. Task 1 Literature review Rahim (2008) points out that personality has been utilized for quite some time to analyze and explain individual behaviors within the organization. He also adds that although most personal traits have an effect on individual performance, traits that are more practical should be narrow and not broad. Griffin and Moorhead discuss individual differences in terms of traits and how every individual is unique in their own way. They state that individual differences are the personal traits that vary from one individual to another and that they might be physical, emotional or psychological. Personality is one such individual difference and they add that it is important for managers to understand basic personality attributes and ways in which these attributes can impact performance at the job place. Timothy et al (2002) in their research, study the five –factor model of job satisfaction. They report that employees are satisfied with their jobs when organized according to their traits. Personality has over time been considered as a crucial factor in the studies that are related with personality. It has specifically been considered important for predicting the job performance in various organizations. Beer and Brooks (2011) point out that personality is a behavior, which separates one individual from another. In addition to that, it provides means to measure how an individual will do a certain job, in comparison to others (Sackett et al, 2002). Another important thing to note is that the traits that are important to personality are said to be steady and stable throughout a person’s work life in a personality behavior model (Denissen et al, 2011. Personality theories look into the differences and similarities in individuals working together (Hogan and Shelton, 2006). The similarities in individuals within an organization can be utilized to forecast one’s behavior and performance, since the collective traits of human nature are provided within this setting. The differences on the other side give the measures of personal performance and are utilized in describing human performances and behaviors. There exist a great number of literatures that supports the view that people have stable traits that are long term and which have an impact on how they behave at their places of work (Gerber et al, 2011). While referring to research on personality, somescholars such as Schulman (2011) and Ozer&Benet-Martinez (2006) point out that personality offers a good tool through which job performance can be predicted. This is mostly applied during interviews and selection of personal though it is not guaranteed that all the interviewers have the ability to read an individual’s personal trait. Researches in the field of organizational behavior have in the recent times started paying close attention to the field of personality organizational. It is important to note that scholars have been able to find out that personality has an impact on the environment in which people are residing in. In addition to that, it plays an important role in the type of situations an individual decides to be in (Chen, 2004; Judge & Cable, 1997; Barrick et al., 2003).Barrick and Mount (2005) argue that personality determines the organizational environment one prefers, the type of individuals one will choose to closely relate with and the activities that they enjoy to perform. Different people bring a number of differences to an organization. Each person has a unique set of traits and attitudes and values. When the different people come into an organization, their transient or stable traits will in one-way or another impact their performance and how they behave. Apart from that, firms usually employ people while keeping in mind and expecting that the people have certain skills, knowledge, personalities values and abilities. As earlier noted every other individual has a unique personality, which differentiates him or her from other people. Getting to understand each of the employees’ personality makes it possible to know how each individual is likely to act and feel in different situations and places. Effective managers have to have a great understanding of each individual’s personality because the information is also important when deciding which person to place in a certain position or job within the organization (Saylor, 2014). A number of scholars point out that there are five main personality traits. These traits help in explaining the differences that exist in terms of personality among different people. Understanding the five gives the basis of describing personality in individuals. Goldberg (1990) outlines the traits as openness, extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness and agreeableness. Task 2 My MBTI Personality type The MBTI is a self-inventory that was invented by Isabel Myers and Katherine Briggs. It is a widely used psychological tool in the world. I took the test to find out under which personality trait I fall. The result came out indicating that my type is ENTJ. The results showed that I had 100% preference of extraversion over introversion and that my preference for intuition over sensing was 38%. This is a moderate measure and came second after extraversion. My preference for thinking over feeling was also moderate and just like the previous measure, stood at 38%. Lastly, I had a slight preference of judging over perceiving and this stood at 22%. Individuals who are inclined towards extraversion tend to be more outgoing. In addition to that, they enjoy the company of other people and are more action oriented as compared to introverts who like to keep things to themselves and who prefer being isolated. All individuals might exhibit both extraversion and introversion at certain time but I tend to be more social and happier around other people. In addition to that, I feel more stress free and energized after interacting with other individuals. I prefer sensing over intuition although it is to a moderate extend. Individuals like me are more concerned with the reality and act as their senses dictate. I prefer a personal experience rather than being told about it although the experience should be without any dangers before I try it. I prefer speaking about facts and all my arguments are usually based on known facts. Intuitionists on the other hand prefer imagining the future and thinking about other unknown possibilities. I have to admit that I have thought about certain impossible things several times and that on several occasions, I find myself thinking about what the future holds for me and the people close to me. People who prefer thinking over intuition put a lot of emphasis on facts and objective data. They seem to be logical, consistent, and impersonal when deciding what to do. Those who prefer intuition are more emotional and are likely keep in mind what others will feel about the decisions they make. I have a slight preference for judging over perceiving. Individuals who prefer perceiving over judging are usually more adaptable, flexible and open to new ideas. I tend to fall in between judging and perceiving since I am very open to new ideas but again I may be hard to adapt to. Traits I want to use more at the work place Being a good manager requires a number of good traits. Since I have a stronger preference for extroversion as compared to introversion, I would seek to be more outgoing and action-oriented. A manager who is outgoing is able to maintain a good relationship with his juniors and the senior executives. In addition to that, my outgoing trait means that I would be able to boost the esteem and attitude of the junior staff. Apart from that, I seek to utilize this trait in making better business deals for the firm I work for. Decision making for a person who prefers extroversion is much easier since they are not shy to consult others over a decision they have to make. Having a moderate preference for intuition over sensing means that I am able to think about other possibilities and about the future. An effective manager should always think about the firm’s future and all the possible ways that a firm can achieve great profits. I seek to apply this trait more since it will ensure the firm I work for becomes more successful and that it does not lack innovative ideas on how to improve on service delivery and production. Another trait I want to use more at my place of work is the emphasis on facts and objectives and being logical, impersonal and consisted. A good team leader should be impersonal when making decisions and should be ready to accept the blame if the entire team fails to deliver. Being logical and consistent ensures that the firm’s success or growth rate is maintained. I am open and flexible meaning that I do not make rush decisions. Applying these traits at my place of work will make it possible for me to listen to all the ideas employees present to me and make it much easier to reach a good decision when faced with a challenging situation. How the traits helped achieve goals. The traits I have mentioned have enabled me achieve a number of goals. My aim as a worker has always been to maintain a good relationship with my fellow workers. I have always tried my best to avoid conflicts and enmity at my place of work. Being an outgoing person has made it possible for me to make many friends at my place of work. In addition to that, it is much easier for me to resolve any conflict of interest before it escalates into a serious matter. I am open to condemnation and I am always ready to ask for forgiveness whenever I wrong one of my co-workers. The outgoing trait has therefore made it possible for me to maintain a good relation with my juniors and seniors presently and in the past. My inclination towards thinking has made it possible for me to come up with new ideas at my previous and present places of work. Being open to all possibilities has made it possible for me to come up with new ideas that have seen me earn promotions from one firm to another. My goal has always been to be the best employee at any place I work and thinking about what the future holds and about the possibilities in my area of work has made it possible for me to be competitive. I have been faced with challenging situations in the past. Some situations required difficult decisions to be made. Being open to all the people I work with has made it possible for me to reach certain difficult decisions more easily. We live in a world that is dynamic and being flexible has made it easier for me to adapt to every situation as it comes. Additionally, this trait has enabled me to be calm. A good team leader should always be calm and should never exhibit signs of breaking down when under pressure. Task 3 The improvement I wish to make at my place of work Being the manager, I am responsible for all the employees and the activities that take place in my department. There are a number of improvements that I seek to make in my department. Firstly, I have to create a good team where each employee’s personality is analyzed and matched with the task that best suits them. An outgoing person will be best suited for the marketing position and customer care. Matching each person’s task with their own personal traits ensures that each individual is happy with the task they have been allocated. In addition to that, I seek to constantly motivate the employees by being open to them and ready to listen to their ideas. Motivated employees drive any company to success and the key towards success in business usually lies with the junior employees who do the actual production of goods and services. I also seek to set up an “Idea box” that would function like a suggestion box. However, it will focus on ideas that the employees have on how to improve our operations and our products. I also want to encourage the rest of the staff to be outgoing. This will go a great way in creating a formidable team where everyone cares about each person. Conflicts and feuds will be minimized and this will go a great way in ensuring that the job environment is favorable to everyone. In addition to that, I also seek to be more dependable and reliable. A good manager should always be there for his employees and offer the right guidance to hi team My characteristics will go a great way in ensuring that the situation I mentioned is created. I am always open to new ideas and this means that any ideas presented by the employees will be considered. By being considerate, a good relationship between the workers and management will be created. In addition to that, it will motivate all the workers to work together while avoiding feuds and conflicts. It is also important to note that my good judgment and thinking skills will make it possible for me to find out the different personal traits each of the workers has. Having this knowledge is important in that it would ensure that the employees are correctly allocated roles and tasks that best fits them. Being an outgoing person, maintaining a good communication channel between me and the employees will not be hard. Apart from ensuring that their suggestions, ideas and complaints reach me, it would be easy to for me to motivate them and encourage them to maintain a good relationship with each other. The expected outcome from this situation is that every worker will be happy and that the work rate of each employee will go up. In addition to that, I expect the firm’s profits to go up. A good relationship between the management and workers and among the workers themselves will create a good working environment where both the management and the workers are happy. References Barrick, M.R., & Mount, M.K. (1993).Autonomy as a moderator of the relationships between the Big Five personality dimensions and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology. 78, 111-118. Barrick, M.R., Stewart, J.L., &Piotrowski, M. (2002).Personality and job performance: test of the mediating effects of motivation among sales representatives. Journal of Applied Psychology.Feb, 87(1), 43-51. Beer.A & Brooks.C. 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E., & Durham, C. C. (1997).The dispositional causes of job satisfaction: A core evaluations approach. In L. L. Cummings & B. M. Slaw (Eda.), Research in organizational behavior, vol. 19: 151-188. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. Ozer, D. J., & Benet-Martinez, V. (2006).Personality and the Prediction of Consequential Outcomes. Annual Review of Psychology , 57, 401-421. Rahim, M. A. (2008). Current topics in management. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers. Sackett, P.R., Gruys, M.L., &Ellingson, J.E. (2002).Ability-personality interactions when predicting job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(4), 545-556. Saylor (2014).Personality, Attitudes, and Work Behaviors. Retrieved from: http://www.saylor.org/courses/bus208/ [Accessed: 17 Feb 2014]. Schulman, S. (2011).The Use of Personality Assessments to Predict Job Performance. Burlington: The University of Vermont. Timothy J. A, Daniel. H, Michael K.M (2002). Five-factor model of personality and job satisfaction: A meta-analysis.Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 87(3). Read More