ORGANISATIONAL

BEHAVIOUR

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 Definitions
• “The sum total of ways in which an
individual reacts to and interacts with
others.”
• “Personality refers to a set of unique
characteristics that make an individual
different from others.”

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 Determinants of Personality
1. Heredity – Factors determined at conception, one’s biological,
physiological & inherent psychological makeup.
– Physical structure
– Reflexes
– Innate drivers
– Intelligence
– Temperament
2. Environment - includes such factors as culture which influences
norms, attitudes & values that are passed along from one
generation to the next & creates consistencies over time.
3. Contribution from Family - parents play an important role in the
identification process which is important to an individual’s early
development.
4. Socializing process - involves the process by which a person
acquires, from the enormously wide range of behavioral
potentialities that are open to him/her, starting at birth, those
behaviour patterns that are customary & acceptable to the
standards of, initially, the family & later the social group & her
infant.
5. Situational considerations - Certain situations are more relevant
than others in influencing personality. 3
 Personality Traits
Personality Traits – Enduring characteristics that describe an individual’s
behaviour
• Authoritarianism – rigid in their positions, place high moral value on their
beliefs, strongly oriented towards conformity to rules & regulations
• Locus of control – individual’s belief that either events are in one’s
control/not
• Machiavellianism – degree to which an individual is practical, maintains
emotional distance & believes that ends can justify means (“If it works, use
it”)
• Introversion-extroversion – individual’s sociability & interpersonal orientation
• Narcissism – tendency to be arrogant, have a high-flying sense of self-
importance, require excessive admiration & have a sense of entitlement
• Self-esteem – feeling of like/dislike of oneself. Desire for success.
• Risk-taking – willingness to take chances
• Self-monitoring – individual’s ability to adjust his/her behaviour to external,
situational factors
• Type A personality – aggressive involvement in a constant, never-ending
struggle to achieve more & more in less & less time and, if necessary,
against the opposing efforts of other things/people
• Type B personality – relaxed, incompetent & easy going
• Proactive – who identify opportunities, show initiative, take action & persist
until meaningful change occurs
• High Flyers – people with executive potential who may take future
leadership roles. 4
 Importance of Personality
• Specific personality traits predict specific
work-related behaviors, stress reactions &
emotions fairly well under specific
conditions.
• Effective leaders have identifiable traits .
• Personality explains some of a person’s
positive attitudes & life happiness.
• Personality traits help people find the jobs
that best suit their needs.

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 Models of Personality Assessment
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) –
A personality test that tap 4 characteristics & classifies
people into16 personality types
• Extraverted vs. Introverted (E-I) – Extraverted
individuals are outgoing, sociable & assertive. Introverts
are quiet & shy.
• Sensing vs. Intuitive (S-N) – Sensing types are
practical & prefer routine & order. They focus on details.
Intuitives rely on unconscious processes & look at the
“big picture”.
• Thinking vs. Feeling (T-F) – Thinking types use reason
& logic to handle problems. Feeling types rely on their
personal values & emotions.
• Judging vs. Perceiving (J-P) – Judging types want
control & prefer their world to be ordered & structured. 6
Perceiving types are flexible & spontaneous.
 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
16 Personality Types – Brief descriptions -
1. ISTJ - Serious and quiet, interested in security and peaceful living
2. ISTP - Quiet and reserved, interested in how and why things work
3. ISFJ - Quiet, kind, and conscientious
4. ISFP - Quiet, serious, sensitive and kind
5. INFJ - Quietly forceful, original, and sensitive
6. INFP - Quiet, reflective, and idealistic
7. INTJ - Independent, original, analytical, and determined
8. INTP - Logical, original, creative thinkers
9. ESTP - Friendly, adaptable, action-oriented
10. ESTJ - Practical, traditional, and organized
11. ESFP - People-oriented and fun-loving
12. ESFJ - Warm-hearted, popular, and conscientious
13. ENFP - Enthusiastic, idealistic, and creative
14. ENFJ - Popular and sensitive, with outstanding people skills
15. ENTP - Creative, resourceful, and intellectually quick
16. ENTJ - Assertive and outspoken - they are driven to lead

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 Models of Personality Assessment
Big Five Personality Model –
Assessment model that taps 5 basic dimensions
• Openness to experience – Addresses one’s range of
interests & interest with innovation. (imagination,
sensitivity & curiosity)
• Conscientiousness – It is a measure of reliability.
(responsible, dependable, persistent & organized)
• Extraversion – Captures one’s comfort level with
relationships. (sociable, gregarious & assertive)
• Agreeableness – Refers to an individual’s tendency to
defer to others. (good natured, cooperative & trusting)
• Neuroticism (Emotional stability) – Taps a person’s
ability to withstand stress. [calm, self-confident, secure
(positive) vs. nervous, depressed & insecure (negative)]

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 Big Five Personality Model
Impact of Traits –
• People high on openness to experience
dimension tend to be more creative & adaptable
to change.
• Conscientious employees set higher goals for
themselves, are more motivated & have higher
performance expectations.
• Those with high extraversion tend to be
associated with management & sales success.
• Those with high agreeableness tend to handle
customer relations & conflict more effectively.
• Those with high emotional stability tend to be
more effective in stressful situations.
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 Personality-Job Fit
Personality-Job Fit Theory – A theory that identifies six personality
types & proposes that the fit between personality type & occupational
environment determines satisfaction & turnover.

Holland’s Typology of Personality & Congruent Occupations –

• Adjacent categories are quite similar, whereas diagonally opposite
ones are highly dissimilar.

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 Personality-Job Fit
Holland’s Typology of Personality & Congruent Occupations –
Type Personality Congruent Occupations
Characteristics
Realistic: Prefers physical Shy, genuine, persistent, Mechanic, drill press
activities that require skill, stable, conforming, operator, assembly-line
strength, coordination practical worker, farmer
Investigative: Prefers activities Analytical, original, Biologist, economist,
that involve thinking, organizing, curious, independent mathematician, news reporter
understanding
Social: : Prefers activities that Sociable, friendly, Social worker, teacher,
involve helping & developing cooperative, counselor, clinical
others understanding psychologist
Enterprising: Prefers verbal Self-confident, ambitious, Lawyer, real estate agent,
activities in which there are energetic, domineering public relations specialist,
opportunities to influence others small business manager
& attain power
Conventional: Prefers rule- Conforming, efficient, Accountant, corporate
regulated, orderly & practical, unimaginative, manager, bank teller, file
unambiguous activities inflexible clerk
Artistic: Prefers ambiguous & Imaginative, disorderly, Painter, musician, writer,
unsystematic activities that allow idealistic, emotional, interior decorator
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creative expression impractical
 Personality-Job Fit
Holland’s Typology of Personality & Congruent
Occupations –
Key points of this model are –
(1) There do appear to be intrinsic differences in personality
among individuals,
(2) There are different types of jobs,
(3) People in jobs congruent with their personality should be
more satisfied & less likely to voluntarily resign then
people in incongruent jobs.

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 Personality Tests
A personality test measures those relatively permanent
aspects of an individual which distinguish them from
other people, making them unique.

• Based on theoretical background

• Valid, reliable & standardized
• Helps draw a comprehensive behavioral profile of a
person & warn management of one’s strengths &
weakness, which can be utilized for career development
& other decisions.
• Ways in which personality is measured –
(1) Self-report surveys
(2) Observer-ratings surveys
(3) Rorschach Inkblot Test & Thematic Apperception Test

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 Personality Tests
(3) Rorschach Inkblot Test & Thematic Apperception Test

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 Applications of Personality Tests
• Screening

• Selection

• Succession Planning

• Career Planning

• Team Building

• Management Development

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