ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

Session 6

Dimensions Of Personality
Faculty: Dr. Shreekumar. K. Nair Professor, NITIE
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What is PERSONALITY?

PERSONALITY is the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others.

Personality consists of those stable characteristics or attributes which distinguish one person from another.

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Determinants of PERSONALITY

HEREDITY

INDIVIDUALS PERSONALITY

ENVIRONMENT

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Major Personality Attributes Influencing OB

Locus of Control Type-A vs. Type-B Self-Monitoring Behaviour Machiavellianism Self Esteem Risk Taking Behaviour
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LOCUS OF CONTROL
A persons perception of the source of his fate is termed Locus of Control.

Internals:

People who believe that they are the masters of their own fate or they themselves control their destinies.

Externals:

People who see themselves as pawns of fate, believing that what happens to them in their lives is due to luck or chance.
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LOCUS OF CONTROL

Internals
(I am in charge of my life; I control My destiny.)

(Others are in charge Of my life; My fate is in others hands.)

Externals

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Locus of Control: Research Findings

Internals make greater attempts to control the environment. Internals are more motivated to achieve. Internals generally perform better on their jobs. Internals search for more information before taking decisions. Internals are more suited to jobs that require initiative and autonomy.
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Locus of Control: Research Findings

Internals take more responsibility for their health and have better health habits. Internals are more likely to quit a dissatisfying job. Internals obtain higher salaries and greater salary increases than externals. Externals tend to be more anxious than internals.
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Type-A vs. Type-B Personality

Type A Personality

Type B Personality

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Who are Type-As?

Type-As are aggressively involved in a chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time. Type-As create a life of deadlines for themselves. Type-As are fast workers and generally work for long hours. Type-As operate under moderate to high level of stress. Type-As are rarely creative.
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Who are Type-Bs?

Type-Bs rarely participate in an endless series of events in an ever-decreasing amount of time.

Type-Bs do not suffer from a sense of urgency.

Type-Bs play for fun & relaxation. Type-Bs are able to relax without guilt and work without agitation.

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Are Type-As or Type-Bs More Successful in Organizations?

Successful salespeople are usually Type-As. Type-Bs are more likely to occupy top positions in organizations.
Type-As have a tendency to trade off quality of effort for quantity. Promotions in professionally managed organizations go to those who are wise and creative than to those who are merely hardworking and busy.
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Reasons:

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Self-Monitoring Behaviour
This refers to the individuals ability to adjust his or her behaviour to external situational factors.

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High Self-Monitors

Show considerable adaptability in adjusting their behaviour to external situational factors. Tend to be guided by their efforts to produce positive reactions in others. Capable of presenting striking contradictions between their public persona and their private self. Are more successful in managerial positions which demand multiple and even contradictory roles.
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Low Self-Monitors
Are unwilling to make adaptations or adjustments in their behaviour. Tend to display their true feelings and attitudes in every situation. Cant disguise themselves. High behavioural consistency between who they are and what they do.

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Research Findings on

High Self-Monitors

Effective in jobs that require interaction with different professional groups. More likely to quit a dissatisfying job. Engage in impression management. More likely to get favours from the boss. Resolve conflicts through collaboration or compromise than avoidance or competition. Less likely to show outward signs of joy when they defeat a competitor.
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MACHIAVELLIANISM

Machiavellianism is a personality characteristic named after the Italian philosopher and political thinker, Nicolo Machiavelli (1469-1527).
Machiavellianism is a ruthless strategy for seizing and holding on to political power. It is a strategy in which other people are conveniently manipulated to achieve ones own goals.
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High Machs: Research Findings

High Machs are pragmatic, maintains emotional distance, and believes that ends can justify means. High Machs manipulate more, win more, and persuade others more. High Machs flourish when they interact face-to-face with others than indirectly. High Machs are more productive in jobs that require bargaining, negotiations or sales.
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Self Esteem
This trait is concerned with the degree to which people like or dislike themselves. Self Esteem has implications for employees success and satisfaction on the job.
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Self Esteem:Research Findings

High SEs believe that they possess the ability they need to succeed at work. High SEs tend to take more risk in job selection; choose unconventional jobs. Low SEs are more susceptible to external influence. Low SEs are prone to conform to the behaviours of superiors. Low SEs tend to be concerned with pleasing others than taking an unpopular stand.
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Risk Taking Behaviour

Managers in organizations are generally risk aversive. Yet, they do differ in their propensity to assume or avoid risk.
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Risk Taking Behaviour: Research Findings

High risk-taking managers make more rapid decisions. High risk-taking managers take decisions using less information. High risk-taking managers are successful only in certain type of jobs.
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Risk Taking Behaviour: Implications

High risk-taking propensity could lead to more effective performance for a stock trader. On the other hand, high risk-taking tendency could prove detrimental to an accountant performing auditing activities.
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