Personality

Continued

Major Personality Attributes influencing OB or What shapes Personality?

Locus of Control Self Esteem Self Monitoring Propensity for risk taking Self efficacy Type A and Proactive Personality

Locus of Control

Some people believe that they are masters of their own fate Other people believe that what happens to them is due to chance or luck First one have been labeled as Internals The other have been labeled as Externals A persons perception of the source of his or her fate is termed as LOCUS of CONTROL

Externals are less satisfied with their jobs and have higher absenteeism rates, are less involved in their jobs Externals are also less likely to get a job initially Internals exhibit more motivation, and willingness to take action External believe in fate, luck, or powerful others

Externals perceive themselves having less control over organisation outcomes that are important to them Internals facing same situation, attribute organisational outcome on their own actions If the situation is unattractive, they believe that they have no one to blame but themselves Also the dissatisfied internal is more likely to quit the dissatisfying job

Almost all successful salespeople are internals Externals do well on jobs that are well structured and routine and guided by others

Self-Esteem (SE)

People differ in the degree to which they like or dislike themselves. This trait is called self-esteem Individual with high self esteem will take more risks in job selection Low SEs are dependent on the receipt of positive evaluation from others In managerial positions, low SEs will tend to be concerned pleasing others and less likely to take unpleasant decisions High SEs are more satisfied with their job than low SEs

Self-Monitoring

Self-monitoring refers to an individuals ability to adjust his or her behavior to external, situational factors Individuals high in high self-monitoring show considerable adaptability in adjusting their behaviour to external situational factors They also receive better performance ratings, are more likely to emerge as leaders

Risk Taking

High risk taking propensity may lead to more effective performance Stock broker in a trading firm

Self-efficacy

Self-efficacy refers to an individuals belief in his or her capabilities to successfully accomplish a specific task or set of tasks MD of a famous company as a boy had a very low opinion about his performance in Mathematics, as he belonged to a family and community where the people would score 100 marks out of 100 were so many that scoring 99 had become a stigma

So, while at 99/100 in mathematics, this boy could still have been no.1 in his class or very close to it, yet in his own evaluation he was poor in mathematics It took him some time to realise this relative nature of self evaluation and self efficacy

Type A Personality

A person with a Type A personality is aggressively involved in chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time, and, if required to do so, against the opposing efforts of other things or other persons

Type As

Are always moving, walking, and eating rapidly Feel impatient with the rate at which most events take place Strive to think or do two or more things at once Cannot cope with leisure time Are obsessed with numbers, measuring their success in terms of how many or how much of everything they acquire

In contrast Type Bs are exactly opposite Type Bs are rarely harried by the desire to obtain a wildly increasing number of things or participate in an endless growing series of events in an ever-decreasing amount of time

Type Bs are Never suffer from a sense of time urgency with its accompanying impatience Feel no need to display or discuss either their achievements or accomplishments unless such exposure is demanded by the situation Play for fun and relaxation, rather than exibit their superiority at any cost Can relax without guilt

Type As operate under moderate to high level of stress They are fast workers, they empathise quantity over quality They work long hours Sometimes they make past decisions They are rarely creative They wont spend time in finding new solutions to the problems Type As behavior is easy to predict than Type Bs Type As do better in job interviews

Proactive Personality

Proactives identify opportunities, show initiative, take action They create positive change in their environment, in spite of constraints They are seen as leaders They develop contacts, engage in career planning They create positive change in their environment, regardless or even in spite of constraints or obstacles

Proactives are more likely to be seen as leaders They are more likely to act as change agents within the organisation Other actions of proactives can be positive or negative depending, depending on the organisation and situation Proactives are more likely to challenge the status quo or voice their displeasure when situation arent to their liking If organisation requires people with entrepreneurial initiative, proactive can make good candidates On the negative side, these are people that are also more likely to leave the organisation to start their own business As individuals proactives are more likely achieve career success

Assignment