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Human Behavior in Organization (HBO) Two exceptions are the Myers – Briggs Type
Indicator and the Big Five Model.
MODULE No. 4 Myers –Briggs Type Indicator. A personality
test that taps four characteristics and classifies
people into 1 o f16 personality types.
About Personality and Values
Extraverted Vs Intraverted – extraverted
Personality individuals are outgoing, sociable, and assertive.
Introverts are quiet and shy.

Why are some people quiet and passive, while Sensing Vs. Intuitive – sensing types are
others are loud and aggressive? Are certain practical and prefer routine and order. They
personality types better adapted for certain job focus on details. Intuitives rely on unconscious
types? Before we can answer these questions, processes and look at the “big picture.”
we need to address a more basic one : What is
personality ? Thinking Vs. Feeling – thinking types use reason
and logic to handle problems. Feeling types rely
What is Personality ? on their personal values and emotions.

When psychologist talk of personality, they Judging Vs. Perceiving – judging types want
mean a dynamic concept describing the growth control and prefer their world to be ordered and
and development of a person’s whole structured. Perceiving types are flexible and
psychological system. Rather than looking at spontaneous.
parts of the person, personality looks at some
aggregate whole that is greater than the sum of The Big Five Model. This is the test John
the parts. Bearden took and which made him rethink the
way he managed people.
Personality Determinants
Extraversion. A personality dimension
Personality appears to be a result of both describing someone who is sociable, gregarious
hereditary and environmental factors. and assertive.

Heredity refers to those factors that were Agreeable. A personality dimension that
determined at conception. Physical stature, describes someone who is good-natured,
facial attractiveness, gender, temperament, cooperative, and trusting.
muscle composition and reflexes, energy level,
and biological rhythms are characteristics that Conscientiousness. A personality dimension
are generally considered to be either completely that describes someone who is responsible,
or substantially influenced by who your parents dependable, persistent and organized.
are, that is, by their biological, physiological, and
inherent psychological makeup. Emotional Stability. A personality dimension
that characterizes someone as calm, self-
Environment. Among the factors that exert confident, secure (positive) versus nervous,
pressures on our personality formation are the depressed, and insecure (negative).
culture in which we are raised ; the norms
among our family, friends, and social groups; Openness to Experience. A personality
and other influences that we experience. These dimensions that characterizes someone in terms
environmental factors play a role in shaping our of imagination, sensitivity, and curiosity.
personalities. For example, culture establishes
the norms, attitudes, and values that are passed Measuring Personality
along from one generation to the next and
create consistencies over time. There are three (3) main ways personality is
measured:

Personality Traits. Enduring 1.) self-report surveys – which are

characteristics that describe an completed by the individual – are the most
individual behavior. common way to measure personality. One
concern with self-report surveys, however, is
There were a number of early efforts to identify that the individual might lie or practice
the primary traits that govern behavior. impression management – that is, the person
However, for the most part, these efforts could “fake good” on the test to create a good
resulted in long lists of traits that were difficult to impression.
generalize from and provided little practical
guidance to organizational decision makers. 2.) observer-ratings surveys – have been
developed to provide an independent
assessment of personality. Therefore, instead

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of an individual taking the survey – as in the mode of conduct or end-state of existence.

case of self-report surveys – perhaps a co- Basic convictions that a specific
worker could do the rating. mode of conduct or end-state of existence is
personally or socially preferable to an opposite
3.) projective measures (Rorschach Inkblot or converse mode of conduct or end-state of
Test and Thematic Apperception Test). The existence.
TAT is a series of pictures on cards. The
individual being tested writes a story about each Importance of Values
picture. However, assessing responses has
proven to be a challenge because one clinician Values are important to the study of
often perceives the results differently than organizational behavior because they lay the
another. foundation for the understanding of people’s
attitudes and motivation, and because they
Major Personality Attributes Influencing influence our perceptions. Individuals enter an
OB organization with preconceived notions of what
“ought” and what “ought out” to be. Of course,
Core Self-Evaluation. Degree to which these notions are not value free. On the
individuals like or dislike themselves, whether contrary, they contain interpretation of right and
they see themselves as capable and effective, wrong. Furthermore, they imply that certain
and whether they feel they are in control of their behaviors or outcomes are preferred over
environment or powerless over their others. As a result, valued cloud objectivity and
environment. rationality.

Self-Esteem. Individuals’ degree of liking or Value system. A hierarchy based on a ranking

disliking themselves and the degree to which of an individual’s values in terms of their
they think they are worthy or unworthy as a intensity.
person.
Types of Values
Locus of Control. The degree to which people
believe that they are masters of their own fate. Terminal Values. Desirable end-states of
existence ; the goals that a person would like to
Internals. Individuals who believe that they achieve during his or her lifetime.
control what happens to them.
Instrumental Values. Preferable modes of
Externals. Individuals who believe that what behavior or means of achieving one’s terminal
happens to them is controlled by outside forces values.
such as luck or chance.

Machiavellianism. Degree to which an individual Values, Loyalty, and Ethical Behavior

is pragmatic, maintains emotional distance, and
believes that ends can justify means. Has there been a decline in business ethics?
Recent corporate scandals involving accounting
Narcissism. The tendency to be arrogant, have manipulations, cover-ups, and conflicts of
a grandiose sense of self-importance, require interest certainly suggest such a decline. But is
excessive admiration, and have a sense of this a recent phenomenon?
entitlement.
Values Across Cultures
Self-monitoring. A personality trait that
measures an individual’s ability to adjust his or Power distance. A national culture attribute
her behavior to external, situational factors. describing the extent to which a society accepts
that power in institutions and organizations is
Type A Personality. Aggressive involvement in distributed unequally.
a chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more
and more in less and less time and, if Individualism. A national culture attribute
necessary, against the opposing efforts of other describing the degree to which people prefer to
things or other people. act as individuals rather than as members of
groups.
ProActive Personality. People who identify
opportunities, show initiative, take action, and Collectivism. A national culture attribute that
persevere until meaningful change occurs. describes a tight social framework in which
people expect others in groups of which they are
a part a look after them and protect them.
Values.
Masculinity. A national culture attribute
Basic convictions that a specific mode of describing the extent to which the culture favors
conduct or end-state of existence is personally traditional masculine work roles of achievement,
or socially preferable to an opposite or converse

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power and control. Societal values are friends, and the organizations in which they are
characterized by assertiveness and materialism. employed.

Femininity. A national culture attribute that has Performance orientation. This refers to the
little differentiation between male and female degree to which a society encourages and
roles, where women are treated as the equals of rewards group members for performance
men in all aspects of the society. improvement and excellence.

Uncertainty avoidance. A national culture Humane orientation. This is defined as the

attribute describing the extent to which a society degree to which a society encourages and
feels threatened by uncertain and ambiguous rewards individuals for being fair, altruistic,
situations and tries to avoid them. generous, caring and kind to others.

Long-term orientation. A national culture

attribute that emphasizes the future, thrift, and Linking an Individual’s Personality and
persistence. Values to the Workplace
Short-term orientation. A national culture Person – Job Fit. Matching the job requirements
attribute that emphasizes the past and present, with personality characteristics is best
respect for tradition, and fulfilling social articulated in John Holland’s personality –job
obligations. fit theory.

The GLOBE Framework For Assessing Personality –job fit theory. Identifies six
Cultures. The Global Leadership and personality types and proposes that the fit
Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) between personality type and occupational
research program is an ongoing cross-cultural environment determines satisfaction and
investigation of leadership and national culture. turnover.

Assertiveness. The extent to which a society Person – Organization Fit. To the degree that
encourages people to be tough, confrontational, an organization faces a dynamic and changing
assertive, and competitive versus modest and environment and requires employees who are
tender. able to readily change tasks and move easily
between team’s, it’s more important that
Future orientation. The extent to which a society employees’ personalities fit with the overall
encourages and rewards future-oriented organization’s culture than with the
behaviors such as planning, investing in the characteristics of any specific job.
future, and delaying gratification. This is
essentially equivalent to Hofstede’s Readings:
long-term/short-term orientation.
I Don’t Have to Control Things
Gender differentiation. The extent to which a
society maximizes gender role differences. This I will survive if things are different than what I
is equivalent to Hofstede’s masculinity-femininity want them to be. I can accept things the way
dimension. they are, accept people the way they are, and
accept myself the way I am. There is no reason
Uncertainty avoidance. As identified by to get upset if I can’t change things to fit my idea
Hofstede, the GLOBE team defined this term as of how they ought to be. There is no reason
a society’s reliance on social norms and why I should have to like everything. Even if I
procedures to alleviate the unpredictability of don’t like it. I can live with it.
future events.

Power Distance. As did Hofstede, the GLOBE I Can Be Flexible

team defined this as the degree to which
members of a society expect power to be There is more than one way to do something.
unequally shared. More than one person has good idea that will
work. There is no one and only “best” way.
Individualism/collectivism. Again, this term was Everybody has ideas that are worthwhile, and
defined as was Hofstede’s as the degree to everyone has something worthwhile to
which individuals are encouraged by societal contribute.
institutions to be integrated into groups within
organizations and society.

In-group collectivism. In contrast to focusing on

societal institutions, this dimension
encompasses the extent to which members of a
society take pride in membership in small
groups, such as their family and circle of close