Personality

UNIT 9 PERSONALITY

Objectives
After going through this unit, you will be able to:
• understand the meaning of personality and personality traits;
• explain personality development theories; and
• analyse the key determinants of personality.
Structure
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Meaning and Definition
9.3 Theories of Personality
9.4 Determinants of Personality
9.5 Impact of Personality Traits on Organisational Behaviour
9.6 Emotional Intelligence and its Impact on Personality
9.7 Summary
9.8 Self-Assessment Questions
9.9 Further Readings

9.1 INTRODUCTION
Personality is a concept that we use continuously in our day-to-day routine while
dealing with people. Personality can be reflected in a person’s temperament and
is a key factor influencing individual behaviour in organisations. The study of
personality is very essential and helpful in ensuring effective job performance.
This means that the personality of an individual represents personal characteristics
and traits which can lead to consistent patterns of behaviour. So while trying to
understand the personality, it is to be understood that the behaviour is the outcome
of a complex interaction between the person and the situation. Hence, it will be
necessary to have knowledge of those personality traits which predetermine the
parameters for employee’s (or people’s) behaviour and thus provide a paradigm
for predicting behaviour. The theories of personality are many, and most important
of them are trait, type, psychoanalytic, socio-psychological, and self-theory. Each
theory seeks to add a new perspective to the nature of personality.

In this unit, we have tried to examine the various aspects of personality. We start
with trying to understand the meaning of personality, then focus is drawn on the
theories and key determinants of personality. We have also tried to explore the
various personality traits having impact on organisational behaviour.

9.2 MEANING AND DEFINITION

Behaviour is the outcome of a complex interaction between the person and the
situation. At a particular point of time, the person’s behaviour is strongly
influenced by certain events in the environment engulfing them (this also includes
the presence and behaviour of other people), and yet people have the tendency to
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Intrapersonal Processes bring out something of themselves to the situation. And it will be this something
which represents the ‘unique qualities’ exclusive to that individual.

There is no single definition of personality universally acceptable as the term

personality has been defined from various perspectives. It is not uncommon to
find people defining personality from the perspective of social success such as a
“nice, friendly person” or a “popular person”, at times attempts are made to
describe personality by a visible dominant trait such as a “strong person” or a
“charming person”. Thus, defining the personality will be a herculean task.
However, let us make an attempt.

The word ‘personality’ can be originally traced to the Latin words per sona which
means to speak through. This term was used in reference to the masks worn by
the actors in ancient Greece. In common parlance, the word personality refers to
the role a person is playing in public. A definition of personality with an objective
of social learning and having relevance to the study of organisational behaviour
could be accepted. It is based on the key idea that personality represents the
personal characteristics which leads to consistent pattern of behaviour. A well-
known personality theorist, Salvatore Maddi, had proposed the following
definition of personality:

“Personality is a stable set of characteristics and determine those commonalities

and differences in the physiological behaviour (thoughts, feelings and actions)
of people that have continuity in time and that may not be easily understood as
the sole result of the social and biological pressures of the moment”.1

Thus, from the above definition we can see that the personality theory is given as
a general theory of behaviour i.e., describe all behaviours all the time. The term
“commonalities and differences” indicates that theories of personality often
describe what people have in common with others and what are those particular
differences which make them unique. In any organisation, also each employee is
unique and may not respond as others do in a particular situation. This complexity
makes the task of working and managing employees very challenging. Studies
have indicated that an individual’s personality development occurs to a certain
extent throughout life, though the greatest changes occur in early childhood. In
simple words, an individual’s personality may change over a period of time.

Generally, personality refers to the set of traits, and behaviours that characterise
an individual. It is relatively a stable pattern of behaviour and explains a person’s
behavioural tendencies. The nature of personality is: (a) it has both internal and
external elements; (b) an individual’s personality is relatively stable; (c) an
individual’s personality is both inherited as well as shaped by the environment;
and (d) each individual is unique in his/her behaviour. Thus, personality refers to
the sum total of internal and external traits of an individual, which are relatively
stable and that makes the individual different from others.

The Self-Concept
In personality theory, when people try to understand themselves, we label it as
self-concept. It is to be noted that there are various dimensions of perception
which enter personality. This is because personality would essentially mean:
• How people affect others.
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• How they understand and see themselves. Personality

• What is the pattern of their inner and outer measurable traits?

• What is the person-situation interaction?
In the organisational set-up, the self is very much relevant to the concepts of
self-efficacy and self-esteem. An individual’s self-esteem is essentially based on
his/her self-perceived competence and self-image; whereas, self-efficacy is
concerned with self-perception of how well a person can cope with situations as
they arise. According to John Miner,2 self-esteem is a generalised trait, while
self- efficacy is situation specific. Also research has indicated that persons with
high self-esteem tend to perform better than those with low self-esteem, and that
those having high self-efficacy have a tendency to work hard and end-up doing a
good job. This means there is a well-established relationship between self-efficacy
and performance.

9.3 THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

There are several personality theories but we will be focusing on a few:
1) Type Theories
As the term itself indicates, type theories place personalities into clearly
identifiable types or categories. One way is that personalities can be classified
on the basis of body build. Kretschmer and Sheldon are to be given credit
for this classification. According to the type theories, relationship can be
established between features of the face or body and personality. However,
classification of personalities merely on body basis is very subjective and
even though popular it does not carry much substance.

Another basis of type personalities is psychological factors, Carl Jung had

categorised personalities into introverts and extroverts usually indicating a
person’s sociability and interpersonal orientation. Extroverts by nature are
more oriented towards other people, events and objects; whereas introverts
have greater sensitivity and are more concerned about feelings and are
happier dealing with abstract things. Even though type theories involving
psychological factors provide a simple way of looking at personality, they
have the following limitations:
• Though categorising personalities as per psychological factors into
introverts and extroverts is simple, it does not help much because
many people may fall between the two extremes.
• The introvert-extrovert typology is more in the nature of continuum
rather than discreet separate types.
• Though it provides a simple way to identify a personality, it does not
touch upon the various complexities of personality.
2) Trait Factor Theory
The trait theory is a quantitative approach to the study of personality.
According to this theory, an individual’s personality is composed of definite
pre-dispositional attributes called traits. It is presumed that a personality
trait is an enduring attribute of a person which remains consistent in a variety
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Intrapersonal Processes of situations. Moreover, a trait of an individual differentiates one from
another in a relatively consistent way. Thus, a trait may be defined as any
distinguishable, relatively enduring way in which one individual may differ
from another.
This theory is based on three assumptions:
a) Traits though common to many individuals, may vary in absolute terms
between people.
b) Traits are usually and relatively stable, and have fairly universal effects
on behaviour irrespective of the environment or situation.
c) It is possible to infer about traits by measuring behavioural indicators.
There are two trait theories - one developed by Allport and the other by
Cattell.
Allport’s trait theory is based on the distinction between common traits and
personal dispositions. He has identified six categories of values: religious,
social, economic, political, aesthetic and theoretical as common traits which
can be used to compare people. Allport has also referred to certain personal
dispositions which may be unique to the individual. This uniqueness may
be:3
• Cardinal (most pervasive)
• Central (unique and limited in number) or
• Secondary (peripheral)
Raymond Cattell4 also developed a similar set of traits by using psychological
test measures. Though he used a different approach compared to Allport,
he clearly identifies two categories of traits – surface traits and source traits.
He determined thirty five surface traits by identifying a cluster of traits that
are correlated; for instance, wise-foolish, affectionate-cold etc. He opined
that such traits lie on the surface of the personality and are usually determined
by the underlying source traits. Cattell also identified numerous source traits
such as affectothymia (good nature and trustworthy) versus sizothymia
(critical and suspicious); ego strength (mature, realistic) versus emotionality
and neuroticism (immature, evasive); and so on.

In this trait factor theory, through research an attempt has been made to find
a relationship and assorted behaviour. Thus, one can see its contribution of
personality tests to the behavioural science.
Its limitations are:
• This theory is more descriptive than being analytical. Thus, it cannot
be said to be a comprehensive theory of personality.
• Some of the terms are difficult to define and there is no scientific
reliability about the results.
3) Psychoanalytic Theory
Psychoanalytic theory works on the basis that human beings are motivated
more by unseen forces than their conscious and rational thoughts. Although
Sigmund Freud is the man most closely associated with the psychoanalytic
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theory, others such as Carl Jung and Alfred Adler have also made additional Personality
contributions.

It was Freud’s experience, in his clinical practices of his patients behaviour,

which could not always be consciously explained, that led him to develop
the psychoanalytic theory. This observation among patients led Freud to
conclude that the major motivating force in man was in his unconscious
framework. This unconscious framework comprises of three interrelated
though conflicting stages – the Id, Ego and Super ego. Also these three
stages are interrelated and have to be artificially separated for individual
study and analysis.
• The Id: This is the source of psychic energy and requires immediate
gratification for biological or instinctual needs. Freud further classified
the instinctual need into life instincts and death insticts. These needs
are in the form of hunger, thirst and sex and the energy involved is
through the libido. The id would actively be involved in proceeding to
satisfy motives, though restricted and channelized into acceptable ways
by the ego. The id continuous to remain a driving force in an
individual’s life (though he may learn to control the id as he matures)
and plays a prominent role and influences his/her thinking and
behavioural processes.
• The Ego: The ego stage is the conscious and logical part of the human
personality and works on the principle of reality. As mentioned above,
ego represents the conscious aspect and by using intellectual reasoning
of the reality, keeps the id in check. Of course, at times conflicting
situations may arise when the id demands immediate gratification,
while the ego mediates and dictates postponement to a more appropriate
time and place. For this, the ego gets support from the super ego.
• The Super Ego: The super ego represents the norms (societal and
personal) and puts an ethical constraint on the behaviour, just like
one’s conscience. The role of the super ego is to provide norms to ego
in order to determine what is wrong or right. But very often the
individual may not be aware of the working of the super ego. By
observing and taking in the cultural values and norms of the society,
the conscience is developed.
Some of the highlights of the psychoanalytic theory are:
• Freud’s emphasis on the unconscious aspect which causes people to
behave in different ways has been partially supported by some of the
current research findings of cognitive psychologists.
• Also Freud’s concern for the role played by sexual factors has increased
the awareness of its effect on adjustment problems making way for
future probing required in this area.
• Specifically related to organisational behaviour is Freud’s contribution
towards understanding of creative behaviour, dissatisfaction, group
development, leadership and its influence.

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Intrapersonal Processes The limitations of this theory are:
• The theory is based on an approach which contains elements
(psychoanalytic) which are largely hypothetical constructs and cannot
be measured or verified.
• Some critics have pointed out that Freud’s personality theory has been
developed on the basis of his observations of emotionally disturbed
people and may not be a representation of normal healthy personality.
• Some critics have disagreed with the claim about using Freud’s theory
as the basis for scientific study of sexuality. They pointed out that
Freud’s observation may have been valid during the Victorian period
and may not hold true in today’s permissive society (to sex). So
personality disturbances may not be only caused by sexual conflicts.
• There are also criticisms of Freud’s assumption of all human activities
(thoughts, feelings, actions, aspirations) being determined by powerful
instinctual forces. They opine that this implies as per Freud’s approach,
there is no room for free will, choice and responsibility.
4) Socio-psychological Theory
The socio-psychological theory talks of the interdependence of the individual
and society. On the one hand the individual strives to meet the needs of the
society, and on the other hand the society helps the individual to attain his
goal. And the personality of the individual is determined from this
interaction. Thus, this theory is a combination of sociological and
psychological aspects. Those associated with this theory are Karen Horney,
Adler, Fromm and Sullivan.
This theory differs from psychoanalytic theory on two counts:
• Here it is the social variables and not biological instincts which are
referred to as the important determinants in shaping an individual’s
personality.
• The behavioural motivation is a conscious effort. After knowing one’s
wants and needs, man’s behaviour will be directed to meet those needs.,
The criticism against this theory is that although the socio-psychological
theory can help to answer questions related to the influence of social factors
in shaping personality, it cannot give a total picture of human behaviour.
C
B D
PSYCHO
TRAIT SOCIO
ANALYTIC E
A FACTOR PSYCHOLOGICAL
THEORY SELF
TYPE THEORY THEORY
THEORIES THEORY

Fig. 9.1: Theories of Personality

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5) Self-Theory Personality

The psychoanalytic, socio-psychological, and trait theories are more or less

traditional approaches to explaining the complex human personality. The
self-theory emphasises on the totality and inter-relatedness of all behaviour.
This theory considers the organisation as a whole to a greater extent than
any of the other theories. Many of the noteworthy names associated with
this approach include Maslow, Herzberg, Lewin, and Rogers. A very
important contribution is from Carl Rogers – The Self Theory.

Rogers defines the self-concept as an organised, consistent and conceptual

gestalt comprising of perceptions in the form of ‘I’ or ‘Me’ and the perception
of the relationship between ‘I’ or ‘Me’ with others to the various aspects of
life along with the values attached to these perceptions. The self- concept
includes four factors:
a) Self-image: This is the way one sees oneself based on one’s beliefs
about who or what they are.
b) Ideal self: This denotes the way the person would like to be as
perceived by the individual.
c) Looking glass self: Through the socialisation process, the individual
perceives that ‘this is how’ others are perceiving his/her qualities and
characteristics. This perception about ‘others’ perception need not be
the way people actually see him/her.
d) Real self: This implies that real self is what one really is.
Rogers approach to personality is well appreciated because his self-theory
emphasises that the best way to understand behaviour is by using the internal
frame of reference of the individual himself.

From Rogers experience on working with emotionally disturbed people, he opined

that a person has got an active inner energy which is purposive, active and oriented
towards self-directed goals in the future. To some extent, Rogers agreed with
Freud that at times people get emotionally disturbed displaying abnormal
impulses, anger, bitter feelings, and anti-social actions. But at the same time, he
feels that these individuals may not be behaving in concert to their inner self.
This implies that human beings have a natural inclination to move towards the
direction which permits them to continue and adopt the path of self-responsibility
and co-operation which leads to self-enhancement.

Thus, according to Rogers, self-actualisation is the primary motivating force in

a person’s life providing him to actualise, maintain or enhance himself so as to
become the “best” that his inherent nature will permit him to do.

9.4 DETERMINANTS OF PERSONALITY

It will be difficult to answer the question “What are the factors which determine
personality? Because there are many cognitive processes, psychological processes
along with several other variables which contribute to personality. For the purpose
of discussion, we will club all these into broad categories, such as the biological,
cultural and familial, socialisation process, and other impacting situational factors.

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Intrapersonal Processes 1) Biological
These biological contributions can further be divided into heredity, genetic
engineering managerial thinking, split-brain thinking, bio-feedback and
physical characteristics. We will briefly touch upon these.

Heredity: Heredity refers to those factors such as physical stature, facial

beauty, and muscle composition which are considered to be determined at
conception. This as a very pronounced and yet undecided area of
understanding. It has been found through research that both physical and
psychological characteristics can be transmitted.

Research of 350 pairs of twins, undertaken by the University of Minnesota,

also supports the influence of heredity on personality. The research study
indicated that traits such as leadership, traditionalism and obedience were
strongly determined by heredity. But, this cannot be said to be conclusive
study because of measurement problems and use of controls. Recent studies
have revealed that age and developmental factors may come in the way of
results. So it can be said that the argument on whether heredity or
environment is the primary determinant of personality still continues.

Genetic Engineering and Intelligence: Research studies in the field of

genetic engineering have opened up the possibilities of changing and
controlling human behaviour. Genetic engineering is being referred to as
the next revolution in the wings. We have already heard of ‘Dolly’ the Sheep
clone and very soon this was visible in the cloned human baby. All such
research studies will definitely have an impact on the future of mankind.
There is an underlying belief that genetics can be influenced by heredity.

Geneticist are supported by educational psychologists like Arthur Jenson

who believe that intelligence is inherited to a great extent. British
psychologist Robert Lynn had reported that the normal mean IQ in US was
100 in comparison to the normal mean IQ of 111 in Japan.

Management Thinking: Based on research studies conducted, some

behavioural scientist have drawn a conclusion that managers think differently
from lay people. One such conclusion is their ability to foresee the future,
years ahead. These people are able to plan and identify steps well in advance
and which may take years for completion and take the necessary measures.
For instance, Japan’s Konosike had laid down a 250 year plan for his
company. Other researches have shown the manager’s thinking ability in
terms of:
• Senior executives have more capacity for looking at things differently.
• Senior managers are more flexible in nature.
• Senior managers have shown a stronger capacity for integrating things.
Split-brain thinking (or psychology): This topic is considered to be a fad
and not well researched upon. This split-brain psychology can be traced to
Henry Mintzberg’s article titled “Planning on the Left Side and Managing
on the Right”. Mintzberg had advocated that whether a person will be a
planner or a manager can be determined by ascertaining which particular
hemisphere of his brain was more developed.
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 Some trainees have used the split-brain thinking in some of their training Personality
sessions. Although research in this area has indicated clearly which parts of
the physical brain have control over functions such as emotion and
aggression, it has to go a long way in order to develop a clear understanding
of the influence of brain on human behaviour. But if the existing information
of this psychology is used appropriately, the employees and employers can
benefit from learning processes as well as better behaviour at work.

Bio-feedback: Another new emerging influence on personality is the area

of bio-feedback. Until the recent past it was believed by psychologists as
well as physiologists that involuntary functions such as brain wave pattern,
blood pressure fluctuations cannot be consciously controlled. But now with
the emergence of bio feedback, it is believed that these involuntary functions
can be controlled. For instance, from the electronic signals feedback and
from the equipment attached to the body, the person can learn to control the
body process in question. Bio-feedback is useful in the field of medicine.

Physical characteristics and the rate of maturing: It is possible to analyse

the effects of physical characteristics and the rate of maturing. An individual’s
physical appearance such as tallness or shortness, fair skin or dark skin,
robust or skinny are biologically pre-determined and one cannot change
that. But the physical characteristics influence the person’s impact on others
and thereby affect his self-concept.

One standing example is of Sheldon’s Classic Theory, which tries to correlate

body build with personality traits. Due to many exceptions, such theories
may not have high validity. But there is no denial that physical appearance
does affect one’s personality.

Similarly, the ‘rate of maturation’ can also be related to personality. For

instance, a fast maturing child, through exposure to many physical and social
activities, when compared to a slow maturing child will portray a different
personality when compared to the former.

2) Cultural and Familial Contributions

Conventionally, it is believed that cultural factors have a stronger influence
on one’s personality as compared to biological factors. It is observed that
there is a relationship between the learning process and the culture. One’s
exposure to the learning process does influence personality development
but very often the cognitive part (or re-enforcement of what is learned), the
content matter is not duly acknowledged.

Usually, the prevailing culture indicates what a person has learned or dictates
what he will learn.
• What a person learns has content which in turn will be based on his
on her cultural background.
• Certain personality traits such as independent, aggressive, competitive,
and co-operative can be culturally determined.
In spite of understanding the impact of culture on a person’s personality,
we cannot draw a linear relationship between personality and a given culture.
For instance, if we have a look at the complex societies such as ours in 13
Intrapersonal Processes India, we have several sub-cultures within a culture. Also, there exists value
and belief differences among different socio-economic classes, age groups
and various geographic regions. Thus, the fact remains that culture affects
personality, though it may not be possible to make broad generalization.

The task of selecting, interpreting and dispensing the culture is usually

evolved around the family initially, and later on it is the social groups
influence which works. An individual’s early development process is greatly
influenced by his parents who serve as role models in the identification
process. Usually, the parent of the same sex as the child will serve to be a
model and thus is actively involved in the development of the child.
Empirical evidence has indicated that the entire home environment in which
one is raised by the parents (including the direct influence of the parents) is
very crucial for personality development. The environment in which one is
exposed to can also substantially shape one’s personality. For instance,
children brought up in formal institutions such as orphanages, remand
homes, and prisons may display personality traits such as aloofness, easily
frightened, and awkwardness; whereas, children who are brought up in a
friendly and homely environment will display traits such as, warm, caring,
affectionate, and so on. Thus, it can be said that over and above the parents,
it is the atmosphere or environment at home which can shape an individual’s
personality.

3) Socialisation Process
A very relevant aspect is the influence of certain persons, groups and even
organisations on an individual’s personality. And this socialisation process
affects the individual throughout his or her life time. Through the
socialisation process, the individual is exposed to a wide range of behavioural
potentialities and patterns which are customary and acceptable according
to the standards of his or her family as well as the social groups. The
socialisation process starts with the initial contact of an infant with his or
her mother. Later on during childhood, the other members of family and
friends influence them, and then as an employee or while working in an
organisation the peer and social groups influence the socialisation process.

It has been observed that the organisation itself contributes to socialisation.

Such a process will emphasise on the learning of those values, norms and
patterns of behaviour which are part of the organisation and the work group’s
perspective and mandatory for every new employee to learn and be familiar
with. Learning should not only be restricted to new employees but must be
extended to all the existing employees as well. This is necessary to ensure
cordial superior-subordinate relationships, especially when employees get
promoted and are required to interact with new subordinates or they get
transferred to work in new areas. Successful socialisation can lead to
employee satisfaction. An organisation should take care of the following in
their socialisation process:
1) Provide a job which is challenging.
2) Ensure necessary training is imparted.
3) Ensure timely and consistent feedback is provided to the employee.
4) Select a capable superior to take care of the socialisation process.
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 5) Work out an interesting orientation programme for new recruits. Personality

6) Ensure that the new recruits are placed in work groups with high
morale.
Today, most of the firms have realised the importance of having a successful
organisational socialisation programme. Such firms are having consciously
planned socialisation process which has a tremendous capacity to impact
the human resources management as well as organisational effectiveness.

4) Situational Factors
It is noticed that an individual’s personality though usually stable and
consistent, can change in different situations. Thus, depending on the
situational demand, certain aspects of the personality may also change
accordingly. The situational requirement even gets extended to the place of
work of the individual. Today, the work environment has become very
challenging and demanding for the employee. And this affects the employee’s
behaviour and personality. If one were to take the social learning perspective,
it is the situation interacting with the human being (this includes the
individual’s personality) which acts as an important antecedent to the
behaviour.

As Stanley Milgram has stated, “A situation exerts an important pressure on the

individual. It exercises constraints and may provide push. In certain circumstances,
it is not so much the kind of person a man is as the kind of situation in which he
is placed, that determines his action”.

9.5 IMPACT OF PERSONALITY TRAITS ON

ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Personality trait typically refers to the basic components of personality. The names
are generally the terms used by people to describe one another. There may be
hundreds or thousands of such terms and practically impossible to keep a track
of these. Now, research has identified several general factors which can be used
to describe an individual’s personality. These are depicted in the form of “Big
Five” personality factors describing an individual’s adjustment, sociability,
conscientiousness, agreeableness, and intellectual openness.

Each personality includes a large number and range of specific personality traits
dimensions. Thus, each factor is said to contain both a collection of related traits
as well as a continuum. For instance, an individual having a personality at one
extreme will be sociable, gregarious, and energetic; and at the other extreme will
be shy and withdrawn. It will be interesting to note the individual personality in
the study of organisational behaviour because it provides the linkage between
personality and behaviour. Even though each personality factor represents a
collection of related traits, the link between personality and specific behaviours
will become clear when we concentrate on particular traits rather than on all the
five factors. We will briefly examine the specific personality traits which are
particularly important for understanding the various aspects of organisational
behaviour.

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Intrapersonal Processes There are many different personality traits, but some of the important ones for
organisational behaviour are risk-taking, self-monitoring, type A and type B
personality, self-esteem, locus of control, machiavellianism, goal orientation,
introversion versus extroversion, dogmatism, and authoritarianism.

Risk-Taking

People differ in their willingness to take chances. Their propensity to assume or

avoid risk has been shown to have an impact on how long it takes managers to
make a decision and how much information they require before making their
choice.

While it is generally correct to conclude that managers in organisations are risk

aversive, there are still individual differences. As a result, it makes sense to
recognise those differences and even to consider aligning risk-taking propensity
with specific job demands. For instance, a high risk-taking propensity may lead
to more effective performance for a stock trader in a brokerage firm. This type of
risk demands rapid decision-making. On the other hand, this personality
characteristic might prove a major obstacle to accountants performing auditing
activities. This type of job might be better filled by someone with a low risk-
taking propensity.

Self-Monitoring

Another personality trait that has received increased attention is self-monitoring.

It refers to an individual’s ability to adjust his or her behaviour to external factors.
Individuals high in self-monitoring can show considerable adaptability in
adjusting their behaviour to external factors. They are highly sensitive to external
cues and can behave differently in different situations. Low self-monitors cannot
deviate from their behaviour. They tend to display their true dispositions and
attitude in every situation; hence there is high behavioural consistency between
who they are and what they do. The high self-monitors tend to pay closer attention
to the behaviour of others and are more capable of conforming than low self-
monitors.

Type A and Type B Personality

One dimension of personality that is getting attention both from organisational

as well as medical researchers is the Type A and Type B behaviour profiles. A
person exhibiting Type A behaviour is generally restless, impatient with a desire
for quick achievement and perfectionism. Type B is much more easy going,
relaxed about time pressure, less competitive and more philosophical in nature.
Type A behaviour profile tends to be obsessive and managers with such behaviour
are hard-driving, detail-oriented people with high performance standards. Type
B persons, on the other hand, do put in extra effort in order to meet a deadline
but do not feel pressurised.

Type A personality typifies a person who is always in a hurry, is extremely

competitive, and often hostile and irritable. Opposite is the Type B personality
who is relaxed, incompetent, and easy going.

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 Table 9.1: Type A and Type B Behaviours Personality

Type A Type B
1. Are always moving, walking, 1. Never suffer from a sense of time
and eating rapidly. urgency with its accompanying
impatience.
2. Feel impatient with the rate 2. Feel no need to display or discuss
at which most events take either their achievements or
place. accomplishments unless such
exposure is demanded by the
situation.
3. Strive to think or do two or 3. Play for fun and relaxation, rather
more things at once. than to exhibit their superiority at
any cost.
4. Cannot cope with leisure. 4. Can relax without guilt.
5. Are obsessed with numbers,
measuring their success in
terms of how much of
anything they acquire.

How do the two perform in organisations? Type As are no doubt highly

competitive and hard working; however it is the Type Bs who climb to the top of
the organisation.

Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is the outcome of an individual’s continuous evaluation of himself
or herself which will be assessments reflecting his/her response to others’ opinions,
situational requirement, and successes and failures. Such assessments are usually
stable and accurate enough to be considered as a personality trait. In terms of the
Big Five personality factors, self-esteem is most likely to be a part of the
adjustment factor.
Some of the ways in which self-esteem can affect organisational behaviour are:
• Self-esteem reflects an individual’s choice of vocation.
• Individuals with high self-esteem are likely to be attracted towards higher
status jobs. They also select unconventional jobs as compared to individuals
with low esteem.
• Self-esteem affects individuals as to how they set goals and attach value in
attaining them.
• Employees with high self-esteem set high goals for themselves and place
more value on actually attaining goals; and this would work the other way
around in case of employees with low self-esteem.
• Employees with low self-esteem are more sensitive to adverse job conditions
such as stress, conflict, ambiguity, poor supervision, poor working conditions
and so on when compared to employees with high self-esteem.
Simply stated, self-esteem is clearly indicative of the willingness of the
employee to assert himself or herself towards completion of the task assigned
and thus having positive links to achievement.5 17
Intrapersonal Processes Locus of Control
Locus of control indicates the belief of the individual on the extent to which he
or she can control events affecting them.

High internal locus of control believe that it is

their own behaviour and actions (though may not
be) which determine many of the events in their
Individuals with
life

High external locus of control believe that it is

(by) chance or fate or other individuals who
determine what happens to them.

Machiavellianism
This term is derived from Niccolo Machiavelli’s writings, who wrote on how to
gain and use power i.e., on an individual’s ability to manipulate people. Thus,
such Machs can easily be game for participating in organisational politics.

Those who are high Machs, believe ‘ends justify means’. They try manipulating
more, winning more, persuade others more and are themselves less persuaded.
Yet, there are situational factors which affect high Machs and they are able to
flourish in indirect situations. The situations involving minimum rules and
regulations and emotional involvement with details are irrelevant to winning,
and act as a cause of distraction for low Machs. For instance, where jobs involve
good bargaining skills, or where rewards are awarded for good performance and
winning, Machiavellians can perform better.

Goal Orientation
Another visible difference in individual behaviour in work environment is related
to goal orientation or the preference for one type of goal against another. While
trying to understand some aspects of individual job performance, we will have
to consider two types of goal orientation:

a) Learning Goal Orientation — A predisposition to develop competence by

acquiring new skills and mastering new situations.

b) Performance Goal Orientation — A predisposition to demonstrate and

validate competence by trying to obtain favourable judgments from others
(such as one’s supervisor) and refrain from negative judgments.

But when applying this goal orientation to work setting, a dramatic response
pattern in behaviour emerges. An individual with strong goal orientation may
refrain from accepting work challenges and their performance suffers when they
are unable to overcome obstacles and when faced with failure, become unhappy
and are likely to withdraw from such situations.

Individuals with a strong learning goal orientation try to overcome failure and
setback by putting in more efforts and looking out for new solutions to the
problems. Although an individual’s goal orientation may vary from situation to
situation, evidence suggest that a significant amount of goal orientation can be
indicative of an individual’s personality.

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Introversion Versus Extroversion Personality

The terms introvert and extrovert describe a person’s congeniality. These terms
can be extended to refer to a personality dimension also.

Introversion refers to the tendency to direct everything inward; develop a greater

affinity for abstract ideas and sensitive to personal feelings. Extroversion refers
to the tendency to orient towards other people, events and objects.

An introvert by nature is quiet, introspective and emotionally unimpressive. An

extrovert is one who is sociable, lively, impulsive and emotionally very expressive.

People displaying characteristics of both introversion and extroversion are found

in all types of educational, gender, and occupational groups. The extremes of
both extroversion or introversion may not be good and can even come in the way
of the person’s effectiveness.

It is understood that the introversion – extroversion personality dimension can

affect the task performance in various environments. That is introverts perform
the job better when alone in a quiet environment, while extroverts perform better
in an environment having many people with a high level of activity.

Dogmatism
High dogmatism refers to the tendency of the individual to be very rigid, perceives
the world as a threatening place, prefers to treat legitimate authority as absolute
and either accepts or rejects other people on the basis of their agreement or
disagreement with accepted authority or doctrine.

Simply stated, a high-dogmatic (HD) person appears to be close-minded and

prefers to depend on authoritative people in organisations for guidance and
direction, and hence can more easily be influenced by such persons. As against
this, people with low-dogmatic (LD) tendency are more open-minded and cannot
be easily influenced by authoritative figures in the organisation like HD persons.

With regards to the degree of dogmatism and its relationship with interpersonal
and group behaviour it is noted that HDs typically are in need of more group
structure as compared to LDs. So the performance of HDs will also be dependent
on how the group performs. But a high degree of dogmatism can at times lead to
poor managerial performance because they may be involved only in a limited
search for information especially in decision making situations.

Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism though closely related to dogmatism, is narrower in scope. It
refers to a person who displays qualities such as adherence to conventional values,
obeys recognised authority, has a negative view of society, respects power and
toughness, and opposes expression of personal feelings.

In an organisational set up, such persons may prefer superiors who have a highly
directive and structured leadership style. Both dogmatism and authoritarianism
can be related to the ‘intellectual openness factor’ of the ‘Big Five’ factors.

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Intrapersonal Processes
9.6 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS
IMPACT ON PERSONALITY
In the recent years, the concept of emotional intelligence (EQ) has been receiving
a lot of interest and is very often considered as an important determinant of
leadership trait among employees. At times it is treated as more crucial than
general intelligence (IQ) where career success is concerned.

Emotional intelligence refers to how well an individual handles’ himself/herself

and others; rather than how smart one is or how capable one is in terms of technical
skills.

EQ is considered as the social equivalent of IQ. The five major determinants of

EQ include attributes such as self-awareness, self-management, self-motivation,
empathy, and social deftness.

Managers in order to be good leaders need to possess high emotional intelligence

skills such as ability to understand and manage people, ability to empathise and
understand their feelings, ability to persuade others, ability to withstand their
individual idiosyncrasies, and the ability to inspire people by considering their
unique personal dispositions. Research has suggested that 90% of the effectiveness
of good managers (leaders) is due to EQ and not IQ. According to Goleman in
organisations undergoing rapid changes, EQ may determine who gets promoted
and who gets passed over, or who gets laid off and who stays back.

Activity 1
Using the personality categories in this unit, describe the basic sources of
personality differences between yourself and a person you know well.
.......................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................

.......................................................................................................................

9.7 SUMMARY
• Personality refers to the internal and external traits of an individual which
are relatively stable and which make an individual different from others.
• Personality is the product of heredity, environment, family, social and
situational factors.
• Understanding personality is very important as it influences behaviour, as
well as perception and attitudes.
• Personality has been classified into two basic categories, such as Type A
and Type B behaviour profiles.
• A person exhibiting Type A behaviour is generally restless, impatient, with
20 a desire for quick achievement and perfectionism.
• Type B is much more easy going, relaxed about time pressure, less Personality
competitive and more philosophical in nature.
• Personality trait refers to basic components of personality.
• According to type theories, personalities are categorised into groups based
on physical features and psychological factors.
• The trait theory seeks to categorise people based on their traits such as
aggressive, flexible, humorous, sensitive, impulsive, and so on.
• Freud’s psychoanalytic theory seeks to explain personality as comprising
id, ego, and super ego.
• The social learning theory emphasises the process of learning as an important
determinant of behaviour.
• Roger’s self-concept theory lays emphasis on how an individual perceives
the world around and the self.
• Existential philosophy is concerned with man as an individual and each
person is responsible for his own existence.
• Freud was the first person to suggest that personality goes through oral,
anal, phallic, and genital stages.

9.8 SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1) How do you define personality? What are the specific traits that constitute
the concept of personality?
2) Differentiate between introvert and extrovert personalities. Is one form of
personality necessarily better than the other? Explain pros and cons of both
types.
3) What are the determinants of personality? Which of them do you feel are
more important in shaping personality?
4) Explain the Freudian and Erikson’s stages of personality development.
5) Critically examine the psychoanalytic approach to personality.
6) Discuss the essence of social learning theory of personality.
7) According to you, which theory of personality is more comprehensive?
Give reasons.
8) “Heredity determines personality.” (a) build an argument to support this
statement; and (b) build an argument against this statement.

9.9 FURTHER READINGS

Greenberg, J., and Baron, R., Behavior in Organizations, Pearson, Prentice Hall
Dorling Kindersley (I) Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 2009.
Luthans, F., Organizational Behavior, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1995.
Miner, J.B., Organizational Behavior - Performance and Productivity, Random
House Inc., New York, 1988.
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Intrapersonal Processes Robbins, S.P., Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall of India (P) Ltd., New
Delhi, 2003.
Meddi, S.R., Personality Theories: A Comparative Analysis, Homewood: Dorse,
1989, P. 10.
Miner, B. John, Organizational Behavior, Random House, New York, 1988,
PP. 76-84.
Allport, W. Gordon, Personality, New York, Henry Holt, 1937.
Cattell, B. Reymond, The Scientific Analysis of Personality, Aldine Publishing,
Chicago, 1965.
Gardner, D.G., and Pierce, J.L., Self Esteem and Self Efficacy within the
Organizational Context,
Group and Organisational Management, 1999, P. 32-35.

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