Chapter 4

Question 1

What is personality?

Answer 1

Personality refers to the total sum of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others. This is usually measured through self-report surveys.

Question 2

Name two problems with self-report surveys

Answer 2

1. Respondent might lie or practice impression management
2. Accuracy depends on the mood of the respondent.

Question 3

What are observer-ratings surveys?

Answer 3

Rating made by observers. This has a high correlation with self-report survey but these surveys can predict job performance better. Both types of ratings should be used in hiring decisions.

Question 4

What is heredity?

Answer 4

These are factors determined at conception, one’s biological, physiological and inherent psychological makeup. These factors are slightly more important than environment in personality.

Question 5

What are personality traits?

Answer 5

Enduring characteristics that describe an individual’s behaviour. The more frequent this behaviour is, the more important this element is to the personality

Question 6

Name the dominant framworks for identifying and classifying traits:

Answer 6

1. Myers-Brigg Type indicator
2. Big Five personality model

Question 7

Name the indicators of the myers-brigg type indicator

Answer 7

1. Extroverted vs introverted
2. Sensing (practical, routine,order) vs Intuitive
3. Thinking (reason and logic) vs Feeling (personal values, emotions)
4. Judging (want control) vs Perceiving (flexible and spontaneous)

Question 8

What is the critique on the Myers-brigg type indicator?

Answer 8

1. It doesn’t indicate job performance
2. There is no in-between

Question 9

Name the indicators for the Big five personality model

Answer 9

1. Extroversion
2. Agreeableness
3. Conscientiousness
4. Emotional stability
5. Openness

Question 10

What is the dimension conscientiousness in the Big 5 personality model?

Answer 10

This dimension describes the degree to which someone is responsible, dependable, persistent and organized.

Question 11

What is the dimension agreeableness in the Big 5 personality model?

Answer 11

This dimension describes the degree to which someone is good-natured, cooperative and trusting.

Question 12

What is the dimension emotional stability in the Big 5 personality model?

Answer 12

How calm, self-confident and secure someone is (as opposed to nervous, depressed and insecure)

Question 13

What is the dimension openness in the Big 5 personality model?

Answer 13

describes someone in terms of imagination, curiosity and sensitivity

Question 14

Name one way for each dimension that the big five model predicts behaviour

Answer 14

1. Extroverts are more satisfied with job and life, and perform better in interpersonal jobs
2. Conscientiousne predicts job knowledge and performance
3. Emotional stability is correlated with job satisfaction
   4 Openness to experience leads to creativity, which could make them effective leaders
4. Agreeable people tend to better in jobs with interpersonal relations. Less career success.

Question 15

Name 7 other character traits relevant to OB

Answer 15

1. Proactive personality
2. Type A or B personality
3. Machiavellianism
4. Narcissism
5. Risk-taking behaviour
6. Self-monitoring
7. Core self-evaluation

Question 16

What is core self-evaluation?

Answer 16

This is the degree to which an individual likes himself (self-esteem), whether he considers himself capable (self-efficacy) and whether he feels in control of environment (internal locus of control)

Question 17

What are the effects of a positive core self-evaluation?

Answer 17

1. Higher job satisfaction, because these people see more challenge and attain more complex jobs
2. Better job performance,b ecause they set higher goals and commit to them

Question 18

What is machiavellianism?

Answer 18

Machiavellistic individuals are pragmantig, maintain emotional distance and believe ends justify means. More machiavellianism correlates to more wins, less persuaded.

Question 19

What is narcissism?

Answer 19

Degree to which a person feels he is important, he requires excessive admiration, he is arrogant and requires a sense of entitlement. It’s undesirable and decreases observer ratings

Question 20

What is self-monitoring?

Answer 20

Measure of individual’s ability to adjust behaviour to external factors. High elf-monitors receive higher ratings and more promotions. These people are good at networking.

Question 21

What is risk-taking?

Answer 21

Risk-taking is the degree to which individuals are willing to take chances. High risk-takers have quicker decision time and need less information. Decision accuracy the same as slow

Question 22

What is a Type A personality?

Answer 22

Aggressive, continuous involvement in struggle to achieve more in less time and, if necessary, against others.

Type B personality is exact opposite.

Question 23

What are the characteristics of a Type A personality?

Answer 23

1. Moving, walking and eating rapidly
2. Feel impatient with the pace at which most things take place
3. Wants to multitask
4. Can’t handle leisure time
5. Obsesses with numbers and measuring success

Question 24

What is a proactive personality?

Answer 24

Proactive personalities are people who identify opportunities, show initiative, take action and persevere until a meaningful change occurs. They have high levels of job performance and career success.

Question 25

Situation strength theory.

Answer 25

deree to which norms and standards dictate appropriate behaviour in a certain situation. This strenght is analyzed in four elements.

Question 26

What are the four elements of situation strength theory?

Answer 26

1. Clarity: degree to which work duties and responsibilities cues are clear 2. Consistency: extent to which those cues are compatible with each other 3. Constraints: are individual freedoms limited by external forces? 4. Consequences: degree to which decisions have important implicatoins for organizations as a whole.

Question 27

What is trait-activation theory?

Answer 27

Trait-activation theory believes that certain situations or events activate a trait more than other situations.

Question 28

What are values?

Answer 28

Values are convictions that certain behaviour is personally preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct, based on individual's belief about what is wrong and right. Matching values and organization policy leads to higher job satisfaction.

Question 29

What is a value system?

Answer 29

A value system is a hierarchy based ranking of someone's individual values in terms of their intensity.

Question 30

What are the elements of the Rokeach Value Survey?

Answer 30

This is a classification of values based on two distinct types of values: 1. Terminal values: desirable end-states, goals one would like to achieve during lifetime 2. Instrumental values: modes of behaviour or means of achieving one's terminal values.

Question 31

What is peron-environment fit theory?

Answer 31

Work performance is influenced by a match between person's characteristics and their work environment. Consists of personality-job fit and a person-organization fit.

Question 32

What is personality-job fit theory?

Answer 32

This is a theory that identifies six personality types and suggests that the fit between personality type and occupation determines satisfaction and turnover.

Question 33

what is person-organization fit?

Answer 33

This fit revolves around the question whether personality and values match the organization as a whole and its culture.

Question 34

What are the key points of personality-job fit theory?

Answer 34

1. There are intrinsic differences in personality between individuals 2. There are different types of jobs 3. People in jobs that match personality should be more satisfied and less likely to resign.

Question 35

Name the five dimensions of Hofstede's framework for assessing culture?

Answer 35

1. Power distance 2. Individualism vs collectivism 3. Masculinity vs feminity 4. Uncertainty avoidance 5. Long-term orientation vs short-term orientation

Question 36

What is Hofstede's Power distance dimension about?

Answer 36

This is a cultural attribute describing the extent to which unequal power distributions within organizations and institutions are accepted.

Question 37

What is the dimension individualism vs collectivism about?

Answer 37

This concerns the degree to which people prefer individual over team work vs the degree to which it is expected of other people in their group look after them.

Question 38

What is the dimension masculinity vs femininity in Hofstede's framework about?

Answer 38

This dimension considers the extrent to which a culture favors masculine work roles vs little differentation between male and female roles

Question 39

What is the dimension uncertainty avoidance of Hofstede's framework about?

Answer 39

This dimension is concerned with the extent to which uncertainty is avoided within a society.

Question 40

What is the dimension long-term orientation vs short-term orientation of Hofstede's framework about?

Answer 40

This is about the cultural difference between an orientation on the future, thrift and persistence vs an orientation on the past and present, with tradition and fulfillment of social obligations.

Question 41

Which personality traits constitute the dark triad?

Answer 41

1. Narcissism 2. Machiavellianism 3. Psychopathy

Question 42

What is Schwartz' value model?

Answer 42

This model consists of 10 values across elements like Openness to Change, Self-transcendence, self-enhancement and conservatoin. This model considers the relative importance of values differs between individuals.

Question 43

what is the Theory of planned behaviour?

Answer 43

1. Attitude towards behaviour, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control 2. These factors lead to intention 3. Intention leaves behaviour.