Introduction

In some ways we are all the same. We all have the same human nature.
We share a common humanity. We all have human bodies and human
minds, we all have human thoughts and human feelings.
Yet in other ways we are all completely different and unique. No two
people are truly alike. No two people can ever have the same experience
of life, the same perspective, the same mind.
Somewhere between these two our common humanity and our unique
individuality lies personality.

Personality is about our different ways of being human. How the human
nature we all share manifests in different styles of thinking, feeling and
acting.
Personality is something we can consciously develop, like our physical
health and fitness. This includes the possibility of developing character:
a set of strengths and virtues (as well as weaknesses and vices) that
individuals can adopt and develops throughout life.
Personality is who we are, or at least who we seem to be, as individuals
in everyday life. Its how we express ourselves to others and how we
perceive ourselves as a result. Some of us are more extravert than others.
Some of us are more neurotic than others. Its all relative.
The definition of personality we most frequently use was produced by
Gordon Allport nearly 70 years ago. Allport said personality is the
dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical
systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment.
So we can say that, personality as the sum total of ways in which an
individual reacts

to and interacts with others. We most often describe it in terms of the

measurable
traits a person exhibits.

How we measure Personality

Measuring Personality There are no right or wrong answers in the
personality test. There is also no positive or negative personality.
Personality is measured based on its suitability to the job requirements.
Managers need to know how to measure personality because personality
tests may be useful in hiring decisions and help managers forecast who
is best for a job. The most common means of measuring personality is
through self-report surveys, with which individuals evaluate themselves
on a series of factors, such as I worry a lot about the future. Though
self-report measures work well, one weakness is that the respondent
might lie or practice impression management to create a good
impression. When people know their personality scores are going to be
used for hiring decisions, they rate themselves as about half a standard
deviation more conscientious and emotionally stable than if they are
taking the test just to learn more about themselves. Another problem is
accuracy. A perfectly good candidate could have been in a bad mood
when taking the survey, and that will make the scores less accurate.
Observer-ratings surveys provide an independent assessment of
personality. Here, a co-worker or another observer does the rating
(sometimes with the subjects knowledge and sometimes not). Though
the results of self- report surveys and observer-ratings surveys are
strongly correlated, research suggests observer-ratings surveys are a
better predictor of success on the job. However, each can tell us
something unique about an individuals behavior in the workplace. An
analysis of a large number of observer-reported personality studies
shows that a combination of self-report and observer-reports predicts

performance better than any one type of information. The implication is

clear: use both observer ratings and self-report ratings of personality
when making important employment decisions.
Personality Determinants
There are three personality determinants. These are:
1 Heredity
2 Environmental Factors
3 Aging
Personality Traits
Early work on the structure of personality tried to identify and label
stable characteristics that describe an individuals behavior, including
shy, aggressive, submissive,lazy, ambitious, loyal, and timid. When
someone exhibits these characteristics in a large number of situations,
we call them personality traits of that person. The more consistent the
characteristic over time, and the more frequently it occurs in diverse
situations, the more important that trait is in describing the individual.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Big Five Model are the dominant
frameworks for identifying and classifying traits.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
It is most widely used personality assessment instrument in the world. It
is a 100-question personality test that asks people how they usually feel
or act in particular situations. This model shows 4 different
classifications for individuals. Classifications combined into 16
personality types (i.e. INTJ or ESTJ). Four classifications individuals are
classified as with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. These are:
1 Extroverted or Introverted (E/I)
2. Sensing or Intuitive (S/N)
3. Thinking or Feeling (T/F)
4. Judging or Perceiving (J/P)
These classifications together describe 16 personality types, identifying
every person by one trait from each of the four pairs. For example,
Introverted/Intuitive/Thinking/Judging people (INTJs) are visionaries

with original minds and great drive. 16 personality types are stated
below:
1 INTJ : Imaginative and Strategic thinkers with a plan for
everything
2 INTP : Innovative inventors with an unquenchable thrusts for
knowledge
3 ENTJ : Bold, imaginative and strong willed leaders, always finding
a way or making one
4 ENTP : Smart and curious thinkers who cannot resist an
intellectual challenge
5 INFJ : Quiet and mystical ,yet very inspiring and tireless idealists
6 INFP : Poetic, kind and altruistic people, always eager to help a
good cause
7 ENFJ : Charismatic and inspiring leaders, able to mesmerizing
their listeners
8 ENFP : Enthusiastic, creative & sociable free spirits, who can
always find a reason to smile
9 ISTJ : Practical& fact minded individuals whose reliability cannot
be doubted
10 ISFJ : Very dedicated and warm protectors, always ready to defend
their loved ones
11 ESTJ : Excellent administrators, unsurpassed at managing things
or people
12 ESFJ : Extraordinary, caring, social & popular people, always
eager to help
13 ISTP : Bold & practical experimenters, masters of all kind of tools
14 ISFP : Flexible & charming artists, always ready to explore and
experience something new
15 ESTP : Smart, energetic and very perceptive people, who truly
enjoy living on the edge
16 ESFP : Spontaneous, energetic and enthusiastic people life is
never boring around them
MBTI can be a valuable tool for increasing self-awareness and providing
career Guidance. But it is tough for mangers to correlate this model to

performance evaluation. One problem is that it forces a person into one

type or another; that is, youre either introverted or extraverted. There is
no in-between, though in reality people can be both extraverted and
introverted to some degree.
The Big Five Personality Model
Most researchers agree that while more than five dimensions of
personality are present in human beings, nearly all of them can be
subsumed within five: emotional stability, conscientiousness,
agreeableness, extraversion, and openness to experience. These five
global factors are often called the Big Five or the Five-Factor Model.
They are summarized in Table 1.

Openness (sometimes called intellect or imagination) Thismeasures

your level of creativity, and your desire for knowledge and new
experiences.
Conscientiousness This looks at the level of care you take in your life
and work. If you score high in conscientiousness, you're organized and

thorough, and you know how to make plans and follow them through. If
you score low, you're likely to be lax and disorganized.
Extraversion/Introversion This dimension measures your level of
sociability. Are you outgoing or quiet? Do you draw energy from a
crowd, or do you find it difficult to work and be around others?
Agreeableness This dimension looks at your level of friendliness and
kindness to others. Do you have empathy? Can you sympathize with
others?
Natural Reactions (sometimes called emotional stability or
neuroticism) This measures your level of emotions. Do you react
negatively to bad news and yell at your colleagues, or do you
reactcalmly? Do you worry obsessively about small details, or are you
relaxed in stressful situations?
From Goldberg, L.R., "The Development of Markers for the Big-Five
Factor Structure," Psychological Assessment, Vol. 4, No. 1, 26-42, 1992,
published by American Psychological Association, Inc.
Major Personality Attributes Influencing OB
Lets evaluate several additional personality attributes that can be
powerful predictors of behavior in organizations:
Core self-evaluation
Machiavellianism
Narcissism
Self-monitoring
Risk taking
Type A and proactive personalities

Core Self-Evaluation
People who have a positive core self-evaluation like themselves. They
see themselves as effective, capable, and in control of their
environments. Those with a negative core self-evaluation tend to dislike
themselves, question their capabilities, and view themselves as
powerless over their environments. Two main elements determine an
individuals core self-evaluation:
1. Self-esteem is defined as individuals degree of liking or disliking
themselves and the degree to which they think they are worthy or
unworthy as people. People who have a positive view of
themselves and their capabilities tend to like themselves and see
themselves as valuable. people with low self-esteem are more
likely to seek approval from others.
2. Locus of control is the degree to which people believe they are
masters of their own fate. Internals are individuals who believe that
they control what happens to them. Externals are individuals who
believe that what happens to them is controlled by outside forces,
such as luck or chance
The concept of core self-evaluations related to job performance is that
people with positive core self-evaluations perform better because they
set more ambitious goals, are more committed to their goals, and persist
longer when attempting to reach these goals. For example, one study of
life insurance agents found that the majority of the successful
salespersons had positive core self-evaluations.
Machiavellianism
An individual high in Machiavellianism is pragmatic, maintains
emotional distance, and believes that ends can justify means. If it
works, use it is consistent with a high-Mach perspective. High Machs

manipulate more, win more, are persuaded less, and persuade others
more than do low Machs.17 Yet these high-Mach outcomes are
moderated by situational factors. It has been found that high Machs
flourish (1) when they interact face to face with others rather than
indirectly; (2) when the situation has a minimum number of rules and
regulations, thus allowing latitude for improvisation; and (3)when
emotional involvement with details irrelevant to winning distracts low
Machs.
Narcissism
A person high in narcissism has a grandiose sense of self-importance,
requires excessive admiration, has a sense of entitlement, and is
arrogant. Usually narcissists are rated by their bosses as less effective at
their jobs, particularly when it comes to helping other people.
Risk Taking
People differ in their willingness to take chances. This propensity to
assume or avoid risk affects how long it takes managers to make a
decision and how much information they require before making a
choice.
Type A Personality
Type A and Type B personality theory describes two contrasting
personality types. In this theory, personalities that are more competitive,
outgoing, ambitious, impatient and/or aggressive are labeled Type A,
while more relaxed personalities are labeled Type B.
Type As differ from Type Bs in their ability to get hired. Type As do
better in job interviews because they are more likely to be judged as
having desirable traits such as high drive, competence, aggressiveness,
and success motivation.
Proactive Personality
Individuals with a proactive personality identify opportunities, show
initiative, take action, and persevere until meaningful change occurs.

They create positive change in their environment, regardless or even in

spite of constraints or obstacles.
Personality and National Culture
No common personality types dominate any given country, as high and
low risk takers are found in almost all cultures. However, a countrys
culture influences the dominant personality characteristics of its
population. In some cultures, such as those in North America, people
believe that they can dominate their environments. People in other
societies, such as Middle Eastern countries, believe that life is
essentially preordained. This is closely comparable to internal and
external locus of control.
Findings
I have studied 30 employees in Robi Axiata Limited from different
divisions. These are Technology, Market Operations, HR & People
Management and Finance division. I have found that Technology
professionals have high openness to experience. They are curious,
imaginative, open-minded, and enjoys trying new things. They have low
extraversion and feel comfort in familiar environment. They have
positive attitudes to learning experiences and attitudes.
Employees from Market Operations certainly possess high level of
extraversions. Interactions with others have significant portion of jobs.
Thus traits such as gregarious, sociable, talkative, assertive and active
would lead to effective performance of this job.
Employees from Financial division have high level of conscientiousness.
They dont adapt well to changing contexts. Their focus is on
performing well rather than on learning. They are stable, balanced, calm
and somewhat resistant to stress. Usually they need to do their job within
deadline.
Employees from Human Resources and People Management division
have high level of Emotional stability. It is essential for people

management or customer service department. They are also extrovert

people and high in openness. They are good at team work.
In summary, high emotional stability and conscientiousness are desirable
in nearly all jobs, and the level of agreeableness, extraversion, and
openness to experience are dependent on the job duties and
requirements. While personality can relate to how well a person
performs a job, it is not the only characteristic upon which a hiring
decision should be made. Ideally, a person's education, experience, and
intelligence should be evaluated for a position, with personality being
part of the criteria considered.