Personality Traits and Workplace Culture

This article will help you explore one dimension of this complex relationship: the cultural match factor, or "How compatible is your personality with the organizational culture of the co

Personality Traits and Workplace Culture:

Online tests measure the fit between person and organization

Mark Mallinger, Ph.D and Ileana Rizescu

Application: Determine how compatible you are with your primary

work group.

Have you ever stopped in the middle of a work frenzy and asked yourself, "Why do I continue to work for this organization?" When you try to promote your ideas, do most of your peers frequently react with indifference? If so, it may be time to evaluate the

relationship between you and your company

This article will help you explore one dimension of this complex relationship: the cultural match factor, or "How compatible is your personality with the organizational culture of the company for which you work?" Even more than that, it will provide you with the

assessment tools to figure out whether you are, indeed, compatible One tool helps you evaluate the company culture, one tests your personality type on the related dimensions, and the third shows you how to compare responses to see how closely they match

Together they help you address the question of "How well do I fit in this organization?"

The cultural match between an individual and an organization is determined by the degree

to which the individual's personal traits fit the organizational culture, or perhaps vice versa

A lower cultural match may indicate that the individual is drained of important resources by having to continuously adjust to the workplace environment A higher cultural match

suggests the potential for a more satisfying interaction for both the individual and the organization

It is generally assumed that a successful relationship between an individual and an

organization is based on a shared foundation of beliefs and behaviors Similar beliefs and ways of working usually encourage communication and tend to support the working

relationship, allowing synergies to emerge In contrast, a high level of dissimilarity usually requires a high consumption of adaptive energy

Integrated Cultural Framework as a measure of organizational culture

Organizational culture can be described as a set of collective beliefs and values that influence behavior The Integrated Cultural Framework (ICF) developed by Mallinger and Rossy offers a means for measuring organizational culture The ICF contains six

dimensions which are described below Also included is a set of questions to assess the level of each component

Ability to influence is the extent to which individuals are able to influence outcomes

within the organization A high ability to influence suggests that the organization is open to input from a wide range of members and is willing to consider and react to those

suggestions It is likely decentralized A low ability to influence indicates a culture where

most individuals have little chance to impact the outcomes Decisions are made by a small group of individuals at the top who are not open to input from more than a select group of employees Assessing questions include:

 Where are decisions made within the organization?

 Is the organization centralized or decentralized?

 To what extent can most members participate in changing procedures and policies?

Comfort with ambiguity describes the extent to which the members of the organization

are comfortable with uncertainty and risk taking

 Are there lots of rules and regulations that explicitly define the way "things should

be done here?"

 Can decisions be made without complete information?

 Is risk encouraged?

Achievement Orientation refers to the extent to which the members of the organization

are striving to accomplish goals and improve performance

 Is goal accomplishment the norm?

 Is there a high expectation of achievement?

Individualism vs Collectivism refers to the extent to which the members of the

organization are encouraged or given incentives to focus primarily on personal gain

(individualism) versus considering first the interests of the group as a whole (collectivism)

 Are rewards individual or group based?

 To what extent do members work as a team?

Time Orientation measures the extent to which the organization's missions/goals are

focused on values from past, present or future However, combinations of time orientation can exist For example, an organization may demonstrate both present and future

orientation (e.g., focus on bottom line, while also engaging in meaningful strategic

planning)

 Is the vision based on the values of the founders (i.e past), the current environment (present) or an estimation of the future?

 Is the implementation of the strategy past, present or future oriented?

Space Orientation refers to the extent to which physical layout is public, private or a mix

of both

 To what extent is office space shared?

 To what extent do you see closed versus open doors?

 To what extent are members protective of their space?

IPIP-NEO Personality Test

As a personality assessment tool we have chosen the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP-NEO) Test because it has a fairly large number of personality traits that can be associated with the cultural dimensions used to describe the organization The IPIP-NEO Test estimates the individual's personality on five broad domains (known as the Five-Factor Model) and 30 sub-domains The test measures normal differences in personality and it is based on, but it is not equivalent to, the NEO PI-R™, authored by Paul T Costa,

Jr and Robert R McCrae A reduced version of the test can be taken for free The

comprehensive version of the test is also available

For the purposes of comparison, a smaller group of characteristics has been selected from the larger pool of six traits within each of the five domains Some traits, such as

immoderation or artistic interests, were deemed not relevant for defining a match with the cultural dimensions listed above Consequently, we only will describe, briefly, those traits that are used in linking personality and organization culture

Extraversion

 Friendliness: The ability to quickly establish relationships with other people

 Gregariousness: The level of social engagement High scorers enjoy the company

of others and tend to be comfortable in groups Low scorers have a greater need for privacy and tend to avoid large groups of people

 Activity Level: Active individuals get involved in many activities, leading fast-paced lives People with a low activity level enjoy a more leisurely, slower-paced life

Agreeableness

 Trust - the capacity to rely on someone else's integrity, ability or character

 Altruism - the need to help others, viewed as a form of self-fulfillment

 Cooperation - the ability to lower the priority of personal needs in order to get along with others

Conscientiousness

 Self-Efficacy - the confidence in one's ability to accomplish goals

 Achievement - Striving High scorers have a strong achievement drive and wish to

be perceived as successful Low scorers don't value social recognition as much and are satisfied performing at a level with which they are comfortable

 Cautiousness - the disposition to analyze all possibilities before taking decision or acting Low scorers often do or say what comes first to their mind

Neuroticism

 Self-Consciousness - the degree to which an individual is sensitive to what others think about him or her High scorers indicate a concern about being criticized or rejected by others whereas low scorers are less concerned about judgment from others

Openness to Experience

 Adventurousness - the degree to which one looks for new experiences High

scorers are not comfortable with routine, while low scorers tend to feel

uncomfortable with change, preferring familiar routines

 Liberalism - the psychological meaning of the term refers to the readiness to

challenge authority, convention and traditional values Low scorers are called conservative and prefer security and stability brought by tradition

Comparison between organizational cultural features and matching personality traits

In selecting the personality traits that match the organizational cultural framework, the personality trait within a cultural dimension should enable the individual:

 to feel comfortable in the specific organizational environment

 to feel motivated by this environment

 to be able to deliver the expected results for the organization

The following table offers the means to assess the degree of cultural match between an individual personality and an organizational culture To illustrate this, you are invited to take the personality test referenced above and compare the results with the cultural

climate of your own organization or another with which you are familiar

When carrying out the cultural assessment, select a unit of analysis that is related to your organizational identity - the segment of the business with which you most identify as your work group Depending on size, location, or divisional responsibilities, the unit of analysis might be the corporation, the division, the department, or the functional arena

The first column of the table contains a listing of the organizational culture traits measured

at the ends of the scale, each of them being assigned a value (1 or 3) in parentheses Because the "low" and "high" values used by the Integrated framework scale could not be compared directly with the "low" and "high" values offered by the IPIP measure, we have introduced numerical values from 1 to 3 to make the comparison possible

The second column is to be filled in with the scores that reflect your company's culture For example, if, in your opinion, your company ranks high on "ability to influence," you will assign a 3 If there is moderate "ability to influence," you will score it a 2

The third column offers a short description of the matching personality traits for each organizational culture feature The fourth column specifies the corresponding IPIP-NEO measures, and the numerical score associated with each Use the fifth column to calculate the average score of your personality traits for that line For example, if you scored high on liberalism (3) and medium on self-efficacy (2), your IPIP average score will be 2.5

After grading both organizational culture and your personality, the comparison between the second and the fifth column will show the degree to which the scores match A strong match is suggested if the columns contain equal scores or are within a 0.5 difference A 1-point difference between the corresponding scores may reflect an incongruity, whereas a 2-point difference is likely to indicate a misfit

Organizational Culture-Personality Comparison Chart

Organizational

Culture Feature

Your Org.

Score

Description of Matching Personality

Traits

IPIP-Neo Measure Your IPIP

Ave.

Score

High ability to influence

(3)

Low ability to influence

(1)

Challenges authority, likes to be empowered

Respect for hierarchical structure, needs direction in life

High liberalism (3) High self-efficacy (3)

Low liberalism (1) Low self-efficacy (1)

High comfort with

ambiguity (3)

Low comfort with

ambiguity (1)

Adventurous, risk-taking

Rigorous, cautious

Low caution (3) High adventure (3)

High caution (1) Low adventure (1)

High achievement (3)

Low achievement (1)

Achievement striving, active

Follower, contemplative, less concerned with high achieve.

High assertive (3) High activity (3) High achive.

(3)

Low activity (1) Low achivement-striving (1) Collectivism (3)

Individualism (1)

Cooperative, "Doing for others," Trust

Independent, Don't like

to share, Little trust

High cooperation (3) / High trust (3) High altruism (3)

Low cooperation (1) / Low trust (1) Low altruism (1) Present-future

orientation (3)

Past-present

orientation (1)

Liberal, open to future experience

Conservative, stability, tradition

High liberalism (3)

Low liberalism (1)

Public (3)

Private (1)

Friendly, seeks company

Reserved, needs privacy

Low self-consciousness (3) High gregariousness (3)

High self-consciousness (1) Low gregariousness (1)

To enhance the model presented in this article, it is important to be aware of the following considerations:

1 As stated earlier, it is useful to compare your personality with the culture of the

organizational unit in which you work In addition to your business unit, however, a fit with the company as a whole would offer hope for a more satisfying career as you continue to move through the organization For some people, a personal/culture fit may exist only in the functional area in which they work For example, an adventurous and non-conformist individual could match the less risk-averse, more creative subculture of the Design

Department of a garment factory, even though the overall company might be rigidly

structured and have a low comfort level with ambiguity

2 While a large base of similarities may enable successful and harmonious interaction, dissimilarities are also valuable They are the source of attraction, of added value and information exchange that give substance and fuel to the relationship

3 The optimum degree of cultural match depends on one's psychological profile and, ultimately, on personal preference Flexible, risk-taking personalities would handle a larger percentage of dissimilarities more successfully than a cautious personality, enjoying more intensive exchange and adjusting processes Conservative or cautious personalities would require a solid, large basis of similarities as a support for their cooperation with the

company

One's success in the organization often goes beyond "doing a good job." Frequently satisfaction with work comes from not only performing well, but also being comfortable with corporate values It is essential, therefore, to examine the match between personal

characteristics and organization culture It is our belief that the greater the degree to which the match is favorable, along with the contingencies raised in the paragraph above, the more likely one will be satisfied with his or her work

Nguồn: St Helens College (ac.uk), ngày download: 09/2010

+++++++

NGỌC LINH SƠN

THƯ VIỆN ĐIỆN TỬ, THƯ VIỆN GIÁO DỤC TỔNG HỢP

http://ngoclinhson.violet.vn , http://ngoclinhson.co.cc ,

http://ngoclinhson.freevnn.com , http://ngoclinhson.tk

cập nhật phần mềm, tài liệu cá nhân có trong quá trình làm việc, sử dụng máy tính và

hỗ trợ cộng đồng:

+ Quản lý giáo dục, các hoạt động giáo dục;

+ Tin học, công nghệ thông tin;

+ Giáo trình, giáo án; đề thi, đề kiểm tra; tài liệu tham khảo (Mầm non, Tiểu học, THCS, THPT, Cao đẳng, Đại học, sau đại học);

+ Đề án, luận án, đề tài, luận văn, khóa luận,

và các nội dung khác (Đảng CS, Đoàn TN, Đội TNTP…; kinh tế, xã hội, văn hóa…)

Quản trị: Trần Quốc Thành, Toán, P.HT THPT Trần Đại Nghĩa, Đắk Lắk

Phone: 090 5 59 00 99, mail: ngoclinhson@gmail.com, Y!M: ngoclinhson Keywords:

thư viện giáo dục, lý luận, phương pháp, quản lý, giáo dục, đào tạo, sư phạm, dạy học, giảng viên, giáo viên, sinh viên, học sinh, toán, toán học, giải tích, đại số, hình học, đề án, luận án, đề tài, luận văn, khóa luận, tiểu luận, chuyên đề, chủ đề, tự chọn, sáng kiến kinh nghiệm, tin học, công nghệ, thông tin, download, phần mềm, máy

tư liệu, bài giảng, giáo trình, giáo án, đề thi, đề cương, ôn tập, kiểm tra

+++++++