When we think about describing the characteristics of an individual, we tend to first consider variables such as the person's abilities and skills, attitudes, diversity, emotions, personality, perceptions, and attributes. However, there are other characteristics of the individual that play a critical role in determining employee behavior.
Some of the variables that affect how an employee performs on the job are:
Every person is a unique blend of personal attributes, such as hereditary factors (e.g., gender and race), demographic factors (e.g., age and environmental background, such as urban or rural and poor, middle class, or wealthy), abilities (i.e., the talent to perform a mental or a physical task), skills (i.e., learned talents), temperament, and tendencies. These factors blend together to influence how a person interacts with the opportunities and responsibilities of his or her organizational environment. For example, why do different people respond differently to the same situation? Differences in behaviors and job performances among individuals can be attributed to differences in their characteristics.
The combination of job satisfaction, job involvement, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship contribute to our understanding of an individual's job performance. Each of these variables is impacted by the employee's individual characteristics, such as abilities and skills, attitudes, emotions, personality, perceptions, and attributions. However, even if a manager was to fully predict all of these listed variables, other factors will also impact performance.
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Personal Attributes Five-Factor Model © 2016 South University Personality Every person is a unique blend of personal attributes, such as hereditary factors (e.g., gender and race), demographic factors (e.g., age and environmental background, such as urban or rural and poor, middle class, or wealthy), abilities (i.e., the talent to perform a mental or a physical task), skills (i.e., learned talents), temperament, and tendencies. These factors blend together to influence how a person interacts with the opportunities and responsibilities of his or her organizational environment. For example, why do different people respond differently to the same situation? Differences in behaviors and job performances among individuals can be attributed to differences in their characteristics.
Personality is the term commonly used to describe the relatively stable set of characteristics possessed by a person. The Big Five Model (Digman, 1990) of personality provides some useful categories for thinking about human personality differences. As the name implies, the model suggests five primary components that make up personality. These include:
Extroversion: Extroversion is the degree to which a person is assertive, talkative, and outgoing
compared to passive, quiet, and shy. Those high on this dimension are considered extroverted. Those low on this dimension are considered introverted.
Agreeableness: Agreeableness is the degree to which a person is friendly, cooperative, and flexible compared to reserved, guarded, and inflexible. Those high on this dimension are considered agreeable and easier to work with. Those low on this dimension are considered disagreeable and more difficult to work with.
Emotional Stability: Emotional stability is the degree to which a person is consistent and deliberate in reactions compared to inconsistent and impulsive in reactions. Those high on this dimension are considered stable, calm, and having a positive attitude. Those low on this dimension are considered insecure, anxious, and having a negative attitude.
Conscientiousness: Conscientiousness is the degree to which a person is dependable compared to unreliable. Those high on this dimension are considered careful, organized, and thorough. Those low on this dimension are considered inattentive to detail, disrespectful, and unorganized.
2 Personal Attributes
Five-Factor Model
Openness to Experience: Openness to experience is the degree to which a person is interested in learning new things, meeting new people, and going to new places compared to keeping to their current knowledge, friends, and places. Those high on this dimension are considered intellectual, curious, and cultured. Those low on this dimension are considered more narrow-minded and uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.
Digman, J. M. (1990). Personality structure: Emergence of the five-factor model. Annual Review of Psychology, 41. 41 7-440.
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Organizational Behavior and Communication
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