Chapter 3: Individual Differences and Emotions

Individual Differences (ID)

The many attributes, such as traits and behavior, that describe each of us as a person (big part of what give us our unique identities, essential in the application of OB)

Intelligence

Represents an individual’s capacity for constructive thinking, reasoning, and problem solving (viewed as IQ, but it can be much more complex than that)

Practical Intelligence

The ability to solve everyday problems by utilizing knowledge gained from experience to purposefully adapt to, shape, and select environments

Personality

The combination of relatively stable physical, behavioral, and mental characteristics that gives individuals their unique identities

Big Five Personality Dimensions

Extroversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness to experience

Extroversion

Outgoing, talkative, sociable, assertive

Agreeableness

Trusting, good-natured, cooperative, softhearted

Conscientiousness

Dependable, responsible, achievement-oriented, persistent

Emotional Stability

Relaxed, secure, unworried

Openness to Experience

Intellectual, Imaginative, curious, broad-minded

Proactive Personality

Is an attribute of someone “relatively unconstrained by situational forces and who effects environmental change”

Proactive People

Identify opportunities and act on them, show initiative, take action, and persevere until meaningful change occurs

The Dark Triad

Narcissism, psychopathy, and machiavellianism

Narcissists

Characterized as having a grandiose sense of self-importance, requiring or even demanding excessive admiration, having a sense of entitlement lacking empathy, and tending to be exploitative, manipulative, and arrogant

Psychopaths

Can be aggressive and lack concern for others, guilt, or remorse when their own actions do others harm

Machiavellians

Believe the ends justify the means, often maintain emotional distance, and are manipulative

Personality and Performance

Personality characteristics are likely to have the greatest influence and effect on performance when you are working in situations that are unstructured and with few rules

Conscientiousness Performance

• Strongest and most positive effects on performance across jobs, industries, and levels

• Show strong sense of purpose, obligation, and persistence

Extroversion Performance

• Beneficial if the job involves interpersonal interaction

• Stronger predictor of job performance than agreeableness

Agreeableness Performance

• Likely to fit and excel in jobs requiring interpersonal interaction, such as customer service

• More likely to stay at their jobs, be kind and get along with others, and thus have positive relationships and experiences at work

Openness Preformance

• Linked with higher levels of creativity compared with other traits

• May be more likely to quit/ seek and find new jobs, even if they’re satisfied with their current jobs

• Come as a “double—edged Sword” for employers

Emotional Stability Performance

• Associated with higher job satisfaction and well-being

• Difficult to find a downside to this in the workplace

Employees High on Neuroticism

Have opposite experiences.

• higher levels of burnout

Core Self-Evaluations (CSEs)

Represent four narrow and positive individual traits:

1. Generalized self-efficacy

2. Self-esteem

3. Locus of Control

4. Emotional Stability

Self-Efficacy

A person’s belief about his or her chances of successfully accomplishing a specific task (“I can do that”)

Self-efficacy can be developed by…

Helpful nudges from parents, role models, and mentors

Self-esteem

Your general belief about your self-worth

Locus of Control

A relatively stable personality characteristic that describes how much personal responsibility we take for our behavior and its consequences

Interpersonal Locus of Control

People who believe they control the events and consequences that affect their lives

External Locus of Control

Those who believe their performance is the product of circumstances beyond their immediate control

Emotional Stability

Individuals with high levels of this tend to be relaxed, secure, unworried, and less likely to experience negative emotions under pressure (low levels are prone to anxiety and tend to view the world negatively)

Emotional Intelligence (EQ/EI)

The ability to monitor your own emotions and those of others, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide your thinking and actions

Four Key Components of EQ/EI

1. Self-awareness

2. Self-management

3. Social awareness

4. Relationship management

Emotions

Complex, relatively brief responses aimed at a particular target, such as a person, information, experience, or event (also change psychological and/or physiological states)