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Questions for Review
5-1. What is personality? How do we typically measure it? What factors determine personality?
Answer: Personality is the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts
with others, the measurable traits a person exhibits. It is typically measured using
Learning Objective: Describe personality, the way it is measured, and the factors that shape it
Learning Outcome: Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values
AACSB: Reflective thinking
5-2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Big
Five personality model?
Answer: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is the most widely used instrument in
the world to determine personality attributes. Participants are classified on four axes to
determine one of 16 possible personality types. It measures – extroverted/introverted;
sensing/intuitive; thinking/feeling; and judging/perceiving attributes. The MBTI is
Learning Objectives: Describe personality, the way it is measured, and the factors that shape it; Describe
the strengths and weaknesses of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality framework and the
Big Five model
Learning Outcome: Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values
AACSB: Reflective thinking
5-3. How do the concepts of core self-evaluation (CSE), self-monitoring, and proactive personality
help us to understand personality?
Answer: Core self-evaluations (CSEs) are bottom-line conclusions individuals have
about their capabilities, competence, and worth as a person. People who have positive
CSEs like themselves and see themselves as effective and in control of their environment.
Individuals with proactive personalities identify opportunities, show initiative, take
Learning Objectives: Describe personality, the way it is measured, and the factors that factors that shape
it
Learning Outcome: Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values
AACSB: Reflective thinking
5-4. How does the situation or environment affect the degree to which personality predicts behavior?
Answer: Increasingly, we are learning that the effect of particular traits on organizational
Learning Objective: Describe how the situation affects whether personality predicts behavior
Learning Outcomes: Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values
AACSB: Reflective thinking
5-5. What is the difference between terminal and instrumental values?
Answer: Values are basic convictions on how to conduct yourself or how to live your life
that is personally or socially preferable – “How To” live life properly. They are important
because they provide understanding of attitudes, motivation, and behavior, they influence
Learning Objective: Contrast terminal and instrumental values
Learning Outcome: Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values
AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning; Reflective thinking
5-6. What are the differences between person-job fit and person-organization fit?
Answer: Personality-job fit theory identifies six personality types and proposes that the
fit between personality type and occupational environment determines satisfaction and
Learning Objectives: Describe the differences between person-job fit and person-organization fit
Learning Outcome: Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values
AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning; Reflective thinking
5-7. How do Hofstede’s five value dimensions and the GLOBE framework differ?
Answer: Hofstede’s framework for assessing culture includes five value
dimensions: Power distance; Individualism vs. collectivism; Masculinity vs.
Learning Objectives: Compare Hofstede’s five value dimensions and the GLOBE framework
Learning Outcome: Describe Hofstede’s five value dimensions of national culture
AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environment; Reflective thinking
Experiential Exercise
Your Best Self
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Contrast terminal and instrumental values
Learning Outcome: Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values
AACSB: Reflective thinking
The object of this game is to end up with the labels that best represent each person’s values. The
following rows represent 11 rounds of play. Break the class into groups of four students (if the
number of students is not divisible by four, then we suggest three). Play begins with the person in
the group whose name comes first in alphabetical order. That student picks one of the values in
round one that represents him- or herself, crosses it off this list, and writes it down on a piece of
paper. Values can be used by only one person at a time. Moving clockwise, the next person does
the same, and so forth for round one until all the values have been taken.
For round two, the first player can either add a second value from the round two row, or take a
value from one of the other players by adding it to his or her list while the other player crosses
off the value. The player whose value has been taken selects two new values from the one and
two rows. Play proceeds clockwise. The rest of the rounds continue the same way, with a new
row available for each round. At the end of the rounds, students rank the importance to them of
the values they have accumulated.
1. Freedom Integrity Spirituality Respect
2. Loyalty Achievement Fidelity Exploration
3. Affection Challenge Serenity Justice
4. Charity Discipline Security Mastery
5. Prudence Diversity Kindness Duty
6. Wisdom Inspiration Harmony Joy
7. Depth Compassion Excellence Tolerance
8. Honesty Success Growth Modesty
9. Courage Dedication Empathy Openness
10. Faith Service Playfulness Learning
11. Discovery Independence Humor Understanding
Questions
5-8. What are your top three values? How well do they represent you? Did you feel
pressure to choose values that might seem most socially acceptable?
5-9. Is there a value you would claim for yourself that is not on the list?
5-10. It is often argued that values are meaningful only when they conflict and we have to
choose between them. Do you think that was one of the objectives of this game? Do
you agree with the premise?
Ethical Dilemma
Generational Values and “Staying Put”
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objectives: Describe personality, the way it is measured, and the factors that shape it; Describe how the
situation affects whether personality predicts behavior
Learning Outcome: Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Those who have been in the workforce for many years often lament the job hopping of more
recent entrants into the workforce. In their mindset, leaving an employer is not something to do
lightly since employers invest money and effort into employees. Many see job hopping as a
breach of an ethical understanding between employer and employee. Is it?
Lifelong commitment to one employer is a thing of the past. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
reports that today, only 28 percent of women and 30 percent of men remain with their employer
for 10 or more years, compared to 50 percent for both men and women in 1973. Compensation
research firm PayScale found the average Millennial changes jobs every 2 years.
While the data may represent an upswing in job hopping, some of this movement is
employer-driven. Some say that since lifetime job security and benefit packages such as
rock-solid pensions and perpetual health benefits are long gone for most positions, employers
have broken the ethical reciprocal relationship.
Some say the ethics of staying with an organization have dissolved. They argue Millennials have
changed the employer-employee relationship because they emphasize the present over the future
and place a great value on daily lifestyle. Similarly, some argue that, rather than career planning
and promises of long-term career prospects, Millennials need more feedback and reassurance in
order to feel they should stay with an organization.
The ethics of the situation may come down to expectations and perceived fairness. The data
show the differences in expectations: 66 percent of Millennials say they want to switch careers at
some time in their life, while 62 percent of Generation X members and 84 percent of baby
boomers say they would prefer to stay at their current job for the rest of their lives. Andrew
Leavitt, a 26-year-old who changed jobs a year after graduating college, said, “I mean, what kind
of Millennial would work for the same company for their whole life?” Millennials seem to prefer
no ethical obligation to stay with an employer, but expect an obligation for the employer to stay
with them. According to Neil Howe, the individual credited with coining the term Millennial
generation, Millennials expect “the perfect employer who will be their ally and take care of
them.”
This type of situation—where employers give employees what they want, but employees aren’t
ethically obligated to stay—doesn’t sit well with many employers. “We prefer long-tenured
employees who have stuck with us and been loyal,” says Dave Foster, CEO of AvreaFoster, an
advertising agency in Dallas. “It appears that a lot of Millennials don’t think that one path is the
answer. This is a problem because the commitment isn’t there.” No matter what the difference in
values is, it seems Millennials and organizations need to decide the ethical expectations for the
modern employment relationship.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Tenure Summary (September 18, 2012), U. S. Department of Labor,
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm; T. Hsu, “Millennials Change Jobs Every 2 Years on Average,” Chicago Tribune (September 3,
2012), p. 2-1; L. Kwoh, “Firms Bow to Generation Y’s Demands,” The Wall Street Journal (August 22, 2012), p. B6; E. Frauenheim, “Deal or
Not Deal? ‘Employee Value Proposition’ Evolves,” Workforce Management (November 2012), pp. 16–-17; T. S. Collins, “Millennials Take on the
Workforce,” SHIFT Magazine (May 3, 2011), downloaded April 29, 2013, from www.smudailymustang.com; and T. Henneman, “Talkin’ About
Their Generations: The Workforce of the ‘50s and Today,” Workforce Management (April 2012), pp. 24–-25.
Questions
5-11. In your experience, do younger individuals differ from older individuals in terms of how
long they plan to remain with a given employer?
Answer: This answer will depend on students’ frames of reference and experience. Most
students with work experience will likely not have been in situations that motivate them
5-12. Do you think you should feel free to “job surf”—purposely moving from job to job as
soon as the desire strikes? Do you think employers have a right to ask about “job surfing”
plans when they interview you?
Answer: Most students will likely be in favor of “job surfing.” Since they will have little
5-13. If you had an interview with Foster or someone with his views of Millennials, how might
you combat his preconceptions?
Answer: Since the student is unlikely to have a work record that supports the concept of
organizational commitment, the student might explain to Foster that the student
Case Incident 1
On the Costs of Being Nice
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objectives: Describe personality, the way it is measured, and the factors that shape it; Describe how the
situation affects whether personality predicts behavior
Learning Outcome: Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Agreeable people tend to be kinder and more accommodating in social situations, which you
might think could add to their success in life. However, one downside of agreeableness is
potentially lower earnings. Recent research has shown the answer to this and other puzzles; some
of them may surprise you.
First, and perhaps most obvious, agreeable individuals are less adept at a type of negotiation
called distributive bargaining. As we discuss in Chapter 14, distributive bargaining is less about
creating win-win solutions and more about claiming as large of a share of the pie as possible.
Because salary negotiations are generally distributive, agreeable individuals often negotiate
lower salaries for themselves than they might otherwise get. Perhaps because of this impaired
ability to negotiate distributively, agreeable individuals have lower credit scores.
Second, agreeable individuals may choose to work in industries or occupations that earn lower
salaries, such as the “caring” industries of education or healthcare. Agreeable individuals are also
attracted to jobs both in the public sector and in non-profit organizations.
Third, the earnings of agreeable individuals also may be reduced by their lower drive to emerge
as leaders, and by their tendency to engage in lower degrees of proactive task behaviors, such as
coming up with ways to increase organizational effectiveness.
While being agreeable certainly doesn’t appear to help one’s pay, it does provide other benefits.
Agreeable individuals are better liked at work, are more likely to help others at work, and
generally are happier at work and in life.
Nice guys—and gals—may finish last in terms of earnings, but wages themselves do not define a
happy life, and on that front, agreeable individuals have the advantage.
Sources: T. A. Judge, B. A. Livingston, and C. Hurst, “Do Nice Guys—and Gals—Really Finish Last? The Joint Effects of Sex and
Agreeableness on Income,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 102 (2012), pp. 390–-407; J. B. Bernerth, S. G. Taylor, H. J. Walker,
and D. S. Whitman, “An Empirical Investigation of Dispositional Antecedents and Performance-Related Outcomes of Credit Scores,” Journal of
Applied Psychology 97 (2012), pp. 469–-478; J. Carpenter, D. Doverspike, and R. F. Miguel, “Public Service Motivation as a Predictor of
Attraction to the Public Sector,” Journal of Vocational Behavior 80 (2012), pp. 509–-523; and A. Neal, G. Yeo, A. Koy, and T. Xiao, “Predicting
the Form and Direction of Work Role Performance from the Big 5 Model of Personality Traits,” Journal of Organizational Behavior 33 (2012),
pp. 175–-192.
Questions
5-14. Do you think employers must choose between agreeable employees and top performers?
Why or why not?
Answer: This item can be assigned as a Discussion Question in MyManagementLab.
5-15. Often, the effects of personality depend on the situation. Can you think of some job
situations in which agreeableness is an important virtue, and some in which it is harmful
to job performance?
Answer: Students are likely to have different responses for this question. They may see
relationship positions such as sales or customer service as more appropriate to agreeable
5-16. In some research we’ve conducted, the negative effects of agreeableness on earnings are
stronger for men than for women (that is, being agreeable hurt men’s earnings more than
women’s). Why do you think this might be the case?
Answer: This response might focus on the “glass ceiling.” Because there is a greater
difference between maximum and minimum salaries for men as opposed to women, there
Case Incident 2
The Power of Quiet
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objectives: Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI) personality
framework and its and the Big Five model
Learning Outcome: Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values
AACSB: Reflective thinking
If someone labeled you an “introvert,” how would it make you feel?
Judging from research on social desirability, most of us would prefer to be labeled extroverts.
Normal distributions being what they are, however, half the world is more introverted than
average. Earlier in the chapter, we discussed the upside of introversion, but in many ways, it’s an
extrovert’s world. So says Susan Cain, in her bestselling book, Quiet.
In the book, Cain makes three arguments:
1. We see ourselves as extraverts. Introversion is generally seen as undesirable, partly because
extraverts like being in charge and are more apt to shape environments to fit their wishes.
2. Introversion is driven underground. Thanks to social norms and structures, introverts often
are forced to be “closet introverts”—acting according to an extraverted ideal, even if that is
3. Extraversion is not all it’s cracked up to be. Because introversion is suppressed, we cause the
introverts of the world distress and fail to capitalize on the many virtues of introversion. We
Cain is not anti-extravert. She simply thinks we should encourage people to be who they truly
are, and that means valuing extraversion and introversion. She concludes, “The next time you
see a person with a composed face and soft voice, remember that inside her mind she might be
solving an equation, composing a sonnet, designing a hat. She might, that is, be deploying the
powers of quiet.”
Source: Based on S. Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (New York: Random House/Broadway Paperbacks,
2013); G. Belojevic; V. Slepcevic, and B. Jakovljevic, “Mental Performance in Noise: The Role of Introversion,” Journal of Environmental
Psychology 21, no. 2 (2001): 209–13; and P. Hills and M. Argyle, “Happiness, Introversion-Extraversion and Happy Introverts,”
Personality and Individual Differences 30, no. 4 (2001): 595–608.
Questions
5-17. Would you classify yourself as introverted or extraverted? How would people who know you
describe you?
Answer: Responses to this question will vary by student.
5-18. Would you prefer to be more introverted, or more extraverted, than you are? Why?
Answer: This item can be assigned as a Discussion Question in MyManagementLab.
5-19. Do you agree with Cain’s arguments? Why or why not?
Answer: Responses to this question will vary by student.
My Management Lab
Go to mymanagementlab.com for Auto-graded writing questions as well as the following
Assisted-graded writing questions:
5-20. What do you feel are the pros and cons of extraversion and introversion for your work life? Can
you increase desirable traits?
5-21. The study cited in the Ethical Dilemma found that Millennials change jobs every 2 years, while
for baby boomers the average tenure was 7 years and for Generation X, 5. Because people
change jobs less often as they age, do you think these statistics may have more to do with age
than with generational values? Why or why not?
5-22. MyManagementLab only—comprehensive writing assignment for this chapter.
Instructor’s Choice
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Describe the strengths and weaknesses of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality
indicator and the Big Five model
Learning Outcome: Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Begin by pointing out some behaviors that effective teams practice: establish a common mission,
assess strengths and weaknesses, develop individual goals, secure agreement on a way to achieve
goals, develop accountability for individual and group actions, build trust, maintain a mix of skills and
personalities, provide training, and create opportunities for successes. Ask students to review the Big
Five model before beginning the exercise. If you choose not to list the items presented by the teams on
the board, appoint a scribe.
Exploring OB Topics on the Web
This exercise contributes to:
Learning Objective: Contrast terminal and instrumental values
Learning Outcome: Describe the factors that influence the formation of individual attitudes and values
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Learn more about yourself! Go to http://www.41q.com/. There you will find a variety of
personality tests such as “Are you a Type A?”, the “Stress O Meter,” and other IQ and
personality tests. Most are free and often fun to take. Take two or three of your choice. Print the
results you get on yourself and bring them to class, where we will discuss the validity of your
findings.
How are personality tests and employment linked? Why would an employer or employee be
interested in the results of a personality test? Go to the following sites to learn more:
http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/interviewing/20010622-webb.html
http://www.hr-guide.com/data/G312.htm
Bring five new facts you learned from the website to class for a group discussion.
