Major personality attributes influencing OB:
Self-monitoring:
A personal conceptions trait of special importance to managers is self-monitoring. Self-monitoring reflects a person’s ability to adjust his or her behaviours to external, situational (environmental) factors. High self-monitoring individuals are sensitive to external cues and tend to behave differently in different situations. High self-monitors can present a very different appearance from their true self. In contrast, low self-monitors, aren’t able to disguise their behaviours. There is also evidence that high self-monitors are closely attuned to the behaviour of others and conform more readily than do low self-monitors. Thus, they appear flexible and may be especially good at responding to the kinds of situational contingencies. For example, high self-monitors should be especially good at changing their leadership behaviour to fit subordinates with high or low experience, tasks with high or low structure, and so on.
Self-esteem:Degree to which a person likes or dislikes themselvesis called as self-esteem. It is related to job satisfaction and expectations for success.People with low self-esteem are more prone to conform to beliefs and behaviours of others than thosewith high self-esteem. Dependent on receipt of positive evaluation from others.
Locus of control:refers to the extent to which a person feels able to control his or her own life. Itis concerned with a person’s internal–external orientation. People have personal conceptions about whether events are controlled primarily by themselves, which indicates an internal orientation, or by outside forces, such as their social and physical environment, which indicates an external orientation. Internals, or persons with an internal locus of control, believe that they control their own fate or destiny. In contrast, externals, or persons with an external locus of control, believe that much of what happens to them is beyond their control and is determined by environmental forces. In general, externals are more extroverted in their interpersonal relationships and are more oriented toward the world around them. Internals tend to be more introverted and are more oriented toward their own feelings and ideas.Internals tend to do better on tasks requiring complex information processing and learning, as well as initiative and many managerial and professional jobs have these kinds of requirements.
Machiavellianism: Another attribute influencing personality is machiavellianism. These individuals approach situations logically and thoughtfully and are even capable of lying to achieve personal goals. They are rarely swayed by loyalty, friendships, past promises, or the opinions of others, and they are skilled at influencing others. Research using the Mach scales provides insight into the way high and low Machs may be expected to behave in various situations. A person with a “cool” and “detached” high-Mach personality can be expected to take control and try to exploit loosely structured environmental situations but will perform in a careless, even detached, manner in highly structured situations. Low Machs tend to accept direction imposed by others in loosely structured situations; they work hard to do well in highly structured ones. For example, we might expect that, where the situation permitted, a high Mach would do or say whatever it took to get his or her way. In contrast, a low Mach would tend to be much more strongly guided by ethical considerations and would be less likely to lie or cheat or to get away with lying or cheating.
Risk taking:
People differ in their willingness to take chances .This propensity to assume or avoid risks has been shown to have an impact on how long it takes managers to make a decision and how much information they require before making their choices. High risk taking managers made more rapid decisions and use less information in making their choices then the lower risk taking managers. High risk taking managers operate in small organizations as compared to low risk taking managers.
Authoritarianism/Dogmatism:
Both “authoritarianism” and “dogmatism” deal with the rigidity of a person’s beliefs. A person high in authoritarianism tends to adhere rigidly to conventional values and to obey recognized authority. This person is concerned with toughness and power and opposes the use of subjective feelings. An individual high in dogmatism sees the world as a threatening place. This person regards legitimate authority as absolute and accepts or rejects others according to how much they agree with accepted authority. Superiors who possess these latter traits tend to be rigid and closed. At the same time, dogmatic subordinates tend to want certainty imposed upon them. From an ethical standpoint, we can expect highly authoritarian individuals to present a special problem because they are so susceptible to authority that in their eagerness to comply they may behave unethically. For example, we might speculate that many of the Nazis who were involved in war crimes during World War II were high in authoritarianism or dogmatism; they believed so strongly in authority that they followed their unethical orders without question.
Type A and Type B personality: Individuals with a Type A orientation are characterized by impatience, desire for achievement, and perfectionism. In contrast, those with Type B orientations are characterized as more easy going and less competitive in relation to daily events. Type A people tend to work fast and to be abrupt, uncomfortable, irritable, and aggressive. Such tendencies indicate “obsessive” behaviour, a fairly widespread—but not always helpful—trait among managers. Many managers are hard-driving, detail-oriented people who have high performance standards and thrive on routine. But when such work obsessions are carried to the extreme, they may lead to greater concerns for details than for results, resistance to change, overzealous control of subordinates, and various kinds of interpersonal difficulties, which may even include threats and physical violence. In contrast, Type B managers tend to be much more laid back and patient in their dealings with co-workers and subordinates.