Human Assets

 

Measures of personality are often used in job selection. A recent study carried out by Nikos Bozionelos and published in this quarter's Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology (a leading British journal concerned with people and organizations at work) examines the relationship between personality and career success (measured both in terms of grade achieved within an organisation and career progression from the beginning of work career).  This research is particularly interesting because the participants worked for British organisations whereas previous research in this area has mainly been carried out in the US.  This article summarises some of the study's findings.

 

When we use personality questionnaires during recruitment we do so on the assumption that we are measuring something that is relatively consistent across time and situation.  We would expect that an individual's personality will influence the job roles they undertake and the environments they work in.  And so, as career success is built upon the outcomes of many experiences and actions taken over time, we would expect an individual's personality to impact on their career success. 

 

But what are the relationships, if any, between the 'big 5' personality factors (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness) and career success?

 

Bozionelos (2004) predicted that neuroticism and agreeableness would be negatively related to career success. The lack of confidence and anxiety experienced by individuals who score higher on neuroticism should make ambitious career plans less likely. And the good nature and modesty of individuals who score higher on agreeableness might be expected to cause them to assign lower priority to their own career interests in order to assist colleagues. The hypotheses for neuroticism and agreeableness were borne out by the research.

 

The results for conscientiousness and extraversion were more surprising.  It had been predicted that conscientiousness and extraversion would both be positively related to career success. A positive relationship between conscientiousness and job performance has consistently been identified in research, and it was hypothesised that this superior job performance and the characteristic of achievement striving would mean that individuals who score higher on conscientiousness would be more likely to have career success.  Individuals who score higher on extraversion are predisposed towards action and inclusion in organisational networks, and it was hypothesised that this would enhance their career progression.  However, the results of the study suggested that conscientious individuals are actually disadvantaged in their career prospects and that extraversion was also negatively associated with career success (although to a lesser extent than conscientiousness). 

 

Bozionelos (2004) comments that, although the results for conscientiousness are surprising, there is some precedent.  Earlier research has suggested that work performance and career success are only weakly associated.  Some authors have suggested that the dutiful behaviour associated with conscientiousness can lead to such a focus on job performance that the individual overlooks career opportunities.  Bozionelos (2004) also suggests that the unexpected finding that extraversion was negatively associated with career success might be related to British cultural values, for example an admiration for a certain 'coolness' or sangfroid under pressure.

 

How can Human Assets help?

 

For many years Human Assets has designed selection systems that focus on criteria that define the 'right person' in your organisation. The use of personality measures in selection must be handled carefully. It is important to understand that it is not as simple as linking a particular trait clearly to positive outcomes, such as work performance or career success; that high scores on particular traits can have different impacts on different outcomes.  The research described above also reminds us that there can be cultural differences: the study was carried out in British organisations and found different results from earlier research carried out in the US.

 

Bozionelos, N. (2004). The relationship between disposition and career success: A British study. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77, 403-420.

 

Newsletter: 2004