Kevin Daniels and Jan De Jonge recently explored the notion of `match’ in occupation settings. In the context of job design, this is congruence or correspondence between two or more job characteristics (e.g. cognitive demands and cognitive control). This congruence is thought to benefit health, well-being, and performance. The origins of the match concept lie in buffering models of work stress, where resources such as workplace social support and job control are thought to attenuate deleterious effects of adverse job characteristics like excessive job demands. In their paper, they outline the historical developments in work stress research that has led to notions of match, contrast match with the related concept of person-environment fit, explore current conceptualizations and operationalizations of match, and outline how the concept of match can be developed.
Posts Tagged ‘ Personality ’
Match making and match breaking: The nature of match within and around job design
Monday, March 22nd, 2010Relationship between Conscientiousness and Job Performance
Thursday, November 12th, 2009There has been much research conducted examining the relationship between Conscientiousness as defined as one of the dimensions in the “Big Five” Model of personality and job performance. Much of the research has indicated that Conscientiousness is a positive predictor for job performance across a range of job positions. Simply put and what many advocate, is that it appears that people who have been assessed to be higher on Conscientiousness tend to perform better at work. Nevertheless, an article by Tett (1998) highlights some considerations regarding accepting this conclusion and cautions against accepting this at face value.
In this article, a number of examples suggest that Conscientiousness and job performance may not be irrevocably linked as previous research has suggested. It provides two examples of work situations where Conscientiousness may actually hinder the job performance. Firstly, the author highlights situations where being conscientious may result in lower productivity where either tasks require more time to complete or where fewer tasks can be completed. This is illustrated by the example of managers who at times are required to make decisions even when they do not have all the relevant information (Tett, 1998). In such a situation, being high on conscientious may affect the speed at which decisions can be made.
The second example refers to rules and procedures; conscientious individuals tend to adhere to rules and procedures. Tett (1998) highlights that in certain professions, strictly following rules and procedures may affect creativity and innovation. It is proposed that such adherence to rules and procedures can affect productivity as such individuals would be unlikely to develop novel ideas and solutions.
Although Conscientiousness appears to remain as a significant predictor of job performance, it is important to note that there are situations where other factors can play a part.
Tett, R. P. (1998). Is Conscientiousness ALWAYS positively related to job performance? The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, 36(1)
Is Personality Related to Assessment Centre Performance? It is dependent on age?
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009Assessment Centres (ACs) are a commonly utilized tool for organizations in the selection and development of leadership talent. There is evidence demonstrating the utility of ACs as a work sample measure of work performance with favourable evidence in predicting the future work performance of the participants who have been assessed.
There is also evidence that personality is linked to the various areas that are commonly assessed by ACs. Of particular interest are the personality dimensions of Exhibition, Dominance and Achievement as these have been shown to predict leadership effectiveness.
Research conducted has shown that age can act as a moderating influence on personality and AC performance (Krajewski, Goffin, Rothstein & Johnston, 2007). Simply put, age influences the relationship between personality and AC performance. It is demonstrated that for Exhibition and Dominance, older managers seem to display these characteristics in a fashion that is more mature and effective at the workplace. The caveat to this is that age per se may not be the correct “term” but of greater importance is that years of relevant experience may be the better indicator regarding this relationship between personality and AC performance. Even so, ACs have nevertheless also demonstrated utility in assessing and predicting performance of individuals across age differences.
Krajewski, H.T., Goffin R.D., Rothstein M.G. & Johnston N.G. (2007). Is Personality Related to Assessment Centre Performance? That Depends on How Old You Are. Journal of Business Psychology, 22, 21-33.
