Key Individual Differences and the Road to Success CHAPTER FIVE

An Instructional Road Map for the Study of Individual Differences in Chapters 5 and 6

Self-Esteem Self-esteem  Belief about one’s own self worth based on an overall self-evaluation.

Branden’s Six Pillars of Self- Esteem

Can General Self-Esteem Be Improved? Low self-esteem can be raised more by having a person think of desirable characteristics possessed rather than of undesirable characteristics from which he is free

Self-Efficacy Self-efficacy  a person’s belief about his chances of successfully accomplishing a specific task

Self-Efficacy Beliefs Pave the Way for Success or Failure

Managerial Implications On-the-job research evidence encourages managers to nurture self-efficacy, both in themselves and in others Significant positive correlation between self-efficacy and job performance

Self-Monitoring Self-monitoring  the extent to which a person observes his or her own self-expressive behavior and adapts it to the demands of the situation.  chameleons

Practical Recommendations For high, moderate, and low self-monitors:  Become more consciously aware of your self-image and how it affects others. For high self-monitors:  Don’t overdo it by evolving from a successful chameleon into someone who is widely perceived as insincere, dishonest, phony, and untrustworthy.

Practical Recommendations For low self-monitors:  You can bend without breaking, so try to be a bit more accommodating while being true to your basic beliefs. Don’t wear out your welcome when communicating.

Organizational Identification Organizational identification  occurs when one comes to integrate beliefs about one’s organization into one’s identity

Personality: Concepts and Controversy Personality  the combination of stable physical and mental characteristics that give the individual his or her identity

The Big Five Personality Dimensions

Question? If Clint is dependable, responsible, achievement-oriented, and persistent, he is demonstrating which of these Big Five personality dimensions? A. Extraversion B. Emotional stability C. Locus of control D. Conscientiousness

Personality and Job Performance Conscientiousness has the strongest positive correlation with job and training performance Extraversion is associated with success for managers and salespeople

Proactive Personality Proactive Personality -  someone who is relatively unconstrained by situational forces and who effects environmental change

Locus of Control Internal locus of control  People who believe they control the events and consequences that affect their lives External locus of control  People who tend to attribute key outcomes in their lives to environmental causes, such as luck or fate

Advice and Words of Caution about Personality Testing in the Workplace

Question? Joe believes his past performance in college is due to the difficulty of courses he has taken and his bad luck in getting tough instructors. Based on this, Joe: A. has an external locus of control. B. is a proactive personality. C. is an extravert. D. has a low degree of conscientiousness.

Abilities (Intelligence) and Performance Ability  Stable characteristic responsible for a person’s maximum physical or mental performance Skill  Specific capacity to manipulate objects.

Performance Depends on the Right Combination of Effort, Ability, and Skill

Intelligence and Cognitive Abilities Intelligence  capacity for constructive thinking, reasoning, and problem solving

Two Types of Abilities 1. General mental ability needed for all cognitive tasks 2. Unique to the task at hand

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Linguistic Logical- mathematical Musical Body- kinesthetic SpatialInterpersonal IntrapersonalNaturalist

Mental Abilities Underlying Performance

Question? Jimmy can remember the order preferences of each of his clients. This is the mental ability of ________. A. Word fluency B. Numerical C. Spatial D. Memory

Positive and Negative Emotions Emotions  complex, patterned, organismic reactions to how we think we are doing in our lifelong efforts to survive and flourish and to achieve what we wish for ourselves

Positive and Negative Emotions

Emotional Intelligence  ability to manage oneself and one’s relationships in mature and constructive ways

Question? Dave is not very patient with restaurant service and will often complain loudly if things don’t go as expected. He is not very high in __________. A. Aggressiveness B. Positive affectivity C. Emotional intelligence D. Behavioral attitude

Developing Personal and Social Competence through Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Contagion and Emotional Labor Emotional contagion  Someone’s bad mood sours your mood  Can literally catch another person’s mood or displayed emotions Emotional labor  Masking true feelings and emotions

Psychological Capital Psychological capital  Striving for success by developing one’s self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resiliency.

Psychological Capital Resiliency  The ability to handle pressure and quickly bounce back from personal and career setbacks

Improving Your Luck 1. Be active and involved 2. Listen to your hunches about luck 3. Expect to be lucky no matter how bad the situation 4. Turn your bad luck into good fortune