| Author: | Yeung, Kam-tai Kenny |
| Title: | Personality compatibility and individual performance : a field study of a MNC in greater China |
| Degree: | D.B.A. |
| Year: | 2007 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations. Employees -- Training of. Performance standards. |
| Department: | Graduate School of Business |
| Pages: | xii, 197 leaves : col. ill. ; 30 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | The objective of this research is to use a longitudinal field experiment to test the effectiveness of personality compatibility training on (1) standard and company in-role performance and (2) extra-role performance: organizational citizenship behavior (individual) and organizational citizenship behavior (organization) in order to determine if personality compatibility can be an important strategy for helping organizations improve their employees' work performance. Person environmental fit theory has been widespread in management literature for almost a hundred years (Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman and Johnson, 2005). The researchers found that personal environmental fit, which included person-person, person-supervisor, person-job, person-group and person-organization fits, were correlated with job satisfaction, organizational commitment, satisfaction with co-workers, satisfaction with supervisor, organization attraction and overall performance. Based on research evidence, it is becoming increasingly clear that personality compatibility is important in helping an organization become more effective and achieve a competitive advantage (Becker and Huselid, 1998). Hundreds of research reports have focused on the five-factor model (Barrick, Mount and Judge, 2001). However, much less attention has been paid to the extent to which work performance can be enhanced by an understanding of the compatibility between one's own personality profile, the profiles of other individuals, for example colleagues and customers, and the job-required personality profile (Huselid, 1995; Huselid and Becker, 1996; Huselid, Jackson and Schuler, 1997). This quantitative field study was conducted in a US Fortune 500 multi-billion US dollar company operating in Greater China. In this company, 95% of employees are native Chinese, with a male and female ratio of approximately 58:42. The research examined the link between understanding (1) one's own personality profile, (2) the personality profile of others, including colleagues and customers, and (3) the personality profile required by the job and their impacts on employee social skills and work performance. A total of 150 full time employees were randomly selected and divided into three equal groups. The work performance of the first group was monitored without the individuals receiving personality profiling analysis training. Employees in the second group were trained in personality profiling analysis so that they could understand their own and others' personalities. In the third group, the employees were trained not only to understand their own personalities and those of others, such as supervisors, colleagues and customers, but also to understand personality profiles required by the job. This would enable them to understand the job personality requirements in terms of personality-job fit. During the eight-month reporting period all control variables, such as organizational structure, reporting structure and job description remain unchanged. Standard in-role performance, company in-role performance, OCBI and OCBO performance were evaluated. The findings of this research revealed significant changes in standard in-role performance, company in-role performance and OCBO, but not OCBI, between Time 1 and Time 2. The results also showed non-significant (p > 0.5) and low correlations (r < 0.2) on all control variables such as sex, level of education, locations, tenure and job functions between Time 1 and Time 2. Results of this study partially supported the hypotheses that personality compatibility training had a positive impact on standard in-role performance, company in-role performance and OCBO in the workplace. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
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| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b21686646.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 15.97 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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