Organizational Behavior: Chapter 5: Personality and Values
Organizational Behavior: Chapter 5: Personality and Values
Organizational Behavior
14th Edition
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The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Most widely-used instrument in the world.
Participants are classified on four axes to determine
one of 16 possible personality types, such as ENTJ.
Extroverted (E) vs. Introverted (I)
Sensing (S) vs. Intuitive (N)
Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)
Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)
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The Types and Their Uses
Each of the sixteen possible combinations has a name, for
instance:
Visionaries (INTJ) – are original, stubborn and
driven.
Organizers (ESTJ) – realistic, logical, analytical and
businesslike.
Conceptualizer (ENTP) – entrepreneurial,
innovative, individualistic and resourceful.
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Even More Relevant Personality Traits
Type A Personality
Aggressively involved in a chronic, incessant struggle to
achieve more in less time
Impatient: always moving, walking, and eating rapidly
Strive to think or do two or more things at once
Cannot cope with leisure time
Obsessed with achievement numbers
Prized in North America, but quality of the work is low
Type B people are the complete opposite
Proactive Personality
Identifies opportunities, shows initiative, takes action, and
perseveres to completion
Creates positive change in the environment
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Values
Basic convictions on how to conduct yourself or
how to live your life that is personally or
socially preferable –
“How to” live life properly.
Attributes of Values:
Content Attribute – that the mode of conduct or
end-state is important
Intensity Attribute – just how important that
content is.
Value System
A person’s values rank-ordered by intensity
Tends to be relatively constant and consistent
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Importance of Values
Provide understanding of the attitudes,
motivation, and behaviors
Influence our perception of the world
around us
Represent interpretations of “right” and
“wrong”
Imply that some behaviors or outcomes are
preferred over others
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Classifying Values – Rokeach Value Survey
Terminal Values
Desirable end-states of existence; the goals that a
person would like to achieve during his or her
lifetime
Instrumental Values
Preferable modes of behavior or means of
achieving one’s terminal values
People in same occupations or categories tend to
hold similar values.
But values vary between groups.
Value differences make it difficult for groups to
negotiate and may create conflict.
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