The following is a case study from an Executive Master of Business Administration "EMBA" program syllabus, Alexandria University, Egypt, in collaboration with Georgia State university, USA. The case is related to the Organizational Behavior study from the reference book "Organizational Behavior and Management", ninth edition, Ivancevich, konopaske & Matteson. ISBN 978-0-07-122089-7
Case 3.1: Personality Testing, Yes or No?
Mark, a project leader in Austin, Texas, needed a new software engineer for his eight-person team. He used his network, reviewed resumes, and invited 15 candidates for interviews. In addition he had the top three candidates complete the 16-personality factors test. This was a general test that he believed would
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Personality testing attempts to provide quantifiable data that can make the differentiation easier. Such differentiation is still difficult. Some personality researchers suggest there are regional differences in personality. That is, a New York candidate for Mark's position would be different from an Oregon candidate.
Mark, after considering all the issues surrounding personality testing, decided he would not conduct or use such tests in the future.
Q1- Is Mark making a good decision to drop the use of personality testing? WHY?
A1- Employee behavior, which is considered the foundation of Organizational Behavior, cannot be understood without considering the concept of Personality, which is defined as a product of both Nature (hereditary forces) and Nurture (cultural, family relation, and social class forces)
Nowadays, there is a renewed interest and focus on personality as a key to understand “OB”. This led to the research in the area of the “Big Five” personality dimensions (Extroversion, Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience) in addition to the other “three” important dimensions (Locus of Control, Self-Efficacy, and Creativity)
The introduction we presented is the basis on which we decide to choose answering the first question by “NO”. Mark should have used better-quality personality test, in addition to
Personality is a complex area of Psychology, which has been studied for many years, by many experts in the field. Each having their own ideas about how to understand, study and evaluate it. Here I will introduce personality briefly, looking at the theories behind it. Then explain the need for testing. As there are many test that are available to use, for the purpose of this essay I will look at The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and discuss the reliability and validity of some studies around these tests.
This paper introduces the overview of personality assessment approaches in use currently in society. It proceeds to review the big five personality measures, its validity in prediction of personality types (Archer, 2011). The topic on MIPS questionnaires use in personality measurements and scoring methods used by the system is reviewed. Aspects on the social desirability trait and the distortion produced in responses to evaluation questionnaires, being a significant part of the problems in personality assessment is examined. Social desirability does not have an influence on the predictive validity of personality assessments. It is not related to performance in the job. Various strategies used for reduction of social desirability have been studied. The various tools used in assessments are recapitulated including some methodological aspects (Weiner, 2009). Cultural aspects in evaluation of personality discussed are touched upon. Two case studies are used to show the real life situation of personality assessment.
The psychometric testing in other words may be called as “measurement of the mind”. During the selection process the education level, skills and experience are the things, which are normally estimated, however the behavioral traits and personality of a candidate is much more difficult to assess during an interview. As a result
Also while taking the assessment, for some of the questions the writer was forced to choose yes or no when he believed the answer was neither, and there were no in-between options to choose from. So the writer agrees with Robbins & Judge (2011) that the problem with these assessment tests is that they force a
The validity of personality assessment test such as the Sixteen Personality Fact Questionnaire and the Rorschach has been subject to many criticisms in the past years. 16PF has been criticized for not determining the factors which it claims to determine (Fehriinger, 2004). Although the 16PF have been heavily criticized the validity of this instrument has been determine through researchers discovering the Big Five Factors which has been epic in comprehending personalities that we know today. These personality assessment tests have become more and more common because of their relativity easy use to assessing an individual state of mind.
Personality is defined as the unique way in which each individual thinks, acts, and feels throughout life (Ciccarelli, 2014). Numerous individuals are curious in regards to their actions and how their mind works, thus leading companies to create personality tests, in order to provide individuals with some perspective on their personality. While individuals can take personality tests for leisure, personality tests are often utilized in situations such as job interviews, diagnosing mental disorders, and educational purposes. Two popular personality tests are the Keirsey Temperament Sorter and the Big Five Personality test. After taking both tests, I analyzed them using my knowledge of general psychology and of my own actions. I found the
Personality assessment instruments continue to be widely uses by the public and widely examined by the public. Since the early 20th century a number of personality instruments have been very useful in
Have you ever completed a job application and, at some point during the process, completed one of those annoying personality surveys. Often times, one wonders what the results of the survey are and how will they affect his or her chances of becoming a candidate for the position. As annoying as they may be, many companies use the results to determine an applicant's aptitude and employability. Upon analyzing the results, they look at how a person would measure up as far as manageability, leadership skills and interpersonal skills. In lieu of an assignment, I have had the ability to not only complete some of these surveys, but to interpret the results as well.
This paper will go over the founders of assessing personality, how it changes over time, and how the theories of personality have changed. It will also include the main trait theories and what it means when you assess your personality
First of all, I have never taken one of these personality tests before and I must stress that it is quite an eye opener. Immediately I got my results I shared it with my boss, who was quite intrigued and wanted to take it herself. So, thank you.
Some personality traits are more suited for some jobs than others, for example extroversion might be an important trait for a employers seeking for new air hostesses, most personality tests measure this kind of personality trait to some degree (Van Der Merwe,
Companies have started to use personality tests in the past five years so that they can find a potential employee’s strengths and weaknesses. If questions and answers are quite accurate and test is done properly it can help an employer to find more about person’s advantages and disadvantages. It is very important to know because one of the most important points is that most of personality tests help to recognize unqualified candidates. “Although experts warn that many personality assessments don't deliver what they promise, legitimate scientifically validated tests are helping employers evaluate job candidates to select those best suited for particular positions. Other tests are designed to measure intelligence, honesty, management aptitude and other qualities.”
Some managers may argue that there is more to personality assessment than the nomothetic approach, not everything is as straight forward as it seems. This is because theorists/scientists
The historical use of the terms objective and projective to classify a personality test, and the problems with such classification.
Organizational behavior is the behavior of individuals, either one or a group. It is not the behavior of an organization, but rather the behavior of the people in an organization. This can be anywhere from a family at home to a church to a work group within a company. Some of the challenges that make behaviors challenging in today’s workplace are high performance, ethical behavior, productivity improvement, technology utilization, quality, diversity, work-life balance, and the global economy, (Schermerhorn, 2003, P. 1).