Individual Behaviour, Personality and Values

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Values, Personality, and Self-Concept at Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson relies on sound values to guide decisions. It also recognises that employees have personal values, personalities and self-concepts that require dignity, nurturing and recognition.

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MARS Model of Individual Behaviour

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Individual Individual behaviourbehaviourand resultsand results

Individual Individual behaviourbehaviourand resultsand results

SituationalSituationalfactorsfactors

SituationalSituationalfactorsfactors

Values

Personality

Perceptions

Emotions

Attitudes

Stress

Values

Personality

Perceptions

Emotions

Attitudes

Stress Role Role perceptionsperceptions

Role Role perceptionsperceptions

MotivationMotivationMotivationMotivation

AbilityAbilityAbilityAbility

Employee Motivation

Internal forces that affect a person’s voluntary choice of behaviour:• direction• intensity• persistence

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Employee Ability

Natural aptitudes and learned capabilities required to successfully complete a task

Competencies personal characteristics that lead to superior performance

Person job matching• selecting• developing• redesigning

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Improving Role Perceptions at Best Buy

Best Buy employees know

what is expected of them

during the busy pre-

Christmas season

(beginning with Black Friday

in late November). The

American retailer clarifies

duties and conducts

rehearsals (shown here).

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Role Perceptions

Beliefs about what behaviour is required to achieve the desired results:• understanding what tasks to perform• understanding relative importance of tasks• understanding preferred

behaviours to accomplish tasks

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Situational Factors

Environmental conditions beyond the individual’s short-term control that constrain or facilitate behaviour• time• people• budget• work facilities

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Defining Personality

Relatively enduring pattern of thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that characterise a person, along with the psychological processes behind those characteristics• External traits – observable behaviours• Internal states – thoughts, values, etc. inferred

from behaviours• Some variability, adjust to suit the situation

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Nature vs. Nurture of Personality

Influenced by Nature• Heredity explains about 50 per cent of behavioural

tendencies and 30 per cent of temperament• Minnesota studies – twins had similar behaviour

patterns Influenced by Nurture

• Personality isn’t stable at birth• Influenced by socialisation, life experiences,

learning• Stabilises throughout adolescence• Executive function uses self-concept to steer

behaviour

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Five-Factor Personality Model (CANOE)

Outgoing, talkative

Sensitive, flexible

Careful, dependable

Courteous, caring

Anxious, hostile

ConscientiousnessConscientiousnessConscientiousnessConscientiousness

AgreeablenessAgreeablenessAgreeablenessAgreeableness

NeuroticismNeuroticismNeuroticismNeuroticism

Openness to experienceOpenness to experienceOpenness to experienceOpenness to experience

ExtroversionExtroversionExtroversionExtroversion

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The Right Personality forAntarctic Expeditioners

Antarctic expeditioners from Australia (shown in photo) and other countries have significantly higher openness to experience and lower neuroticism than the general population. This unique work environment seems to attract and possibly requires people who are curious and adventurous as well as poised and calm.

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Five-Factor Personality and Organisational Behaviour

Conscientiousness and emotional stability• Motivational components

of personality• Strongest personality

predictors of performance

Extroversion• Linked to sales and

management performance• Related to social

interaction and persuasion

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Five-Factor Personality and Organisational Behaviour

Agreeableness• Effective in jobs requiring

cooperation and helpfulness

Openness to experience• Linked to higher creativity

and adaptability to change

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Jungian Personality Theory

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung

Identifies preferences for perceiving the environment and obtaining/processing information

Commonly measured by Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

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Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Extroversion versus introversion• Similar to five-factor dimension

Sensing versus intuition• Collecting information through senses versus through

intuition, inspiration or subjective sources

Thinking versus feeling• Processing and evaluating information• Using rational logic versus personal values

Judging versus perceiving• Orienting self to the outer world• Order and structure or flexibility and spontaneity

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Self-Concept Definition and Elements

An individual’s self-beliefs and self-evaluations• Guides individual decisions and behaviour

Three Cs of self-concept1.Complexity – people have multiple self-concepts

2.Consistency – similar personality and values across multiple selves

3.Clarity – clearly and confidently described, internally consistent, and stable across time.

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Four ‘Selves’ of Self-Concept

Self-enhancement• Promoting and protecting our positive self-view

Self-verification• Affirming our existing self-concept (good and bad

elements)

Self-evaluation• Evaluating ourselves through self-esteem, self-efficacy

and locus of control

Social self• Defining ourselves in terms of group membership

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Self-Concept: Self-Enhancement

Drive to promote/protect a positive self-view • Competent, attractive, lucky, ethical, valued

Positive self-concept outcomes:• Better personal adjustment and mental/physical

health • Inflates personal causation and probability of

success

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Self-Concept: Self-Verification

Motivation to verify/maintain our self-concept Stabilises our self-concept People prefer feedback consistent with their

self-concept Self-verification outcomes:

• We ignore or reject information inconsistent with our current self-concept

• We interact more with those who affirm/reflect our current self-concept

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Self-Concept: Self-Evaluation

Self-esteem• High self-esteem – less influenced, more

persistent/logical

Self-efficacy• Belief in one’s ability, motivation, role perceptions, and

situation to complete a task successfully• General vs. task-specific self-efficacy

Locus of control• General belief about personal control over life events• Higher self-evaluation with internal locus of control

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Self-Concept: Social Self

• Social identity – defining ourselves in terms of groups to which we belong or have an emotional attachment

• We identify with groups that aid self-enhancement(eg. high-status groups)

Employees at other firms

People living in other countries

Graduates of other schools

An individual’s

social identity

An individual’s

social identity

BHP Employee

Live in Australia

University of Tasmania Graduate

Contrasting Groups

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Values in the Workplace

Stable, evaluative beliefs that guide our preferences

Define right or wrong, good or bad Value system – hierarchy of values

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Schwartz’s Values Model

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Schwartz’s Values Model

Openness to change – motivation to pursue innovative ways

Conservation – motivation to preserve the status quo

Self-enhancement – motivated by self-interest

Self-transcendence – motivation to promote welfare of others and nature

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Values and Behaviour

Habitual behaviour usually consistent with values, but conscious behaviour less so because values are abstract constructs

Decisions and behaviour are linked to values when:• We are mindful of our values• We have logical reasons to apply values in that

situation• The situation does not interfere

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Value Congruence

Where two or more entities have similar value systems

Problems with incongruence• Incompatible decisions• Lower satisfaction/loyalty• Higher stress and turnover

Benefits of incongruence• Constructive conflict, better decision making• Avoids ‘corporate cults’

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Values Across Cultures: Individualism and Collectivism

Degree that people value duty to their group (collectivism) versus independence and person uniqueness (individualism)

Previously considered opposites, but unrelated – i.e. possible to value high individualism and high collectivism

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Individualism

The degree to which people value personal freedom, self-sufficiency, control over themselves, being appreciated for unique qualities.DenmarkDenmark

TaiwanTaiwan

ItalyItaly

High individualismAustraliaAustralia

Low individualism

IndiaIndia

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Collectivism

The degree to which people value their group membership and harmonious relationships within the group.

IndiaIndia

AustraliaAustralia

TaiwanTaiwan

High collectivism

ItalyItaly

Low collectivism

DenmarkDenmark

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Power Distance

High power distance• Value obedience to authority• Comfortable receiving

commands from superiors • Prefer formal rules and authority

to resolve conflicts Low power distance

• Expect relatively equal power sharing

• View relationship with boss as interdependence, not dependence

JapanJapan

IsraelIsraelNew ZealandNew Zealand

VenezuelaVenezuela

High power distanceMalaysiaMalaysia

Low power distance

U.S.U.S.

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Uncertainty Avoidance

High uncertainty avoidance• feel threatened by ambiguity

and uncertainty• value structured situations and

direct communication

Low uncertainty avoidance• tolerate ambiguity and

uncertainty

High U. A.

Low U. A.

JapanJapanGreeceGreece

AustraliaAustralia

ItalyItaly

SingaporeSingapore

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Achievement-Nurturing

High achievement orientation• assertiveness• competitiveness• materialism

High nurturing orientation• relationships• others’ wellbeing

Achievement

Nurturing

JapanJapan

AustraliaAustralia

SwedenSweden

ChinaChina

ChileChile

FranceFrance

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UtilitarianismUtilitarianism

Individual Individual rightsrights

Greatest good for the greatest number of people

Fundamental entitlementsin society

Distributive Distributive justicejustice

People who are similar should receive similar benefits

Three Ethical Principles

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Influences on Ethical Conduct

Moral intensity• degree that issue demands ethical principles

Ethical sensitivity• ability to recognise the presence and determine the

relative importance of an ethical issue

Situational influences• competitive pressures and other conditions affect

ethical behaviour

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Supporting Ethical Behaviour

Ethical code of conduct

Ethics training

Ethics hotlines

Ethical leadership and culture

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Individual Behaviour, Personality and Values

McShane-Olekalns-Travaglione OB Pacific Rim 3e

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