This article was downloaded by: [Indiana Universities] On: 09 April 2013, At: 15:43 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wttt20 Understanding True Colors Personality Trait Spectrums of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management Students to Enhance Classroom Instruction Tena B. Crews a , Johanna Bodenhamer b & Tina Weaver a a University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA b Saluda High School, Saluda, South Carolina, USA Version of record first published: 01 Mar 2010. To cite this article: Tena B. Crews , Johanna Bodenhamer & Tina Weaver (2010): Understanding True Colors Personality Trait Spectrums of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management Students to Enhance Classroom Instruction, Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 10:1, 22-41 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15313220903558538 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.
Transcript
This article was downloaded by: [Indiana Universities]On: 09 April 2013, At: 15:43Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registeredoffice: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK
Journal of Teaching in Travel & TourismPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wttt20
Understanding True Colors PersonalityTrait Spectrums of Hotel, Restaurant,and Tourism Management Students toEnhance Classroom InstructionTena B. Crews a , Johanna Bodenhamer b & Tina Weaver aa University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USAb Saluda High School, Saluda, South Carolina, USAVersion of record first published: 01 Mar 2010.
To cite this article: Tena B. Crews , Johanna Bodenhamer & Tina Weaver (2010): UnderstandingTrue Colors Personality Trait Spectrums of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management Students toEnhance Classroom Instruction, Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 10:1, 22-41
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15313220903558538
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE
Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Anysubstantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing,systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.
The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representationthat the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of anyinstructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primarysources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings,demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly orindirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.
WTTT1531-32201531-3239Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, Vol. 10, No. 1, January 2010: pp. 0–0Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism
Understanding True Colors Personality Trait Spectrums of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management Students to Enhance Classroom Instruction
Understanding HRTM Students in the ClassroomT. B. Crews et al.
TENA B. CREWSUniversity of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
JOHANNA BODENHAMERSaluda High School, Saluda, South Carolina, USA
TINA WEAVERUniversity of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
True Colors personality trait spectrums are identified through aself-analysis of personality characteristics pertaining to specificcolors: blue, gold, green, and orange. Through a professionaldevelopment course in a large southeastern university, hotel,restaurant, and tourism management (HRTM) students self-identifytheir True Colors personality trait spectrums. Once identified,students learn how to more effectively use what they know abouttheir own personalities to improve relationships—both personal andprofessional. Faculty/instructors learn how to identify the personal-ity trait spectrums of their students to more effectively communicatewith students and develop activities/projects to engage all students.Explained in this article are the True Colors personality types, howto identify an individual’s personality trait spectrum, a profile ofcollege HRTM students’ personality spectrums, and implications forhow hospitality faculty may adjust communication and classroominstruction to connect with all students.
Received May 18, 2009; accepted October 16, 2009Address correspondence to Tena B. Crews, College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport
Management, University of South Carolina, 701 Assembly St., Columbia, SC 29208, USA.E-mail: [email protected]
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Understanding HRTM Students in the Classroom 23
INTRODUCTION
Research in the area of personality types and personality development isnot new in the literature. Several types of theories and inventories havebeen developed throughout the centuries. The Hippocratic model, Jung’stheory of psychological types, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), KeirseyTemperament Sorter, and True Colors all share commonalities as individualsassess their personality traits. Each model or theory has evolved through thedevelopment of specific personality types or indicators.
Hippocrates (460 BC to 377 BC) believed individuals’ behavior differeddue to the brain’s susceptibility to external factors such as climatic variables:heat, cold, humidity, and dryness. For example, it was believed that becausethe brain was susceptible to the climate, the organs and body fluids wereaffected. Hedges (1997) notes Hippocrates suggested that differences inhow individuals behave could be categorized into four distinct groups: (1)sanguine: blood from the heart; (2) choleric: yellow bile from the liver; (3)phlegmatic: phlegm from the lungs; and (4) melancholic: black bile fromthe kidneys. This led to the following descriptions: sanguine – optimistic,hopeful; choleric – irascible; phlegmatic – apathetic; and melancholic – sad,depressed (Merenda, 1987).
Claudius Galen, a Greek physician, later began to classify people intothe following two psychological types: melancholic and sanguine. In today’sterms, melancholic would be similar to introversion, and sanguine wouldindicate extroversion. Galen acknowledged the human body has “biologicalinfluences on human behavior now known as temperaments; that is, biolog-ical predispositions to act in consistent ways” (as cited by Hersen & VanHasselt, 2001, p. 10).
Merenda (1987) noted “over the past 2,500 years, independent as wellas collaborative works have, at different periods of time, claimed theexistence of a framework for describing human temperament and/orpersonality that is explained essentially by four major or primary factors”(p. 367). Marston, King, and Marston (1931) designed a four-factor modelintegrating types of emotional behavior: emotional to nonemotional andchangeable to unchangeable. This model integrates emotional behaviorwith the four groups noted by Hippocrates and includes descriptive wordsrepresenting emotions, such as an emotional, melancholic person wouldfeel anxious, worried, and unhappy.
The transformation of personality theory continued with Swiss psychia-trist Carl Jung as he investigated individuals’ behavior and theorized suchbehavior is not random but pattern related. “This pattern is governed by theperson’s choice or preference for specific ways of functioning and living”(Hedges, 1997, para. 7). Through this choice or preference, individualsobviously have different goals, desires, values, and needs. Therefore, it wasindicated that personal individual patterns are basically how people take
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action in their lives. Consequently, an individual’s behavior may seemillogical to others, but on the contrary, the behavior involves logic andconsistency.
As stated by Boeree (2006), Jung’s theory notes an individual’s psycheconsists of three components: ego, personal unconscious, and collectiveunconscious. Ego is the conscious mind; however, a person’s personalunconscious includes memories that have been suppressed and alsothose that can be easily brought to mind. The third component, collectiveunconscious,
is the reservoir of our experiences as a species, a kind of knowledge weare all born with. And yet, one can never be directly conscious of it. Itinfluences all of our experiences and behaviors, most especially theemotional ones, but we only know about it indirectly, by looking atthose influences. (Boeree, para. 20)
As Jung further developed the theory, individuals were identified asintroverts and extroverts with four basic functions: thinking, feeling, sensing,and intuiting.
Katharine Briggs and Isabel Myers, two of Jung’s students, developedthe MBTI. The MBTI types developed from Jung’s theory include extraver-sion (E) or introversion (I), sensing (S) or intuition (N), thinking (T) orfeeling (F), and judging (J) or perceiving (P). E/I indicates how an individ-ual prefers to focus on the outer/inner world. S/N deals with how anindividual takes in information, and T/F consists of how individuals makedecisions (logically or via people and circumstances). J/P involves howstructure plays a role in individuals’ lives. For example, does the individualjudge and make decisions, or are they open to new ideas?
Through these categories, 16 personality types can be identifiedthrough the MBTI self-assessment instrument (Myers & Briggs Foundation,2008). Categories may include INTJ, ESFP, ISTJ, ENFP, ESFP, etc. The MBTIhas been used in the academic arena extensively since its creation. Thispersonality inventory is used in a variety of ways, including the investiga-tion of student career paths and roommate choices for housing based onthe outcome of their MBTI assessment (Salter, Evans, & Forney, 2006).
Keirsey (1998) also researched personality traits and developed temper-aments. Keirsey noted, “There are two sides to personality, one of which istemperament and the other character. Temperament is a configuration ofinclinations, while character is the configuration of habits. Character isdisposition while temperament is predisposition” (1998, para. 1). Keirsey’stemperaments are categorized as the following: artisan, guardians, idealists,and rationals, and can be coordinated with the MBTI characteristics.
Artisans (SPs) are concrete in communication, practical in implement-ing goals, and are typically promoting (SPT) or composing (SPF). Guardians
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Understanding HRTM Students in the Classroom 25
(SJs) are also concrete in communication but more cooperative in imple-menting goals. Guardians are typically administrators/supervisors (SJT) orare conservative and protective (SJF). Idealists (NFs) are abstract in commu-nication, cooperative in implementing goals, and are typically mentors,teachers, or counselors (NFJ), or are interested in being advocates (NFP) forsocial development. Rationals (NTs) are abstract in communication, practi-cal in implementing goals, as they are organized (NTJ), or are involved ininventing (NTP), as they are strong willed and self-directed. It is importantto note even with similarities between the Keirsey Temperament Sorter andMBTI inventories, Keirsey believes temperament remains static over time(Mills, 2006). However, Myers and Briggs believe personality types withinthe MBTI change over time (Salter et al., 2006).
True Colors personality types include specific traits which are identifiedthrough four colors: blue, gold, green, and orange. However, as with othertheories, one color (which represents a set of personality characteristics)does not represent the individual’s personality as a whole. Every individualhas a personality trait spectrum containing all colors to comprise theirwhole personality. An individual may be “high” (show many personalitycharacteristics) in a color and “low” (show few personality characteristics) inanother color. Consequently, an individual’s high colors portray moreprevalent personality traits, while low colors are not as prevalent.
This article explains the True Colors personality types and how to identifyan individual’s personality trait spectrum. It further explains the personality traitspectrums of hotel, restaurant, and tourism management (HRTM) studentsenrolled in a professional development course within a College of Hospitalityand implications for how hospitality faculty may adjust communication andclassroom instruction to connect with all students. Understanding students’ per-sonality trait spectrums is essential for faculty and instructors, so they can altertheir communication (whether written or oral) and instructional strategies tomeet students’ needs. Figure 1 provides additional information, including spe-cific personality characteristics of the four colors involved in True Colors.
FIGURE 1 True Colors: Specific personality characteristics of colors.
Blue Mediator, optimistic, passionate, true romantics, cause oriented, sensitive to others’ needs, encourage others, cooperative, peacemakers
Gold Prepare, plan, detail oriented, trustworthy, punctual, value order, value family traditions, loyal, precise, believe in rules and procedures, responsible
GreenIntellectual, theoretical, perfectionists, visionaries, abstract, conceptual, need private time, approaches interpersonal relationships in a logical manner, always asking “why” and seeking knowledge
Orange
(True Colors, 1996)
Playful, risk taker, quick witted, negotiator, entertainer, high need for mobility, energetic, competitive, likes tangible rewards, natural nonconformist, appreciates immediate feedback
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To identify the connection between True Colors and other personalitytrait theories, Figure 2 further explains the purpose of specific personalityinventories and describes components within each inventory as they arecompared to True Colors.
Personality typing should not limit an individual to a specific type ofcareer path (Kennedy & Kennedy, 2004) but should be used to help guideindividuals and provide insight to successful relationships and careers.Consequently, personality traits are beneficial to college and university studentsas they prepare for the world of work.
VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY
Lowry, a former educator, deliberately reviewed and considered previousresearch in personality-type testing when developing True Colors in 1978.Based on the work of Keirsey and drawing from Jung’s temperaments,Lowry used clear language to help bring understanding to personality traitsand concepts (True Colors, 1996). Lowry believed children and adults of alleducational and cultural backgrounds could develop a deeper understandingof the principles of personality, and therefore, understand themselves andothers better. Through this understanding, Lowry also believed peoplewould appreciate others and support individual differences. Lowry first cre-ated a comical piece entitled The Game of Games which focused on the cor-porate environment. The character cards representing four major groups ofcharacteristics — in turn, four kinds of people — were developed at thisstage. The character cards were developed using mimes to illustrate person-ality characteristics to avoid cultural, gender, or racial biases (Neault, 2001).
Lowry expanded into the educational market and began integratingTrue Colors training into schools as, “True Colors provides educators,
FIGURE 2 Comparison between True Colors Personality Inventory and other PersonalityTrait Theory/Inventory.
Theory/Inventory
Relationship to the True Colors Personality Trait Spectrum
parents, and students with a common language for interpreting and discuss-ing behavior” (Fess, 1999). Trainings were developed to help others useTrue Colors to their benefit (i.e., teachers, guidance counselors, etc.). TrueColors then expanded to public agencies, family support organizations, andgovernment agencies. Topics that are now synonymous with True Colorstraining are effective teaching, building self-esteem, resolving conflict,improving communication, planning for careers, and finding the work youlove. True Colors is designed in nine languages and has been implementedworldwide. The mission statement notes that True Colors is “transforminglives and empowering people through our engaging and unique universallanguage of personality awareness” (True Colors International, 2009).Businesses such as McDonald’s, Blue Cross/BlueShield, Marriott, Hallmark,Boeing, and others have used True Colors in their corporations.
To compare the MBTI and True Colors, Honaker (2003) conducted astudy using graduate students enrolled in a career development course asparticipants. The results noted correlations “supported convergent validityof True Colors Character Cards Activity and Word Cluster Instrument withthe MBTI” (Honaker, p. 2).
Whichard (2006) reported continued efforts to ensure reliability andvalidity of the True Colors personality assessment instrument. Participants inthe testing of reliability and validity “represented a wide range of occupa-tions, ranging from employees of public and private institutions, for-profitand not-for-profit organizations; had varied educational backgrounds,including individuals with and without post-secondary education; and werefrom all organizational levels” (p. 1). Through this effort, True Colors wasrigorously tested and found to be reliable and valid.
Content validity was measured against the MBTI and the DISC (Domi-nance, Influencing, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness) instruments. All TrueColors color types compared, except for one dimension between the DISC’sdominance type and the True Colors’ orange type, “showed statisticallysignificant content validity at the .05 confidence level” (Whichard, 2006,p. 2). In addition, study participants evaluated the assessment and rated it ashighly accurate. The Word Cluster component, which allows participants torank sets of words to more clearly identify their personality trait spectrums,also proved to be “highly reliable (.94) using a test-retest research format”(Whichard, 2006, p. 1). Therefore, this indicates participants understood theinformation provided in the same way when given the assessment.
PURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of this study is twofold. First, this study was conducted to helpHRTM students in a College of Hospitality identify their personality traitspectrums and assist them in using this information to enhance professional
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and personal relationships. Second, this study was conducted to provideviable data and information to educators to help them understand students’personality characteristics and adjust communication and instructionalstrategies to enhance learning.
METHODOLOGY
Understanding personality traits is particularly important in the hospital-ity industry as employees interact with a diverse array of customers andstrive to meet their needs. As noted by Deale and Wilborn (2006),careers in the hospitality industry will require our students to work in anefficient manner with various employers and other employees. A profes-sional development course was developed at a large, southeastern uni-versity in a College of Hospitality to assist students with a variety ofprofessional development issues including investigating personality traitsthrough True Colors.
A college committee was developed to create a robust professionaldevelopment course for students in the college. This article provides dataspecific to HRTM students. The School of HRTM in the college preparesstudents for careers in hotel management, global travel and tourism, privateclub management, conventions and meeting planning, restaurant food pro-duction management, and wine and spirits.
Every student in the college is required to complete the professionaldevelopment course (HRSM 301). Topics covered in the course include:professionalism, personal finance, service learning, leadership, conflict reso-lution, interviewing skills, personality trait investigation, and various otherprofessional development topics. During the personality trait investigationprocess, two True Colors certified trainers assist students in identifying theirown True Colors spectrum, examining personality characteristics, realizingthe potential of this knowledge, and identifying others’ personality traitspectrums.
To identify their own personality trait spectrum, students first examineTrue Colors character cards that include graphics representing each of thefour color personality characteristics. An example of a partial character cardis provided in Figure 3.
After reviewing each character card, students place the cards in orderfrom “most like me” to “least like me” based on what they perceive the pic-tures represent. Second, the students turn the cards over and read the spe-cific personality characteristic information on the back of the cards. Anexample of a partial character card is provided in Figure 4 below.
The written information provides more details and for some studentsclarifies what the pictures on the character cards are portraying. Once again,students organize the cards in order from “most like me” to “least like me.”
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Understanding HRTM Students in the Classroom 29
FIGURE 3 Partial character card front. True Colors (1996)
FIGURE 4 Sample character card back. True Colors (1996)
I act on a moment’s notice. Witty + Charming + Spontaneous I consider life as a game. Impulsive + Generous + Impactful I need fun, variety, and excitement. Optimistic + Eager + Courageous
I value. . .
I am. . .
At work or in school, I need. . .
With friends. . .
With family. . .
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The order of cards may change from the previous arrangement or mayremain the same. The third step in the identification of one’s personalitytrait spectrum is to complete a ranking of groups of words that representthe personality characteristics. This is referred to as the True ColorsWord Cluster. The Word Cluster is composed of six rows each containing12 words divided into groups of three, under four column titles representingeach color (blue, gold, green, orange). Using a scale of 4 (“most like me”)to 1 (“least like me”), students rank each set of words by writing a 4, 3, 2, or1 in the appropriate column for each row of words. Figure 5 provides anexample of a partial Word Cluster.
The numbers in each column are then totaled. The highest numberindicates the personality color traits “most like me” and the lowest numberindicates personality color traits “least like me.” A total number of 24 (ratingof a 4 — “most like me” — for all six rows) would indicate the highest-levelcolor (many personality characteristics) and a total number of 6 (rating of a1 — “least like me” — for all six rows) would represent the lowest-levelcolor (few personality characteristics) in the spectrum. The students thenarrange the character cards in order of the highest number to the lowest
FIGURE 5 Partial word cluster. True Colors (1996)
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Understanding HRTM Students in the Classroom 31
number (“most like me” to “least like me”). An individual’s order of cardsmay remain the same, change, or a tie between colors may occur. A tiewould indicate the personality characteristics represented by the colors areequally represented in the person’s personality. The position of the cardsnow exemplifies one’s personality trait spectrum.
To more completely understand the personality trait spectrum, asynopsis of each color’s characteristics is provided to the students by theTrue Colors certified trainers. Figure 6 provides an example of respectivecharacteristics.
Individuals with personality characteristics associated with the colorblue as their highest color in the spectrum esteem themselves when theyfind meaning in life. They are sensitive to others, enjoy close relationships,are true romantics, excellent mediators, want everyone to be happy, andseek harmony in life with people and things. They have a vision of peaceand feel warmth in a hug or handshake. Relationships are their core value(True Colors, 1996).
Individuals with personality characteristics associated with the colorgold as their highest color in the spectrum esteem themselves when theyfeel responsible. They believe they must earn their place in their job or soci-ety and prove themselves worthy. They prefer an orderly environment,appreciate tradition, work for a secure future, have a sense of obligationand duty, and appreciate rules and policy to guide behavior. Duty andresponsibility are their core values (True Colors, 1996).
Individuals with personality characteristics associated with the colorgreen as their highest color in the spectrum esteem themselves when they
FIGURE 6 True Colors: Color core value and characteristics.
Color Core value Characteristics
Blue • Relationships • Romantic• Cooperative• Sensitive• Caretaker
view themselves as competent. They are very logical in all thoughts and liketo solve problems. They like to have their ideas recognized, like challengesthat allow for abstract thinking, and are motivated by the quest for knowl-edge. However, they not only want to gain knowledge but control theknowledge. Knowledge is viewed by “greens” as power. They also want tobe understood and appreciate time alone to think. Information and knowl-edge are their core values (True Colors, 1996).
Individuals with personality characteristics associated with the colororange as their highest color in the spectrum esteem themselves when theyare free — free to be spontaneous, free to act, and free to take risks. Theyget joy from just doing. They are impulsive, master negotiators, typicallyskilled in several areas, and appreciate a hands-on approach to problem-solving. As adventurous souls, freedom is their core value (True Colors,1996).
Once the characteristics of each color are understood by the students,the self-identification of the personality trait spectrum leads to how thisknowledge can be used to communicate more effectively with others inpersonal and professional relationships by using the information to helpstudents identify their strengths and weaknesses. Scenarios are presented bythe True Colors trainers that are specific to students’ majors and involvestudents in discussions pertaining to the personality trait spectrum and howto use the knowledge of the spectrum to communicate effectively. Oneexample scenario follows: Assume an employee’s highest color in theirspectrum is orange and the employer’s highest color is green. Theemployee has a creative, new idea for the company and needs to share itwith the employer. What is the best way for the employee (orange) toapproach/communicate the new idea to the employer (green)?
Answer: The individual with the personality characteristics associatedwith orange must realize how the individual with personality characteristicsassociated with green prefers to receive and review information based onhis/her personality traits. The “green person” appreciates time to think, is alogical thinker, and is intellectual. It would not benefit the “orange person”to spontaneously stop by the office for a quick chat and expect a quickdecision. This would result in a frustrating situation for both parties. There-fore, the “orange person” should still explain his/her idea to the boss as theenergetic person he/she is but should provide statistics on how other orga-nizations were successful in similar projects and give the employer time toconsider the information. It would also be appropriate to e-mail theemployer with the facts and statistics and give them time to analyze theinformation. Through this process, communication will be enhanced, andthe result will be a thoughtful decision to benefit both the employer andemployee.
Students continue the discussion of personality characteristics andbegin to recognize they now have the ability to also identify the personality
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Understanding HRTM Students in the Classroom 33
trait spectrums of others based on their personality and actions. If an indi-vidual is aware of the personality characteristics associated with the colors,typically one can identify the highest and/or lowest color characteristics inothers. The importance of students identifying others’ personality trait spec-trums is discussed in the same context of personal and professional relation-ships, and more scenarios are completed. However, this is also of utmostimportance to faculty/instructors as they can identify the personality traitspectrums of their students. Once this is done, communication and instruc-tional strategies can be altered to enhance the learning process.
FINDINGS
A convenient sample from the professional development courses resulted in209 HRTM students serving as participants in this study. Of the 209 partici-pants, 50.2% (105) were male, 49.8% (104) were female. The professionaldevelopment course was created for students to take during their junior orsenior year of their undergraduate program; however, some students com-pleted the course earlier. Of the 209 participants, 2% (4) were freshmen, 2%(5) were sophomores, 41% (86) were juniors, 50% (105) were seniors, and4% (9) of participants did not respond to the question.
The HRTM students’ self-identified True Colors personality traits spec-trum is presented in Table 1.
To examine the highest percentage in each level of colors (highestcolor to lowest color), the HRTM student personality trait spectrum wouldbe as follows: orange (45%), gold (32%), green (30%), and green (45%).Blue was chosen by 28% of the students as the second color as well.Therefore, the second color is close to a tie for gold/blue. Reviewing thepercentages noted in the table, the first and last colors are decisive in thatno other color was close to that percentage. Therefore, orange is definitelythe color that represents the most dominant personality characteristics, andgreen is definitely the color that represents the least personality characteris-tics for the HRTM students. However, gold and blue being close as thesecond color plays a significant role.
The characteristics of a person with a spectrum involving orange as thehighest color and green as the lowest color could be described as: an ener-getic person who is a risk-taker, has a need for mobility, is competitive, andenjoys social experiences. However, this person is not abstract, theoretical,or conceptual and does not enjoy time alone. Lee and Kamp (2005) investi-gated learning styles of hospitality students and found students to be active,sensing, visual, and sequential learners. Students with orange and gold astheir first two colors in their spectrum would be similar to these findings.
With this in mind, what types of employment in the hospitality industrywould be most appropriate for an individual with this personality trait
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34
TA
BLE
1Tru
e Colo
rs P
erso
nal
ity T
rait
Spec
trum
s fo
r H
osp
italit
y U
nder
grad
uat
e M
ajors
Hig
hes
t co
lor
(most
per
sonal
ity
char
acte
rist
ics)
Seco
nd c
olo
rThird c
olo
rLo
wes
t co
lor
(lea
st p
erso
nal
ity
char
acte
rist
ics)
Num
ber
of
resp
onse
sPer
cent
Num
ber
of
resp
onse
sPer
cent
Num
ber
of
resp
onse
sPer
cent
Num
ber
of
resp
onse
sPer
cent
Ora
nge
9545
%49
24%
3718
%27
13%
Gold
5024
%67
32%
5828
%34
16%
Blu
e45
22%
5928
%51
24%
5426
%G
reen
199%
3316
%63
30%
9345
%
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Understanding HRTM Students in the Classroom 35
spectrum? The answer is not as simple as it may seem as the second color ofthe person’s spectrum also plays an important role. This is especially true ifthe second color also has a relatively high number or has a third color (inthis case blue) that is relatively high as well.
For example, individuals whose first two colors in their personality traitspectrum were orange and blue would be more interested in entertaining,fun jobs allowing them to meet the needs of others and be involved in areasin which they are passionate and can care for others. Individuals withorange as their top color and blue as their second color are esteemed byhelping others and serving as mediators, but may be more competitive(orange) than cooperative (blue) when working with others.
However, if individuals have the first two colors in their spectrum oforange and gold, they would continue to be interested in areas that wereentertaining and fun, but their interest would also lie in organizing an event.These individuals would be detail oriented and prepared to organize events,and would most likely enjoy being “behind the scenes” as well as minglingsocially with others.
The highest color of orange notes hospitality students need the oppor-tunity to negotiate, entertain, be mobile, be competitive, and receive tangi-ble rewards. However, with the lowest color as green, these students arestressed when they are put into situations in which they must be abstractand conceptual, and work on an individual basis. This is essential to HRTMfaculty/instructors to provide students with necessary information to alterassignments/projects to engage all students.
Participants were also asked to provide qualitative data as to howdetermining the True Colors personality trait spectrum would benefit themprofessionally and personally. Figure 7 displays the trends that emergedfrom students’ comments after the True Colors training.
It is evident that students understand the power in understandingoneself before trying to understand others. It is also clear that students
FIGURE 7 Trends in how identifying your True Colors Personality Trait Spectrum helps withpersonal and professional relationships.
Personal Relationships Professional Relationships
Identification and understanding of individual strengths and weaknesses
Efficiently create goals
Understand group dynamics Reduce stress by understanding others’ personalities
Discover social compatibility with roommates, friends, and significant others
Applying and interviewing for positions
Select different communication styles for different colors
Better focus on customer satisfaction
Improve relationship management with family and friends
Acknowledge various perspectives and work with various personalities on the job
Be more proactive and solution oriented Efficiently delegating responsibilities and providing effective feedback to coworkers
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understand that identifying their personality trait spectrum and the spectrumof others is essential to personal and professional relationships. Few com-ments were negative in context; therefore, the participants viewed the iden-tification of their personality trait spectrum as important, viable information.Faculty/instructors must also embrace the power of this knowledge as theybegin to better understand their students as well.
A final step in the understanding of their personality trait spectrumwas to help students reframe and investigate how others may view them.When a student has many personality characteristics (high in the color)noted in one color, he/she must be careful when involved with an indi-vidual who has few of the same personality characteristics (low in thecolor) because he/she can come across as annoying or offensive. Thesame is true if a student is very low in a color. He/she typically has lowtolerance for someone who may be very high in the color. Therefore, weask students to reframe as they investigate how others may view them.This is an essential component as they work with others, especiallycustomers, in the hospitality field. This is also true for faculty as theybegin to see how they are viewed by their students. Figure 8 provides
FIGURE 8 True Colors reframing.
Color How we view ourselves How others may view us• Blue • Compassionate
• Orange • Flexible• Easy-going• Exploring possibilities• Clever negotiator• Open to change• Adventurous• Enjoying life
• Irresponsible• Manipulative• Unable to stay on task• Taking unnecessary risks• Self-centered• Immature• Resisting decisions
(True Colors, 1996)
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examples of how one may view their own personality but in contrasthow others may view them.
CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR HOSPITALITY EDUCATORS
As discussed, True Colors includes four colors (blue, gold, green, andorange) to identify individuals’ personality trait spectrums. A study con-ducted by Fess (1999) found educators typically identify gold as their firstcolor when using the True Colors categorization and fall into the INTJ cate-gory of the MBTI (Salter et al., 2006). Educators should first investigate theirown personality trait spectrum and then their students’ spectrums.
As educators develop a better understanding of the personality traits oftheir students, they are able to vary instructional strategies, communicatemore effectively with students, and enhance the learning process. Educatorscan better assess how to introduce material in the classroom to help furtherstudents’ learning of the material (Chambers, Hardy, Smith, & Sienty, 2003).Knowledge of personality types overall helps contribute to a better under-standing of why individuals react to situations in a particular way and howto work through issues as they arise. However, it is important not to stereo-type people based on one particular trait, color, or personality characteristic.Assumptions should not be immediately made as to what type of personalitysomeone may possess (Mills, 2006).
The findings of this study provide information about the personalitytraits of students in HRTM. This provides an opportunity for hospitalityeducators to learn more about students and to develop assignments andprojects to be effectively implemented to work with the students’strengths and also improve upon weaknesses. The personality trait spec-trum information also provides hospitality educators with the opportunityto work with specific students as they seek internships and careers inhospitality fields. There are a variety of careers in any hospitality field,and the True Colors information can help educators and advisors provideguidance to students to assist them in moving toward specific career andinternship opportunities that match their personality trait spectrums.Through the analysis of their spectrum, students can learn how to suc-cessfully accomplish goals they set during their internship and futureemployment opportunities.
To effectively reach students to help them learn and obtain suchemployment, it is essential to understand the personality trait spectrum ofthese hospitality students in totality. As previously discussed, the spectrumof hospitality students in this study resulted in a spectrum of orange, gold/blue, green/gold, green with blue being a factor in the second color.
The top two spectrum colors (orange and gold) can cause internal conflict.For example, a student with an orange personality is a natural nonconformist,
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has a high need for mobility (physically and mentally), is many times notpunctual, and is a playful entertainer. On the other hand, the student with agold personality follows the rules, conforms to policy and procedures, andis very punctual and detail oriented. When teaching students with orangeand gold (or vice versa) as the top two colors in their spectrum, it is impor-tant to address all of these needs but keep an adequate balance betweenthe two. The following information keeps in mind that blue was a veryclose second color.
Some strategies for educators for this group of students would includethe following:
1. Syllabus Design
• The syllabus should have adequate details and include specific duedates (gold). Howe ver, the instructor should provide for the possibilityof changing the syllabus and flexibility in assignments or provide achoice among assignments (orange).
2. Projects
• Projects should be real-life, hands-on projects that involve students intheir specific career choices (orange/gold). Students should be pro-vided with organized details, instructions, and rubrics (gold), butinstructors should allow for students to expand on and have flexibilityin the project course of action (orange). A good choice for a culminat-ing activity would be an oral and visual presentation (orange/gold).Projects such as service learning and cooperative learning that wouldallow students to become involved in a community action in whichthey are concerned would appeal to blue students.
3. General Teaching Strategies
• Instructors should be organized in their lectures and classroom activi-ties (gold) yet engage the students in the learning process (orange). Forexample, students may be given the following rules (gold): You will begiven a topic card. You have 1 minute to review the topic. You have 1minute to give an impromptu speech about the topic. This is an orga-nized activity (gold) but provides some excitement (orange) throughthe impromptu speech. However, make sure the 1 minute timeframe isupheld (gold).
In general, orange students are esteemed when they are active, com-petitive, entertaining, and multitasking. Gold students, in general, areesteemed when they are prepared, on-task, setting examples for others, and
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organized. With this information, instructors can incorporate appropriateinformation, activities, and projects into a student-centered, engagingcourse. Keep in mind that blue students want to help others and enjoyworking in groups for social enhancement.
Instructors, however, may ask this question: What if my students’personalities are not represented with the personality trait spectrum of theseHRTM students? It is important for instructors to note that with their ownknowledge of the personality traits associated with each color, they cantypically identify at least their students’ highest and lowest colors.
As noted by Miscisin (2007), typically, if students are active, seem tomultitask well, and are natural entertainers or negotiators, their personalitytraits indicate their first color in their spectrum is orange. These studentsneed freedom to express themselves, a variety of activities/assignments, andpractical, hands-on activities. If students are cooperative, helpful, creative,and possibly emotional, their personality traits indicate their first color intheir spectrum is blue. These students need affirmation, need to beincluded, need to be heard, and need a way to help others.
If students are prepared, punctual, on-task, and organized, their per-sonality traits indicate their first color in their spectrum is gold. Thesestudents need to know the plan for the course and the rules, need consis-tency, and also need recognition. If students are independent, logical, tena-cious, good problem-solvers, and need time to make decisions, theirpersonality traits indicate their first color in their spectrum is green. Thesestudents need time to think and plan, intellectual stimulation, a challenge,and to be successful.
The best way to ensure students are provided with a variety of opportu-nities for each color is to provide assignments/projects that give studentschoices. For example, J. Fogarty (personal communication, April 2007) noteswhen students are provided with choices to meet the project objectives, itallows them to direct their strengths to a project that meets their personality.Therefore, if a project involves students investigating and describing a spe-cific travel destination, students may be given the following choices to pro-vide information about that travel destination: (1) Create an oralpresentation with visuals about the travel destination; (2) write a reportabout the travel destination; (3) create a map with details to the specifictravel destination; (4) develop an itinerary with details for the travel destina-tion; or (5) create a Web page for the travel destination. In this particularinstance, J. Fogarty (personal communication, April 2007) would require stu-dents to complete three of the five choices. This allows students to use theirstrengths in their personality traits to portray the travel destination in theirown way and provide the information required by the project. When projectrequirements are matched to students’ strengths, impressive work prevails.
In conclusion, identifying one’s own True Colors personality trait spec-trum provides an effective, in-depth examination of the various personality
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traits applicable to classroom, personal, and professional relationships.Understanding personality traits is particularly important in the hospitalityindustry as employees interact with a diverse array of customers and striveto meet their needs. Additionally, future HRTM employees will be enabledto better communicate with customers, coworkers, and managers to create aproactive, team-oriented, solution-based atmosphere. As educators, under-standing students’ personality traits spectrums enables differentiated instruc-tion, providing more valuable and effective experiences in the classroom.
Such differentiated instruction and experiences should be expandedinto developing the HRTM curriculum. True Colors helps faculty and admin-istrators understand all personality spectrums, hence, all students. Throughthis understanding is an appreciation of individual differences includingpersonality and culture. As curriculum changes occur, faculty and adminis-trators should be aware of the personality trait spectrums of students anddevelop a viable, enhanced curriculum to esteem students through course-work and outside experiences.
As participants of the True Colors training, hospitality students are ableto identify their individual personality characteristics and recognize howunderstanding such personality characteristics of others is beneficial to cre-ating a successful, professional environment in their future careers. TrueColors can serve as a model for relationship management inside and outsidethe workplace, assisting in achieving healthy, harmonious personal life-styles. Moreover, True Colors can help educators understand their studentsmore completely and develop a classroom environment to engage allstudents. There are free True Colors online assessments to help faculty andstudents learn basic information. Two examples are provided to support oth-ers in learning more about True Colors: (1) http://www.truecolorstest.com/True-Colors-Personality-Test.html, and (2) http://www.truecolorscareer.com/quiz.asp.
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