To what extent are Big Five Personality Traits and Emotional
Intelligence Training Related to Employees’ Job Performance?
Business Research Methods
12.12.2019
, Abstract
Training workforce to achieve enhanced productivity is of significant interest to the
employers. In this research, we hypothesize that the dimensions of the Five-Factor Model
(FFM) are related to JP. Furthermore, we state that the Emotional intelligence (EI) training can
improve JP. The data were collected from 100 employees of a Dutch-based ACME
Corporation. Participants filled out a questionnaire on their personality traits. Then an EI
training was conducted, and its effect on JP was measured. The results supported both
hypotheses: FFM explained 73% of the variance of participants’ JP, and the improvement in JP
after EI training was 86%.
, Introduction
For centuries businesses and organisations were searching for ways to maximize return
profits by investing in the productive utilization of the capital. All elements of the firm's
capital, especially human capital, affect the extent to which an organization achieves its goals
(Mullins, 1999). Productivity of employees is among the most crucial elements of a successful
organization. In 1990, Campbell et al. defined job performance as the relationship between
what employees do, how they behave, and the degree of organizational goal achieving. This
leads to effectiveness - distinction made between performance (production) and final outcomes
of performance (Campbell et al., 1990). One of the predictors of a more effective job
performance is the personality study, specifically the Five Factor Model (FFM) (McCrae et al.,
1992) and Emotional Intelligence (Salovey et al., 1990).
FFM as a job performance predictor
The possibility of measuring personality has been questioned by various psychologists of
the 20th century, such as Reilly and Warech (1965), who were concerned about the reliability
of measures in previous studies. However, McCrae and Costa elaborated the topic of
personality traits by presenting the Five-Factor Personality model (1992) and the the
Neo-Personality Inventory Revised way to measure it, the (NEO-PI-R) (Costa et al., 1997).
The Five-Factor model is also called “The Big Five” (Barrick et al., 1991) and is composed of
Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Neuroticism.
Extraversion is a personality trait that contains such features as social activity,
talkativeness, assertiveness and optimism. (Rothmann et al., 2003). In contrast to introverts,
extraverts are also “less dysphoric, less introspective and self-preoccupied” (Watson et al.,
1997). Because of this, for an organization it is considered to be desirable to have extraverts as
a personnel, especially in positions that include a lot of social interaction.
Openness to experience manifests a person's motivation to experiment, learn and explore
new ways of dealing with tasks (Minbashian et al., 2013). According to Payne, Youngcourt and
Beaubien (2007), open people tend to set challenging goals, put more effort into their work and
seek new knowledge. Although possessing this trait may not result in an obvious advantage in
performance of employees over their less open colleagues, the differences might be seen over
the long run (Minbashian et al., 2013).
Intelligence Training Related to Employees’ Job Performance?
Business Research Methods
12.12.2019
, Abstract
Training workforce to achieve enhanced productivity is of significant interest to the
employers. In this research, we hypothesize that the dimensions of the Five-Factor Model
(FFM) are related to JP. Furthermore, we state that the Emotional intelligence (EI) training can
improve JP. The data were collected from 100 employees of a Dutch-based ACME
Corporation. Participants filled out a questionnaire on their personality traits. Then an EI
training was conducted, and its effect on JP was measured. The results supported both
hypotheses: FFM explained 73% of the variance of participants’ JP, and the improvement in JP
after EI training was 86%.
, Introduction
For centuries businesses and organisations were searching for ways to maximize return
profits by investing in the productive utilization of the capital. All elements of the firm's
capital, especially human capital, affect the extent to which an organization achieves its goals
(Mullins, 1999). Productivity of employees is among the most crucial elements of a successful
organization. In 1990, Campbell et al. defined job performance as the relationship between
what employees do, how they behave, and the degree of organizational goal achieving. This
leads to effectiveness - distinction made between performance (production) and final outcomes
of performance (Campbell et al., 1990). One of the predictors of a more effective job
performance is the personality study, specifically the Five Factor Model (FFM) (McCrae et al.,
1992) and Emotional Intelligence (Salovey et al., 1990).
FFM as a job performance predictor
The possibility of measuring personality has been questioned by various psychologists of
the 20th century, such as Reilly and Warech (1965), who were concerned about the reliability
of measures in previous studies. However, McCrae and Costa elaborated the topic of
personality traits by presenting the Five-Factor Personality model (1992) and the the
Neo-Personality Inventory Revised way to measure it, the (NEO-PI-R) (Costa et al., 1997).
The Five-Factor model is also called “The Big Five” (Barrick et al., 1991) and is composed of
Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Neuroticism.
Extraversion is a personality trait that contains such features as social activity,
talkativeness, assertiveness and optimism. (Rothmann et al., 2003). In contrast to introverts,
extraverts are also “less dysphoric, less introspective and self-preoccupied” (Watson et al.,
1997). Because of this, for an organization it is considered to be desirable to have extraverts as
a personnel, especially in positions that include a lot of social interaction.
Openness to experience manifests a person's motivation to experiment, learn and explore
new ways of dealing with tasks (Minbashian et al., 2013). According to Payne, Youngcourt and
Beaubien (2007), open people tend to set challenging goals, put more effort into their work and
seek new knowledge. Although possessing this trait may not result in an obvious advantage in
performance of employees over their less open colleagues, the differences might be seen over
the long run (Minbashian et al., 2013).
