Organizational Behavior Assignment 1 By: Shahan Arshad (20130026)

Big Five Personality Test

The subject identified herself as female, age 23. She responded to 47 questions designed to test the five categories of the Big Five Model of Personality: Openness to Experience (10 questions relating to the category) Conscientiousness (8 questions relating to the category) Extraversion (11 questions relating to the category) Agreeableness (11 questions relating to the category) Neuroticism (7 questions relating to this category) The list of questions asked is available at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1k-2lIASbfMzT0QmaX85gj9Wj9gkYXVr7VXlG1TCWe7k/viewform. The answers were given in the form of options which included Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither disagrees nor agrees, Agree, Strongly Agree. Ratings were given to the options with 1 for Strongly Disagree to 5 for Strongly Agree. Questions were phrased both positively and negatively. Some of the questions were reverse phrased i.e. negative phrasing. These questions had their option scores re-coded to show a high score for what we perceive to be positive qualities for a desirable employee e.g. I tend to be lazy is a reverse phrased question; anyone who disagrees would score a 2 or 1 which would be re-coded to a 4 or 5 to show a high score for the positive quality of being a hard worker. Some of the questions were rephrased and repeated to root out any manipulation attempts; however the testing is in no way exhaustive. It only suggests what the subjects personality might be like rather than give an answer in surety.

Results

Big Five Personality Model

Openness to Experience Openness to Experience Conscientiousness Conscientiousn ess Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism Agreeableness Extraversion

Neuroticism

As we can see, the subject shows extremely high levels of extraversion and agreeableness, high levels of openness to experience and low levels of conscientiousness and neuroticism. Deriving the personality insights from the answers given to the test, we can see that high levels of Openness to Experience means that the subject is highly creative and intelligent and is motivated to seek new experiences. It means the subject has enhanced leadership qualities and is more adaptable to change. However there is evidence, from Clarke et al. Applied Psychology: An International Review 57 (2008), that suggests that she is susceptible to workplace accidents. Lower score in Conscientiousness shows a lack of self-discipline to some extent. The subject tends to be careless and engages in spontaneous behavior rather than meticulous planned behavior, organized and scheduled timetables. The subject tends to be untidy and disorganized and has a propensity to procrastinate. Conscientiousness has also been correlated with longevity. Lower scores would mean that the respondent may not lead a longer life than someone who scores higher. However a lower score would also indicate that the respondent does not have trouble learning complex skills because her focus would be on learning rather than performing well. Extremely high levels of extraversion point to enjoyment in interacting with people and high energetic levels. The subject is enthusiastic and is an action-oriented individual. She likes to talk and assert herself. High levels of extraversion would also mean that the subject would be suited to jobs that require more social interaction and would find some academic pursuits or tedious solo analysis to be boring. The subject is also more likely to be impulsive whereas an introvert would be patient and take the time to analyze and reflect. A study also found that extraverts are more likely to lie during job interviews than introverts. The subject showed high levels of agreeableness which can mean that she is honest and trustworthy. The subject is cooperative and sympathetic. In jobs requiring significant teamwork, she would perform well and would be less likely to engage in anti-social behavior or organizational deviance. The subject may be compliant and rule-abiding. However, a downside is that she may be agreeable to lower levels of career success and would be a poorer negotiator as she may be more concerned with pleasing others. A low score in Neuroticism points to the possibility that the subject does not feel anxiety, anger, guilt or depressed moods as much as someone who would score high in this dimension. The subject is more emotionally stable and does not stress out easily. The subject tends to be calm, even-tempered, comfortable and unemotional. The subject is positive and optimistic in her thinking and experiences fewer negative emotions. However a very low score would indicate lack of ambition because the respondent would be happy and content with her life and job and therefore would be less likely to strive for more.