Personality in the workplace organization

Author: (USA) Lawrence R. James
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: This book employs the same personality variable, namely achievement motivation, which is widely recognized in organizations (typically expressed in psychology as "pursuit of success" and "avoidance of failure" as two typical manifestations of achievement motivation), to narrate the individual-environment interaction model through vivid cases, explaining how personality differences influence and shape an individual's adaptation to the environment. It strives to integrate the methodologies of trait theory and social cognitive theory, exploring their intrinsic connections, thereby comprehensively investigating the key variables that influence personality. This undoubtedly is a significant highlight of the book. Additionally, the book places great emphasis on applied research on personality measurement in organizations, particularly on refining and summarizing three typical personality measurement techniques—self-report measurement, projective measurement, and social cognitive measurement (conditional reasoning). A deep understanding and mastery of these three measurement techniques will help in better applying the findings of personality research in organizations.
Why do different people exhibit different behaviors in the same environment? Why do different employees perform differently in the same organizational environment (such as the same leader, compensation system, team atmosphere, and corporate culture)? What kind of employees are likely to quickly adapt to the work environment, be responsible, avoid aggressive or destructive behavior, and consistently perform well, achieving notable accomplishments? How should such employees be identified and selected? Researchers and practitioners in fields like psychology, management, and economics have been continuously exploring these questions. This book provides satisfactory answers to these issues—the individual's dynamic psychological structure and the psychological processes it regulates influence and determine how individuals adapt to their surroundings. This is the latest research findings of personality psychologists and also the central theme of the book.
The entire book employs the same personality variable, namely achievement motivation, which is widely recognized in organizations (typically expressed in psychology as "pursuit of success" and "avoidance of failure" as two typical manifestations of achievement motivation), to narrate the individual-environment interaction model through vivid cases, explaining how personality differences influence and shape an individual's adaptation to the environment. It strives to integrate the methodologies of trait theory and social cognitive theory, exploring their intrinsic connections, thereby comprehensively investigating the key variables that influence personality. This undoubtedly is a significant highlight of the book. Additionally, the book places great emphasis on applied research on personality measurement in organizations, particularly on refining and summarizing three typical personality measurement techniques—self-report measurement, projective measurement, and social cognitive measurement (conditional reasoning). A deep understanding and mastery of these three measurement techniques will help in better applying the findings of personality research in organizations.