Relationship Between Personality Traits, Work Environment And Interpersonal Relationship At Work

Relationship Between Personality Traits, Work Environment And Interpersonal Relationship At Work

Abstract

Studies have shown that in as important as there are further than one person who work in an Organisation, interpersonal relationship is about the most important factor in the productivity and success of similar Organisation. The ideal of this study thus is to examine the influence of Personality factors and work terrain on interpersonal relationship at work.

A check exploration design was espoused using a total sample of one hundred and eighty- one workers, across different diligence in Lagos. The responses from the sample were used to test the colorful suppositions connections proposed in the study.

The findings reveal the significance of Interpersonal relationship at work. It was set up that work terrain significantly predicts interpersonal relationship, β = 0.59, t( 181) = 0.59, p<0.05. Work terrain explained 35 of friction in interpersonal relation scores, R2 = 0.35, F( 1,181) = 35.87, p<0.05. Also, the study revealed no significant correlation between openness and interpersonal relationship( r = .08, p>.05); so also, Openness doesn’t prognosticate Interpersonal Relationship, β = 0.08, t( 181) = 1.05, p>0.05. Openness explained 0 of friction in Interpersonal Relationship scores, R2 = 0.00, F( 1,181) = 1.11, p>0.05; so also for meticulousness. This study also revealed no significant correlation between openness and interpersonal relationship( r = .08, p>.05). Pearson R Correlation conducted revealed significant positive correlation between Extraversion and Interpersonal Relationship( r = .41, p<.05). Affability significantly predicts Interpersonal Relationship, β = 0.62, t( 181) = 11.47, p<0.05. Affability explained 12 of friction in Interpersonal Relation scores, R2 = 0.12, F( 1,181) = 17.56, p<0.05. Neuroticism doesn’t prognosticate Interpersonal Relationship, β = 0.10, t( 181) = 1.30, p>0.05. Neuroticism accounts 2 of friction in Interpersonal Relation scores, R2 = 0.12, F( 1,181) = 1.70, p>0.05. From the independent- samples t- test conducted there was Abstract

xii significant difference in scores on interpersonal relationship for males( M = 30.84, SD = 8.52) and ladies,( M = 21.26, SD = 9.89); t( 181) = 6.21, p<.05.

The findings presented then contributes to plant interpersonal relationship literature in a number of ways. Most importantly, the findings contribute to the arising sluice of exploration feting the relationship between all the factors of Big Five Personality force and Interpersonal relationship at work.

CHAPTER ONE

preface

Interpersonal connections at work have impact on both associations and workers. This impact can be either positive or negative depending on the nature of the interpersonal relationship. Positive interpersonal relationship can ameliorate individual hand stations similar as job satisfaction, job commitment, engagement and perceived organizational support( Ellingwood, 2001 Morrison, 2009; Song & Olshfski, 2008; Zagenczyk, Scott, Gibney, Murrell, & Thatcher, 2010). Also negative work stations can be reduced when workers bandy bad and unwelcome work gests ( Morrison, 2009; Odden & Sias, 1997; Song & Olshfski, 2008). On an organisational position, valued work connections can impact organizational issues by adding institutional participation, establishing probative and innovative climates, adding organizational productivity and laterally reducing the intent to development( Berman, West, Richter, & Maurice, 2002; Crabtree, 2004; Ellingwood, 2004).

former exploration has examined contextual and demographic antecedents to plant connections to more understand what influences the liability that workers develop positive connections at work. One of the crucial characteristics that has been linked to play a part is personality( Ilies etal., 2009).

According to Akintayo( 2012), working terrain refers to the immediate task and public terrain where an association draws its inputs, reused it and returned the labors inform of products or services for public consumption. These include the supplier, client, stakeholders, social-artistic, profitable, technological, directorial and legal terrain.

exploration in the field of artificial psychology revealed that work terrain, which can be measured through workers ’ comprehensions about the point of their organisation, has significant relationship with several disciplines of organisational geste similar as job performance, organisational commitment, provocation etc. According to Adeniji( 2011) experimenters in organizational geste have long been interested in understanding workers ‘ comprehensions of the work terrain and how these comprehensions impact individualities ‘ work- related stations and behaviours. Beforehand experimenters suggested that the social climate or atmosphere created in a plant had significant consequences- workers ‘ comprehensions of the work environment purportedly told the extent to which people were satisfied and perform up to their eventuality, which in turn, was prognosticated to impact organizational productivity(e.g Katz & Kahn, 2004; Likert, 1997, McGregor, 2000). The construct of climate has been studied considerably and has proven useful in landing comprehensions of the work environment( Denisson, 2006; Ostroff, Kinicki & Tamkins, 2007). Climate has been described as an experientially grounded description of the work terrain and, more specifically, workers ‘ comprehensions of the formal and informal programs, practices and procedures in their association( Schneider, 2008).

It’s derived that studies on organizational climate also refers to the work terrain since organizational climate, conceptually, is a description of the work terrain grounded on workers ’ comprehensions. In this study, the experimenter examinations into the work terrain as it affects interpersonal relationship among workers. Also, personality is delved as a dispositional factor with counteraccusations on the position and quality of interpersonal connections of workers.

Background of the Study

Work terrain on the geste of its members has been an important issue of discussion and analysis since long back. In artificial environment, the problem of adding product and making the work terrain more affable have been approached through the preface of durable changes in working terrain. The terrain in work associations comprises several factors of two major orders, videlicet, physical and sickie-social. During early days of development of artificial psychology only physical terrain in work place was given significance and was considered as a predominant determinant of workers ’ productivity. multitudinous earlier studies examined the effect of illumination, temperature, noise, and atmospheric conditions on productivity of the workers( Bennett, Chitlangia, & Pangnekar, 1977; McCormic & Sanders, 1982; Moreland & Barnes, 1970; Peterson & Gross, 1978; Vickroy, Shaw, & Fisher, 1982). still, no harmonious relationship could be noted between these factors of physical work terrain and performance. After Hawthorne studies artificial psychologists started shifting their attention to the study of social and cerebral terrain and its goods on workers ’ job geste .

The recognition of the significant part of sickie-social terrain led to the emergence of organizational psychology, and further the conception of ‘ quality of work life ’. The significance of physical work terrain has now been again realized. The ultramodern associations are making all possible sweats to make work terrain more comfortable, safe and healthy, which redounded in emergence of a new branch of artificial/ organizational psychology, videlicet ‘ occupational health psychology ’. This is a more holistic system of looking at the work terrain and the health of the workers.

The influence of organizational climate, which is substantially composed of several organizational, social and cerebral factors, has been considerably examined in once two decades. In a number of studies workers ’ provocation, job satisfaction, job involvement, job performance, and health have been set up to be markedly told by sickie-social terrain of work association( Anantharaman & Subha, 1980; Dugdill, 2000; Mishra, 1986; Muchinsky, 1977; Tumuly, Jernigan & Kohut, 1994).

Statement Of The Problem

Interpersonal connections among workers pose significant concern to operation. This is due to the fact that it has serious counteraccusations for organisational issues. When workers have negative interpersonal connections, conflict is the ineluctable consequence. therefore, studies have looked into aspects of the work terrain that could foster an atmosphere of harmony and cohesiveness in the plant. likewise, a boost to productivity is anticipated when workers have good interpersonal relationship. This is because ideas will flow more fluently through the organisations and problems will be answered more readily.

still, the determinants of positive interpersonal connections is an issue organisational psychologists have been contending with over the once two decades. Aspects of the work similar as job design, feedback, etc and individual factors similar as provocation, job involvement, have been the focus of utmost exploration. nonetheless, work terrain and personality traits are beginning to surface as applicable predictors of interpersonal relationship. The capability of work terrain to stimulate positive interpersonal relations and of personality traits to dispose workers to seeking meaningful connections in the work place are important converse in the literature on organisational geste .

Taking this fact into consideration, the present study aimed at examining the influence of work terrain and personality traits on interpersonal connections among workers.

objects Of The Study

The general ideal of this study is to probe the relationship between work terrain, big 5 personality traits, and interpersonal relations.

The specific objects of this study are as follows

1) To determine the relationship between work terrain and interpersonal relationship.

2) To probe the relationship between openness and interpersonal relationship.

3) To examine the relationship between meticulousness and interpersonal relationship.

4) To observe the relationship between extraversion and interpersonal relationship.

5) To probe the relationship between affability and interpersonal relationship.

6) To probe the relationship between neuroticism and interpersonal relationship.

Significance Of The Study

This study is important for the following reasons

Interpersonal connections have significant impact on productivity among workers. Positive interpersonal connections enhance cooperation among workers and lead to achievement of organisational pretensions in due time. More so, operation doesn’t spend time on resolving conflict when interpersonal connections are positive and salutary. therefore, this study, by exploring the places of two possible determinants of interpersonal connections( work terrain and personality traits) provides sapience into better operation practice.

Accordingly, in the presence of positive interpersonal connections development intentions are reduced as workers feel they’re part of one big family. Successful organisations have succeeded in retaining their stylish bents by giving a sense of belongingness to them.

Personality traits are individual factors which employers can not change, per se. nonetheless, they can be used in determining placements for individualities in different parts of organisations. On the other hand, the work terrain can be bettered with the end of fostering positive interpersonal connections. This study highlights this points by probing the places played by work terrain and personality.

Functional Description Of Terms

Interpersonal relationship refers to patterns of commerce with specific mates similar as fellow workers over time.

Work terrain In the environment of this study, refers to the psychosocial aspects of the office as perceived by the hand.

Extraversion this refers to high energy and exertion position, dominance, conviviality, expressiveness, and positive feelings as measured by the Big Five force by John, Donahue & Kentle( 1991).

Affability refers to prosocial exposure, altruism, tender mindedness, trust, and modesty as measured by the Big Five force by John, Donahue & Kentle( 1991).

meticulousness refers to impulse control, task exposure, thing directedness as measured by the Big Five force by John, Donahue & Kentle( 1991).

Neuroticism refers to anxiety, sadness, perversity, and nervous pressure as measured by the Big Five force by John, Donahue & Kentle( 1991).

Openness refers to the depth and complexity of an existent’s internal and existential life as measured by the Big Five force by John, Donahue & Kentle( 1991).

Literature Review

Theoretical review

Hand Interpersonal connections

once exploration has concentrated on the conformation of interpersonal connections at work as a function of hand demographics and the work terrain. Song and Olshfski( 2008) proposed that who we claim as our musketeers is told by our family ties, class, ethnical background, race, gender, age, experience, interests, and terrain. numerous propositions support the proposition that demographic characteristics impact social connections between individualities( Sacco & Schmitt, 2005). Social categorization( Turner, 1987) and social identity propositions( Tajfel & Turner, 1986; Turner, 1982) put forth that people classify themselves and others into in- groups and out- groups according to salient characteristics, including race and coitus.

Individualities tend to minimize differences among in- group members and maximize perceived differences between groups. individualities reply further appreciatively to relations with people in the same group, indeed when group distinctions are arbitrary( Sacco & Schmitt, 2005; Sherif, Harvey, White, Hood, & Sherif, 1961). also, the similarity- magnet paradigm( Berscheid & Walster, 1978; Byrne, 1971) and relational demography proposition( Tsui, Egan, & O’Reilly, 1992; Tsui & O’Reilly, 1989) suggest that demographic similarity leads to magnet and relish and appreciatively impacts the social connections between workers. Interestingly, these propositions suggest that demographic goods on plant connections and the consequences of similar connections may do indeed without expansive hand commerce.

In addition to demographic antecedents, associations have numerous environmental characteristics that can grease fellowship timber( Pogrebin, 1987). Song and Olfshki( 2008) suggest that organizational societies which foster informal communication give further openings to form gemütlichkeit. Specifically, organizational morals and rules that encourage communication between immediate elders and inferiors have a positive impact on fellowship occasion. Further, gemütlichkeit at work may form simply because of the close propinquity, relations and participated gests of associates( Lu, 1999; Berman etal., 2002).

Rousseau( 1995) suggested that directors may be instructed to promote a climate of openness and fellowship among their staff and to set positive exemplifications of asked plant connections. In a study of elderly directors, Berman etal.( 2002) linked common strategies for promoting a climate of fellowship. The strategies included furnishing workers the occasion to fraternize; encouraging them to act friendly toward one another and to seek each other for emotional support; and training administrators to establish positive connections with workers.

Relationship between Personality and Interpersonal connections at Work

The exploration focus therefore far on demographic and situational antecedents of interpersonal connections at work neglects the argument that an existent’s dispositional differences likely also impact the conformation of positive work connections. Indeed, experimenters have paid limited attention to relating individual,non-demographic attributes that grease the construction of social ties indeed though meaningful connections on the job are likely to be a function of the nature of two people who come together. Developing positive interpersonal connections at work should be embedded in dispositional differences. Kalish and Robins( 2006) suggest that cerebral tendencies are critical factors at the most introductory position of a social relationship between two individualities. The five- factor model of personality( Barrick, Mount, & Judge, 2001 Hogan, 1991; Hough & Furnham, 2003), including openness, meticulousness, extraversion, affability, and neuroticism( emotional stability), provides a meaningful theoretical frame for supposing the liability that certain traits lead to the development of interpersonal connections at work.

Backslappers are described as energetic, participative, gregarious and suggestive. Because they tend to be social, assertive and bold in nature, extraverted individualities should form and maintain interpersonal connections at work. workers high on extraversion enjoy socializing and developing connections. They’re thus more likely to cultivate social commerce and make new connections. Taking a social networks perspective, Kalish and Robins( 2006) give substantiation that boon workers tend to construct broad, thick, miscellaneous social networks.

Backslappers not only have a advanced volume of interpersonal connections, but they also perceive those connections to be of advanced quality. Extraverted individualities feel closer to their musketeers and value those connections more largely( Berry, Willingham & Thayer, 2000).

Agreeable individualities are described as compassionate, flexible, fair, generous and considerate( Goldberg, 1992). They’ve the tendency to be largely approachable because of their probative nature and perceptivity. Costa and McCrae( 1992) suggested that agreeable people are humanitarian, sympathetic, and eager to help others, with an anticipation that similar geste will be recompensed. similar individualities strive for cooperation over competition. The conformation and development of interpersonal relationship are incompletely a function of warmth and kindness, both attributes of affability( Sprecher & Regan, 2002). Klein, Lim, Saltz, and Mayer( 2004) set up that agreeable individualities are central in fellowship networks, maybe due to their craving for close connections( Graziano, Jensen- Campbell, & Hair, 1996), their capability to give social and emotional support to others and their drinking of new musketeers. Agreeable individualities are fitted to seek out interpersonally probative and accepting surroundings(e.g., Barrick etal., 2002; Wiggins, 1991). Agreeable people strive to foster affable and harmonious interpersonal connections( Ilies et al, 2009) and increase group harmony( Graziano etal., 1996). People prefer to be musketeers with individualities high on affability because there’s lower vexation in the fellowship( Berry et.al., 2000). They like other people more and tend to be liked by others in return.

Emotionally stable individualities are described as confident, controlled, and well- acclimated. They’ve a tendency to be calm, undemonstrative and secure( Barrick & Mount, 1996). These characteristics combined with their positive disposition attract others to emotional stable individualities as a source of support. Emotionally stable individualities are enjoyable to be around because they tend to be happy( Hills & Argyle, 2001 Vitterso, 2001). conversely, individualities low in emotional stability( i.e., high in neuroticism) frequently express wrathfulness, moodiness or instability and aren’t central in their fellowship networks( Klein et.al., 2004). individualities high on emotional stability experience more positive connections with others because they retain advanced situations of forbearance, remission, and an indeed- temperedness performing in lower conflict( Berry etal., 2000; Walker & Gorsuch, 2002). Emotionally stable individualities are more likely to be liked by others, a introductory prerequisite for forming and maintaining interpersonal connections at work( Xia, Yuan, & Gay, 2009).

The Big Five Personality proposition

Srivastava( 2008) had reinstated that the term “ Big Five ” was chased by Lewis Goldberg in 1976 and was firstly associated with studies of personality traits used in natural language. While, the term “ Five- Factor Model ” has been more generally associated with studies of traits using personality questionnaires. The two exploration traditions yielded largely consonant models( in fact, this is one of the strengths of the Big Five/ Five- Factor Model as a common taxonomy of personality traits), and in current practice the terms are frequently used interchangeably. Roccas, Sagiv, Schwartz, and Knafo( 2002) stated in their preface that this five factor personality model is a dominant approach for representing the mortal particularity structure moment. also, empirical attestations by Digman( 1990), Goldberg( 1993), Mc Crae and Costa( 1996), and O’Connor( 2002) have all supported that the Big Five Personality confines represents the taxonomy to describe mortal personality in a veritably orderly manner.

The Big Five Personality confines implies that personality consists of five separate confines that altogether give a comprehensive taxonomy for the study of mortal geste . According to this arising agreement, the Big Five Personality confines consists of extroversion, emotional stability/ neuroticism, affability, meticulousness, and openness to witness( Costa & Mc Crae, 1985; Mount & Barrick, 1995). According to Ivancevich, Konopaske, and Matteson( 2008), each of these five confines are described as follows

Extroversiona broad dimension which encompasses traits similar as being active, gregarious, sociable, assertive, garrulous and energetic. People who are high in extroversion are generally veritably jocund, oral and interactive people. They naturally feel to have a good deal of social commerce. The exploration by Judge, Heller and Mount( 2002) indicates that individualities who are convivial feel to perform well in trade, client service and directorial jobs; tend to do better in training programs; and generally have advanced situations of interpersonal relationship.

Neuroticism( occasionally it’s reversed and known as Emotional Stability) is the tendency to witness positive emotional countries. People who are high in emotional stability/ neuroticism would feel secure, relaxed, calm and confident. In contrary, people who are low in emotional stability/ neuroticism would feel upset, insecure, depressed, exorbitantly anxious and angry. These low emotional people are more likely to witness stress and emotional break campo as and when they encounter a new or grueling job.

Agreeablenessrefers to the characteristics of being gracious, tolerant, forgiving, soft- hearted and caring. Being high in affability would mean that they’re the kind of people who can get on fluently with others on any occasion. It’s a dimension that can help make someone an effective platoon player and can pay off in jobs where developing and maintaining good interpersonal connections is of utmost significance( Neuman & Wright, 1999). Then again, it looks like this dimension would be pivotal for jobs related to deals, client service, tutoring, social work and numerous others in which a person has to interact with people in general.

Conscientiousnessincludes the characteristics of being persisting, organized, responsible, reliable, thorough and sedulous. individualities with this dimension are naturally hard working, affect acquainted, and ambitious. No doubt this dimension is largely valued by all associations. In discrepancy to this dimension, are people who are lazy, hamstrung and disorganized in anything that they do. Judge and Ilies’s( 2002) exploration indicates that conscientious individualities parade a advanced position of provocation and job satisfaction.

Openness to witness( occasionally called Intellect or Imagination) reflects the extent to which a person has broad interest and the appetite to take pitfalls in dealings. Some of its traits include broad- mindedness, being imaginative, intelligent, curious and flexible. People who parade this dimension are always suitable to work in an terrain where change is nonstop and invention is ongoing.