The big five personality traits and individual job performance growth trajectories in maintenance and transitional job stages.
This study extends the literature on personality and job performance through the use of random coefficient modeling to test the validity of the Big Five personality traits in predicting overall sales performance and sales performance trajectories--or systematic patterns of performance growth--in 2 samples of pharmaceutical sales representatives at maintenance and transitional job stages (K. R. Murphy, 1989). In the maintenance sample, conscientiousness and extraversion were positively associated with between-person differences in total sales, whereas only conscientiousness predicted performance growth. In the transitional sample, agreeableness and openness to experience predicted overall performance differences and performance trends. All effects remained significant with job tenure statistically controlled. Possible explanations for these findings are offered, and theoretical and practical implications of findings are discussed.
Thoresen
Carl J
CJ
Department of Psychology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA. carl@cornerstone-mgtdev.com
Bradley
Jill C
JC
Bliese
Paul D
PD
Thoresen
Joseph D
JD
D000328:Adult; D003132:Commerce; D004345:Drug Industry; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010560:Personnel Selection; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014481:United States