predictive scheme seems to be better in context performance than in
task specific performance New questions concerning measures of
personality with lower-order constructs, global (international)
definitions, and more attention to the construct and measurement of
performance in organizations will refine our knowledge on the
“right” use of personality in the workplace.
even if the Big Five gives a solid framework to the study of
personality and its predictability of performance at work, certain
factors from the Big Five seem not to have received sufficient
attention in the literature. For example, when compared to
extraversion (introver- sion) or emotional stability (neuroticism),
the factor agreeableness is less documented in terms of predictive
data in performance in the workplace. To explain that, Graziano and
Eisenberg (1997) reported that agreeableness has undergone many
changes in its lexical definition, starting with conformity (Fiske,
1949), then friendly conformity, or hostile non-conformity (Digman
& Takemoto-Chock, 1981). Also recently, Jonhson and Ostendorf
(1993) reported that the factor agreeableness could be, depending
on the type of factor analysis used in a lexical study, closer to
the dimension of “conforming to others’ wishes” or “possessing a
pleasant disposition”. Clearly, this factor needs to mobilize
attention in its definition (and expression) within a culture, and
its impact on performance in organizations.
Concerning the use of personality in personnel selection and
evaluation, the last decade has seen important advances made in
several domains. An important one was the development of the Big
Five as a valid framework within which researchers and
organizations can pursue their research and applications. The Big
Five combined with meta-analytic methods allowed researchers to
answer many of the questions left unaddressed for many years.
Today, confidence in personality and its measures give a new
dynamic both to theory development and applications. Further
research will need to show the benefits of linking specific,
lower-level facets of the Big Five to specific, lower-level
criteria of performance. This paper gives an overview of the use of
personality in the prediction of performance and suggests
directions for future research
