WORKPLACE SUPERPOWER
Following a major study of the effects of personality on job performance by the University of Arkansas of more than 1.9 million participants, the researchers found one personality trait – agreeableness – has a desirable effect on hundreds of physical, psychological and occupational metrics that impact not only job performance but general life success. In work situations, agreeableness is the personality trait primarily concerned with helping people and building positive relationships. The researchers also synthesised eight themes that captured the characteristics functioning of agreeableness. Self-transcendence – Having aspirations for selfdirected growth and motivation to show care and concern for others.
Contentment – Accepting life as it is, and an ability to adjust to new contexts and institutions.
Relational investment – Motivation to cultivate and maintain positive relationships with others. Teamworking – Empathetic capacity to coordinate goals with others and ability to cooperate effectively to accomplish collective objectives.
Work investment – Willingness to expend effort on tasks, do quality work and show a responsiveness to the work environment.
Lower results emphasis – A generally lower emphasis on setting goals and producing individual results and a tendency to rate others’ performance with greater leniency.
Social norm orientation – Greater sensitivity to behavioral compliance with social norms and rules and avoidance of rule-breaking.
Social integration – Capacity for successful integration into social roles and institutions and a reduced likelihood of delinquency, antisocial behaviour and turnover.