1. What behavioral predictions might you make if you knew that an employee had (a) an external locus of control?

(b) a low Mach score? (c) low self-esteem? (d) a Type A personality? Answer a) Individuals who rate high in externality are less satisfied with their jobs, have higher absenteeism rates, are more alienated from the work setting, and are less involved on their jobs than are internals. Externals are more compliant and willing to follow directions. Externals should do well on jobs that are well structured and routine and in which success depends heavily on complying with the direction of others. b) An individual high in Machiavellianism is pragmatic, maintains emotional distance, and believes that ends can justify means. High Machs manipulate more, win more, are persuaded less, and persuade others more. High Mach outcomes are moderated by situational factors. High Machs flourish when they interact face to face with others rather than indirectly, when the situation has a minimum number of rules and regulations, thus allowing latitude for improvisation, and when emotional involvement with details irrelevant to winning distracts low Machs. High Machs make good employees in jobs that require bargaining skills or that offer substantial rewards for winning. c) Self-esteemthe degree to which they like or dislike themselves. It is directly related to expectations for success. Individuals with high self-esteem will take more risks in job selection and are

more likely to choose unconventional jobs than people with low self-esteem. The most generalizable finding is that low SEs are more susceptible to external influence than are high SEs. Low SEs are dependent on the receipt of positive evaluations from others. In managerial positions, low SEs will tend to be concerned with pleasing others. d) A Type A personality is aggressively involved in a chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time, and, if required to do so, against the opposing efforts of other things or other persons. They: Are always moving, walking, and eating rapidly; Feel impatient with the rate at which most events take place; Strive to think or do two or more things at once; Cannot cope with leisure time; Are obsessed with numbers, measuring their success in terms of how many or how much of everything they acquire.

2. What is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? Answer The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is one of the most widely used personality frameworksMyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It is a 100question personality test that asks people how they usually feel or act in particular situations. Individuals are classified as Extroverted or introverted (E or I). Sensing or intuitive (S or N). Thinking or feeling (T or F). Perceiving or judging (P or J).

3. Describe the factors in the Big Five model. Which factor shows the greatest value in predicting behavior? Why does it? Answer Research supports that five basic dimensions underlie all other personality dimensions. The five basic dimensions are: Extraversion: Comfort level with relationships. Extraverts tend to be gregarious, assertive, and sociable. Introverts tend to be reserved, timid, and quiet. Agreeableness: Individuals propensity to defer to others. Highly agreeable peoplecooperative, warm, and trusting. Low agreeableness peoplecold, disagreeable, and antagonistic. Conscientiousness: A measure of reliability. A high conscientious person is responsible, organized, dependable, and persistent. Those who score low on this dimension are easily distracted, disorganized, and unreliable. Emotional stability: A persons ability to withstand stress. People with positive emotional stability tend to be calm, self-confident, and secure. Those with high negative scores tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and insecure. Openness to experience: The range of interests and fascination with novelty. Extremely open people are creative, curious, and artistically sensitive. Those

at the other end of the openness category are conventional and find comfort in the familiar.

Of the five factors conscientiousness predicted job performance across all occupational groups. Individuals who are dependable, reliable, careful, thorough, able to plan, organized, hardworking, etc. tend to have a high job performance record.

4. What is person-job-fit and how is it different from organization-job-fit. Which is more important? PO fit Kristof (1996) defined PO fit as 'the compatibility between people and organizations that occurs when (a) at least one entity provides what the other needs, or (b) they share similar fundamental characteristics, or (c) both' (pp. 4-5). Taking this approach recognizes the distinction between supplementary and complementary fit. Supplementary fit occurs when a person has similar characteristics to other individuals, and complementary fit occurs when the individual and the situation meet each other's needs.

The application of PO fit to recruitment and selection has emerged from Schneider's (1987) attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) model. He proposed that attraction to, selection into, and remaining in an organization are all determined by the perceived similarity between the person and her/his work environment (i.e. PO fit). Specifically, individuals estimate the match between

their personality, attitudes and values and the organization's values, goals, structures, processes, and culture (Schneider, Goldstein, & Smith, 1995). Studies have shown that PO fit influenced attraction to an organization (Bretz, Ash, & Dreher, 1989; Keon, Latack, & Wanous, 1982; Tom, 1971), job acceptance intentions (Bretz & Judge, 1994; Judge & Bretz, 1992) and hiring recommendations (Cable & Judge, 1997). However, none of these studies jointly examined PJ and PO fit perceptions.

PJ fit PJ fit is conceptualized as the match between individual knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) and demands of the job or the needs/desires of an individual and what is provided by the job (Edwards, 1991; O'Reilly, Chatman, & Caldwell, 1991). According to the literature on realistic job previews (RJP; Wanous, 1977, 1980, 1992), accurate and realistic job information enables applicants to assess the degree of congruence between their KSA and the job requirements (i.e. PJ fit; Breaugh, 1992; Breaugh & Starke, 2000; Wanous, 1977, 1980, 1992). Applicants who perceive a fit between their KSA and the job requirements are probable to remain in the selection process and accept a job offer. RJP research has shown that accurate and realistic job information during recruitment and selection is associated with positive work outcomes (e.g. low attrition from recruitment process, high job satisfaction, low voluntary turnover, high work performance; Meglino, Ravlin, & deNisi, 2000; Phillips, 1998). However,

these studies provide an indirect test of the PJ fit hypothesis, as it is assumed that RJPs enable the individual to assess the extent of PJ fit prior to job choice.

Objective and subjective fit

The underlying assumption of the literature on RJP and ASA theory is that applicants' subjective assessments of the match between their own characteristics and those of the job and organization influence initial attraction, decision to remain in the selection process, and job acceptance decision. Schneider and his colleagues stated, 'People's preferences for particular organizations are based upon an implicit estimate of the congruence [emphasis added] of their own personal characteristics and the attributes of potential work organizations' (Schneider et al., 1995, p.749). It is subjective fit perceptions and not objective fit that influences whether or not an individual pursues work with an organization. Thus, subjective fit is a more accurate depiction of personal reality than objective fit (Caplan, 1987). Evidence indicates that compared with objective fit, subjective fit is a better predictor of applicant attitudes Oudge & Cable, 1997) and hiring outcomes (Adkins, Russell, & Werbel, 1994; Cable & Judge, 1997; Kinnicki, Lockwood, Hom,& Griffeth, 1990).

Heredity determines personality Personality is a dynamic concept describing the growth and development of a persons whole psychological system. Personality is the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others. It is most often described in terms of measurable traits that a person exhibits. The early argument was that personality was the result of heredity or of environment. It now appears that personality appears to be a result of both influences and even a third factorthe situation. Heredity refers to those factors that were determined at conception. The heredity approach argues that the ultimate explanation of an individuals personality is the molecular structure of the genes, located in the chromosomes.