BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS AND JOB PERFORMANCE

Abstract

One of the biggest challenges faced by the modern organizations is attracting high performing employees to their organizations to obtain competitive advantage. To get the maximum efforts of the high performing employees, organizations have to match their competencies and characteristics with the job as some jobs emphasize certain qualities more than others. This study attempts to identify the relationship between big five personality traits and job performance of middle managerial level employees of a state bank in Sri Lanka. The sample of the study consists of 80 staff officers of a state bank in Sri Lanka. The main objective of the study was to identify the relationship between big five personality traits and job performance. Independent variable of the study consists of five dimensions; Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Openness to experience. Dependent variable job performance was analyzed under three dimensions, namely; Task Performance, Contextual Performance and Counterproductive Work Behavior. Data were analyzed by using a correlation coefficient technique and also regression analysis. To gather information a structured questionnaire was distributed among the respondents. As hypothesized, big five personality traits had a statistically significant, moderate positive relationship with job performance. Extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience had a significant, moderate positive relationship with job performance supporting to past literature. Contrary to the hypothesized, neuroticism was found no statistically significant relationship with job performance. The study provides new insights into the management of the banking sector, indicating that personality should be given due consideration in human resource management practices in their organizations.