Question: Traits Are Powerful Predictors of Behaviour

The essence of trait approaches in OB is that employees possess stable personality characteristics that significantly influence their attitudes toward, and behavioural reactions to, organizational settings. People with particular traits tend to be relatively consistent in their attitudes and behaviour over time and across situations.104 Of course, trait theorists recognize that all traits are not equally powerful. They tend to put traits into one of three categories. Cardinal traits are those so strong and generalized that they influence every act a person performs. Primary traits are generally consistent influences on behaviour, but they may not show up in all situations. Finally, secondary traits are attributes that do not form a vital part of the personality, but come into play only in particular situations. For the most part, trait theories have focused on the power of primary traits to predict employee behaviour.

Trait theorists do a fairly good job of meeting the average person's common-sense beliefs. Think of friends, relatives, and acquaintances you have known for a number of years. Do they have traits that have remained essentially stable over time? Most of us would answer that question in the affirmative. If cousin Anne was shy and nervous when we last saw her 10 years ago, we would be surprised to find her outgoing and relaxed now. Managers seem to have a strong belief in the power of traits to predict behaviour. If managers believed that situations determined behaviour, they would hire people almost at random and put great effort into structuring situations properly. But the employee selection process in most organizations places a great deal of emphasis on how applicants perform in interviews and on tests. Assume you are interviewing job candidates and ask yourself: What kind of person am I looking for? If you answer with terms such as conscientious, hard-working, persistent, confident, and dependable, you are a trait theorist!