Obviously, there arc some personality ^predispositions, which are favourable "to managerial effectiveness and to the success of managers. Apart from possessing the necessary skills and abilities, managers need to develop a high tolerance for ambiguity. There are many changes taking place in the internal and the external environment of an organization.. Naturally, several unpredictable factors are involved in any complex situation, which are beyond the managers’ control. Therefore, they should be able to, handle situations as they come, without experiencing undue stress. Thus, a high tolerance for ambiguity is a desired managerial trait. Managers with a good mix of achievements, affiliations and power will be successful in most situations. This is because they will have the drive to achieve the goals and the interpersonal orientation to get the job done through others. In sales and other people-oriented roles, extrovert managers will fit better in their jobs. Similarly, managers with internal locus of control will be more efficient as intellectual and skilled performers. Managers with good work ethic values, will get more involved in their jobs and make things happen. They are likely to be more successful in their jobs. Managers with Type A personalities may suit very well for some jobs, which have inbuilt performance pressures and deadlines, but they need to know how to relax through exercises and self-monitor their stress levels.
Personality is a relatively stable
factor, but our predispositions can be changed through conscious choice. For
instance, our tolerance for ambiguity and ability to handle stress can be
considerably enhanced; the attributions we make for success such as internal
versus external-locus of control can be changed. Also, our latent needs can
be activated and our skills in decision-making can be increased through
training programs and by deliberately making the necessary changes. Recognizing
the essential ingredients for managerial success is the first step towards
making the changes.
THE SELF-CONCEPT: SELF-ESTEEM AND
SELF-EFFICACY
People's attempt to understand
themselves is called the self-concept in personality theory. The human self is
made of many interacting parts and may be thought of as the personality viewed
from within. This self is particularly relevant to the concepts of self-esteem
and self-efficacy in the field of organizational behavior.
People's self-esteem has to do with
their self-perceived competence and self-image. Considerable research has been
done on the role played by self-esteem outcomes in the organizational behavior.
Most recently done studies indicate that self-esteem plays an important
moderating role in the areas of emotional and behavioral responses and stress
of organizational members. It was recently noted that, "both research and
everyday experience confirm that employees with high self-esteem feel unique,
competent, secure, empowered and connected, to the people around them"
Self-efficacy is concerned with
self-perceptions of how well a person can cope with situations as they arise.
Those with high self-efficacy feel capable and confident of performing well in
a situation. In the field of organizational behavior, self-efficacy is
conceptually close to self-esteem. Miner points out the differences by noting
that self-esteem tends to be a generalized trait (it will be present in any
situation), while self-efficacy tends to be situation specific. Self-efficacy;
has been shown to have an empirical relationship with organizational
performance and other dynamics of organizational behavior.
In summary, personality is a very
diverse and complex cognitive process. It incorporates almost everything. As
defined above, personality means the whole person. It is concerned with
external appearance and traits, self and situational interactions. Probably the
best statement on personality was made many years ago by Kluckhohn and Murray,
"to some extent, a person's personality is like all other people's, like
some other people's, and like no other people's."