WGU C715 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR | 2026
COMPREHENSIVE NOTES ON KEY PERSONALITY
THEORIES AND MODELS ~ WESTERN GOVERNORS
UNIVERSITY.
C715
(Chapters 9,10,12,16 = 50% of Exam)
Chapter 5
Briefly describe the five key traits in the Big Five personality model.
• Conscientiousness- A highly conscientious person is responsible, organized,
dependable and persistent. Those who score low on this dimension are easily
distracted, disorganized and unreliable.
• Emotional Stability- People with emotional stability tend to be calm, self-
confident, and secure. High scorers are more likely to be positive and
optimistic and experience fewer negative emotions; they are generally happier
that low scorers. Emotional stability (those with high neuroticism) is
hypervigilant and vulnerable to physical and psychological effects of stress.
Those which high neuroticism tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and
insecure.
• Extraversion- Extraverts tend to be gregarious, assertive, and sociable. They
are generally happier and are more often ambitious. Experience more positive
emotions than introverts and they more freely express these feelings.
Introverts tend to be more thoughtful reserved, timid, and quiet.
• Openness to experience- Range of interests and fascination with novelty. Open
people are creative, curios and artistically sensitive. Those at the low end of the
category are conventional and find comfort in the familiar.
• Agreeableness- Agreeable people are cooperative, warm, and trusting. You
might expect agreeable people to be happier that disagreeable. They are, but
only slightly. When people choose organizational team members, agreeable
individuals are usually their first choice. In contrast, people who score low on
agreeableness are cold and antagonistic.
,Describe conscientiousness and explain how it can predict behavior at work.
, • Conscientiousness at work- Employees with a high score in conscientiousness
develop higher levels of job knowledge. These levels correspond with higher
levels of job performance. Conscientious people are also more able to maintain
their job performance when faced with abusive supervision.
• Conscientious people show persistence, attention to detail and setting high
standards.
• Highly conscientious people may prioritize work over family, resulting in more
conflict between their work and family roles. They may also become too focused
on their own work to help others in the organization, and they don’t adapt well
to changing context. Conscientious people may have trouble learning complex
skills early in a training process because their focus on performing well rather
than on learning.
Discuss John Holland's personality-job fit theory.
• Personality- job fit theory- Theory that identifies 6 personality types and
proposes that the fit between personality type and occupational environment
determines satisfaction and turnover.
Type Personality Congruent Occupation
Characteristics
Realistic- prefers Shy, genuine, stable, Mechanic, drill press
physical activities that conforming, and operator, assembly line
require skills, strength, practical. worker, farmer.
and coordination.
Investigative- Prefers Analytical, original curious Biologist, economist,
activities that involve independent mathematician, news
thinking, organizing, and reporter.
understanding
Social- Prefers activities Sociable, friendly, Social worker, teacher,
that involve helping and cooperative, counselor, clinical
developing others. understanding psychologist.
Conventional- Prefers Conforming, efficient, Accountant, corporate
rule- regulated, orderly practical, manager, bank teller, file
and unambiguous unimaginative, clerk.
activities inflexible
Enterprising- Prefers Self-confident, ambitious, Lawyer, real estate agent,
verbal activities in which energetic, domineering public relations specialist,
there are opportunities to small business manager.
influence others and
attain power
Artistic- prefers ambiguous Imaginative, disorderly, Painter, Musician writer,
and unsystematic activities idealistic, emotional, interior decorator.
that allow creative impractical
expression.
, Describe the five value dimensions of national culture as identified by the Hofstede's
framework for assessing cultures.
• Power distance- The degree to which people in a country accept that power in
institutions and organizations is distributed unequally. High rating on power
distance means large inequalities of power and wealth exist and are tolerated
in the culture, as in class or caste system that discourages upward mobility.
Low power distance rating characterizes societies that stress equality and
opportunity.
• Individualism Vs Collectivism- Degree to which people prefer to act as
individuals rather than as members of groups and believe in individual rights
above all else. Collectivism emphasizes a tight social framework in which
people expect others in groups of which they are a part to look after them and
protect them.
• Masculinity Vs Femininity- Masculinity is the degree to which the culture
favors traditional masculine roles such as achievement, power and control.
Femininity means the culture sees little differentiation between male and
female roles and treats women as equals to men in all respects.
COMPREHENSIVE NOTES ON KEY PERSONALITY
THEORIES AND MODELS ~ WESTERN GOVERNORS
UNIVERSITY.
C715
(Chapters 9,10,12,16 = 50% of Exam)
Chapter 5
Briefly describe the five key traits in the Big Five personality model.
• Conscientiousness- A highly conscientious person is responsible, organized,
dependable and persistent. Those who score low on this dimension are easily
distracted, disorganized and unreliable.
• Emotional Stability- People with emotional stability tend to be calm, self-
confident, and secure. High scorers are more likely to be positive and
optimistic and experience fewer negative emotions; they are generally happier
that low scorers. Emotional stability (those with high neuroticism) is
hypervigilant and vulnerable to physical and psychological effects of stress.
Those which high neuroticism tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and
insecure.
• Extraversion- Extraverts tend to be gregarious, assertive, and sociable. They
are generally happier and are more often ambitious. Experience more positive
emotions than introverts and they more freely express these feelings.
Introverts tend to be more thoughtful reserved, timid, and quiet.
• Openness to experience- Range of interests and fascination with novelty. Open
people are creative, curios and artistically sensitive. Those at the low end of the
category are conventional and find comfort in the familiar.
• Agreeableness- Agreeable people are cooperative, warm, and trusting. You
might expect agreeable people to be happier that disagreeable. They are, but
only slightly. When people choose organizational team members, agreeable
individuals are usually their first choice. In contrast, people who score low on
agreeableness are cold and antagonistic.
,Describe conscientiousness and explain how it can predict behavior at work.
, • Conscientiousness at work- Employees with a high score in conscientiousness
develop higher levels of job knowledge. These levels correspond with higher
levels of job performance. Conscientious people are also more able to maintain
their job performance when faced with abusive supervision.
• Conscientious people show persistence, attention to detail and setting high
standards.
• Highly conscientious people may prioritize work over family, resulting in more
conflict between their work and family roles. They may also become too focused
on their own work to help others in the organization, and they don’t adapt well
to changing context. Conscientious people may have trouble learning complex
skills early in a training process because their focus on performing well rather
than on learning.
Discuss John Holland's personality-job fit theory.
• Personality- job fit theory- Theory that identifies 6 personality types and
proposes that the fit between personality type and occupational environment
determines satisfaction and turnover.
Type Personality Congruent Occupation
Characteristics
Realistic- prefers Shy, genuine, stable, Mechanic, drill press
physical activities that conforming, and operator, assembly line
require skills, strength, practical. worker, farmer.
and coordination.
Investigative- Prefers Analytical, original curious Biologist, economist,
activities that involve independent mathematician, news
thinking, organizing, and reporter.
understanding
Social- Prefers activities Sociable, friendly, Social worker, teacher,
that involve helping and cooperative, counselor, clinical
developing others. understanding psychologist.
Conventional- Prefers Conforming, efficient, Accountant, corporate
rule- regulated, orderly practical, manager, bank teller, file
and unambiguous unimaginative, clerk.
activities inflexible
Enterprising- Prefers Self-confident, ambitious, Lawyer, real estate agent,
verbal activities in which energetic, domineering public relations specialist,
there are opportunities to small business manager.
influence others and
attain power
Artistic- prefers ambiguous Imaginative, disorderly, Painter, Musician writer,
and unsystematic activities idealistic, emotional, interior decorator.
that allow creative impractical
expression.
, Describe the five value dimensions of national culture as identified by the Hofstede's
framework for assessing cultures.
• Power distance- The degree to which people in a country accept that power in
institutions and organizations is distributed unequally. High rating on power
distance means large inequalities of power and wealth exist and are tolerated
in the culture, as in class or caste system that discourages upward mobility.
Low power distance rating characterizes societies that stress equality and
opportunity.
• Individualism Vs Collectivism- Degree to which people prefer to act as
individuals rather than as members of groups and believe in individual rights
above all else. Collectivism emphasizes a tight social framework in which
people expect others in groups of which they are a part to look after them and
protect them.
• Masculinity Vs Femininity- Masculinity is the degree to which the culture
favors traditional masculine roles such as achievement, power and control.
Femininity means the culture sees little differentiation between male and
female roles and treats women as equals to men in all respects.
