Big Five Personality Traits

Reaction Paper #1 The “Big Five” Personality Traits Throughout our lives, we, as humans, encounter others that we may either have an immediate connection with, must discover more about the individual to determine the relevant connection, or simply, we just cannot manage to maintain a cordial relationship. What determines whether or not we can get along with someone else is defined by an individual’s personality. A personality is an array of “psychological” characteristics that makes each person unique, in their own way.

Upon analyzing my own personality, I believe that my overall character is one that understands, can relate, and focuses on the big picture both in my personal life and in the work environment. Therefore, in analyzing personalities in the work environment, I reference the “big five” personality traits to determine whether or not I do or do not agree with other individuals in the workplace. The first of the “big five” personality traits is “agreeableness. ” I comprehend this attribute as an individual’s knack to get along with others.

While it is great to agree with people just as much as it is not so favorable to typically disagree, it really needs to be balanced. In the work environment, agreeing with people does, for the most part mean that he / she tends to be accommodating. Yet, people can take that for granted. In my eyes, that is viewed as a weakness. While this trait is being analyzed in the work environment, we have to remember that the employees are also humans, and what happens in the work environment usually happens in one’s personal life.

Get quality help now

KarrieWrites

Verified

Proficient in: Big Five Personality Traits

5 (339)

“ KarrieWrites did such a phenomenal job on this assignment! He completed it prior to its deadline and was thorough and informative. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

What Are The Big Five Personality Traits?

Always agreeing can also mean that the individual is submissive, and may do this at a time where assertiveness or conflict is necessary. Having the “agreeableness” trait must come along with analytical skills, so if and when there is an organizational decision that needs to be made, deciding “not” to agree may have to be the option for the benefit of the business. The next trait relevant to organizations is “conscientiousness. ” This personality can have a large range or small range of objectives that he or she focuses on.

An experience that I can reference back to where I dealt with a co-worker that was on the lower side of the conscientiousness spectrum was when she and I were compiling a list together to fulfill tasks that needed to be completed for a showroom install we were working on. She had too many goals that needed to be obtained at one time, which meant that, with a deadline, some goals were not going to be adequately fulfilled. As a result, this made some of our presentations appear incomplete.

The best resolution would have been to tailor the list, focusing only on key priorities, and worrying about the fillers later. I tend to believe that someone that only focuses on a few goals at one time not only shows that they are organized, but their organization allows for their co-workers to feel less stress and not under pressure, even with a deadline set. The third “big five” is “negative emotionality. ” This trait I view as a “personal life interference” trait. It is defined as the moodiness and lack of confidence “trait. It is understandable that everyone, at some point in time, becomes stressed during work, yet, “why” he or she is stressed and “how” he or she deals with it, are the key factors. An individual that becomes stressed about a report that has been assigned to him or her with an unrealistic deadline is relative to the work environment. Being able to remain poise and reassuring one’s self that the deadline can be made are personas of an employee that has “less negative emotionality. On the contrary, if the employee begins to lash out at others and continuously believes that the report will not be completed on time, the employee is has “more negative emotionality. ” Understanding this trait very well because of my position I have with a variety of deadlines, having “less negative emotionality” is the best for the individual and for the company. The fourth characteristic is “extraversion. ” Classified as an individual’s ease of being in relationships, this is probably the most important of all the “big fives. My reasoning for this assumption is that in business, everything is about relationships. With no relationships, business does not exist. Businesses need relationships within the firm, employees amongst employees, and outside the firm, employees with customers, and the business with its vendors. While the level of the “extraversion” trait, meaning how “comfortable” one becomes in relationship, should be taken into consideration, relationships must happen in order for a business to be successful. The last of the “big five” is “openness. “Openness” is defined as the ability to foster new concepts and to adapt as a result of this new information. It is very important to be more open in the work environment. For instance, with advancement in technology, it helps a company become more efficient and cut down on costs to increase profits. Individuals who are not willing or “open” to do so can hinder growth, which in essence, will slow the success of the company. Personalities come in all shapes and sizes and “moods. ” However, when it comes to the work environment, the most important are the “big five. With agreeableness, individuals need to analyze the situation before “agreeing. ” Having more conscientiousness allows individuals to focus on few goals in order to be more result oriented. Having low negative emotionality leads to a less stressful being and work environment. Having an extraversion trait is essential because relationships allow businesses to exist. The openness trait will help the company reduce costs and remain competitive. By analyzing your own personality in the work environment, an individual can understand how best he or she can contribute for the betterment of the company.