According to Oliver P John and Sanjay Srivastava (1999) psychologist focus on the following five personality traits;
- Openness to experience vs. not openness to experience
- Agreeable vs. antagonism
- Neuroticism vs. emotional stability
- Extroversion vs. introversion
- Consciousness vs. undirectedness
It is very important for managers to understand the personality traits of their employees. The personality trait of employees influences their productivity. For example, introverts are energized by spending time in most cases, around few people or alone. In this case, the person may be unproductive if placed in an area where interaction is more than they can handle. Secondly, placing a person of undirectedness personality trait in a leadership position may be catastrophic to the operations of the company. Therefore, it is critical for a manager to understand the employees so as to place them in roles they fit well.
Leslie’s measurement strategy is deficient in that it does not measure the actual performance of the employees. As such, Leslie does not measure many other aspects that could be beneficial in overall appraisal strategy. Leslie renders herself in a position not to overcome attribution errors in rating. Contextual factors may influence the performance of the employees and, therefore, considering them is critical. Leslie should use behavioral observation scales. Such may include physical observation of the employees. Secondly, she should consider the possible contextual constraints that may lead to biased reports of the ratings. Thirdly, she can indirectly observe using CCTV cameras such that she can monitor on real time basis the operations in the employee’s room. To motivate employees, Leslie can communicate with the employees with the aim of reinforcing positive behavior. She can also reward outstanding performances among the employees (University of Colorado Boulder, 2010). Defining their roles also serves to motivate them. In this case, the employee would understand their roles and since outstanding performance attracts a reward; the employees shall work hard.
References
Oliver P John and Sanjay Srivastava (1999). The big Five Trait Taxonomy: History, measurement, and theoretical perspective. Retrieved on October 1, 2014 from http://pages.uoregon.edu/sanjay/pubs/bigfive.pdf
