The relationship between the Big Three Personality Factors and Graduate Trainees’ Job Performance

Abstract

The study investigated the relationship between the Big Three Personality factors (Extroversion, Neuroticism and Psychoticism) and Revenue Trainee’s Job Performance. The Alpha coefficients for the Extroversion subscale (= 0.37) and the Psychoticsm subscale (=0.47) were, however, found to be below the conventional standard of 0.70 and no further analysis was performed on them. Only the Neuroticism subscale had a reliable Alpha coefficient of 0.78. Specifically then, the study assessed the link between neuroticism and job performance in its two forms, namely, task and contextual performance. One hundred and ninety three revenue trainees whose age ranged from.... to ... ... and a mean age of 24.90 (n=71 females and n=122 males) participated in the first session of the study but owing to the reduced response rate by mentors (60.10%), one hundred and sixteen revenue trainees with a mean age 25.29 (n= 46 females and n=70 males) candidates eventually participated in both sessions of the study. Data collected were analyzed using the Pearson Correlation. A positive correlation was found between high emotional stability and contextual performance (r= 0.247) and low negative correlation was found between emotional stability and task performance (r=-0.009). One Way Analysis of Variance indicated that (i) emotional stability had no statistically significant influence on task performance (F=.008, p>.927). This means there was no significant difference on the task performance of revenue trainees with low and high emotional stability, (iii) emotional stability had a statistically significant influence on contextual job performance (F=7.401, p<.008) meaning that there was a significant difference on the contextual performance of revenue trainees with low and high emotional stability and finally (iii) that emotional stability had no statistically significant influence on overall job performance. (F=2.598, p>.110) suggesting that there was no significant difference on the overall job performance of revenue trainees with low and high emotional stability. This study partially confirmed previous research studies and replication of the study with personality instruments with revised reliability levels should assist to ascertain the authenticity of the above findings.