Moderating Effects of State Conscientiousness Variability on the Relationships Between Trait Conscientiousness and Individual Performance

Main Article Content

YunJoo Lee
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5415-0034
HyungIn Park

Abstract

The concept of metatraits (Baumeister & Tice, 1988) reflects that state personality, the levels of personality that vary based on time or role may moderate the relationship between trait personality and individual performance. This study investigated moderating effects of state conscientiousness variability on the relationships between trait conscientiousness and individual performance indicators; task performance, organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), and counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs). It was expected that the relationship between trait conscientiousness and performance would be stronger in case of small variability than in case of large variability, as small variability would imply stable expression of conscientiousness. An experience sampling method was applied to 300 full-time employees recruited through an online panel survey company. Variability of state personality was measured by the standard deviation of state personality measured for three days. The hierarchical regression results revealed that state conscientiousness variability did not moderate the relationships between trait conscientiousness and OCBs. However, it moderated the relationships of trait conscientiousness with task performance and CWBs, such that the relationships were stronger when the variability was small rather than when large. The results suggest that organizations can intervene to the performance of their employees by providing training programs focused on state conscientiousness.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Article Details

How to Cite
Lee, Y., & Park, H. (2022). Moderating Effects of State Conscientiousness Variability on the Relationships Between Trait Conscientiousness and Individual Performance. Korean Journal of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 35(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.24230/kjiop.v35i1.1-27
Section
Empirical Articles

References

Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Sage Publications, Inc.

Allen, T. D., Barnard, S., Rush, M. C., & Russell, J. E. A. (2000). Ratings of organizational citizenship behavior: Does the source make a difference? Human Resource Management Review, 10(1), 97-114.https://doi.org/10.1016/S1053-4822(99)00041-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1053-4822(99)00041-8

Aquino, K., Lewis, M. U., & Bradfield, M. (1999). Justice constructs, negative affectivity, and employee deviance: A proposed model and empirical test. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20(7), 1073-1091.https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(199912)20:7<1073::AID-JOB943>3.0.CO;2-7

Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1991). The Big 5 personality dimensions and job performance: A meta analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44(1), 1-26.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1991.tb00688.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1991.tb00688.x

Barrick, M. R. & Mount, M. K. (2012). Select on conscientiousness and emotional stability. In E. A. Locke (Ed.), Handbook of principles of organizational behavior (pp. 15-28). John Wiley & Sons Inc.https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119206422.ch2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781405164047.ch2

Baumeister, R. F., & Tice, D. M. (1988). Metatraits. Journal of Personality, 56(3), 571. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1988.tb00903.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1988.tb00903.x

Beckmann, N., Minbashian, A. & Wood, R.E. (2011). Integrating the study of within- and between-person variability in personality at work. In Boag, S. & Tiliopoulos, N. (Eds.), Personality and individual differences: Theory, assessment and application (pp. 11-20). Nova.

Berry, C. M., Ones, D. S., & Sackett, P. R. (2007). Interpersonal deviance, organizational deviance, and their common correlates: A review and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(2), 410.https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.2.410 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.2.410

Bethlehem, J. (2010). Selection bias in web surveys. International Statistical Review, 78(2), 161-188. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27919830 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-5823.2010.00112.x

Borman, W. C., & Motowidlo, S. J. (1997). Task performance and contextual performance: The meaning for personnel selection research. Human Performance, 10(2), 99.https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327043hup1002_3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327043hup1002_3

Bowling, N., Burns, G., Stewart, S., & Gruys, M. (2011). Conscientiousness and agreeableness as moderators of the relationship between neuroticism and counterproductive work behaviors: A constructive replication. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 19.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2389.2011.00561.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2389.2011.00561.x

Britt, T. W. (1993). Metatraits: Evidence relevant to the validity of the construct and its implications. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(3), 554-562.https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.65.3.554 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.65.3.554

Campbell, J. P., & Wiernik, B. M. (2015). The modeling and assessment of work performance. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2(1), 47-74.https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032414-111427 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032414-111427

Chiaburu, D. S., Oh, I. S., Berry, C. M., Li, N., & Gardner, R. G. (2011). The five-factor model of personality traits and organizational citizenship behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(6), 1140-1166. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024004

Church, A., Rotolo, C., Marguilies, A., Del Giudice, M., Ginther, N., Levine, R., Novakoske, J., & Tuller, M. (2015). The role of personality in organization development: A multi-level framework for applying personality to individual, team, and organizational change. Journal of Organizational Change and Development, 23, 91-166.https://doi.org/10.1108/S0897-301620150000023003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/S0897-301620150000023003

Churchyard, J. S., Pine, K. J., Sharma, S., & Fletcher, B. (2019). Variation in personality states as predicted by interpersonal context. Journal of Individual Differences, 40(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000271 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000271

Costa, P. T., Jr., & McCrae, R. R. (2006). Trait and factor theories. In J. C. Thomas, D. L. Segal, & M. Hersen (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of personality and psychopathology, Vol. 1. Personality and everyday functioning (pp. 96-114). John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Dahlke, J. A., & Sackett, P. R. (2017). The relationship between cognitive-ability saturation and subgroup mean differences across predictors of job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(10), 1403.https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000234 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000234

Dalal, R. S., Alaybek, B., & Lievens, F. (2020). Within-person job performance variability over short timeframes: Theory, empirical research, and practice. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 7(1), 421-449.https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012119-045350 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012119-045350

Dalal, R. S., Meyer, R. D., Bradshaw, R. P., Green, J. P., Kelly, E. D., & Zhu, M. (2014). Personality strength and situational influences on behavior. Journal of Management, 41(1), 261-287.https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314557524 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314557524

Debusscher, J., Hofmans, J., & De Fruyt, F. (2016). Do personality states predict momentary task performance? The moderating role of personality variability. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 89(2), 330-351. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12126 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12126

De Hoogh, A. H. B., & Den Hartog, D. N. (2009). Neuroticism and locus of control as moderators of the relationships of charismatic and autocratic leadership with burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(4), 1058-1067. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016253 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016253

Dwight, S. A., Wolf, P. P., & Golden, J. H. III. (2002). Metatraits: Enhancing criterion-related validity through the assessment of traitedness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32(10), 2202-2212.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2002.tb02070.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2002.tb02070.x

Eisenberger, R., Huntington, R., Hutchison, S., & Sowa, D. (1986). Perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(3), 500-507.https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.71.3.500 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.71.3.500

Fleeson, W. (2001). Toward a structure- and process-integrated view of personality: Traits as density distributions of states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(6), 1011-1027.https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.80.6.1011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.80.6.1011

Fleeson, W., & Jayawickreme, E. (2015). Whole trait theory. Journal of Research in Personality, 56, 82-92.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2014.10.009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2014.10.009

Fleeson, W., & Wilt, J. (2010). The relevance of big five trait content in behavior to subjective authenticity: Do high levels of within-person behavioral variability undermine or enable authenticity achievement? Journal of Personality, 78(4), 1353-1382.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00653.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00653.x

Gonzalez-Mulé, E., Mount, M. K., & Oh, I.-S. (2014). A meta-analysis of the relationship between general mental ability and nontask performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(6), 1222-1243.https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037547 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037547

Hassan, S., Akhtar, N., & Yilmaz, A. (2016). Impact of the conscientiousness as personality trait on both job and organizational performance. Journal of Managerial Sciences, 10, 1-14.

Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J.-P., & Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5(1), 103-128.https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640

Huang, J. L., & Ryan, A. M. (2011). Beyond personality traits: A study of personality states and situational contingencies in customer service jobs. Personnel Psychology, 64(2), 451- 488.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01216.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01216.x

Hurtz, G. M., & Donovan, J. J. (2000). Personality and job performance: The Big Five revisited. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(6), 869-879.https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.6.869 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.6.869

Hwang, S., Lee, H., & Park, H. I. (2018). The effects of surface acting toward supervisor on employee burnout: Neuroticism as a moderator. The Korean Journal of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 31(2), 387-408. https://doi.org/10.24230/kjiop.v31i2.387-408 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24230/kjiop.v31i2.387-408

Ilies, R., Fulmer, I. S., Spitzmuller, M., & Johnson, M. D. (2009). Personality and citizenship behavior: The mediating role of job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(4), 945-959. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013329 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013329

Jain, A. K., Giga, S. I. & Cooper, C. L. (2013). Perceived organizational support as a moderator in the relationship between organisational stressors and organizational citizenship behaviors. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 21(3), 313-334. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-Mar-2012-0574 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-Mar-2012-0574

Jöreskog, K. G., & Sörbom, D. (2017). LISREL 9.30 for Windows [Computer software]. Scientific Software International, Inc.

Judge, T. A., Klinger, R., Simon, L. S., & Yang, I. W. F. (2008). The contributions of personality to organizational behavior and psychology: Findings, criticisms, and future research directions. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 2(5), 1982-2000.https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2008.00136.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2008.00136.x

Judge, T. A., & Zapata, C. P. (2015). The person-situation debate revisited: Effect of situation strength and trait activation on the validity of the big five personality traits in predicting job performance. Academy of Management Journal, 58(4), 1149-1179.https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.0837 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.0837

Kim, D., U., Han, Y., S., & Kim, M., S. (2014). The effect of proactive personality on job performance: Focused on the moderating effect of job meaningfulness, supportive leadership, autonomy culture. Korean Journal of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 27(2), 471-495. http://www.dbpia.co.kr/journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE06370501 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24230/kjiop.v27i2.471-495

Kim, J., Kim, B., & Ha, M. (2011). Validation of a Korean version of the Big Five Inventory. Journal of Human Understanding and Counseling, 32(1), 47-65.G704-SER000001572.2011.32.1.009

Kim, Y., & Ployhart, R. E. (2014). The effects of staffing and training on firm productivity and profit growth before, during, and after the Great Recession. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(3), 361-389.https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035408 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035408

Koopmans, L., Bernaards, C. M., Hildebrandt, V. H., Schaufeli, W. B., de Vet Henrica, C. W., & van der Beek, A. J. (2011). Conceptual frameworks of individual work performance: A systematic review. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 53(8), 856-866. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e318226a763 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e318226a763

Lado, M., & Alonso, P. (2017). The Five-Factor model and job performance in low complexity jobs: A quantitative synthesis. Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 33(3), 175-182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rpto.2017.07.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rpto.2017.07.004

Lee, M. K. (2014). The effects of organizational justice on behaviors of employees in public organization: Focused on organizational citizenship behavior. [Master’s thesis, Seoul National University]. RISS. http://www.riss.kr/link?id=T13573966

Lee, S., Yun, S., & Byun, G. (2016). The effects of leaders’ influence tactics on subordinates’ job performance. Journal of Human Resource Management Research, 23(3), 47-78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14396/jhrmr.2016.23.3.47

Lievens, F., Bledow, R., Lang, J. W. B., Corstjens, J., Van de Vijver, M., & De Fruyt, F. (2018). The predictive power of people’s intraindividual variability across situations: Implementing whole trait theory in assessment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(7), 753. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000280 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000280

McCormick, B. W., Reeves, C. J., Downes, P. E., Li, N., & Ilies, R. (2020). Scientific contributions of within-person research in management: Making the juice worth the squeeze. Journal of Management, 46(2), 321-350. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206318788435 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206318788435

McCrae, R. R., & Costa Jr, P. T. (1994). The stability of personality: Observations and evaluations. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 3(6), 173-175.https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.ep10770693 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.ep10770693

Motowildo, S. J., Borman, W. C., & Schmit, M. J. (1997). A theory of individual differences in task and contextual performance. Human Performance, 10(2), 71-83.https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327043hup1002_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327043hup1002_1

Park, C. & Park, Y. (2021). The effect of personality diversity on life satisfaction and job performance: The mediate effect of mastery approach goal orientation. The Korean Journal of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 34(2), 287-318. doi: 10.24230/kjiop.v34i2.287-318. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24230/kjiop.v34i2.287-318

Patki, S., & Abhyankar, S. (2016). Big Five personality factors as predictors of organizational citizenship behavior: A complex interplay. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 3, 136-146.https://doi.org/10.25215/0302.168 DOI: https://doi.org/10.25215/0302.168

Pletzer, J. L., Bentvelzen, M., Oostrom, J. K., & de Vries, R. E. (2019). A meta-analysis of the relations between personality and workplace deviance: Big Five versus HEXACO. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 112, 369-383.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.04.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.04.004

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879-903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879

Podsakoff, N. P., Spoelma, T. M., Chawla, N., & Gabriel, A. S. (2019). What predicts within-person variance in applied psychology constructs? An empirical examination. Journal of Applied Psychology, 104(6), 727-754. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000374 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000374

Porter, C. O. L. H., Outlaw, R., Gale, J. P., & Cho, T. S. (2019). The use of online panel data in management research: A review and recommendations. Journal of Management, 45(1), 319-344.https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206318811569 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206318811569

Pritschet, L., Powell, D., & Horne, Z. (2016). Marginally significant effects as evidence for hypotheses: Changing attitudes over four decades. Psychological Science, 27(7), 1036-1042. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616645672 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616645672

Robinson, S. L., & Bennett, R. J. (1995). A typology of deviant workplace behaviors: A multidimensional scaling study. Academy of Management Journal, 38(2), 555-572. https://doi.org/10.2307/256693 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/256693

Rotundo, M., & Sackett, P. R. (2002). The relative importance of task, citizenship, and counterproductive performance to global ratings of job performance: A policy-capturing approach. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(1), 66-80.https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.1.66 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.1.66

Salgado, J. F. (1997). The five factor model of personality and job performance in the European community. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(1), 30-43.https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.82.1.30 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.82.1.30

Salgado, J. F., Anderson, N., Moscoso, S., Bertua, C., de Fruyt, F., & Rolland, J. P. (2003). A meta-analytic study of general mental ability validity for different occupations in the European community. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(6), 1068-1081.https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.6.1068 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.6.1068

Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 262-274.https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.124.2.262 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.124.2.262

Sosnowska, J., Hofmans, J., & de Fruyt, F. (2019). Revisiting the neuroticism - performance link: A dynamic approach to individual differences. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 93(2), 495-504.https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12298 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12298

Tasselli, S., Kilduff, M., & Landis, B. (2018). Personality change: Implications for organizational behavior. The Academy of Management Annals, 12(2), 467-493. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2016.0008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2016.0008

Tett, R. P., & Burnett, D. D. (2003). A personality trait-based interactionist model of job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(3), 500-517.https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.3.500 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.3.500

Vinchur, A. J., Schippmann, J. S., Switzer, F. S. III, & Roth, P. L. (1998). A meta-analytic review of predictors of job performance for salespeople. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(4), 586-597.https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.83.4.586 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.83.4.586

Vossen, J., & Hofmans, J. (2021). Relating within-person personality variability to organizational citizenship behavior and counterproductive work behavior: A resource- based perspective. European Journal of Personality, 35(4), 450-465.https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070211005623 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070211005623

Walter, S. L., Seibert, S. E., Goering, D., & O’Boyle, E. H. (2019). A tale of two sample sources: Do results from online panel data and conventional data converge? Journal of Business & Psychology, 34(4), 425-452.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-018-9552-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-018-9552-y

Ward, M. & Meade, A. W. (2018). Applying social psychology to prevent careless responding during online surveys. Applied Psychology, 67, 231-263.https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12118 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12118

Williams, L. J., & Anderson, S. E. (1991). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment as predictors of organizational citizenship and in-role behaviors. Journal of Management, 17(3), 601-617.https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700305 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700305

Witt, L. A., Burke, L. A., Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (2002). The interactive effects of conscientiousness and agreeableness on job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(1), 164-169.https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.1.164 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.1.164

Yoo, Y. & Kim, M., S. (2021). A study on the exploration of the constructs of job performance based on task performance, contextual performance, adaptive performance and counterproductive work behavior. The Korean Journal of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 34(3), 377-423.http://www.riss.kr/link?id=A107837390 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24230/kjiop.v34i3.377-423

Yoo, T. & Lee, C. (2016). The effect of personality on task performance and adaptive performance: The mediating effect of job crafting and the moderating effect of leader’s empowering behavior. The Korean Journal of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 29(4), 607-630.https://www.dbpia.co.kr/journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE07066847 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24230/kjiop.v29i4.607-630

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2