1. The relationship between personality traits and job performance is often assumed to be linear, but this study found that there are curvilinear relationships between personality traits (such as Conscientiousness and Emotional Stability) and job performance dimensions (such as task performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and counterproductive work behaviors).
2. The study also found that job complexity moderates the curvilinear personality-performance relationships. High levels of Conscientiousness and Emotional Stability were found to be more beneficial for performance in high-complexity jobs compared to low-complexity jobs.
3. These findings have implications for the use of personality in personnel selection, suggesting that the optimal level of certain personality traits may vary depending on the complexity of the job.
The article titled "Too Much of a Good Thing: Curvilinear Relationships Between Personality Traits and Job Performance" explores the relationship between personality traits and job performance. The authors argue that the assumption of a linear relationship between personality traits and performance is flawed, and propose that there may be curvilinear relationships instead.
The article begins by acknowledging that previous research has shown a positive relationship between personality traits and job performance. However, the authors argue that this relationship may not be linear, as commonly assumed. They cite previous studies that have found inconclusive results regarding the curvilinear relationship between personality traits and job performance.
The authors then present their own study, which aims to systematically address this issue. They examine the curvilinear relationships between two personality traits (Conscientiousness and Emotional Stability) and three dimensions of job performance (task performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and counterproductive work behaviors). They also investigate whether job complexity moderates these relationships.
The results of their study generally support their expectations of curvilinear relationships between personality traits and job performance dimensions. They find that high levels of Conscientiousness and Emotional Stability are more beneficial for performance in high-complexity jobs compared to low-complexity jobs. They conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for personnel selection.
Overall, the article provides an interesting perspective on the relationship between personality traits and job performance. It challenges the assumption of linearity in this relationship and suggests that there may be optimal levels of certain personality traits for different types of jobs.
However, there are several potential biases and limitations in this article that should be considered. Firstly, the study only examines two specific personality traits (Conscientiousness and Emotional Stability) out of the five-factor model of personality. This narrow focus limits the generalizability of their findings to other personality traits.
Additionally, while they discuss potential moderators such as job complexity, they do not consider other factors that could influence the relationship between personality traits and job performance. For example, individual differences in motivation, job satisfaction, or work environment could also play a role in this relationship.
Furthermore, the article does not provide a comprehensive review of previous research on this topic. They mention a few studies that have found curvilinear relationships between personality traits and performance, but there may be other studies with different findings that are not discussed.
The article also lacks a discussion of potential limitations or weaknesses in their own study. For