Your Care Mitigates My Ego Depletion: Why and When Perfectionists Show Incivility Toward Coworkers

Drawing on ego depletion theory and trait activation theory, this study examines why and when employee perfectionism personality is linked with incivility toward coworkers. The study indulges ego depletion as a mediator between perfectionism personality and incivility toward coworkers, with coworker empathic concern moderating the relationship between perfectionism personality and ego depletion. A three-waved questionnaire was incorporated with sample of 253 employee-coworker dyads. Our findings demonstrate that dimensions of perfectionism personality are positively associated with incivility toward coworkers. In addition, our study confirms that ego depletion mediates the relationship between self-oriented perfectionism, other-oriented perfectionism, and incivility toward coworkers. Furthermore, our study shows that high levels of coworker empathic concern weakens the direct effect of self-oriented perfectionism on ego depletion along with the indirect effect of self-oriented perfectionism on incivility toward coworkers. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed in the organizational context.

Machiavellian Leader Effectiveness

Research on the effectiveness of Machiavellian leaders has found contradictory results. By linking socioanalytic and trait activation theory to the Machiavellianism and leadership literature, we argue that political skill may explain these findings by moderating the relation between Machiavellianism and leadership effectiveness. Using a multisource design and moderated mediation analyses with 153 leaders, 287 subordinates, and 153 superiors, we show that leaders who are both strongly politically skilled and high on Machiavellianism successfully enact transformational leadership, mediating improved leader effectiveness. However, when leader political skill is low, high Machiavellianism is negatively associated with (subordinate-rated) transformational leadership, resulting in lower leader effectiveness ratings by superiors. We discuss these results in light of current research on Machiavellianism in leadership and work contexts.

Trait Activation Theory: A Review of the Literature and Applications to Five Lines of Personality Dynamics Research

Extending interactionist principles and targeting situational specificity of trait–performance linkages, trait activation theory (TAT) posits personality traits are expressed as valued work behavior in response to trait-relevant situational cues, subject to constraints and other factors, all operating at the task, social, and organizational levels. Review of 99 key sources citing TAT spanning 2011–2019 reveals diverse applications (e.g., bidirectionality, trait specificity, team building) and an overall 60% significance rate for 262 TAT-based moderator effects reported in 60 of 75 empirical studies. Applying five key aspects of TAT (e.g., behavior/performance distinction, need-based motivation) to five lines of personality dynamics research (e.g., personality states, self-regulation models of motivation) supports TAT as a vehicle for advancing understanding of within-person variability over brief and extended timelines. Critical research needs include personality-oriented work analysis, longitudinal study of trait-situation processes, trait activation in teams, within-job bidirectionality, and situation relevance as a unifying principle in advancing person–workplace fit.

The Moderating Effect of Transfer Climate on the Joint Relationship between Trainees' Personality and Transfer Training

Objective - The aim of this study is to examine the joint relationship between the Big Five personality and transfer climate on transfer of training. Drawing on trait activation theory, this study examines how the relationship between Big Five personality and transfer of training is moderated by supervisor support and opportunity to perform. Methodology/Technique - The sample of this study consists of 183 police officers who have attended driver training in one of the police training centres in Malaysia. Three sets of questionnaires comprising of the Big Five inventory, driving knowledge test, driving competency, and transfer climate were distributed to the respondents pre-training, post-training, and after two months of training. The data was analysed using statistic package for social science (SPSS) Version 19.0 and SmartPLS 3.0. Findings - A high level of agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to experience were found to encourage increased transfer of training. Opportunity to perform moderated the relationship between agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience and transfer of training which is congruent with the trait activation theory. Novelty - The findings of this research emphasise the importance of the joint relationship between personality and situational factors on transfer of training. These findings allow the researcher to understand how opportunity to perform enables trainees to express their personality and enhance their performance. Type of Paper: Empirical. Keywords: Big Five Personality; Transfer of Training; Supervisor Support; Opportunity to Perform; Trait Activation Theory. JEL Classification: M12, M19.

How Situational Cues and Mindset Dynamics Shape Personality Effects on Career Outcomes

The substantial literature on dispositional antecedents of career success (e.g., extraversion and conscientiousness) implies that being low in career-facilitating traits may hamper people’s careers. We develop a cognitive-affective personality system theory about the role of situational cues, personality, and mindsets regarding the plasticity of one’s attributes in determining when this will occur and how the related dysfunctional dynamics may be mitigated. We draw on trait activation theory to describe how the interaction of situational cues, personality, and mindsets may trigger an array of cognitive-affective units within a cognitive-affective personality system that influence subjective and objective career outcomes. The contributions of this article are to offer the largely between-person careers literature a within-person account of when and why people experience subjective and objective career success as a function of their personalities, situational cues, prevailing mindsets, and career contexts. A theoretical account of how personality predicts subjective career outcomes more strongly than objective career outcomes is thereby provided. Our intent is to also extend trait activation theory by considering the cognitive and affective dynamics whereby personality traits and situational cues have their effects. The conditions under which mindsets are likely to shape career outcomes are outlined. Finally, implications for mindsets, personality, and career theory, research, and practice are discussed.