Is the Validity (or Value) of Personality Overestimated or Underestimated?

Abstract

Dispositional influences on employee performance—it’s one of the most foundational and enduring topics in HR/OB and related research fields. Yet, if you read some of the more pessimistic reviews out there, you might walk away thinking personality traits are practically useless for predicting how well someone will actually do their job. I’ve always fundamentally disagreed with that premise. I’ve long believed the relationship between personality and performance is far more meaningful than early research suggested. During my talk, I’m going to share a programmatic line of research that asks a central question: Why isn’t that relationship stronger? I’ll walk you through how I’ve been addressing this puzzle across multiple studies over the years, and give you a look into some of my ongoing projects.