The Psychology of Work and Organisations

The Psychology of Work and Organisations
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Introduction
It is often said that "people are the most important asset" in an organisation. If this is true, understanding the psychological factors that influence individuals' behaviour and performance at work is essential. Two factors that have received much attention in the literature are intelligence and personality. Both are significant in determining how people interact with and perform in the workplace. In this essay, I will critically explore and evaluate the notion that intelligence and personality determine individuals' behaviours and performance at work. I will discuss fundamental theories and empirical studies that support and challenge this idea and provide some reflections on the implications for organisations.
Theoretical background
Intelligence is generally understood as an individual’s cognitive ability and is often defined as one's problem-solving skills, memory, reasoning ability, and general knowledge. There are many theories and definitions of intelligence, with some researchers arguing that it is a singular construct (i.e., there is only one type of intelligence). In contrast, others suggest that there are multiple types of intelligence (e.g., verbal, spatial, emotional. On the other hand, personality refers to how an individual behaves, thinks, and feels. It is often considered a relatively stable and enduring aspect of one's individuality. One of the most common ways of conceptualising personality is using the Five Factor Model (FFM), which posits five key dimensions of personality: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience (Soto et al., 2015). Both intelligence and personality have been linked to various work-related outcomes, such as job performance, career success, and job satisfaction. Researchers have long been interested in understanding how these two constructs contribute to and interact with one another to impact individuals' behaviours and performance at work.
Intelligence and personality are two psychological factors consistently linked to individual behaviours and work performance. Intelligence, broadly defined as the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills, has been found to predict a range of workplace outcomes, such as job performance, learning, training products, and career success (Rainie & Anderson, 2017). Personality, in contrast, refers to the relatively stable patterns of thought, feeling, and behaviour that characterise an individual and has been found to influence a range of job-related outcomes such as job satisfaction, work engagement, and organisational citizenship behaviour (Alessandri et al., 2021).
Various theories aim to explain how intelligence and personality may influence work behaviours and performance. For example, cognitive theories of intelligence argue that the ability to think logically, reason, and solve problems allows people with higher intelligence to be more successful in the workplace (Cherry, 2022). In contrast, theories of emotional intelligence posit that the ability to perceive, understand, and manage emotions may give some individuals an advantage in the work...