Have you ever wondered how differences in personality can impact people's level of engagement in their work? Recent research reveals that there are two particular personality traits that have a significant influence on work engagement. Interestingly, introversion is not among them.
You might think that traits like honesty, extraversion, kindness, and conscientiousness play a significant role in how motivated and engaged people are in their work. However, surprising new research suggests that these specific traits don't necessarily determine how enthusiastic individuals are about their jobs. Other factors actually play a more substantial role.
Professors Kimberley Breevaart and Jan Luca Pletzer from Erasmus University in Rotterdam surveyed 145 leaders and 139 subordinates regarding their personalities and work engagement. From this, they identified 130 usable pairs who had worked together for an average of around 4.5 years. The researchers employed the Hexaco questionnaire, a newer and more comprehensive version of the well-known Big Five personality model.
The study revealed two personality traits that correlate with work engagement. First and foremost is emotional expression. Interestingly, it turns out that whether you or your boss is more open about emotions doesn't really matter. In both cases, higher emotional expression is linked to greater work engagement. This is surprising because you might assume that sharing the same emotional traits with your supervisor would lead to better performance. However, it appears that the variation in emotional expression is what motivates people.
The Role of Openness to Experience
A second significant factor is openness to experience. If you're someone who enjoys trying new things, and your manager is more conservative, this difference affects your level of work engagement. The same holds true if you're less open to new experiences compared to your manager. In both cases, you're less engaged in your work. This suggests that when there are substantial differences in openness to new experiences between you and your boss, you might feel less connected to your tasks and goals at work.
All these insights come together in a model that explores the interaction between various personality traits. This model explains that around 28.7% of the variation in work engagement is accounted for by the combined influence of these traits. In other words, it's not just about whether you or your supervisor possess certain traits. It's also about how these traits interact and affect each other.
This research sheds new light on how personality differences between leaders and followers can impact work engagement. It turns out that it's not about specific traits per se, but rather how these traits vary between leaders and followers. The variations in emotional expression and openness to experience can significantly influence our motivation and engagement. So, the next time you notice that you and your boss are a bit different, remember that these differences might actually contribute to a greater sense of engagement in your work.
