International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

search-icon

A Conceptual Paper on The Relationship between Personality Traits and Employee Performance Within the Smes Context in Malaysia

Open access

Nur Lailatul Husna Mohammad Yusof, Abdul Halim Abdul Majid, Siti Norasyikin Abdul Hamid

Pages 920-933 Received: 16 May, 2022 Revised: 17 Jun, 2022 Published Online: 12 Jul, 2022

http://dx.doi.org/10.46886/IJARBSS/v12-i7/12560
Small and medium enterprises (SME) are the driving force behind market economies as well as the development. In Malaysia, SME is known as the backbone of the Malaysian economy and becoming a major employer throughout the region. However, pandemic of Covid-19 outbreak has become a global disruption and affecting the global economy as well as the SME around the globe. As the phenomena are unprecedented, there is a lack of studies on the impact of pandemic on businesses especially among SMEs in Malaysia. Since most of the workforce in Malaysia is contribute by SMEs, increasing the performance of employees is crucial because it will lead to the Malaysian economy sustainability, especially during such crisis. One of the factors that can influence employee performance is personality traits. Personality is one of the major psychological factors affecting the human behaviour and important in the work place. In psychology, the five personality traits are five broad domains or dimensions of personality which consists of extroversion, openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism. This Big Five Factor have an important role in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of employee performance. Therefore, this conceptual paper aims to explore the role of personality traits in determining employee performance within SMEs context in Malaysia due to the pandemic situation.
Raflis, A. C. O., Suraiya, I., & Abdullah, M. J. (2020). The impact of Covid-19 Movement Control Order on SMEs’ businesses and survival strategies. Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 16(2). https://doi.org/10.17576/geo-2020-1602-11
Anbaz, K. (2013). The relationship between personality traits and conflict management strategies in physical education managers of Isfahan province. Advances in Environmental Biology, 7(8).
Asian Development Bank. (2020). Asia Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Monitor 2020 Medium-Sized Enterprise Monitor 2020: Vol. I (Issue October). https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/646146/asia-sme-monitor-2020-volume-1.pdf
Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1993). Autonomy as a Moderator of the Relationships Between the Big Five Personality Dimensions and Job Performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(1), 111–118. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.78.1.111
Barrick, M. R. (2005). Yes, personality matters: Moving on to more important matters. Human performance, 18(4), 359-372.
Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1991). The Big Five Personality Dimensions And Job Performance: A Meta?Analysis. Personnel Psychology, 44(1).
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1991.tb00688.x
Barrick, M. R., Mount, M. K., & Judge, T. A. (2001). Personality and Performance at the Beginning of the New Millennium: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go Next? International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 9(1–2).
https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2389.00160
Beng, L. W., & Muthuveloo, R. (2020). the Influence of Personality Traits and Employee Development on the Job Performance of Engineers in Malaysia. Jurnal Muara Ilmu Ekonomi Dan Bisnis, 4(2), 366. https://doi.org/10.24912/jmieb.v4i2.8806
Bhalla, A., & Kang, L. S. (2020). The Role of Personality in Influencing Work–Family Balance Experience: A Study of Indian Journalists. Global Business Review, 21(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/0972150918779157
Borman, W. C., & Motowidlo, S. J. (1997). Task performance and contextual performance: The meaning for personnel selection research. Human Performance, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327043hup1002_3
Boyle, G. J., Matthews, G., & Saklofske, D. H. (2008). Personality measurement and testing: An overview. In The SAGE Handbook of Personality Theory and Assessment: Volume 2 - Personality Measurement and Testing. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781849200479.n1
Buil, I., Martinez, E., & Matute, J. (2019). Transformational leadership and employee performance: The role of identification, engagement and proactive personality. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 77.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.06.014
Chiaburu, D. S., Oh, I. S., Berry, C. M., Li, N., & Gardner, R. G. (2011). The five-factor model of personality traits and organizational citizenship behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(6). https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024004
Costa, P., & McCrae, R. R. (1985). Concurrent Validation After 20 Years: The Implications of Personality Stability for Its Assessment. Advances in Personality Assessment, January 1985, 43–66. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315825625-7
Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1988). Personality in Adulthood: A Six-Year Longitudinal Study of Self-Reports and Spouse Ratings on the NEO Personality Inventory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(5). https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.5.853
Craven, M., Liu, L., Mysore, M., Singhal, S., Smit, S., & Wilson, M. (2020). COVID-19: Implications for business March 2020 | Executive Briefing. Www.Mckinsey.Com.
Delima, V. J. (2019a). Impact of Personality Traits on Employees ’ Job Performance in Batticaloa Teaching Hospital. Iconic Research and Engineering Journals, 2(12), 86–97.
Delima, V. J. (2019b). Impact of Personality Traits on Employees ’ Job Performance in Batticaloa Teaching Hospital. Iconic Research and Engineering Journals, 2(12), 86–97.
Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2020). Labour Market Review, Malaysia Fourth Quarter 2020. 1–38. https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/uploads/files/1_Articles_By_Themes/Labour Market/Labour Market Review Q3 2020/Labour Market Review%2C Malaysia%2C Q3 2020.pdf
Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2021). Department of Statistic Malaysia Press Release Employment Statistics First Quarter 2021. Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia, May.
Erdenk, N., & Altunta?, S. (2017). Do personality traits of nurses have an effect on conflict management strategies? Journal of Nursing Management, 25(5).
https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12474
Erdheim, J., Wang, M., & Zickar, M. J. (2006). Linking the Big Five personality constructs to organizational commitment. Personality and Individual Differences, 41(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2006.04.005
Fichter, L., Von Bernstorff, C., & Rohrmann, S. (2020). The necessity of targeted aptitude diagnostics for company founders: relationships between personality traits, perceived stress, satisfaction, and performance. Heliyon, 6(9).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04987
Gridwichai, P., Kulwanich, A., Piromkam, B., & Kwanmuangvanich, P. (2020). Role of personality traits on employees job performance in pharmaceutical industry in Thailand. Systematic Reviews in Pharmacy, 11(3), 185–194. https://doi.org/10.5530/srp.2020.3.21
Hajari, M., & Hanum, F. (2020). Job performance in the Malaysian Public Service?: The Roles Of Job Demands-Resources And Subjective Wellbeing . PhD thesis , University of Nottingham . 2020–2021.
Haq, Y. (2020). Malaysia culture and economy. September.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22569.42088
Johari, J., Shamsudin, M. F., Yean, F. T., Yahya, K. K., & Adnan, Z. (2019). Job characteristics, employee well-being, and job performance of public sector employees in Malaysia. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 32(1), 102–119. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-09-2017-0257
Judge, T. A., Heller, D., & Mount, M. K. (2002). Five-factor model of personality and job satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(3).
https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.3.530
Judge, T. A., Higgins, C. A., Thoresen, C. J., & Barrick, M. R. (1999). The big five personality traits, general mental ability, and career success across the life span. Personnel Psychology, 52(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1999.tb00174.x
Kahya, E. (2009). The effects of job performance on effectiveness. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 39(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2008.06.006
Khedhaouria, A., & Cucchi, A. (2019). Technostress creators, personality traits, and job burnout: A fuzzy-set configurational analysis. Journal of Business Research, 101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.04.029
Kim, B., & Lee, J. (2016). Relationships between Personal Traits, Emotional Intelligence, Internal Marketing, Service Management, and Customer Orientation in Korean Outpatient Department Nurses. Asian Nursing Research, 10(1).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2015.10.005
Kwong, J. Y. Y., & Cheung, F. M. (2003). Prediction of performance facets using specific personality traits in the Chinese context. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-8791(02)00021-0
Massoudi, A. H. (2018). Employees Performance Dimensions in Kurdistan Region Hotel Industry. October 2016. http://www.recentscientific.com
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1999). A five-factor theory of personality. In L. A. Pervin & O. P. John (Eds.), Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research, 2nd editio, 139–153.
McCrae, R. R., & John, O. P. (1992). An Introduction to the Five?Factor Model and Its Applications. Journal of Personality, 60(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-
6494.1992.tb00970.x
Medeiros, M., & Young, E. (2021). When character forges the crisis?: Personality traits of world leaders and differential policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Research Square, 1–22.
Minbashian, A., Earl, J., & Bright, J. E. H. (2013). Openness to Experience as a Predictor of Job Performance Trajectories. Applied Psychology, 62(1), 1–12.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2012.00490.x
Monteiro, A. P., Cunha, P., & Lourenço, A. A. (2016). Five personality factors model and conflict management. In The Five-Factor Model: Recent Developments and Clinical Applications.
Motowidlo, S. J., & Schmit, M. J. (1999). Performance assessment in unique jobs. In In Ligen, D. R., & Pulakos, E. D. (Eds), The changing nature of job performance: Implications for staffing, motivation, and development.
Murphy, K. R. (1989). Dimensions of job performance. Testing: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives, 619.
Maisarah, N. A. G., Nadia, N. S. M. Y., & Norliza, S. B. (2016). Leader’s Personality Traits and Employees Job Performance in Public Sector, Putrajaya. Procedia Economics and Finance, 37(16), 46–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(16)30091-0
Nickson, D. (2020). Performance management and appraisal. Human Resource Management for Hospitality, Tourism and Events, 185–206. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780080966496-16
Obeid, M., Salleh, Z., & Nor, M. N. (2017). The mediating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between personality traits and premature sign-off. Academy of Accounting and Financial Studies Journal, 21(2).
Paresashvili, N., Maisuradze, T., Gechbaia, B., Weis, L., & Koval, V. (2021). Conflict management impact on the employee productivity. SHS Web of Conferences, 111, 01010. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202111101010
Phares, E. J. (1992). Clinical psychology: Concepts, methods, & profession, 4th ed. In Clinical psychology: Concepts, methods, & profession, 4th ed.
Rashid, N. M., Sah, N. F. M., Ariffin, N. M., Ghani, W. S. W. A., & Yunus, N. S. N. M. (2016). The Influence of Bank’s Frontlines’ Personality Traits on Job Performance. Procedia Economics and Finance, 37. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(16)30094-6
Rotundo, M. (2002). The relative importance of task, citizenship, and counterproductive performance to global ratings of job performance: a policy-capturing approach. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(1). https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.1.66
Rubenstein, A. L., Zhang, Y., Ma, K., Morrison, H. M., & Jorgensen, D. F. (2019). Trait expression through perceived job characteristics: A meta-analytic path model linking personality and job attitudes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 112.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2019.02.002
Samsudin, E. Z., Isahak, M., Rampal, S., Rosnah, I., & Zakaria, M. I. (2020). Individual antecedents of workplace victimisation: The role of negative affect, personality and self-esteem in junior doctors’ exposure to bullying at work. International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 35(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.2985
Selden, M., & Goodie, A. S. (2018). Review of the effects of Five Factor Model personality traits on network structures and perceptions of structure. Social Networks, 52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2017.05.007
SME Corporation Malaysia. (2019). About SME Corp. Malaysia. SME Corp. Malaysia.
Soomro, A. B., Salleh, N., Mendes, E., Grundy, J., Burch, G., & Nordin, A. (2016). The effect of software engineers’ personality traits on team climate and performance: A Systematic Literature Review. Information and Software Technology, 73.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2016.01.006
Soto, C. J. (2018). Big Five Personality Traits. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Lifespan Human Development, 2(January). https://doi.org/10.4135/9781506307633.n93
Sutin, A. R., Luchetti, M., Aschwanden, D., Lee, J. H., Sesker, A. A., Strickhouser, J. E., Stephan, Y., & Terracciano, A. (2020). Change in five-factor model personality traits during the acute phase of the coronavirus pandemic. PLoS ONE, 15(8 August), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237056
Swelam, M., El-Said, M., & El-Dokhmaesy, A. (2020). Construction disputes’ negotiation: Do personality and conflict styles matter. Journal of Engineering and Applied Science, 67(5).
Terrier, L., Kim, S., & Fernandez, S. (2016). Who are the good organizational citizens for the environment? An examination of the predictive validity of personality traits. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.10.005
Tett, R. P., & Burnett, D. D. (2003). A personality trait-based interactionist model of job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88 (3). https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.3.500
Thao, T. L. T., & Hwang, C. J. (2010). Factors Affecting Employee Performance – Evidence From Petrovietnam Engineering. Journal of Management Research, 21(3), 21–33.
Weng, L. C., & Chang, W. C. (2015). Does impression management really help? A multilevel testing of the mediation role of impression management between personality traits and leader-member exchange. Asia Pacific Management Review, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2013.03.001
Woods, S. A., Wille, B., Wu, C. huei, Lievens, F., & De Fruyt, F. (2019). The influence of work on personality trait development: The demands-affordances TrAnsactional (DATA) model, an integrative review, and research agenda, Journal of Vocational Behavior, 110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2018.11.010
World Bank. (2020). World Bank SME Finance. In World Bank.
Wu, W. Y., & Minor, M. S. (1997). Role perceptions, personal traits, lifestyles and leadership: An empirical study of American, Japanese, and Taiwanese female managers. International Business Review, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/s0969-5931(97)86722-4
Yao, X., & Li, R. (2021). Big five personality traits as predictors of employee creativity in probation and formal employment periods. Personality and Individual Differences, 182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.109914.
In-Text Citation: (Yusof et al., 2022)
To Cite this Article: Yusof, N. L. H. M., Majid, A. H. A., and Hamid, S. N. A. (2022). A Conceptual Paper on The Relationship between Personality Traits and Employee Performance Within the Smes Context in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences. 12(7), 920– 933.