By Robert C. Satterwhite
APT, Inc.
John W. Fleenor, Phillip W. Braddy
Center for Creative Leadership
Jack Feldman
Georgia Institute of Technology
Linda Hoope
Resilience Alliance
Summary
The forces of attraction–selection–attrition have been hypothesized to create homogeneity of personality within organizations, and vocational choice theory predicts that these forces lead to a ‘modal personality’ within given occupations. This study compared the homogeneity of a set of personality characteristics for 6582 incumbents from eight organizations in eight occupations. The results indicated that (1) the homogeneity hypothesis was supported both within organizations as well as within occupations; and (2) the homogeneity within occupations was higher than that found in organizations.
Citation
Satterwhite, R. C., Fleenor, J. W., Braddy, P. W., Feldman, J., & Hoopes, L. (2009). A case for homogeneity of personality at the occupational level. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 17(2), 154-164. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2389.2009.00459.x
