By Benjamin Schneider
University of Maryland
Brent Smith
Rice University
Sylvester Taylor & John W. Fleenor
Center for Creative Leadership
Summary
A central proposition of attraction-selection-attrition theory (B. Schneider, 1987) and of the literature on organizational socialization was tested. Support for the hypothesis that organizations are relatively homogeneous with respect to the personality attributes of their managers was found. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) conducted on a sample of approximately 13,000 managers from 142 organizations representing a broad cross-sample of U.S. industries revealed a significant effect for organizational membership on the personality characteristics of managers. Results of a 2nd MANOVA, nesting organizations within industries, revealed a significant effect for both organization and industry on the personality characteristics of managers. Some implications of these findings are discussed.
Citation
Schneider, B., Smith, D. B., Taylor, S., & Fleenor, J. W. (1998). Personality and organizations: A test of the homogeneity of personality hypothesis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(3), 462-470. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.83.3.462
