Is there a wrong personality?

Personality is something that we all have. Like our DNA, it is something that makes us unique. Each individual has a unique trait constellation. We at eikko believe that it is not possible to categorize completely personality since people are too complex to be categorised in rigorous types. However, certain traits can be measured in a spectrum or a continuum.

Personality is something that makes us unique.

So, are there good or bad personality traits?

First, each personality trait has its benefits and disadvantages, the optimal is determined by local conditions, such as the situation itself and the type of people involved. Second, personality traits do not act individually. Each person is a constellation of different traits at distinct levels that interact with each other, producing different behaviours. Thus, no personality trait has an absolute advantage over others, rather, their successes and failures are context specific.

No personality trait has an absolute advantage over others, rather, their successes and failures are context specific.

How come the same personality trait has pros and cons?

The Openness to Experience is a broad trait from the Big Five model, ranging from curious and creative to realist and conservative. The world needs all ranges. The more curious make the world evolve while the realist keeps it running by executing.

The personality model Big Five is a widely used taxonomy of personality attributes and the foundation of one of the many personality assessments. The Big Five factors are labelled Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability (or its opposite, Neuroticism), and Openness to Experience. The Big Five structure does not mean that personality differences can be reduced to only five traits, but they represent personality at the broadest level of abstraction, and each dimension summarizes many distinct and more narrow personality characteristics, termed personality facets.

At work, take the trait Persistence, which ranges from having a preference to persist in something to a preference for a laid-back style. On one hand, the task of finishing a payroll requires persistence since it is important to deliver it on time, no matter what difficulties may occur. On the other hand, the activity of counselling people requires a more laid-back style, because if a person is pushed too much, it might result in a negative outcome.

Situations and jobs are different, so you cannot expect the same person with a specific set of traits to be successful in all jobs. The opposite also applies, different people behave distinctively when faced with the same situations. Certain traits will be ideal for satisfying the demands of a particular job, some people may have them whilst others do not.

We are all different.

We are all different. Diversity is a trendy topic in organisations nowadays, linked to increased organisational effectiveness. But what does that mean, to be a diverse company? Diversity is a dimension, which recognises individual differences, as opposed to a homogenous group. That includes not only age, gender, and ethnicity, but also personality. All of these variations influence one’s behaviour.

We are unique, therefore, we all have something different to offer.

Fortunately, we are unique, therefore, we all have something different to offer. The world needs all personality ranges, and increasingly businesses search for diversity. So no, there is no such thing as a wrong personality.