Using O*NET to Develop a Framework of Job Characteristics to Potentially Improve the Predictive Validity of Personality Measures

ACT Research Report Series 2016 (9)Jeremy BurrusJason WayUsing O*NET to Develop a Framework of Job Characteristics to Potentially Improve the Predictive Validity of Personality Measures © 2016 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved. 6168Jeremy Burrus was a principal research scientist in the Career Transitions Research department working on the assessment of noncognitive skills. Jason Way is a research psychologist in Career Transitions Research. He researches behavioral and psychosocial skills, including their relevance to important academic and work outcomes. ContentsAbstract .................................................................................. ivIntroduction .............................................................................. 1Occupational Information Network (O*NET) ............................................. 2The Current Study ...................................................................... 3Method .................................................................................. 3Database .............................................................................. 3Measures .............................................................................. 3Analysis Plan ........................................................................... 4Results ................................................................................... 4Work Styles Sum Scale Development ................................................... 4GWA Sum Scale Development ......................................................... 5Work Contexts Sum Scale Development ................................................. 5Correlations of GWAs and Work Contexts with Work Styles .............................. 6Regression Analyses Predicting Work Styles ............................................ 6Example Job Profiles ................................................................... 7Discussion ............................................................................... 7Limitations ............................................................................. 8Future Research ....................................................................... 9Conclusion ............................................................................... 9Tables and Figures ..................................................................... 10References ............................................................................. 18Appendix ............................................................................... 20 AbstractIt has long been theorized that we can improve prediction of job-related behavior from measures of personality by identifying job characteristics that allow for the expression of individual differences (e.g., Mischel, 1968). For instance, situational strength (i.e., external cues regarding the desirability of potential behaviors [Meyer et al., 2010]) has been hypothesized to be one such variable, with behavior in strong situations predicted to be less influenced by personality than behavior in weak situations (e.g., Meyer, Dalal, & Hermida, 2010). Using O*NET data, the current paper develops a framework for job characteristics that could improve the extent to which we can predict behavior from personality. More specifically, it investigates Work Styles, Generalized Work Activities, and Work Context variables using both judgmental and empirical approaches. The final list of job characteristics includes public speaking, conflict, lack of constraints, not-in-person communication, working with information, and helping others. Limitations and future directions are discussed. 1IntroductionPeople vary on a number of characteristics that affect their behavior and performance at work. Some of these individual differences include cognitive ability (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998), interests (Nye, Su, Rounds, & Drasgow, 2012), and integrity (Ones, Viswesvaran, & Schmidt, 1993). Another individual difference, personality, is well established as the second best predictor of various measures of job performance, behind cognitive ability (see Mattern et al., 2014 for a review). Personality is “the system of enduring, inner characteristics of individuals that contributes to consistency in their thoughts, feelings, and behavior” (Leary, 2005, p. 3). Considerable research has found that personality can be grouped into five broad factors. These “Big Five” factors of personality are: 1) extraversion (e.g., tendency to be sociable), 2) agreeableness (e.g., tendency to get along with others), 3) conscientiousness (e.g., tendency to be organized and hardworking), 4) emotional stability (e.g., tendency to be free from anxiety and worry), and 5) openness to experience (e.g., tendency to be imaginative and creative). More recently, other research has suggested that a sixth factor, honesty-humility, also frequently emerges (Ashton & Lee, 2007). Personality has been shown to moderately predict several workplace outcomes, including,