Introduction

This symposium aims to further the understanding of personality structure and improve applied assessment practices. It builds on the well-established Big 5 model of personality factors offering pioneering insights into higher-order models as well as possible extensions through motivational factors.

Contributions

The first paper offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the ground-breaking creation of a ‘Periodic Table of Personality’. It builds on the Abridged Five Dimensional Circumplex (AB5C) Model and Goldberg’s public domain Big 5 markers to establish primary and secondary Big 5 loadings for 10 widely used personality questionnaires. The correlations diverge from the NEO FFM model for ‘Need for Achievement’ themed scales.

The second paper investigates the circumplex character of the Lumina Spark personality questionnaire finding strong supportive evidence for the 8 Aspects as well as the 24 Qualities displayed in a Mandala format. The two-dimensional space combines the Alpha vs. Beta factors of Digman (1997) with the well-established People vs Task leadership aspects to form four distinct clusters that underpin the Great 8 competencies as well as the Wave Wheel.

The third paper explores the viability of a Great 8 based integration of a diverse set of predictor variables with view to the creation of an aligned predictor-criterion model. The results suggest that an 8 factor model accounts adequately for the 24 predictor variables but that a simpler model may be more robust.

The fourth paper explores the joint factor space created by NEO and PAPI questionnaires to illuminate the feasibility of 6, 7 and 8 factor models of personality that separate out motivational constructs.

Conclusion

The symposium offers pioneering advances to theoretical understanding and practical measurement of personality variables using straightforward techniques.

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How to Map Personality Inventories to the Periodic Table of Personality
Stephen A. Woods, University of Surrey

Introduction

How can personality inventory scales be organized to a coherent cross-inventory framework? The authors (2015) addressed these questions by mapping PI scales to the Abridged Five Dimensional Circumplex (AB5C) Model (Hofstee, De Raad, & Goldberg, 1992), resulting in a Periodic Table of Personality Traits. The resultant structural framework was designed explicitly to enable researchers and others to continue to build knowledge and understanding of personality trait structure and the impact of personality traits in work psychology theory and practice.

Objectives

To advance this effort, this paper elaborates the mapping methodology applied in the study to better enable personality researchers and practitioners to apply the findings to evaluate their preferred PIs.

Design/Methodology

The paper first sets out the conceptual band empirical rationale for the mapping of the construction of the Periodic Table. This is followed by a detailed presentation of the steps that test users can undertake to map new PIs to the framework. Use of freely available standardized markers of the lexical Big Five in the analyses underpinning the Periodic Table means that researchers can easily replicate the methodology to incorporate new PIs into the framework to add to the 10 widely used PIs already analysed.

Results

Three key steps are elaborated: a) extraction of orthogonal representations of the Big Five from Goldberg’s trait markers (Goldberg, 1992); b) correlation of PI scales with the resultant factors; c) classification of scales based on primary and secondary loadings.

Conclusions

By understanding the structural properties of the PI, researchers can firstly integrate their theorizing with results and findings compiled using different inventories to their preferred one. Secondly, by publishing or making available the structural locations of the scales on the inventory, their findings may also add in a more substantive and coherent way to the literature on personality at work.

 

Circumplex Personality Factor Structure Investigation of 8 Aspects and 24 Qualities in the Lumina Spark Mandala
Stewart G. Desson, Lumina Learning LLP; John Golding, University of Westminster; Anthony Towell, University of Westminster; Stephen Benton, University of Westminster.

Introduction

In the light of renewed interest in Circumplex models this paper explores the factor structure of the Lumina Spark personality questionnaire that measures the four bipolar constructs of popular Type measures (such as MBTI) through 8 separate Aspects thus  covering Extraversion, Agreeableness, Openness and Conscientiousness. Each Aspect is measured through 3 distinct qualities.

Objectives

This paper explores whether the circumplex structure implied by the Lumina Spark Mandala can be reproduced through factor analysis.

Design/Methodology

Questionnaire data from an international group of professionals and managers (N=2158) was subjected to PCA.

Results

The first two PCA components accounted for 40% and 21% of the variance. In a rotated solution the first factor emerged as a Task factor contrasting Conscientiousness with Openness while the second factor emerged as a People factor contrasting Extraversion with Agreeableness. The Component Plot in Rotated Space accurately represented the Mandala graph that underpins Lumina Spark reporting. The correlation between opposing Aspect scales averaged -.737 as expected whereas the perimeter correlations averaged .345. Within the ‘Alpha’ themes of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness the perimeter values averaged .414, within ‘Beta’ themes .423 but dropped at the border between the two to only .124.

In an extraction of 24 Qualities the first component accounted for 31% and the second for 18% of the variance. The two dimensional mapping of the 24 qualities closely corresponded to the actual arrangement on the Mandala but suggesting that on this particular sample Reliable & Structured as well as Measured & Observed would be better represented if swapped over.

Conclusions

The results clearly confirm the circumplex nature of the Lumina Spark Mandala. They also lend support to the notion  of distinct Task and People axes that interact with Alpha and Beta higher-order personality factors to define four distinct clusters of personality.

 

Recovering the Great 8 factors from diverse personality and ability scales for ‘Predictive Analytics’
Rainer H. Kurz, Cubiks; Jouko Van Aggelen, Cubiks; Marit Op de Beek, Cubiks

Introduction

This paper explores how the Great 8 competencies of hierarchical aligned predictor and criterion variables could provide a framework for Predictive Analysis strategies for a diverse set of predictor variables.

Objectives

A factor analytical investigation of a data set was commenced to explore compatibility of individual assessment variables with the established Great 8 competencies.

Design/Methodology

Data for N=627 individuals across Verbal, Numerical and Abstract ability tests together with the 20 (+ Social desirability) scales of the normative version of PAPI were subjected to PCA.

Results

In a PCA 8 components were extracted in line with the theoretical model accounting for 66% of the variance. The first component was dominated by Integrative planner, Social harmoniser and Leadership role. A rotated 2 component extraction neatly represented the Alpha (Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability & Agreeableness) and Beta (Extraversion & Openness) factors of Digman (1997). Ability tests separated out as the 3^rd factor, Agreeableness as the 4^th and Emotional Stability as the 5^th. A ‘Decisiveness’ factor emerged next followed by Openness and in the 8^th by Achievement.

Overall assessment scores based on the above scales, In-tray exercise and interview were available for N=360 participants rated either as ‘Insufficient’ (N=21), ‘Almost meets requirements’ (N=134), ‘Sufficient’ (N=124) or ‘Good’ (N=81).

Verbal, Numerical and Abstract ability tests correlated .389, .404 and .321 respectively with the overall score whereas .465 was obtained for their composite sum.

PAPI scales Need to relate closely (.139), Leadership role (-.134), Social desirability (-.131), Work tempo (.126), Emotional restraint (-.117) and Role of the hard worker (-108) correlated significantly with overall assessment score.

Conclusions

The study demonstrates that the Great 8 competencies could be populated from PAPI and the three ability tests. However the number of predictor scales is low suggesting development of a simpler model where some Great 8 factors are merged.

 

A NEO & PAPI co-validation journey from the General Factor of Personality to Big 5+
Rainer H. Kurz, Cubiks; Katy Welsh, Cubiks; Rob Feltham, Cubiks

Introduction

Hierarchical modelling of personality variables demonstrated that a sizeable First Unrotated Principle Component (FUPC) emerges from work personality questionnaires with particularly high loadings for scales related to Need for Power and Need for Achievement. It also suggests that more than 5 factors may be required to properly account for the personality space in work settings.

Objective

This study explores on N=210 participants the joint factor structure of the NEO-PI-R scales and the scales of the PAPI 3 Sales & Leadership self-report questionnaire.

Results

PCA extraction yielded 12 components with Eigenvalues greater than 1. Screeplot suggested extraction of 6 or 8 components. The FUPC was defined through positive loadings of motivational and self-efficacy oriented themes and negative loadings for Neuroticism scales.

Two rotated components contrasted Task with People themes rather than Digman’s (1997) Alpha and Beta themes. With three components a distinct Extraversion factor separated out while in a four component solution Emotional Stability emerged as a standalone factor. In a five component solution a variation of the Big 5 emerged where Extraversion resembled Surgency and Agreeableness resembled Affiliation.

In a six component rotated solution distinct Striving and Reliability factors emerged. The 7^th component covered Initiative themes. An 8 component extraction resembled the Great 8 constructs of Kurz & Bartram (2002).

Conclusions

The research demonstrates how instrument scale coverage shapes the character of the FUPC. Whereas in general personality all of the Big 5 tend to load positively a clear dominance of motivational constructs was observed in this study involving a general as well as a work personality questionnaire. In the Five Factor solution Surgency and Affiliation replaced Extraversion and Agreeableness constructs. The 6 factor solution split Conscientiousness into Striving and Dependability strands. An 8 factor solution compatible with the Great 8 competencies can also be extracted.