Using personality to assist in the prediction of performance at work

The above has provided a review of personality in general, theories and measures of the personality domain, and arguments regarding the universality and non-universality of the widely accepted FFM. Whether personality traits can be defined and assessed universally and/or whether there are traits that are unique to a given culture and further, whether these unique traits may subsequently present outside of their original culture of discovery, are all important questions in the sphere of personality. From a more practical standpoint however, it is necessary to enquire as to what may be done with such information should we be able to discover potential universals in personality. For some research teams, it seems that the drive to find a link between personality and blood type (in Asia) - no link was found, although Eysenck (1982) did find a link in Europeans - may interest them (Wu, Lindsted, & Lee, 2005). For some, personality assessment has found its utility in applied clinical assessment (e.g., Friedman, Lewak, Nicols & Webb, 2001; Gregory, 2004). For others, personality assessment may be useful in self-discovery and career development (e.g., Super, 1983; Kennedy & Kennedy, 2004). One major application of personality theory and, in particular, trait measurement of personality, has been the world of work organisations and the application of personality assessment to assist in human resource decisions that are ultimately linked to performance at work.