Personality Dynamics in Workplace Settings
Summary
Personality in the workplace is no longer regarded as entirely static; rather, it emerges from a continuous interplay between individual dispositions and organisational contexts. Central to this perspective are the Big Five traits—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism—which serve both as predictors of work outcomes and as potential targets of change. Mechanisms such as attraction–selection–attrition, socialisation and career transitions shape these traits over time, leading to convergent patterns within teams and occupations. Chronic stressors, including job insecurity, can gradually shift levels of stability-related traits, while developmental experiences such as promotion or cross-functional assignments may enhance plasticity-related traits. Methodological advances in longitudinal panel designs, latent trait–state–occasion modelling and propensity-score matching have deepened understanding of how workplace demands and supports co-create personality trajectories. This research carries global significance for talent management, informing recruitment, retention strategies and interventions aimed at fostering adaptive trait profiles in diverse settings.
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Personality Dynamics in Workplace Settings publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in personality dynamics in workplace settings across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Big Five traits: A taxonomy of five broad dimensions—openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism—used to describe human personality.
Attraction–selection–attrition model: A framework positing that individuals are attracted to, selected by and remain in organisations whose cultures match their personalities.
Socialisation: The process through which employees internalise organisational norms and values, leading to gradual personality alignment with peers.
Latent trait–state–occasion modelling: A statistical approach that disentangles enduring personality traits from situational and temporal fluctuations.
Dynamic developmental model: A theory proposing that personality both shapes and is shaped by work experiences over the career span.
Propensity-score matching: A quasi-experimental method for equating groups on observed characteristics to infer causal effects of interventions or transitions.
References
- The Emergence of Similar Personalities in Similar Occupations. Journal of Organizational Behavior (2025).
- Effects of chronic job insecurity on Big Five personality change.. Journal of Applied Psychology (2020).
- Openness to Experience as a Predictor and Outcome of Upward Job Changes into Managerial and Professional Positions. PLOS ONE (2015).
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