Neuroticism Correlation with Job Performance

Problem statement 

Neuroticism has emerged as one of the big five personality traits that influence human behavior. It has been defined as the tendency to be depressed, anxious and develop negative feelings. Emotional instability is often noted by some employees. Such employees often underperform and are likely to have poor relations with their colleagues at work. In this study, it is important to ascertain this assertion. 

Hypothesis  

Neuroticism is negatively correlated with an employee’s success in job performance 

Literature review 

According to Othman, Kassim, &Norzaidi, (2011), neuroticism refers to a trait among individuals that makes them tend to be insecure, shy and depressed. They are also anxious and vulnerable. On the other hand, people who are emotionally stable are secure, calm, and they are in a better position to control impulses and stress better. The six key dimensions of neuroticism are anxiety, self-consciousness, depression, hostility, vulnerability, and anger.Emotional stability predicts the level of performance among employees. Emotional stability is thus used as a predictor of job performance among the employees. According to Othman, Kassim, &Norzaidi, (2011), it influences the level of teamwork among the employees. It also affects interpersonal interactions and the quantity and intensity of the energy that individuals directly to their work. Neuroticism equally affects the level of agreeableness among individuals. Agreeableness refers to a trait in people that enables them to be soft-hearted, trusting, helpful and compassionate. People who have a low level of agreeableness tend to be pessimistic, suspicious and distrustful. Neuroticism has also been found to be negatively related with emotional intelligence. 

According to Hlatwayo, Mhlanga, & Zangwe (2013), neuroticism not only affects the level of job performance among the employees but also affects their level of job satisfaction. Situational predictors of behavior are used in identifying differences in responses to situations among people who are emotionally stable as compared to those who are emotionally unstable. Neurotic individuals normally experience more negative life experiences as compared to the emotionally stable people. Neuroticism reduces the ability of individuals to experience positive life experiences. As a result, they tend to have lower positive emotions. 

According to Alsuwailem&Elanaga (2016), job performance is influenced by the personality of individuals. The social aspect of the workplace dictates that individuals must cooperate in the execution of their work. Neurotic people tend to fail to engage in such teamwork effectively. Extraversion is related to enhanced job performance, a trait that the neurotic people seem to lack. While cognitive capabilities may influence individuals to work with others effectively. According to Sy, Tram, & Hara (2006), neuroticism adversely affects the level of emotional intelligence among people. 

Liao & Lee (2009) indicate that personal characteristics are the key determinant of human behavior. On the other hand, the level of job involvement indicates the extent to which employees are absorbed in their work. Meta-analyses indicate that greater job proficiency is attainable through enhanced emotional stability (Hlatwayo, Mhlanga, & Zangwe, 2013). Due to the anxious personality of the neurotic people, their level of job performance is adversely affected. They tend to have a low level of self-confidenceand are often pessimistic something that adversely affects their performance. They also tend to be less devoted to their work as compared to employees who are not neurotic. As a result, neuroticism tends to have a negative correlation with work performance among employees. It is also negatively related to effective leadership. 

Methodology

Participant characteristics 

The study will focus on organizations where some employees project a high level of emotional stability while others are neurotic. The people who will be assessed will be between the age of 30 and 50 years. Such people are expected to be fully developed mentally and experienced with their work. Both males and females will be involved in the study. 

Sampling procedure 

Random sampling will be done in a large organization with over 300 employees. There are multiple methods that are associated with the use of this approach to sampling. For instance, it results inthe gathering of information without bias. As a result, the inferences made from the study are representative of the entire population. In random sampling, every employee in the organization will have an equal chance of being selected (Hlatwayo, Mhlanga, & Zangwe, 2013. A total of 50 employees will be involved in the study. Such a large number will provide characteristics that are representative of the entire population. In the sampling process employees will be issued with questionnaires where they can tick against the various characteristics of emotional stability and instability. The study will involve employees who are issued with multiple forms of bonuses depending on performance and employees will indicate the level of bonus that they received in the recent period. 

Measure 

Tests on neurotic trait will be based on the liker scale. In the collection of data, questionnaires will be issued to the respondents. There are multiple merits associated with the use of questionnaires sent through emails. For instance, employees will fill them in private and at their time of convenience, increasing chances of the answers being objective. Use of emails also ensures that the issuance and collection of questionnaires will be fast and convenient. 

Study design 

The data will be measured empirically as well as through the use of a Likert scale. The emotional attributes will be measured through the use of the liker scale where rating on the level of neuroticism will be between 1 and 10 where 10 will be the least neurotic and 1 will be the most neurotic. This scale is used that way in order to correlate a low score with low bonus and high score with a high bonus. Correlation analyses will be carried out between the dependent variable which is the bonus and the independent variable which is the extent of neuroticism (Liao, & Lee, 2009). This method is appropriate as it will help in identifying the relationship between the variables 

Experimental manipulation 

Experimental manipulation will be carried out in the study. For instance, besides selecting employees irrespective of how neurotic they are or not, they will also be regrouped after initial assessment separating those who are neurotic and those who are not. Data on the level bonuses of all participants will be regressed against the points on the Neuroticism measure scale. After analyzing this data, another study will be carried out where bonuses of the neurotic employees will be regressed with their level of bonuses separately and the level of bonuses for the non-neurotic employees will also be regressed against their bonuses separately. This manipulation will act as a control in the study and will be used in assessing the validity of the study. The study is thus expected to generate outcomes that are valid and reliable (Liao, & Lee, 2009). 

Conclusion  

Carrying out research, as indicated in the above presentation is a rather systematic process. It involved a well-organized approach to data collection and the assessment of literature that informs the phenomena under study. Equally, through the use of the sampling method, inferences that are representative of the entire population are easy to collect. The use of correlation analyses will also be very relevant in this study. It will help in identifying the relationship that exists between neuroticism and the level of employee performance. The use of 50 participants equally ensures that the sample is large enough to provide findings that are representative of the entire population. 

References  

Alsuwailem, A., & Elanaga, A. (2016). Exploring the relationship between personality and 

jobperformance. International Journal of Business and Management Invention, 5(12), 43-53 

Hlatwayo, C., Mhlanga, & Zangwe, T. (2013). Neuroticism as a determinant of job 

satisfaction among bank employees. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 4(13), 549-554 

Liao, C., & Lee, W. (2009). An empirical study of employee job involvement and personality 

traits: The case of Taiwan. International Journal of Economics and Management, 3(1), 22-36 

Othman, A., Kassim, R., & Norzaidi, M. (2011). The moderating effect of neuroticism on the 

relationship between emotional intelligence and job performance. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences , 5(6), 801-813 

Sy, T., S. Tram and L.A. O' Hara, 2006. Relation of employee and manager emotional 

intelligence to job satisfaction and performance, J . Voc. Beh., 68(3), 461-473.