The relationship between personality traits and employee engagement in a financial institution in South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to determine the relationship between personality and employee engagement (EE) within a financial institution in South Africa. A quantitative correlational research approach was utilised and random sampling from a population of 516 identified 200 participants for whom personality scores as measured by the Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ32r) already existed as secondary data. A sample of 124 employees responded to the request to participate in the study. The participants were subsequently requested to complete a self-compiled biographical questionnaire and an employee engagement questionnaire (EEQ) as the measurement of EE. Reliability scores obtained in the current study for the OPQ32r was 0.95 and for the EEQ 0.97 (both p ≤ 0.5), indicating acceptable internal consistency. Results indicated a statistically significant relationship between an Overall OPQ32r Score and an Overall EE Score of 0.186 (p ≤ 0.5), but only one of the three core personality domains measured by the OPQ32r, namely feelings and emotions, had a statistically significant relationship with an Overall EE Score and four of the six EE subdimensions of EE. Results also indicated that the three core personality domains as measured by the OPQ32r are a statistically significant predictor of EE, predicting 4% of the variance of EE (r2 = 0.04, F (3; 120) = 2.72, p ≤ 0.05). Although all relationships obtained in the current study were statistically significant, all had a weak effect size and were thus of limited practical significance, indicating limited practical usefulness. The limitations of this study were the small sample size utilised (n = 124) due to the utilisation of secondary data and a survey sent out concurrent to this study, impacting employees’ willingness to fill in an additional survey. The fact that this study was done in only one division of a financial institution in South Africa, made the generalisation of results to other organisations problematic. There were limited studies measuring personality utilising the OPQ32r while the EE studies utilised different assessments to measure the construct, complicating the comparison of results. As personality and EE are important constructs for Industrial and Organisational Psychology, it was also recommended that additional research be undertaken to increase the knowledge base regarding these two constructs.

Inhloso yesifundo socwaningo samanje kwaye kukuthola ubudlelwano obuphakathi kobuntu kanye nendlela yokusebenzisana phakathi kwesisebenzi kanye nenhlangano (EE) ngaphakathi kwenhlangano yezezimali eNingizimu Afrika. Kwasetshenziswa indlela yocwaningo eqhathanisa izinga lokusebenzisana kwezinto (quantitative correlational research approach) kanye nendlela yocwaningo i-random sampling kwinani lonke labantu abayi 516 abakhethwe kwi-200 labadlalindima abahlolwe izinga lobuntu obulinganiswe ngokusebenzisa Umbhalo weMibuzo emayelana noBuntu (Occupational Personality Questionnaire) (OPQ32r) okuwulwazi olukade luvele lugcinwe njengedatha yesigaba sesibili. Isampuli yabasebenzi abayi-124 iphendule ngokuthi ivume ukuzibandakanye kucwaningo. Ngemuva kwalokho abadlalindima baye bacelwa ukuba bagcwalise umbhalo wemibuzo ebuza ngempilo yomuntu kanye nombhalo wemibuzo ebhekiswe kuhlobo lobudlelwano obuphakathi kwesisebenzi kanye nenhlangano (EEQ), lokhu kusetshenziswe njengophawu lokulinganisa izinga lokusebenzisana phakathi kwesisebenzi kanye nenhlangano (EE). Amaphuzu akhombisa ukwethembeka atholwe kucwaningo lwamanje kwi-OPQ32r ayekhombisa inani le 0.95 kanye ne EEQ 0.97 (zombili lezi zinto i-p ≤ 0.5), zikhombisa izinga lokungashintshi kwezinto ngaphakathi. Imiphumela yamanani iye yaveza ubudlelwano obuhle kakhulu phakathi kwamaPhuzu onke e-OPQ32r kanye namaPhuzu onke e-186 (p ≤ 0.5), kodwa-ke uwodwa kuphela umkhakha obalulekile kwezobuntu emikhakheni emithathu elinganiswe nge-OPQ32r, yona yimizwa kanye nommoya, lezi zimpawu zinobudlelwano bamanani obubaluleke kakhulu obukhombisa Amaphuzu onke kanye nezigatshana ezine kwizigatshana eziyisithupha ze-EE. Imiphumela nayo ikhombise ukuthi imikhakha ebalulekile yobuntu njengoba ilinganiswa nge-OPQ32r ngokwamanani iyisibikezeli esisemqoka kakhulu se-EE, ibikezele 4% yezinga lokwehluka kwi-EE (r2 = 0.04, F (3; 120) = 2.72, p ≤ 0.05). Yize zonke izinhlobo zobudlelwano ezitholakele kwisifundo socwaningo samanje ngokwamanani sasibalulekile, kodwa zonke lezi zinhlobo zobudlelwano zonke zikhombise ukuba nomthelela ongenamandla kanti ngokunjalo ubumqoka bazo obuphathekayo buncane kakhulu, bukhombisa izinga elincane lokusebenziseka ngendlela ephathekayo. Imingcele yalolu cwaningo kuye kwasetshenziswa amasampuli amancane (n = 124) ngenxa yokusetshenziswa kwedatha yesigaba sesibili kanye nesaveyi ethunyelwe kanye kanye kulolu cwaningo, iye yaba nomthelela kwizinga lesifiso sabasebenzi sokugcwalisa enye isaveyi eyengeziwe. Udaba lokuthi lolu cwaningo lwenziwe kwisigaba esisodwa kuphela kwiziko lezezimali eNingizimu Afrika, lokhu kuye kwenza ukuthi ukucaban ukuthi imiphumela isebenza kuzo zonke izinhlangano kube yinkinga. Kuye kwacaca ukuthi lincani kabi inani lezifundo zocwaningo ezisetshenziswa ukuhlola izimpawu zobuntu ngokusebenzisa i-OPQ32r kanti izifundo zocwaningo lwe-EE studies zisebenzise izinhlelo ezahlukene zokuhlola ukulinganisa izinga lokwakha, kanti lokhu kudidanisa indlela yokuqhathanisa imiphumela. Njengoba izimpawu zobuntu kanye ne-EE ziyizimpawu ezisemqoka kwisifundo seSayikholoji yezeZimboni kanye neNhlangano, kuye kwanconywa ukuthi futhi ukuthi kudingeka ukuthi kwenziwe olunye ucwaningo ukukhulisa umthombo wolwazi mayelana nalezi zinhlelo zokwakha ezimbili.

Injongo yesi sifundo yayikukuqonda ngolwalamano olwenzeka phakathi kwesimo adalwe esiso umqeshwa/ubuyena nendlela athatha ngayo inxaxheba okanye indlela azibandakanya ngayo nokwenzekayo kwiziko lezoqoqosho eMzantsi Afrika. Uphando luqhutywe ngokusebenzisa indlela yokuthelekisa amanani kwaye kwenziwa ukhetho lwabathathi nxaxheba olungalandeli migaqo itheni, kubantu abangama-516 nekwachongwa kubo abangama-200 ababesele benamanqaku abawafumana xa babebuzwa uluhlu lwemibuzo yesimo sendalo, iOccupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ32r). Isampulu yabaqeshwa abali-124 yavuma ukuthatha inxaxheba kwesi sifundo. Aba bathathi nxaxheba bacelwa ukuba babhale imibuzo abazenzele ngokwabo, nemalunga nembali yobomi babo kunye neyendlela abazibandakanya ngayo (EEQ), oko kusenziwa njengomlinganiselo we-EE. Amanqaku okuthembeka e OPQ32r awafunyanwa kwesi sifundo aba li-0.95 aze awe-EEQ ali-0.97 (omabini enza p ≤ 0.5), nto leyo ikhombisa uzinzo. Iziphumo zadiza ulwalamano olubalulekileyo phakathi kwenqaku elongameleyo okanye iOverall OPQ32r Score kunye neOverall EE Score, lwalamano olo lwaba li-0.186 (p ≤ 0.5), kodwa linye qha inqanaba lesimo sendalo yomntu elalinganiselwa ngeOPQ32r, nqanaba elo ileleemvakalelo nesimo somphefumlo. Eli nqanaba laba nolwalamano olumandla nenqaku eliyiOverall EE Score kunye namacandelwana amathandathu e-EE. Iziphumo zaphinda zadiza ukuba amacandelo angundoqo amathathu obuyena nalinganiselwa ngeOPQ32r, aluqikelelo olubalulekileyo lwe-EE, eqikelela i-4% yogungqagungqo lwe-EE (r2 = 0.04, F (3; 120) = 2.72, p ≤ 0.05). Nangona zazibaluleke kakhulu zonke iindidi zolwalamano ezafumaneka kwesi sifundo, zonke zazinefuthe elibuthathaka, ngoko ke uncedo lwazo aluzange lube lukhulu kwaye zingenakusetyenziswa kangakanani. Ubuthathaka besi sifundo yaba bubuncinane besampulu eyasetyenziswayo (n = 124) ngenxa yokusetyenziswa kwedatha yomjikelo wesibini (isecondary data) nohlolo zimvo olwaqhutywa ngaxeshanye nesi sifundo, nto leyo yabatyhafisa abaqeshwa kuba babengathandi ukuphendula imibuzo yezifundo ezininzi. Into yokuba esi sifundo senziwa kwicandelo elinye kuphela kwiziko loqoqosho eMzantsi Afrika yenza ukuba kube yingxaki ukuthatha izigqibo ngamanye amaziko. Zazinganelanga izifundo ezilinganisela ubuyena bomntu, zisebenzisa iOPQ32r lo gama izifundo ze-EE zisebenzise iindidi zohlolo ezahlukeneyo ukulinganisela isimo esifanelekileyo, zibe ke zidala ingxaki ekuthelekiseni iziphumo. Njengokuba ubume bendalo/ubuyena kunye ne-EE buzizimo ezibalulekileyo kwiZifundo zeSimo Sengqondo Emsebenzini Nakulungiselelo (Industrial and Organisational Psychology), kwacetyiswa ukuba kuphinde kwenziwe olunye uphando ukuze kwandiswe isiseko solwazi malunga nezi zimo zibini.