Personality of individuals has been described using many theories in the past years. However, today the big five model of personality has been adopted and is widely used by many people.
As cited in Hofstee (2003), research in many cultures on personality traits has found the five dimensions of the model present (Nevid, 2009). The big five model dimensions are urgency, agreeableness, adjustment, conscientiousness and openness to experience. This article will evaluate this model as used by one of the world leading managers Donald Trump.
Urgency is also referred to as extroversion in the model. It is a character trait exhibited by extroverts. According to Nevid (2010), extroverts are people who are friendly, cheerful, tolerant, sympathetic outgoing and enthusiastic. This personality dimension “captures ones comfort level with relationships” as said by Robbins (2009).
As a leader, Donald trump is said to be a very competitive person who creates an environmentally competitive surrounding for his employees in the workplace (Ramanaidu et al., 2010).
This dimension is strongly used by Donald Trump especially in his show “The Apprentice” where a strongly extroverted trait is dominant through creating a strongly competitive environment for the contestants. Also as an extrovert, he promotes public events and initiatives like competitions by encouraging participants to strongly contribute.
Agreeableness is the second dimension of the model. According to Robbins (2009), it is the tendency of an individual to yield to other people’s opinions. Therefore, this dimension explains how individuals respond to other people’s views. When an individual conforms easily, he is said to be agreeable.
According to Nevid (2010), individuals strong in this dimension tend to be sensitive, cooperative with others, sympathetic, confident with others and are concerned with the feelings of other people. As suggested by Ramanaidu et al. (2010), Donald Trump has a low degree of agreeableness that demands detailed statements and proves of concepts before making any confirmations and acknowledgements. He particularly insists on performance measures using goals.
Conscientiousness is the third dimension of the model. Robbins (2009) states it “is a measure of reliability” (p 94). People who exhibit this are meditative, organized, pay attention to detail, ethical, ambitious, time conscious and reliable. Using this dimension, as suggested by Ramanaidu et al. (2010), Donald Trump is an optimistic and self confident person who used this dimension to build his Trump International Hotel.
As an example, Trump is dependable in his directions and vision and despite obstacles, is centered on goal achievement. As a manager, Donald Trump is said to be strong in this dimension since he says that one should do what it takes to achieve his or her goals lawfully without shortcuts (Ramanaidu et al., 2010).
The fourth dimension is adjustment which is also referred to as emotional stability or neuroticism. According to Robbins (2009), it is “a person’s ability to withstand stress” (94).
These people are self confident, secure and they are tranquil. Ramanaidu et al. (2010) suggest that as a manager, Donald Trump is emotionally stable especially during contentious discussions where he concentrates on the end achievements. In his opinion, he is strong in calming his nerves during many situations.
The last dimension is openness to experience. According to Robbins (2009), it relates to how people are open to change through accepting new thoughts and concepts. In this dimension, the individual traits are curiosity, imaginative, creative and sensitive to art (Robbins, 2009). Ramanaidu et al. (2010) suggest that Donald Trump is a strong person in openness to experiences throughout his career. This is seen through his many business ventures where he learns from the past and focuses on the present (Ramanaidu et al., 2010).
References
Nevid, J.S. (2010). Essentials of Psychology: Concepts and Applications. Wadsworth: Cengage Learning.
Ramanaidu, M.N., Zain, S.M., Nor, N.A.M. & Noor, N.D.M. (2010). Leadership (Donald Trump). Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia: Universiti Utara Malaysia Graduate School of Business. Web.
Robbins, S.P. (2009). Organizational Behaviour: Global and Southern African Perspectives. South Africa: Pearson Education.