Personality traits and adaptive behavior are central issues in research on call center performance. However, the current literature offers little guidance on the relationship between personality traits and adaptive behavior and how they work together to enhance employee performance. This study investigates the mediating role of adaptive behavior between Five-Factor traits and employee performance with customers. Empirical evidence from a Canadian call center supports this proposition for three Five-Factor traits. Managerial implications are discussed.
KeywordsFive-Factor TraitsAdaptive BehaviorPerformance with CustomersCall CenterEmployee
B. Schneider and D. E. Bowen, “Employee and Customer Perceptions of Service in Banks: Replication and Extension,” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 70, No. 3, 1985, pp. 423-433.
D. J. Cran, “Towards Validation of the Service Orientation Construct,” Service Industries Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1994, pp. 34-44.
M. R. Barrick and M. K. Mount, “The Big Five Personality Dimensions and Job Performance: A Meta-Analysis,” Personnel Psychology, Vol. 44, No. 1, 1991, pp. 1-26.
G. M. Hurtz and J. J. Donovan, “Personality and Job Performance: The Big Five Revisited,” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 85, No. 6, 2000, pp. 869-879.
J. F. Salgado, “Personnel Selection Methods,” In: C. L. Cooper and I. T. Robertson, Eds., International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Wiley, Chichester, 1999, pp. 1-54.
M. R. Barrick, M. K. Mount and T. A. Judge, “Personality and Performance at the Beginning of the New Millennium: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go Next?” Personality and Performance, Vol. 9, No. 1-2, 2001, pp. 9-30.
G. A. Churchill Jr., N. M. Ford, S. W. Hartley and O. C. Walker Jr., “The Determinants of Salespersons Performance: Meta-Analysis,” Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 22, 1985, pp. 103-118.
P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae, “Neo-Pi Professional Manual,” Psychological Assessment Resources, Odessa, 1989.
M. R. Barrick, T. R. Mitchell and G. L. Stewart, “Situational and Motivational Influences on Trait-Behavior Relationships,” In: M. Barrick and Ryanam, Eds., Personality and Work: Reconsidering the Role of Personality in Organizations, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2003, pp. 60-82.
L. M. Hough, “Emerging Trends and Needs in Personality Research and Practice: Beyond Main Effects,” In: M. Barrick and Ryanam, Eds., Personality and Work: Reconsidering the Role of Personality in Organizations, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2003, pp. 285-325.
T. A. Judge and A. L. Kristof-Brown, “Personality, Interactional Psychology, and Person—Organization Fit,” In: B. Schneider and D. B. Smith, Eds., Personality and Organizations, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, 2003, pp. 126-161.
M. R. Barrick, L. Parks and M. K. Mount, “Self-Monitoring as a Moderator of the Relationship between Personality Traits and Performance,” Personnel Psychology, Vol. 58, No. 3, 2005, pp. 745-767.
R. L. Spiro and B. A. Weitz, “Adaptive Selling: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Nomological Validity,” Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 27, No. 1, 1990, pp. 61-69.
H. Sujan, B. A. Weitz and N. Kumar, “Learning Orientation, Working Smart, and Effective Selling,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 58, No. 3, 1994, pp. 39-52.
D. M. Eveleth and L. Morris, “Adaptive Selling in a Call Center Environment: A Qualitative Investigation,” Journal of Interactive Marketing, Vol. 16, No. 1, 2002, pp. 25-39.
P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae, “NEO-PI Professional Manual,” Psychological Assessment Resources, Odessa, 1989.
P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae, “Revised NEO Personality Inventory and Five-Factor Model Inventory Professional Manual,” Psychological Assessment Resources, Odessa, 1992.
A. E. Poropat, “A Meta-Analysis of the Five-Factor Model of Personality and Academic Performance,” Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 135, No. 2, 2009, pp. 322-338.
M. K. Mount, A. Witt and M. R. Barrick, “Incremental Validity of Empirically-Keyed Biographical Scales over GMA and the Big Five Personality Constructs,” Personnel Psychology, Vol. 53, No. 2, 2000, pp. 299-323.
J. C. Mowen and N. Spears, “A Hierarchical Model Approach to Understanding Compulsive Buying among College Students,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, Vol. 8, No. 4, 1999, pp. 407-430.
E. G. Harris and J. C. Mowen, “The Influence of Cardinal-, Central-, and Surface-Level Personality Traits on Consumers’ Bargaining and Complaint Intentions,” Psychology and Marketing, Vol. 18, No. 18, 2001, pp. 1155-1185.
O. O. Sawyerr, S. Srinivas and S. Wang, “Call Center Employee Personality Factors and Service Performance,” Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 23, No. 5, 2009, pp. 301-317. doi:10.1108/08876040910973413
M. D. Hartline and O. C. Ferrell, “The Management of Customer-Contact Service Employees: An Empirical Investigation,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 60, No. 4, 1996, pp. 52-70. doi:10.2307/1251901
M. W. Johnston and G. W. Marshall, “Churchill/Ford/ Walker’s Sales Force Management,” McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New York, 2006.
G. K. Hunter and W. D. Perreault, “Sales Technology Orientation, Information Effectiveness, and Sales Performance,” Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Vol. 26, No. 2, 2006, pp. 95-113. doi:10.2753/PSS0885-3134260201
G. K. Hunter and W. D. Perreault, “Making Sales Technology Effective,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 71, No. 1, 2007, pp. 16-34. doi:10.1509/jmkg.71.1.16
J. Hogan and B. Holland, “Using Theory to Evaluate Personality and Job-Performance Relations: A Socioanalytic Perspective,” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 88, No. 1, 2003, pp. 100-112. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.88.1.100
M. K. Mount, M. R. Barrick and G. L. Stewart, “Five-Factor Model of Personality and Performance in Jobs Involving Interpersonal Interactions,” Human Performance, Vol. 11, No. 2-3, 1998, pp. 145-165.
A. B. Bakker, K. I. van der Zee, K. A. Lewig and M. F. Dollard, “The Relationship between the Big Five Personality Factors and Burnout: A Study among Volunteer Counselors,” Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 146, No. 1, 2006, pp. 31-50. doi:10.3200/SOCP.146.1.31-50
W. Verbeke, “Personality Characteristics That Predict Effective Performance of Sales People,” Scandinavian Journal of Management, Vol. 10, No. 1, 1994, pp. 49-57. doi:10.1016/0956-5221(94)90036-1
E. D. Pulakos, N. Schmitt, D. W. Dorsey, S. Arad, J. W. Hedge and W. Borman, “Predicting Adaptive Performance: Further Tests of a Model of Adaptability,” Human Performance, Vol. 15, No. 4, 2002, pp. 299-323. doi:10.1207/S15327043HUP1504_01
J. A. LePine, “Team Adaptation and Postchange Performance: Effects of Team Composition in Terms of Members’ Cognitive Ability and Personality,” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 88, No. 1, 2003, pp. 27-39. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.88.1.27
R. R. McCrae and O. John, “An Introduction to the Five-Factor Model and Its Applications,” Journal of Personality, Vol. 60, No. 2, 1992, pp. 174-214. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1992.tb00970.x
D. Zweig and J. Webster, “What Are We Measuring? An Examination of the Relationships between the Big-Five Personality Traits, Goal Orientation and Performance Intentions,” Personality and Individual Differences, Vol. 36, No. 7, 2004, pp. 1693-1708. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2003.07.010
J. Hogan, R. Hogan and C. M. Busch, “How to Measure Service Orientation,” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 69, No. 1, 1984, pp. 167-173. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.69.1.167
S. Brown and O. D. Edward, “Proactive Personality and Goal Orientation: A Model of Directed Effort Journal of Organizational Culture,” Communications and Conflict, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2011, pp. 103-120.
M. Ahearne, S. K. Lam, J. E. Mathieu and W. Bolander, “Why Are Some Salespeople Better at Adapting to Organizational Change?” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 74, No. 3, 2010, pp. 65-79. doi:10.1509/jmkg.74.3.65
R. R. McCrae and P. T. Costa, “Adding Liebe Und Arbeit: The Full Five-Factor Model and Well-Being,” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 17, No. 2, 1991, pp. 227-232. doi:10.1177/014616729101700217
N. Bonzionelos, “The Big Five of Personality and Work Involvement,” Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 19, No. 10, 2003, pp. 69-81.
V. Onyemah, “From Sales Force Control Systems to Sales Manager Development: A Sequence of Studies,” Presentation at Erin Anderson Research Conference, Philadelphia, 2008, pp. 17-19.
A. J. Elliot and T. M. Thrash, “Approach-Avoidance Motivation in Personality: Approach and Avoidance Temperaments and Goals,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 82, No. 5, 2002, pp. 804-818. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.82.5.804
T. A. Judge, C. L. Jackson, J. C. Shaw, B. A. Scott and R. L. Rich, “Self-Efficacy and Work-Related Performance: The Integral Role of Individual Differences,” Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 92, No. 1, 2007, pp. 107-127. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.92.1.107
B. A. Weitz, H. Sujan and M. Sujan, “Knowledge Motivation, and Adaptive Behavior: A Framework for Improving Selling Effectiveness,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 50, No. 2, 1986, pp. 174-191. doi:10.2307/1251294
J. E. Park and G. D. Deitz, “The Effect of Working Relationship Quality on Salesperson Performance and Job Satisfaction: Adaptive Selling Behavior in Korean Automobile Sales Representatives,” Journal of Business Research, Vol. 59, No. 2, 2006. pp. 204-213. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2005.04.002
J. E. Park, J. Kim, A. J. Dubinsky and H. Lee, “How Does Sales Force Automation Influence Relationship Quality and Performance? The Mediating Roles of Learning and Selling Behaviours,” Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 39, No. 7, 2010, 1128-1138. doi:10.1016/j.indmarman.2009.11.003
J. R. Goolsby, R. R. Lagace and M. L. Boorom, “Psychological Adaptiveness and Sales Performance,” Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Vol. 12, No. 2, 1992, pp. 51-66.
RéC. McMurrian, “A Social Cognitive Theory Model of Salesperson Performance,” Dissertation, The Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 1996.
J. Mowen, “The 3M Model of Motivation and Personality,” Kluwer Academic Press, Norwell, 2000.
L. R. Goldberg, “A Broad-Bandwidth, Public Domain, Personality Inventory Measuring the Lower-Level Facets of Several Five-Factor Models,” In: I. Mervielde, I. Deary, F. De Fruyt and F. Ostendorf, Eds., Personality Psychology in Europe, Tilburg University Press, Tilburg, 1999, pp. 7-28.
P. Roussel, F. Durrieu, E. Campoy, A. El Akremi, “Méthodes D’équations Structurelles: Recherches et Application en Gestion,”Economica, Paris, 2002.
W. W. Chin, “The Partial Least Squares Approach for Structural Equation Modeling,” In: G. A. Marcoulides, Ed., Modern Methods for Business Research, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, 1998, pp. 295-336.
R. M. Baron and D. A. Kenny, “The Moderator-Mediator Variable Distinction in Social Psychological Research: Conceptual, Strategic and Statistical Considerations,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 51, No. 6, 1986, pp. 1173-1182. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173
J. C. Anderson and D. W. Gerbing, “Structural Equation Modeling in Practice: A Review and Recommended Two-Step Approach,” Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 103, No. 3, 1988, pp. 411-423. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.103.3.411
J. F. Hair Jr., R. E. Anderson, R. L. Tatham and W. C. Black, “Multivariate Data Analysis with Readings (4th ed.),” Prentice Hall Inc., Upper Saddle River, 1995.
C. Fornell and D. F. Larcker, “Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error,” Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 18, No. 1, 1981, pp. 39-50. doi:10.2307/3151312
F. F. Reichheld and W. E. Sasser, “Zero Defections: Quality Comes to Services,” Harvard Business Review, Vol. 68, No. 5, 1990, pp. 105-111.