Analyzing the Relationship Between Conscientiousness and Performance

This essay examines the significant impact of employee conscientiousness on workplace performance, focusing on the characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of this personality trait. It argues that conscientious employees, characterized by their dedication, goal-setting abilities, and adherence to rules, often become high performers. The essay explores the benefits of punctuality, positive working environments, and strategic planning associated with conscientiousness, using Amazon as a case study. However, it also acknowledges potential drawbacks, such as rigidity and burnout. Furthermore, it discusses how management can enhance conscientiousness through rewards and by considering Maslow's hierarchy of needs to boost employee motivation and job satisfaction. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of conscientiousness for achieving high performance and career advancement within an organization.

Organization behavior

Organization behavior
“Employees scoring high on conscientiousness are high performers”
It is true that the employees who are scoring high on conscientiousness are high performers. One
of the important personality traits in an individual that leads to success is conscientiousness. This
simply states that the employees who have the desire of performing the task well are the high
performers in the workplace (Furnham and Treglown, 2018). In this paper, the discussion will be
made on the topic "conscientiousness" which is one of the personality traits that assist the
employees to be the high performers. In relation to this, an in-depth analysis will be made that
will highlight the characteristics and also the pros and drawbacks in relation to the employees
who are conscientiousness towards their work.
It is argued that conscientiousness relates to the person who is willing to work and want to give
the best towards the assigned work. The conscientious employees have innovative thinking as
compared to the other individuals. They are better at setting the goals and working towards them.
It has been seen that they attain the goals that are consistent in relation to employers (Ohme and
Zacher, 2015). To attain success or to improve the performance in the workplace, it is important
for the employees to have dedication and engagement level towards the organizational activities.
According to Robert "It is said that Conscientious is like brushing the teeth, as it helps to prevent
the issues that arise". The top management of many hastily grooms the people who are
conscientious for the management but these individuals are known as the start performers who
possess many other skills such as innovative thinking effective communication and technical
expertise (BAER, 2019).
It is examined that there are various benefits that are concerned with the employees who are
scoring high on conscientiousness. The employees who are conscientious always follow rules
and norms and just because of this there are able to give their best and perform in a better way as
compared to the other employees in the workplace. They never complain about anything and
perform the task according to the set rules and regulations of the company. But it is argued that
every employee who follows rules and regulations of the company comes under the category of
conscientiousness. To follow the rules and regulations of the company is not only important but
to manage and complete the assigned task with perfection is also one of the major objectives of
the employees who are conscientiousness towards the work (Kontoghiorghes, 2016).
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It is said by many researchers that the higher performance of the employees is also determined
by emphasizing on the punctuality ratio. If the employee in the workplace shows up on time then
it can be considered a great clue in relation to conscientiousness. It is analyzed that the punctual
person always conducts the activities in an organized manner and also with a high engagement
level towards the work (Carter et al., 2016).
Punctuality helps to bring improvisation in the workplace and also maintain coordination in
context to the level of productivity. This factor can also be related with the working environment
as it can be argued that the employee's performance depends on conscientiousness but on the
other hand if the working environment is positive then it would be easy to boost the
conscientiousness behavior of the employees in the workplace. Hence, it can be stated that the
employee's conscientiousness can depend on the working environment. If in the workplace there
is a positive culture then it will help to boost the conscientiousness of the employees which will
also affect the performance towards the assigned work (BAER, 2019).
It can also be argued that the conscientiousness employees are successful because they
emphasize more on planning and even if there is a failure then they will make the plan again to
deal with that failure. This is one of the positive characteristics which are possessed in the
employees who are conscientiousness towards their work. They have an idea of controlling and
managing the organizational operations with proper techniques and methods (Mostafa, Gould‐
Williams and Bottomley, 2015).
The Conscientious individuals commit themselves to plan and make sure that it will be carried
out by them. These employees are the one who is good at overcoming their impulses and
thinking in relation to the wisdom of their decisions for a long time. In the workplace, high
conscientiousness is important for good strategic planning but on the other hand if it is exercised
more than it can be led to rigidity and less flexibility which is not beneficial for the other
employees and it can affect the overall growth of the employees in the highly competitive
business environment (Agarwal and Gupta, 2018).
One of the best examples is of the Amazon Company in which the environment of the company
is created in such a manner that now it can be said that "Amazon workforce is more than half a
million strong". After the hiring spree and also the acquisition of the Whole Foods it has been
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observed that Amazon has added more than 200000 workers in 2017 and the starting first nine
months in 2018 states that the workforce of the company is enhancing at a high rate (Richter,
2018). The company is attaining growth in the competitive market, just because of having the
employees who are conscientiousness towards their work. In Amazon, Training is provided that
helps to boost the skills and knowledge in relation to the assigned activities of the company
(Richter, 2018). Hence, it can be said that there are a majority of the employees who are
conscientiousness and are high performers in the workplace.
(SOURCE: Richter, 2018).
But on the other hand, it can also be analyzed that the positive impact of conscientiousness is
concerned with the fact that it offers continuity and predictability of the actions that are
performed by the individuals. It also assists the employee to organize and plan ahead so that you
don't need anything to fly and goals are attained easily. But if the person is too organized in the
activities then it can impact the overall productivity level of the employees. It is examined that if
there is extreme conscientiousness then it can expose the employee in rapid burnout, which will
not be beneficial for the employee as well as for the management. So, it is necessary for the
management to maintain control conscientiousness behavior of the employees in respect t the
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overall activities that are assigned by the management (Debusscher, Hofmans and De Fruyt,
2017).
The employees who are conscientiousness towards their work tend to be the best performers
because they have the mindset to work with dedication and also commit to stretch the goals.
These individuals are more inclined towards managing things when it gets difficult. The
employees who have the willingness to work in tough conditions never fail to achieve goals and
targets of the company and these types of employees are always the best performers of the
company (Courtright et al., 2017). Therefore, it can be said that the employees should maintain
their trait of conscientiousness so that they can also be awarded as the best performers of the
company.
It can be said that the employees who score higher in conscientiousness have a higher level of
knowledge because they learn more to manage and control the activities. The person who has
more knowledge will perform better but they will only focus on their work more as compared to
the other things in the workplace. The conscientiousness individuals have the tendency of taking
care of themselves and they only think of themselves at the time of managing the activities of the
company. It can be one of the disadvantages for the management as it can impact the satisfaction
level and motivation level of the other individuals who are conducting the routine activities
(Bechtoldt, 2015).
The employees who are conscientiousness do not focus on adapting the changes that take place
in the workplace as they emphasize more on performing rather on learning. If compared by the
other employees, it can be seen that they are less creative. They only do the job what is assigned
to them and are considered as the best performers (Pak and Kim, 2018). But on the other hand,
the employees who are creative and offer different innovative ideas that are beneficial for the
company are also considered as the assets of the company. It is true that the employee who is
giving his or her best ad performing the activities well are on the first priority but the employees
who are offering innovative ideas and contributing towards the success of the company are also
considered as the important part for the management (Kmicinska et al., 2016).
It can also be argued that emotional stability is one of the important aspects in relation to job and
life satisfaction. The conscientiousness employees focus more on these aspects which is
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beneficial for the company as it helps to control and manage the organization activities. It is
important for the management to give importance to the conscientiousness employees so that it
could be easy for them to maintain their satisfaction and dedication level towards the work. But
on the other hand, it can also be said that conscientiousness among the other employees can also
be enhanced by the management. There are various ways that should be considered by the
management to boost the conscientiousness level of the employees towards the assigned work by
the management. One of the ways that should be considered by the higher authorities to boost the
conscientiousness attitude towards work is related to rewards. This is one of the best approaches
that can assist the management to boost their productivity level. The appreciation given by the
management assists in strengthening the bond of the employees with the company. It also serves
as the opportunity for the management to observe the greatest contribution of the company that
lies within the activities that are assigned to the employees ( Tesco, 2019).
The rewards should be offered to the employees by emphasizing on the needs and wants. In the
context of this Maslow hierarchy of needs, the theory should be taken into consideration so that
it could be easy to boost the satisfaction level of the employees towards the work. This theory
emphasizes on the basic needs of the employees that can be defined in the five stages which are a
physiological stage that emphasizes the biological requirements for human survival such as food
and shelter. The next is safety needs that emphasizes on the factors such as security, order, and
stability (Oswald, Hambrick and Jones, 2017).
(Source: Parr, Lanza and Bernthal, 2016).
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The third stage is love and belongingness needs in which trust and friendship are considered.
Fourth stage related to dignity, achievement, and respect that should be given to the employees
in the workplace as it helps to maintain a positive attitude towards the work given by the higher
authority. The last stage is self-actualization need in which the emphasis should be on seeking
personal growth and also on self-fulfillment (Shoss, Callison and Witt, 2015).
This theory is important to be considered by the management so that it could be easy to enhance
the conscientiousness personality traits of the employees towards the work. If there is a high
level of motivation among the employees, then it can be stated that the conscientious attitude of
the employees can be enhanced will led to high performance. The employees who will possess
these traits will also be considered as the high performers in the workplace (Acevedo, 2018). In
the workplace, the employees who are more conscientiousness towards their work have the
opportunity to attain a higher position in the management as they are the one who is considered
as the high performers. It is necessary for the employees to be dedicated and motivated towards
work so that it can be easy to attain a positive outcome (Parr, Lanza and Bernthal, 2016).
According to the Asia society 2013 Asian Pacific American society survey, it has been stated
that there are 90% of the American Pacific Americans who really care about the overall success
of the company and there are 40% still exist who states that they don't feel the sense of
belongingness as an employee of the company. So, in relation to this example, it is important for
the companies to focus on boosting the motivation level of the by considering "Maslow
hierarchy of needs theory" so that it could be easy to convert those 40% employees into the
category of 90% employees ratio (Asian society, 2019).
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(Source: Asian society, 2019).
On the other hand, the effective technique to maintain the conscientiousness of the employee is
to consider the broad picture of the skills that are possessed by the employees. Before moving
towards the track of the management it is important to offer a chance to the employees to
showcase their strengths. There are employees who have skills of particular areas such as
innovation and research settings which can be beneficial for the organization. Hence, it can be
stated that these are some ways that can help to boost the conscientiousness of the employees
towards the work and if it is enhanced then the employees will be known as the best performers
in the workplace (Markman, 2019).
One of the real world business examples can be related to Tesco that offers the chance to the
employees to learn about new skills and knowledge. The company offers an apprenticeships
program that helps the apprentices to grow their skills and to reach their potential. The apprentice
has a major responsibility from the ay one to earn and learn which help them in their learning
path (Harper et al., 2018). They are trained so that they can also be the future of the company
and they can be the employees who are conscientiousness towards their work that will help them
to be known as the high performers of the company. The company offers a chance to them to
manage their work around their lifestyle and also it helps to boost the motivation level towards
the work. These types of programs have helped the candidates to turn into the conscientiousness
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employees that will help the companies in boosting the overall level of turnover and the
productivity ratio in the highly competitive market (Tesco, 2019).
It is concluded that the employees who are scoring high on conscientiousness are considered as
the high performers of the company because they have the feeling to give their best towards the
assigned task. The employees who score higher in conscientiousness have a higher level of
knowledge because they learn more to manage and control the activities. These employees are
dedicated towards the work and also show high engagement level towards the organizational
operations.
But on the other hand, these employees are less innovative as compared to the other employees.
Also, it can be said that in the workplace these types of employees are less to find, so to enhance
the ratio of conscientiousness employees it is important for the organization to focus on the
Maslow hierarchy of needs theory so that employees the engagement level of the employees
towards the work can be enhanced and this will positively impact the productivity level of the
company. So, by in-depth analysis, it can be said that it is true that the employees who score
higher in conscientiousness are high performers of the company.
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