Influence of Personality Factors on Insurance Agent Performance

This research report investigates the influence of personality factors on the job performance of life insurance agents in Malaysia. The study, based on a survey of 78 agents, examines the relationship between the Big Five personality traits – extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness – and various aspects of job performance, including productivity and sales. The report reviews relevant literature, presents the research objectives, methodology, and findings, including descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The results indicate significant correlations between specific personality traits and agent performance, emphasizing the importance of personality in understanding and predicting success in the insurance industry. The study concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for insurance companies and offering insights into how personality assessments can be utilized to improve agent selection and performance. The report also discusses the impact of factors such as communication, mental health, and employee demographics on job performance. The study uses the IPIP 50-items version to measure the Big-Five personality factors.

RESEARCH WRITE-UP 2:
The Influence of Personality Factors on Job Performance of Life Insurance Agents
in Malaysia

Contents
1. Abstract..........................................................................................................2
2. Introduction and Brief Literature Review......................................................2
3. Research Objectives.......................................................................................5
4. Statement of the Problem...............................................................................6
5. Hypothesis......................................................................................................7
6. Methodology..................................................................................................8
7. Results............................................................................................................9
8. Discussion and Conclusion..........................................................................10
9. References....................................................................................................11

1. Abstract
The main objective of conducting this project is to find out various impacts of personality types
of agents on his particular job performances. A well organise research of 78 insurance agents was
conducted from various life insurance companies in Malaysia. In this research, researchers have
determined that various factors which is affecting employee’s performance and their implication on
their individual routines. Between all those factors, personality of an agents plays an examine role that
guide that executives to acknowledge in their alternative changes processes that are helpful in
upcoming decision making of an organisation.

2. Introduction and Brief Literature Review
This particular research project is all about analysis relationship among personality and job
performances. It provides more complete analysis of insurances industry those are operating in
Malaysia. This research offers in-depth business intelligence that identify proper standard format
around various nations and regions. These would guide in order to make proper balance in between data
collected from various agents those are involve in insurance sector. As it has been seen that Malaysia’s
insurance industry sector combines with convention insurers and tactful operators which is associated
with delivering insurance schemes and products regularly by following correct principles. This study
makes proper investigation about relationship of big five personality aspects those are associated with
insurance agents. A well organise analysis is done in order to determine total mean and standard
deviation of results they are getting for a particular research work.

Literature review is an essential aspect for any research study that consists of current knowledge
about substantive finding as well as methodological contributions to a personality and job
performances. These are known as secondary sources and does not related to the real experimental
work. The researchers use to collected information from various sources that are crucial for making
effective analysis of valuable outcomes. All those issues that are arises because of unethical practices
are considered under this particular segment. It is basically, assessment of literature and provide a
complete summary, classification and evaluation of collected information from various agents
(Shagoury,& Power, 2012).
All the aspects related with personality and job performance construct certain validity of data
exists in insurances measures. In addition to this, every address does not make proper relations among
the contextual performances of a research work. However, this particular study helps to provide a meta-
analytic estimate of reviews related validity of explicit big measure for examine job performance and
personality of an individuals. This specific outcome for a job performance are narrowly parallel to
various meta- analyses. While contextual performance that shows more complex relations between the
big 5 personality and job performance.
Big Five Factors Model
According to Mutch, (2013), it is known as one of the effective model which is develop for
using various factors in order to try and analyse certain key traits those are related in human
personality. Apart from this trait theory were formulated to analyse number of issues those are related
with personality and job performances. Thus, further research has confirmed some specific factors
associated with big five. These structure use to capture at international level of abstraction among

existing systems of personality description and make integrative descriptive aspects for a personality
research. Those valuable models are mention underneath:
Extraversion: It is identified by pronounce by external world. They enjoy with people those are full of
energy and carries more positive experiences of emotions with them.
Openness to experience: It is a measure of depth and variability in respect to an individual’s
imagination and need of experiences. Some factors those are related with this are intellect, openness to
innovative ideas, cultural interest and creativity as well as their interest in its respective field.
Agreeableness: This is agreeableness connectivity to humanity, caring and emotional support in
respect to competitions and indifference or other aspects.
Conscientiousness: It is used to measure aims of future behaviour and cost of control over various
impulses. It has been connected to an educational attainment and specifically to attain their future
objectives.
Neuroticism: It is used to measure various affects and emotional control. The low levels of this aspects
indicate emotional stability in which high stage of neuroticism enhance likelihood of analysing negative
emotions. Such kind of problems are arising because they are providing any rewards or incentive their
employees.

3. Research Objectives
This primary objective of this research to analyse big personality factors and job performance
that are associated with various people or agents those were related with an insurance company. Some
other purpose of this study is to find out impacts of personality types of an employees on its own job
productivity. As per the survey of 78 insurance agents which was conducted from various cities in
Malaysia. This organisational aims and a number of intra departmental variable are said to be analyse in
an effective manner. In this regard, some specific questions are being asked from selected number of
respondents (Ritchie & et. al., 2013).
Those are mentioned underneath:
Q1: Do you think there is any link between personality and job performance?
Q2: Does your personal attributes improves job standards as an insurance agent?
Q3: Is any factors that are affecting your personality and inner potentials?

4. Statement of the Problem
There are various problems that are affecting the performance of an agents. Workforce
demographics are positively co related with productivity and output. The outcome recommends that an
important aspect of those are associated with the research work. This would help in removing gaps
among rich and poor nations in accordance to different demographic structures. The major of this study
shows relation among mental health situation and absenteeism. At the time of measuring presentism by
using validate questionnaire that provide outcomes related that with depression make huge impacts on
job productivity. This research guide that the treatment of expenses for an employee with depression
can offset by reductions in absenteeism and disability and make losses to their job efficiency. There is a
direct correlation among low performance and poor communication among management and
supervisors as well as agents.
Personality types and job performance
It has been clear evidence that hypothesis is having behavioural elements which is having huge
impacts on observed job performance than the physical aspects. By the help of this they can easily
determine interaction and distraction which are regularly making huge impacts on the personality and
performances of an employees. It would recommend that personality types which is having huge
impacts on various factors in order to make successful team performances. All those organisations
which is having desire to develop effective team requires to determine personality types compositions

of selected groups. It would help team members to understand its own attributes as well as motivated
towards contributing to other team members. Extraversion and agreeableness are more positively
estimate total salary they are getting for an organisation. It would consist of emotional stability and
personality estimation those are carried in a particular job performance. Whereas, extroversion was an
important aspect that is related to pertain future career success (Humphrey & Simpson, 2012).
5. Hypothesis
While doing this survey, it has been found that there are plenty of factors which affect the types
of personality and employees job performances. Competing hypothesis would also be proposed for
direct or indirect effects on them. this specific research is originated with a new aspect to determine a
complete check in accordance with employee’s performance with organisation conflicts (Saunders,
2011). There are various aspects those are going to be discuses under these segments such as:
 H1: There is a positive relation among extraversion and agent productivity.
 H2: It consists of positive connection between agreeableness and job performance.
 H3: It has been seen a positive relation in between conscientiousness and productivity.
 H4: There is both negative and positive connection in between neuroticism and agent job
performance.
6. Methodology
Types of research method
It is considered as systematic and theoretical evaluation of the method which are used in the
field of study. The main aim behind the use of such methodologies is identification of views of
respondents regarding collection of important information which shows the effective results. Therefore,

it is the process of research which includes two main methods of data collection which are called as
primary and secondary. The Insurance company of Malaysia wants to conduct research to ascertain the
views of insurance agents regarding the relationship between personality and job performance (Van
Manen, 2016).
Data collection method
Primary: It is effective and most appropriate method of data collection. This method provides
true and reliable information which helps in determination of important conclusions. This type of
information is also called as first-hand information because consists the own views of respondents.
Large number of primary methods are available like survey, questionnaire etc. This method of data
collection has large number of advantages to researcher. Hence, it is selected as descriptors to represent
in every domain. It is possible from existing big five factors of personality and job performance. This
study uses various techniques as an effective tool to conduct a quantitative study.
7. Results
This research provides certain effects of various types of personality of an agents in order to
analyse their review about their job performances. There are below mention about the reviews those are
collected from various agents (Bryman, 2015). The results of the analysis in SPSS are as follows:
Descriptive Statistics
Mean Std. Deviation N
Production-FYP 45188.3784 7463516.61196
Extraversion 33.0541 4.89868 74
Agreeableness 36.7838 4.99389 74
Conscientiousness

34.9730 5.12039 74
Neuroticism 32.1081 7.59157 74
Openness 32.4595 4.42034 74
From the above table, it has been observed that Big five aspects such as conscientiousness,
emotional stability and openness collected the R value of 0.73 is more important in research work. The
mean value of production- fist year premium is more efficient with 45188.3 with standard deviation of
63516.6 from total 74 respondents. As from 33 % of proper think that they needs to remain much
closure around people rather than being alone. The risk percentage is also 4%. whereas, agreeableness
results are more effective with total of 36% think more warm, friendly with other people. While
conscientiousness trait help an organisation to maintain self-discipline. 34% of total observations think
they are more crucial enough in their job performances. Openness personality traits is having 32%
mean value with total of 4% risk associated with them. It has been seen that those people those having
higher level of stress tends to be very low on emotional stability and minimum conscientiousness.
1 The study used the IPIP 50-items version 10 items for each of the Big-Five personality factors: Extraversion (E),
Agreeableness (A), Conscientiousness (C), Emotional Stability (ES), and Intellect (I). Each of the items consist five responses
ranged from very inaccurate (weight 1) to very accurate (weight 5).
2 FYP refers to the life insurance premium falling due during the first year the policy is in force. Subsequent premiums are known as
“Renewal premiums.” In terms of sales, this refers to new insurance policies sold by an insurance agent.

From the above table, it has been seen that significance of the regression is test
impacts of ANOVA and the outcomes shows F(5184)= 41.525, p =0.001. It means that
combination of Big five personality traits are significant predictors of perceived stress of an
individual. Coefficient of collected data is for big five personality traits are having various
beta values. As extraversion people are having .205 beta from which they are getting .024%
of positive relations among various aspects of work performances. Agreeableness people are
having more impacts with .478 of total outcomes in accordance with other attitude and
behavioural aspects of people. It requires the data to be sorted and total value be assigned at a
particular point of time.

8. Discussion and Conclusion
From the above research it has been seen that there are various factors those are
affecting the personality and job performance of various insurance agents. In order to get
more effective outcomes, they need to make use of proper methods and types those are
helpful in delivering positive results to the researchers. In order to analyse positive outcomes
of using big five personality traits are evaluated in more effective manner. Various problems
those are associated with personality as well as job performance of an insurances agents are
examine by using data analysis. On the basis of mention data, a well organise analysis is done
to determine the implications of big five traits. The overall evaluation is done with the motive
to reach out at valuable solution about behaviour of an individual as well as their job
performance aspects.

9. References
Shagoury, R., & Power, B. M. (2012). Living the questions: A guide for teacher-researchers.
Stenhouse Publishers.
Mutch, C. (2013). Doing educational research. Nzcer Press.
Ritchie, J & et. al., (2013). Qualitative research practice: A guide for social science students
and researchers. Sage.
Humphrey, R., & Simpson, B. (2012). Writes of passage: Writing up qualitative data as a
threshold concept in doctoral research. Teaching in Higher Education, 17(6), 735-
746.
Van Manen, M. (2016). Phenomenology of practice: Meaning-giving methods in
phenomenological research and writing. Routledge.
Bryman, A. (2015). Social research methods. Oxford university press.
Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2015). Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA.
Saunders, M. N. (2011). Research methods for business students, 5/e. Pearson Education
India.