The Big Five Personality Traits and Individual Job Performance Growth Trajectories in Maintenance and Transitional Job Stages.

TLDR

Personality research has linked the Big Five traits to job performance, yet their predictive power for sales performance and growth trajectories remains underexplored. This study aims to evaluate whether the Big Five traits predict overall sales performance and performance growth patterns among pharmaceutical sales representatives. Using random coefficient modeling on two samples of sales reps at maintenance and transitional job stages, the authors assess trait effects on performance outcomes. Conscientiousness and extraversion predict higher total sales in the maintenance stage, with only conscientiousness forecasting growth, while in the transitional stage agreeableness and openness predict overall performance and trends; all effects hold after controlling for tenure, and the authors discuss possible explanations and implications.

Abstract

This study extends the literature on personality and job performance through the use of random coefficient modeling to test the validity of the Big Five personality traits in predicting overall sales performance and sales performance trajectories--or systematic patterns of performance growth--in 2 samples of pharmaceutical sales representatives at maintenance and transitional job stages (K. R. Murphy, 1989). In the maintenance sample, conscientiousness and extraversion were positively associated with between-person differences in total sales, whereas only conscientiousness predicted performance growth. In the transitional sample, agreeableness and openness to experience predicted overall performance differences and performance trends. All effects remained significant with job tenure statistically controlled. Possible explanations for these findings are offered, and theoretical and practical implications of findings are discussed.