Relationship between Personality Traits and Counterproductive Work Behaviors

Abstract

Abstract Following the growing interest in identifying whether personality traits are associated with employee's inclination toward counterproductive work behavior (CWB), the objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality traits based on the five-factor model with CWB. Study participants were 381 workers from different socioeconomic and educational levels in public and private organizations, from two Brazilian regions. Agreeableness, conscientiousness and neuroticism factors had statistically significant associations with three CWB dimensions. Linear regression analysis revealed all five personality traits contributed to prediction of CWB dimensions. These findings are discussed in light of international literature.