PERSONALITY, LEADERSHIP AND PERFORMANCE

Abstract

The quality of leadership has been studied extensively from the standpoint of personality, traits and role behaviours. Working on traits and personality has not been too fruitful because of the difficulty in identifying the characteristics an individual must possess to perform successfully. Research on personality, in particular, has yielded less with which to work when selecting managers and supervisors.

In the present study, an attempt is made to examine the influence of personality factors on supervisory performance in the context of a large Singapore construction firm. The purpose of the investigation is to explore the interaction of personality traits with leadership styles and their effects on work performance. In particular, it seeks to answer such questions as: What is the most dominant leadership styles and theire a consistent relationship between personality traits and a particular leadership style? What is the relationship between leadership style and effectiveness?

The approach to the present study is empirical: the data being obtained through personal interviews and the use of personality inventory and leadership instrument, statistical techniques are used to examine the relationships between these variables. The method of investigation and the limitations of the, study will be explained in detail. A concluding comment will be made of the practical significance of the findings in the field of human resource management in Singapore.