Caring colleagues tend to neglect their own careers

Caring colleagues are unlikely to be promoted because those with an ‘agreeable’ personality tend to neglect their own careers.

This is the conclusion of Dr Nikos Bozionelos of the Management School, University of Sheffield, who will reveal his findings into the relationship between disposition and career success today, Monday 13 September 2004, in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.

His study questioned 308 `white-collar’ workers about their accomplishments at work. This included noting the job-grade of the individual (extrinsic measure) and asking each individual to evaluate their career, using five measures such as perceived job satisfaction and financial success (intrinsic measure).

He found that staff who have `agreeable’ personalities and are altruistic, modest, friendly and sensitive to the need of others tend to assign lower priority to their careers and any related activities. In some cases, they step aside and make way for their colleagues’ careers, at the expense of their own success.

The study suggested conscientious workers miss out on career success too, possibly because they over-concentrate on performing well and so overlook career opportunities or career activities such as `networking’.

Neurotic individuals also do less well because they may lower their aspirations and consciously restrict their career and professional choices.

Further research is still needed to see if personality traits have the same influence in other sectors but Dr Bozionelos believes the findings are particular useful as they can be used for personal development and to shape career advice.

He added: ”It will be of substantial assistance to individuals to be aware of the advantages and limitations that their personality profiles offer and impose.

“For example, agreeable individuals can become aware of their natural tendency to downgrade themselves and to compromise their personal interests and neurotic individuals can learn to adjust their negative outlook of life and personal success.’’