Researchers examine the relationship between disagreeable personalities and power attainment at work. Individuals in positions of power who have callous, quarrelsome, or selfish personalities tend to create a toxic work environment. However, it remains unclear whether having a disagreeable personality helps people attain power in the workplace. Cameron Anderson and colleagues surveyed 671 participants in school and years later in the workforce. Participants' personalities were measured between 1999 and 2008 when they attended a US-based university. In 2018, participants and 540 coworkers answered questions related to participants' position in their organization, control over subordinates, and workplace environment. While disagreeable individuals exhibited high levels of dominant and aggressive behavior, which seemed to enhance their power, they also were less generous and willing to help others, which seemed to diminish their power; the two behavior patterns appeared to offset each other. Although disagreeableness was not associated with power, extraversion was associated with power attainment. Individuals who were assertive, energetic, and sociable in school achieved higher power in their organization over time. Age, ethnicity, gender, and organizational culture were not associated with the observed effects. The findings suggest that having a disagreeable personality may not help individuals gain power, even though power may foster disagreeable behavior, according to the authors.
Article #20-05088: "People with disagreeable personalities (selfish, combative, and manipulative) do not have an advantage in pursuing power at work," by Cameron Anderson, Daron L. Sharps, Christopher J. Soto, and Oliver P. John.
MEDIA CONTACT: Cameron Anderson, University of California, Berkeley, CA; tel: 510-225-5476; e-mail: anderson@haas.berkeley.edu
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences