Influence of the Big Five Personality Traits of IT

Workers on Job Satisfaction

Hyo Jung Kim

1Dept. Liberal Education University, Keimyung University

Daegu-dong 1095, Dalgubul Street, Dalseo-gu, South Korea

kimhj95@kmu.ac.kr

Abstract: This study analyzed personal traits of IT workers to examine how

these traits affect their Job Commitment. Moreover, it further extends its

analysis on the effects of job satisfaction on job satisfaction. A survey

questionnaire was distributed to IT workers working in Seoul and Daegu in

South Korea from September 15 to October 15, 2015. This questionnaire was

distributed by e-mail by the Korean Social Science Data Center (KSDC,

http://www.ksdcdb.kr/main.do) to computer programmers, IT consultants, and

other IT practitioners. First, hypotheses 1, 3, 4, and 5 were supported by the

results showing that extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and

conscientiousness had a significant effect on job commitment. Second,

Hypothesis 2 was not supported by the result as it showed that neuroticism did

not have a significant effect on job commitment. Finally, Hypothesis 6 was

supported by the result as it showed that job commitment by IT workers has a

positive effect on job satisfaction.

Keywords: Extraversion, Neuroticism, Openness to Experience,

Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Job Commitment, Job satisfaction

1 Introduction

The IT industry provides a key support function that improves the productivity of

functional-activity fields such as production, logistics, and marketing, as well as the

general service industry. Productivity improvement and value-added creation depend

entirely on human resources. However, according to the Ministry of Employment and

Labor, human resources shortages in the IT industry are worsening. As of 2012, small

and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were not able to hire one-third of new software

developers, and 30 percent of new database experts. Reportedly, the security industry

has recently been struggling with contracted projects due to labor shortage. [1]

This study analyzed personal traits of IT workers to examine how these traits affect

their Job Commitment. Moreover, it further extends its analysis on the effects of job

satisfaction on job satisfaction.

Advanced Science and Technology Letters Vol.142 (SIT 2016), pp.126-131

http://dx.doi.org/10.14257/astl.2016.142.23

ISSN: 2287-1233 ASTL Copyright © 2016 SERSC

2 Theoretical Background

2.1 The Big Five Personality Traits

Personality, as defined by many personality psychologists, typically includes five

factors such as neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and

conscientiousness. Personality is a psychological characteristic that determines an

individual’s behavioral pattern in the long term without being significantly influenced

by the environment. It influences individual behavior in various situations. [2]

After conducting various personality tests, Costa and McCrae (1992) revealed that

people sometimes tend to display emotional instability, extraversion, openness to

experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. [3] Moreover, estimated that the

big five personality traits model is the most comprehensive and frequently used

model.

2.2 Studies on Job Commitment

Mowday, Porter & Steers (1982) defined job commitment as “the relative strength of

an individual's identification with and commitment in a particular organization.”

According to social exchange theory, when employees receive a good deal of support

from their supervisor, they tend to feel a sense of duty to pay the organization back,

and eventually these committed workers eagerly take on extra work in order to

achieve goals set by the supervisor. [4]

In this study, job commitment of IT workers functions as an important parameter

in studying the job satisfaction of IT workers.

2.3 Studies on Job Satisfaction

“Job” in job satisfaction indicates the same hierarchical level that shares important or

specific tasks. Satisfaction is an emotional response from an epistemological

perspective. An emotional response here is an internal response that can be inferred

only through the theoretical identification process regarding mental process and

content in the human brain. [5]

According to the definition by Locke (1976), job satisfaction denotes “a

pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job

experience.” Furthermore, according to his study, job satisfaction factors can be

divided into nine categories of work, pay, promotion, recognition, benefits, working

conditions, supervision, co-workers, and company and management. [6]

In this study, the job satisfaction of IT workers functions as one important

parameter.

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Copyright © 2016 SERSC 127

3 Research Model and Hypothesis

3.1 Research Model

Figure 1 shows the study model of this study

Fig. 1

3. Research Hypothesis

This study suggests the following hypothesis.

Hypothesis 1 (H1): Extroversion will have a positive effect on job commitment.

Hypothesis 2 (H2): Nervousness will have a positive effect on job commitment.

Hypothesis 3 (H3): Openness to Experience will have a positive effect on job

commitment.

Hypothesis 4 (H4): Agreeableness will have a positive effect on job commitment.

Hypothesis 5 (H5): Conscientiousness will have a positive impact on job

commitment.

Hypothesis 6 (H6): Job Commitment when IT workers work affects positively on

job satisfaction.

Big Five

Personality

Extraversion

Neuroticism

Openness to

Experience

Agreeableness

Conscientiousness

Job

Commitment

Job

satisfaction

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128 Copyright © 2016 SERSC

4 Research Analysis

4.1. Research Methods and Characteristics of Specimens

A survey questionnaire was distributed to IT workers working in Seoul and Daegu in

South Korea from September 15 to October 15, 2015. This questionnaire was

distributed by e-mail by the Korean Social Science Data Center (KSDC,

http://www.ksdcdb.kr/main.do) to computer programmers, IT consultants, and other

IT practitioners. The characteristics of the research sample used in this study are

shown in [Table 1] below.

Table 1. Characteristics of the Study Sample

Variable name frequency,(%)

Sex

male 187(86.5)

male 29(13.4)

total 216(100)

career

1 year or less 22(10.2)

less than 1-3 years 54(25.0)

less than 3-5 years 46(21.3)

more than 5 years 94(43.5)

total 216(100)

salary

less than 2 million won 67(31.0)

2 million won -300 million won 80(37.0)

3 million won -400 million won 30(13.9)

4 million won -5 million won 24(11.1)

More than 5 million won 15(7.0)

total 216(100)

4.2. Verification of Validity and Reliability of Measurement Tools

According to Hair et al. (1998) that the measurement model can be assessed by

convergent validity and discriminant validity. Convergent validity was assessed by

Cronbach’s alpha, construct reliability and average variance extracted (AVE) and

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discriminant validity was assessed by comparing the correlation of the constructs with

the AVE. [7]

Furthermore, as shown in [Table 2], discriminant validity is satisfied because the

AVE index is larger than the square of the correlation coefficient of each factor

(decision coefficient). [7] [Table 2] below shows the AVE values and correlation

coefficients.

Table 2. Discriminant validity test results

concept 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Extraversion 0.829

Neuroticism -0.003 0.794

Openness to

Experience 0.441 -0.010 0.775

Agreeableness, 0.457 -0.040 0.350 0.812

Conscientiousness 0.302 -0.023 0.380 0.625 0.797

Job Commitment 0.158 0.194 0.432 0.518 0.538 0.814

Job satisfaction 0.224 -0.186 0.261 0.537 0.453 0.561 0.798

Note) Diagonal shading: Square root value of AVE

4.3. Hypothesis Verification Result

The hypothesis test results for the whole model proposed in this study are summarized

in [Table 3].

Table 3. Hypothesis testing results

Hypothesis path path

coefficient t-value acceptance

H 1 Extraversion -> Job

Commitment 0.186 2.240** Adoption

H 2 Neuroticism -> Job

Commitment -0.044 -0.617 Dismissal,

H 3

Openness to

Experience -> Job

Commitment

0.349 4.442*** Adoption

H 4 Agreeableness -> Job

Commitment 0.198 2.538** Adoption

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130 Copyright © 2016 SERSC

H 5 Conscientiousness ->

Job Commitment 0.175 2.014** Adoption

H 6 Job Commitment ->

Job satisfaction 0.362 4.669*** Adoption

***p<0.01, **p<0.05, *p<0.1

5 Conclusion

This study investigated the effect of personality traits of IT workers on job

satisfaction through job commitment. The study first examined the effect of

personality traits of IT workers on job commitment and further examined the effect of

job commitment on job satisfaction.

The results of the study can be summarized as follows: First, hypotheses 1, 3, 4,

and 5 were supported by the results showing that extraversion, openness to

experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness had a significant effect on job

commitment. Second, Hypothesis 2 was not supported by the result as it showed that

neuroticism did not have a significant effect on job commitment. Finally, Hypothesis

6 was supported by the result as it showed that job commitment by IT workers has a

positive effect on job satisfaction.

References

1. Hoon, P. S.: SW is power, IT Chosun, (2014)

2. Davis-Blake, A., Pfeffer, J.: Just a mirage: The search for dispositional effects in

organizational research, Academy of Management Review, 14(3), 1989, pp. 385-400

(1989)

3. Costa, P. T., McCrae, R. R.: NEO-PI-R Professional manual, Odessa, FI: Psychological

Assessment Resources (1992)

4. Mowday, R. T., Porter, W. L., Steers, M. R.: Employee Organization Linkage-the

Psychology of Commitment Absenteeism and Turnover, Academic Press, New York

(1982).

5. Locke, E. A.: The Nature and Causes of Job Satisfaction, Rand-Mcnally, College Publish

CO. (1976)

6. Beaty, R. W., Schnier, C. E., Personnel Administrational: An Experiential Skill Building

Approach(2nd)", Addison Wesley (1981).

7. Hair, J. A., R. E. Anderson, R. L.: Tatham and W. C. Black, Multivariate Data Analysis

(5th edition),” New Jersey, Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall (1998)

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