Personality, organizational orientations and self-reported learning outcomes

Purpose - To identify competencies connecting personality, organizational orientations and self-reported learning outcomes (as measured by concise Likert-type scales), for individuals who are learning for their organizations. Design/methodology/approach - Five concise factor scales were constructed to represent aspects of personality. Three further concise factor scales were constructed to represent orientation towards managers' roles and behaviour, orientation towards employees' roles and behaviours and self-reported learning outcomes. The eight-factor sub-scales were combined in a 47-item Likert-type instrument. A total of 170 individuals, in ten separate groups, provided factor scores that were analysed using principal components analysis. Findings - Analysis revealed four competencies related to the eight factor scales in the mindset of individuals. They are: aptness, art, adherence, and adventure. Research limitations/implications - The study was conducted mainly with university respondents from the UK only, which may limit its usefulness elsewhere. Future research is proposed to confirm or refute the existence and validity of the four competencies. Practical implications - The four competencies explain the relation between personality, organizational orientations and self-reported learning outcomes and hence can be used to improve learning for the work organization. Originality/value - This study has provided a further insight and explanation of some dispositional and situational factors connected with workplace learning. The 4A model of workplace learning is introduced.