Personality traits and teamwork: A connection you want to be aware of

In today’s business world, team work is one of the most valued concepts. Bearing in mind the significance of a team as one of the main organizational aspects, with all its characteristics, dynamics and goals, then it comes as no surprise why teamwork is of vital importance. Knowing its impact on a success of entire organization make it one of the most essential dynamisms in the world of business. 

Teamwork at its best 

One of probably the best definitions of teamwork describes it as a unique contribution of each member, rather than a simple sum of all their characteristics. Instead of watching them as a simple pile of skills and knowledge, this description implies some sort of magic: dynamics, interaction, relationships and assigned roles. So, you cannot find two completely identical persons in the world and the same can be applied on teams. They are unique and what makes them so valuable is that they can put in motion those things that are beyond of power of a group of people just gathered in the same room or virtual office, at the same time. Team is so much more than that. 

Therefore, when making a selection for a new staff member, one of the aspects that are always carefully assessed is the ability of a candidate to be a team player, which makes it one of the most important requirements for a new employee. However, today we know a lot about individual differences among people. Cherishing diversity and tolerance, we accept all those differences. But, what if those differences are of a kind that makes someone not quite suitable for teamwork? 

The importance of personality traits 

There is a great deal of theories and questionnaires that are very useful when assessing someone’s suitability for teamwork. One of the most frequently used personality theories is the Big Five personality traits, which describes human personality with five factors: openness, neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness. So, if we know one’s test scores on these five factors, can we make a relevant prediction of its teamwork suitability? Knowing each of those factors certainly may be helpful. Each of them has its extremes, and most people are positioned within the continuum. 

• Openness is a factor which illustrates someone’s readiness to engage in a variety of new and different experiences. Its opposite is being a “creature of habit”. Having a high score on openness means being imaginative, curious and creative, and having a low score implies that a person is rather walking on a well beaten track. Every team appreciates to have someone who is ready to try something new and different, but that does not mean that someone who prefers routine cannot be a productive team member. 
• Neuroticism may be the most relevant criterion for choosing a right team member. High score on this dimension describes a person who is prone to experiencing unpleasant emotions and sensations – easily get angry, sad, depressed or hurt. Low scores imply confidence, stability and good impulse control. Within a team, a person with a high neuroticism may stand as a barrier in establishing informal and open atmosphere, but recognizing it on time may prevent further troubles. 
• Extraversion may also be one of the crucial factors when it comes to the aforementioned assessment. This is a factor which tells us whether someone is energetic, sociable, comfortable being around people and stimulated with presence of others. Low scores describe a person who prefers being alone, who is directed to its inner thoughts rather than the surrounding reality. Basically, every team would prefer extraverted person, but there are certain team roles that are very suitable for those who prefer to be left alone. 
• Agreeableness tells us if someone is rather cooperative, altruistic and compassionate than sceptical, egocentric and careless for other people’s needs and feelings. When building a team, it is certainly very important to rely on people who are sensitive for others, ready to help when needed and who can produce and maintain positive, comfortable atmosphere within a team. People with low agreeableness may find it hard to be a part of the team, but making a balance between those with high and those with low scores may annul potential negative influence of the latter. 
• Conscientiousness implies well organizational and planning skills, discipline and ambition. Having low scores on this factor does not mean that a person is careless or disorganized, but spontaneous and prone to improvisation. In a team that values creativity and casualness, such a person can make a significant contribution. When it comes to conscientiousness, structured teams are normally a great environment for a person with a high score. That means that this factor predicts teamwork suitability based on a characteristics and rules of a team rather than one’s own conscientiousness level itself. 

Finding a missing puzzle piece 

Quality teamwork means that all its members know their roles. The roles are defined by the organization: they are embedded in organizational culture, mission, values and goals. In other words, they are as much solid as the rules and policy requires. But, people who play those roles may be quite different and unique. Their diversity may be their strength, but only when it is recognized and properly adjusted to the other roles and entire context. 

Meaning that there is no person who cannot be a good team player. Different teams require different people, with all its varieties and colourfulness. Putting the right person in the right team position is what makes teams successful and vice versa: matching the right team with the right person. They can contribute to each other in a way that cannot be predicted easily, considering that each team is unique. So, all those theories and questionnaires can provide us with valuable information regarding someone’s suitability for certain position and role, but they should never be blindly followed and obeyed. People and the best form of their union – a team – is far more than a score on a test or a brief resume of its previous experiences.