London, United Kingdom (28th June 2012) - People Insight, a leading provider of employee engagement and employee survey services, has revealed research into which personality traits are more likely to lead to engagement.

Examples of the traits that were identified as strongly associated with engagement include ‘conscientiousness’ (dependability, carefulness, thoroughness, responsibility, and perseverance) and ‘positive affect’ (a tendency towards active interaction with the environment, in a way that might lead to expansiveand friendly behaviours and more effective work relationships).

Other examples include ‘proactivity’ (consistently taking action and overcoming opposition to change things for the better) and ‘autotelic personality’ (a general propensity to mentally transform potential threats into enjoyable challenges).

The research was conducted after People Insight noted that as employee engagement rises up the leadership agenda, and organisations increasingly reflect on just how ‘engaging’ they are as places to work, some may be in danger of overlooking the ‘employee’ in the ‘employee engagement’ equation. They suggest that research shows some people are just more likely to experience engagement than others and that is based on their personality traits and preferences.

The company also noted that whilst researchers use slightly different terms to describe the traits that correlate with engagement, one trait that recurs is ‘internal locus of control’ (LOC). People with an internal LOC have a tendency to assume responsibility for things that happen to them. Individuals with a more external LOC will typically find something or someone else to blame when things go wrong.

A spokesperson for People Insight said: “You can see where we go from here: people with an internal LOC are solution, not problem focused, ie. they take responsibility for fixing things. They reflect on and learn from their mistakes and, fundamentally, they take ownership of their own success and are more engaged as they go about their day. So the issue here is one of selection. Employers that are interested in driving engagement need to look to their recruitment and selection processes to see what traits are sought, tested for, and rewarded. This puts the employee firmly back into the employee engagement equation.”

For more information on People Insight, please call 0203 142 6511 or visit http://www.peopleinsight.co.uk.

About People Insight:
People Insight specialise in measuring employee engagement and offering practical advice on all aspects of the survey cycle to provide the insight and support organisations need to transform their performance. UK employers of all sizes spanning the public, private and not for profit sectors choose to work with People Insight as they have a great reputation for delivering a professional, personal and responsive engagement survey service that clients can trust.

Contact:
Tom Debenham
People Insight Ltd
Barley Mow Business Centre
London, UK
Zip: W4 4PH
Tel: 0203 142 6511
Email: [email protected]