Guido Alessandri1, Enrico Perinelli2, Richard W Robins3, Michele Vecchione4, Lorenzo Filosa1. 1. Department of Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Rome, Italy. 2. Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy. 3. Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA. 4. Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study investigates associations between Big Five personality trait change, organizational socialization, and organizational identification during a 3-year police officer training program (N = 416 police officer cadets). METHOD: Participants completed a questionnaire measuring the Big Five personality traits when they entered the training academy, and then, completed the same personality questionnaire, along with measures of organizational socialization and identification, during their 2nd (n = 360) and 3rd (n = 397) year of training. RESULTS: Results corroborated the hypotheses that (a) the Big Five traits can show systematic changes even across a relatively short time period and (b) this change is functional, given that the latent difference scores of all Big Five traits significantly predicted increases in organizational socialization and identification. CONCLUSION: The Big five personality traits showed significant mean level changes across the 3-year training program. Although these changes were not fully consistent with theoretical expectations, they did predict two aspects of organizational adjustment (socialization and identification). The theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.
OBJECTIVE: This study investigates associations between Big Five personality trait change, organizational socialization, and organizational identification during a 3-year police officer training program (N = 416 police officer cadets). METHOD:Participants completed a questionnaire measuring the Big Five personality traits when they entered the training academy, and then, completed the same personality questionnaire, along with measures of organizational socialization and identification, during their 2nd (n = 360) and 3rd (n = 397) year of training. RESULTS: Results corroborated the hypotheses that (a) the Big Five traits can show systematic changes even across a relatively short time period and (b) this change is functional, given that the latent difference scores of all Big Five traits significantly predicted increases in organizational socialization and identification. CONCLUSION: The Big five personality traits showed significant mean level changes across the 3-year training program. Although these changes were not fully consistent with theoretical expectations, they did predict two aspects of organizational adjustment (socialization and identification). The theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.
Authors: Kaili Rimfeld; Margherita Malanchini; Andrea G Allegrini; Amy E Packer; Andrew McMillan; Rachel Ogden; Louise Webster; Nicholas G Shakeshaft; Kerry L Schofield; Jean-Baptiste Pingault; Argyris Stringaris; Sophie von Stumm; Robert Plomin Journal: Behav Genet Date: 2021-02-24 Impact factor: 2.965