The contribution of personality to graduate managerial training

It is postulated that personality assessment can contribute significantly to the design of first-line management training and development programmes. Based on a comparative exploratory study of 70 hospitality students and 94 service sector managers in Hungary, the contribution of their relative personality profiles, as measured by Cattell's 16PF5, to managerial personal and interpersonal competencies is examined The findings reveal a mismatch between the personality profiles of the students and the managers. It is concluded that objectively assessed prospective trainee personality profiles can generate appropriate topics for both company and individual management development and training programmes.

Research highlights▶ Service sector students’ and managers’ personality profiles can be associated with managerial personal and interpersonal competencies. ▶ Evidence suggests that managers have better developed emotional intelligence than students in the domains of self-awareness, self-control and social skills. ▶ Well development Emotional Intelligence is apparent in service sector managers. ▶ Key fields in which emotional intelligence may be applied effectively in hospitality are communication, people management and self-management. ▶ Objectively assessed personality profiles can generate topics for management development and training programmes.