A person-centric investigation of personality types, job performance, and attrition

This study utilized a person-centered approach and latent profile analysis to investigate relationships among personality, attrition, and performance. Personality data from 4763 Army recruits were used to create personality profiles or classes, which were then linked with supervisor's job performance ratings of discipline and effort as well as 24- and 48-month attrition. The latent profile analyses identified 5 personality profiles/classes, 3 of which (i.e., Resilient, Overcontrolled, Undercontrolled) have been commonly found in previous person-centered studies of personality. The results indicated that the Resilient class had significantly higher discipline ratings and significantly lower attrition than the Overcontrolled and Undercontrolled classes. Using the person-centered approach, the results showed that the classes developed using a relatively new personality measure and latent profile analysis predicted significant differences on important work outcomes such as performance ratings and attrition. Applied implications and future research directions are discussed.