Mentoring receipt and personality: Evidence for non-linear relationships

• Published in: Journal of business research Vol. 67; no. 2; pp. 171 - 181
• Main Authors: Bozionelos, Nikos, Bozionelos, Giorgos, Polychroniou, Panagiotis, Kostopoulos, Kostantinos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Elsevier Inc 01-02-2014; Elsevier Sequoia S.A; Elsevier
• Subjects: Big-Five; Business administration; Business plan; Business strategies; Common method; Context; Correlation analysis; Development theory; Economic stability; Humanities and Social Sciences; Inverted U-shaped; Linear equations; Mentoring programs; Mentoring receipt; Multi-source; Non-linear models; Personal development; Personality; Personality traits; Protégés; Quadratic; Studies; Context; Protégés; Inverted U-shaped; Big-Five; Common method; Multi-source; Mentoring receipt; Personality; Quadratic; big-five; personality; multi-source; common method; mentoring receipt; inverted U-shaped; context; quadratic; protégés
• ISSN: 0148-2963; 1873-7978
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2012.10.007

The research investigates the relationship of the Big-Five of personality with mentoring receipt with the use of two independent studies. The findings of the studies show substantial consistency. Equations of quadratic form describe half of the tested relationships better than linear equations. The association of openness to experience and agreeableness with mentoring receipt is of inverted U-shape. The benefits of being open and agreeable for mentoring receipt cease to exist at high values of these traits. On the other hand, emotional stability and conscientiousness demonstrate exclusively positive linear relationships with mentoring receipt. The form of the relationship of extraversion differs between the two studies, but the overall trend is positive. The substantial quadratic component in the association of personality with receipt of mentoring means that research hitherto may be grossly underestimating the effects of personality on developmental relationships because earlier studies assume strictly linear associations. Parts of the results also imply that the associations of certain personality traits with mentoring receipt may depend upon the occupational context.