personality traits of white-collar telecommuters: perceptions of graduating business students

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This article was downloaded by: [University of Auckland Library] On: 18 November 2014, At: 14:03 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of Education for Business Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20 Personality Traits of White-Collar Telecommuters: Perceptions of Graduating Business Students Ewuuk Lomo-david a & Frank Griffin a a North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro , North Carolina Published online: 31 Mar 2010. To cite this article: Ewuuk Lomo-david & Frank Griffin (2001) Personality Traits of White-Collar Telecommuters: Perceptions of Graduating Business Students, Journal of Education for Business, 76:5, 257-261, DOI: 10.1080/08832320109599645 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08832320109599645 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

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This article was downloaded by: [University of Auckland Library]On: 18 November 2014, At: 14:03Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House,37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Journal of Education for BusinessPublication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20

Personality Traits of White-Collar Telecommuters:Perceptions of Graduating Business StudentsEwuuk Lomo-david a & Frank Griffin aa North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro , North CarolinaPublished online: 31 Mar 2010.

To cite this article: Ewuuk Lomo-david & Frank Griffin (2001) Personality Traits of White-Collar Telecommuters: Perceptionsof Graduating Business Students, Journal of Education for Business, 76:5, 257-261, DOI: 10.1080/08832320109599645

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08832320109599645

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) containedin the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of theContent. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon andshould be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable forany losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoeveror howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use ofthe Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematicreproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in anyform to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Personality Traits of White-Collar Telecommuters: Perceptions of Graduating Business Students

E W U U K LO M 0-DAV I D FRANK GRIFFIN

North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro, North Carolina

elecommuting is a money and T time-saving strategy that enables employees to work from either their homes or remote locations and there- fore avoid the daily commute to a cen- tral office along with the associated pressures of highway traffic pile-ups in major metropolitan areas. It is one of the strategies corporations have adopted to enhance productivity, improve profit, and remain competitive. Several For- tune 500 companies such as AT&T, IBM, American Express, Arthur Ander- sen, Coca-Cola, Merrill-Lynch, Ford Motor Company, Sears, and United Air- lines, to mention a few, are embracing telecommuting with vigor. The purpose of telecommuting can be defined from three perspectives: those of (a) the employer, (b) the employee, and (c) the government.

For the employer, telecommuting is a corporate strategy designed to reduce the cost of overhead, meet affirmative action requirements, improve productiv- ity, and increase the bottom line. For the employee, telecommuting is a work agreement that reduces the daily com- mute to the central corporate office, helps save money on gas, saves money on childcare expenses, increases work- hour flexibility, and improves job satis- faction and quality of life (Kelly, 1988). For the government, telecommuting is a strategy that reduces pollution and

ABSTRACT. In this study, we exam- ined perceptions of university busi- ness students entering the workforce in the new millennium. Because these students represent the new workforce, we investigated their interest in white- collar telecommuting, perceptions of desirable personality traits for white- collar telecommuters, and intended industries of employment after gradu- ation. Our results indicate that this group expected white-collar telecom- muters to be highly independent, hon- est, dependable, and resourceful, and to possess initiative and admirable ethical behaviors. These expectations suggest the importance of proper preparation by business and inforrna- tion systems educators, who must stay abreast of the issues and demands of white-collar telecommuting.

decreases the demand for transporta- tion, which enhances the quality of our environment. Mirchandani (1998) defined telecommuting as “a work arrangement whereby an individual does paid work within her or his home rather than at a central office.” Lomo- David (1999) defined it as an alternative work plan in which “employees, in con- cert with employer, agree to work from their homes or from a pilot center with the aid of telecommunication technolo- gy but without the daily commute to a central work place.”

In this study, we examined graduat- ing business students’ perceptions of personality traits and employee profiles

of telecommuters, with a view to obtain- ing relevant information on the employ- ment interests of students. Because a large number of the students are likely to be involved in telecommuting, their perspectives offer valuable insight for current corporate managers, business and information systems educators, and current telecommuters. Insight into stu- dents’ perceptions, misconceptions, and interests can help business and informa- tion systems educators to prepare their course syllabi more effectively to teach prospective telecommuting employees for the new millennium.

Statement of the Problem

Despite widespread attention to the topic of telecommuting in both academ- ic and popular journals, previous studies have not attempted to gauge the percep- tions of those who will become part of the white-collar telecommuting work force. Grantham and Paul (1995) report- ed that the total white-collar telecom- muting workforce was projected to increase to 8% by the year 2000. To address this problem, we posed the fol- lowing questions:

1. What are the employment industry preferences of graduating business stu- dents?

2. What are their preferences regard- ing the resident city population?

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3. In what regions of the United States would they prefer to work?

4. Do large numbers of graduating business students have an interest in working as white-collar telecommuters in the 2Ist century?

5. What personality traits do the graduating business students believe are desirable for white-collar telecom- muters?

Studies of telecommuting usually have focused on issues within four disci- plines: management, human resources, information technology, and transporta- tion. The current study focuses on per- sonality traits, which are a management issue; therefore, management-related lit- erature was reviewed. Researchers focusing on management, such as Wilkes, Frolick, and Urwiler (1994) and Prystash (1993, highlighted the reluc- tance of traditional management to sur- render its perceived control of the work- force. Other studies (Hotch, 1993; Reilly, 1997) emphasized the need for a flexible corporate culture if management is to embrace or even just test telecom- muting. Studies by Risman and Tomaskovic-Devey (1989) and Kalifa and Etezadi (1997) concluded that the feasibility of telecommuting does not correlate necessarily with firms’ willing- ness to embrace it as a practical alterna- tive. Schilling (1999) urged managers to restrict telecommuting to jobs requiring mobility or full-time data management. Taking a financial approach, Yap (1 996), Apgar (1998), and Hart (1998) weighed the economic advantages and expendi- tures for the company employing telecommuters.

Cormier (1997) suggested that man- agers choose workers to telecommute not according to their desire to do so but rather “on the basis of their strengths and work habits (concentration, time management, organization, productivi- ty).” Goodrich (1990), on the other hand, described those traits as not con- ducive to effective telecommuting. He specifically referred to the case of work- ers who have troubled home environ- ments and that of unmarried employees who would miss the social interaction of the office environment. The latter issue is particularly interesting in light of the sample used for the current study.

258 Journal of Education for Business

Rooney (1999), vice president of communications at the Ohio Society of CPAs, indicated that the physical place of work is not necessarily synonymous with an increase in productivity and, therefore, that telecommuting is a viable option for employees. She suggested that a gain of 20% to 25% in productiv- ity has been recorded after the inception of telecommuting. She contended that the success of a telecommuting program is contingent upon finding trustworthy workers who have the right work ethic, are loyal and motivated, and have the need to set their own work schedules. She added that success is also associat- ed with the absence of sick days and snow days, absence of the commute to a central office, and an increase in pro- ductivity. She reported that an AT&T study of Fortune 1000 companies revealed a 58% increase in productivity, and a California company’s telecom- muting program showed a productivity increase of 10% to 30%. However, she cautioned that telecommuting is not for every organization and individual, and therefore that interest in telecommuting should be pursued selectively.

Rasmusson (1999) reported that Caliper Inc., a human resource consult- ing company, conducted a study to iden- tify the personality traits of top sales- people. The results indicated that ego strength, a sense of urgency, ego drive, assertiveness, a willingness to take risks, sociability, abstract reasoning, a healthy sense of skepticism, creativity, and empathy are all qualities found in salespeople. Those 10 traits and others form a major group of factors that enable managers to make informed decisions and ultimately hire potentially successful salespeople.

Tanyel, Mitchell, and McAlum (1999) identified the necessary but changing skills and abilities of business school graduates by surveying employ- ers and university faculty. Their focus was to determine the skills and abilities that business school graduates should possess by comparing the perceptions of faculty and employers. Employees considered oral communication, deci- sionmaking, written communication, and creative writing skills to be impor- tant. Faculty, on the other hand, placed a premium on ethical behaviors, project

management skills, and persuasive abil- ity. That study indicated that skills required of business school graduates are dynamic and change with the times.

Method

Sampling

The population of our study com- prised 730 business students from a ran- dom sample of 250 universities among the 676 U.S. academic institutions listed in the 1998-99 membership directory of the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)-The International Association for Manage- ment Education. The students were identified in fall 1998 through contact with 75 business professors who agreed to participate in the study. They were sent 2,600 surveys to distribute in their classes. Twenty-seven professors from 22 universities returned 1,098 surveys, and 1,021 (93%) of them were usable and pertained to all majors. Seven hun- dred and thirty surveys relevant to this research were completed by students with a major in business.

Our study was limited to business students from 22 AACSB-accredited universities. Because of the small num- ber of institutions in our study, our results might not be generalized effec- tively to other populations.

Instrumentation

The questionnaire for this study was based on issues discussed in the current research. Respondents used a Likert- type scale that ranged from 3 (ofgreat importance), to 2 (of little importance), to 1 (of no importance) to rate the importance of a series of statements on employee-related personality traits in telecommuting.

We gathered demographic informa- tion on gender, age, GPA, academic major, preferred industry of employ- ment at graduation, preferred popula- tion of resident city, regional employ- ment preference for the 21st century, and interest in telecommuting after graduation (see Table I) . We tested the questionnaire on several interest groups and incorporated their suggestions in the survey. To further increase internal

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TABLE 1. Demographic Profile (N = 730)

Frequency Characteristic No. %

Gender Female Male

Age range 18-23 24-29 30-35 > 35

Current GPA 3.5-4.0 3.0-3.49 2.5-2.99 2.0-2.49 < 2.00

412 318

545 129 48

8

103 181 368 74 4

54.4 43.6

74.7 17.7 6.6 1.1

14.1 24.8 50.4 10.1

.5

consistency of the questions, we asked three managers, two business education faculty members, and two statisticians to review the questions on the instru- ment. We also conducted a pilot test, using 32 students from our institution, to determine ease of understanding of the instructions and questions.

Findings

Employment-Related Profiles of Respondents

In Table 2, we show the employment- related characteristics of respondents. More than half of the respondents (52%) indicated an interest in becoming telecommuters after graduation. That number is almost identical to the num- ber of employees indicating an interest in telecommuting (54%) in a survey performed by Khalifa and Etezadi ( 1997).

Personality Traits of Prospective Telecommuters

The analysis shown in Table 3 identi- fied frequencies and means of 10 per- sonality traits rated by graduating busi- ness students according to their perceived levels of importance to a telecommuter. The traits listed on the table originally were rated as either vely important, somewhat important, or not important but were collapsed into two

ratings, important and not important. As shown in the table, three personality traits-“must be resourceful,’’ “must be honest,” and “must be able to work independently’’-were rated as impor- tant by a very large percentage (98%) of the respondents. The last column of Table 3 shows the means of personality trait ratings. Importance of personality

traits, except for the results of the fre- quencies, was determined by observing the means in the dataset.

Categories of personality traits. The 10 personality traits identified by respon- dents were categorized further into four subgroups as depicted in Table 4: (a) primary traits, which all telecom-

~~ ~

TABLE 2. Employment-Related Profiles of Respondents

Employment preference Frequency

No. %

What are employment industry preferences of graduating business students?

Chemical/dmg Communications/office equipment Financial/insurance Restaurant Manufacturing Retail Servicehealthhransportatiodother

What are the resident city population preferences of graduating business students?

< 500,000 500,000-1,000,000 1,000,000-5,000,000 > 5,000,000

What region of the U.S. would graduating business students prefer to work?

Western Midwestern Northern Eastern Southern

Yes No

Would you like to telecommunicate when you graduate?

7 I .0 151 20.7 3 10 42.5 44 6.0 65 8.9 79 10.8 74 10.1

148 20.3 254 34.8 273 37.4 55 7.5

124 17.0 67 9.2

107 14.7 245 33.6 187 25.6

382 52.3 348 47.7

TABLE 3. Personality Traits of Prospective Telecommuters

1 Trait

Must be resourceful Must be honest Must be able to work independently Must have institutional loyalty Must be ethical Must be flexible Must be dependable Must have initiative Must be technologically inclined Must be dressed professionally in home office

Frequency

Important important No. % No. %

Not

- 72 1 720 717 714 708 704 702 69 1 688 314

98.8 98.6 98.3 97.8 97.0 96.5 96.2 94.7 94.4 43.0

9 10 13 16 22 26 28 39 41

416

M

1.2 1.4 1.8 2.2 3.0 3.6 3.8 5.3 5.6

57.0

2.78 2.86 2.87 2.72 2.75 2.67 2.80 2.18 2.57 1.60

I

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muters must possess to succeed, (b) sec- ondary ones, which supplement the pri- maries and are needed but not absolute- ly necessary, (c) tertiary traits, characteristics that may be helpful but do not contribute significantly to the overall success of telecommuting; and (d) dispensable traits, or unneeded char- acteristics that contribute nothing to the success of telecommuting.

Because the Likert-type scale was originally based on a scale of 1 to 3, we

TABLE 4. Four Categories of Personality Traits and Means

~ ~~

Trait categories M

Primary (rn = 2.80-3.00) Must be able to work

independently 2.87a Must be honest 2.86a Must be dependable 2.80”

Must be resourcefule 2.78 Must possess initiative 2.78 Must be ethical 2.75 Must have institutional

loyalty 2.72 Tertiary (rn = 2.50-2.69)

Must be flexible 2.67 Must be technologically

inclined 2.57

Secondary (rn = 2.762.79)

Dispensable (rn < 2.50) Must be professionally

dressed in home office 1.60

“Important personality trait.

arbitrarily decided that any trait with a mean equal to or greater than 2.80 on our 3-point scale would be considered an important primary personality trait to the respondents. Any trait with a mean between 2.70 and 2.79 was to be con- sidered a secondary one; one with a mean between 2.50 and 2.69 would be considered tertiary; and one with a mean below 2.50 a dispensable one. In Table 4, we show the four categories of personality traits and their means. Fur- ther analysis shows that the three impor- tant primary personality traits of prospective white-collar telecommuters were ability to work independently ( M = 2.87), honesty ( M = 2.86), and depend- ability (M = 2.80). The analysis also revealed that there were four secondary personality traits: resourcefulness, ini- tiative, ethics, and institutional loyalty; and two tertiary ones: flexibility and technological inclination. The trait “must be dressed professionally in home office” was considered dispensable.

ANOVA Analysis

We conducted a painvise analysis of variance (ANOVA) matrix using Microsoft Excel (see Table 5 for a sum- mary of the analysis). The blank cells indicate no significant differences. Pairs of characteristics that showed signifi- cance at the .05 level were flexibility and independence, honesty and ethics, and honesty and professional dressing.

The pairs independence and ethics, dependability and resourcefulness, and professionally dressed and dependabili- ty were significant at the .O1 level.

Discussion of Importance of Personality Traits

The 10 traits in our study were then placed in the trait category correspond- ing to their recorded means. Our find- ings showed that ability to work inde- pendently, honesty, and dependability were the most important traits expected of telecommuters. This is consistent with what employers expect of their employees. Aiken, Martin, and Paolillo (1994), Davison, Brown, and Davison (1993), Thornburg (1997), and Ray- mond, McNabb, and Matthaei (1993) identified dependability as an attribute necessary to the survival of an organiza- tion. Davison, Brown, and Davison identified honesty as one of the areas that provides employee satisfaction. Ini- tiative, a secondary trait in this study, was found by Aiken, Martin, and Paolil- lo to be a desirable attribute of graduat- ing students. Lavenburg (1996) reported that honesty and initiative are general management skills required of business students. The current study identified ethics as a necessary secondary trait for prospective telecommuters. Davison, Brown, and Davison’s finding that ethi- cal behavior is a strength to an employ- ee agreed with this result.

TABLE 5. Analysis of Variance Findings Matrix

7 Professional

1 2 3 4 5 6 dress Honest Flexible Resourceful Independent Ethical Dependable in home office

1. Honest 2. Flexible

3. Resourceful

4. Independent

5. Ethical

6. Dependable

7. Professionally dressed in home office

F = 74.52

F = 16.72

F = 31.66

F = 5.73 p < .05 F = .49

F = 4.57 p < .05

p < .I0

p < .I0

p < .I0

p < .I0

F=2.13

F = 6.21 p < .05 F = 36.45

F = 56.35

F = 98.37

p < .I0

p < .I0

p < .I0

p < .I0

F = 2.13

F = 3.21 F = 10.49

F = 11.19 F = 22.35 F = 2.60

F = 2.59 F = 52.17 F = 18.55 F = 7.37

p < .10

p < .10 p < .01

p < .01 p < .I0 p < .10

p < .10 p < .I0 p < .10 p < .01

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Conclusions and Implications

Our study results revealed a model for the potential prediction of success of telecommuters. The model, based on the four trait categories shown in Table 4, is a four-step hierarchical trait threshold that determines the relative position of prospective telecommuters regarding suitability for telecommuting. No previ- ous studies in telecommuting have con- cluded that a trait threshold model can be used to measure suitability for telecommuting.

Our analyses indicated that employ- ers should expect successful telecom- muters to possess primary personality traits that include ability to work inde- pendently with little supervision, along with honesty and dependability. These traits are buttressed by four secondary threshold traits: resourcefulness (ability to garner necessary resolution to fore- stall impending problems promptly), initiative (ability to originate and infuse novel ideas in solving problems), ethics (respect for standards that correspond to employer expectations), and loyalty (acceptance and upholding of the ideals and authority of the employer). Two traits considered tertiary are flexibility, being able to move from one approach to problem solving to another, and tech- nological inclination, which, in today’s information-driven society, refers to skill in harnessing the power of infor- mation technology for problem solving.

The broad agreement among respon- dents in this study indicates how keenly aware graduating students are of the unique demands of the telecommuting work environment. Implicit in this gen- eral agreement is that successful telecommuting is not feasible for every- one. Agreement on these necessary traits also suggests the importance of fostering and reinforcing them in both the academic setting and the workplace.

In view of the identification of certain personality traits as necessary for telecommuting, business and informa- tion system educators should emphasize those traits in their demeanor and in classroom discussions. They also should understand that the traits apply to an audience of employees wider than telecommuters only. In recruiting and preparing employees for telecommut-

ing, management should make the importance of these personality traits known-and use the four-trait threshold model to determine which prospective telecommuters may succeed.

Recommendations for Future Research

Our study focused on a population of undergraduate students enrolled in busi- ness courses in AACSB-accredited institutions. In future studies, we rec- ommend that researchers undertake the following:

1. Replicate the current study with a population of graduate students. In addition to increasing the body of knowledge about attitudes toward telecommuting, such a study would offer potentially interesting contrasts with the study of undergraduates.

2. Replicate this study with a popula- tion of community college students. Because such students might be more immediately work-oriented, their atti- tudes toward telecommuting might reflect an immediacy of interest not seen in a majority of the 4-year institu- tion undergraduates.

3. Revise the questionnaire to allow tracking of students for a number of years. Students who indicate an interest in telecommuting or a determination to work in a telecommuting environment could be administered follow-up sur- veys. Researchers could then determine the percentage of students who actually engaged in telecommuting, the percent- age that tried telecommuting but aban- doned it, the reasons for abandoning it, and the percentage that succeeded at telecommuting and why.

4. Conduct a study to determine if employers are in concert with catego- rization of personality traits.

5. Study the personality traits that current and experienced telecommuters consider necessary for their success.

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