Ok, now that the boiler plate advisory is out of the way (see chapter 1 of Connect), let’s deal with some common pitfalls specific to chapter two. In my experience, students tend to overcomplicate the MARS model. It is in reality a very intuitive model. Work backwards from the blue box (behaviour and results), and use the model as a kind of troubleshooting guide. For example, suppose Johnny isn’t performing well at school, instead of jumping to the conclusion that he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, take a more clinical/detached approach to diagnose the problem. Could it be situational factors preventing him from succeeding? If not, perhaps the problem lies with his role perceptions, ability, or motivation. The point is the model isn’t complicated.

Next, if we were asked to describe the personality of a person we would likely generalize and reduce it to something like, “she’s a good person” or “he’s a ____.” The point being that few of us would use such detailed descriptors as those provided in the “Big Five” personality dimensions, or the Myer’s-Briggs type indicator. We know the kinds of people we like, get along with, and those we don’t. However, that’s not good enough in OB. You just know you’ll be asked a question such as: Which of the following is not a personality trait mentioned in the “Big Five” personality dimension (aka the FFM)? Unlike all the labels in the Schwartz’s model (which I’ll get to in a second), you can and probably should memorize the five personality dimensions (jeez, there aren’t that many).

As for the values part, some students try to memorize all of the values in the Schwartz’s values circumplex. There are so many (too many?). It’s probably better to try and remember the four general categories. That makes it easier to match the various values with those dimensions. If you remember the difference between self-transcendence and self-enhancement it’s easy to discern who is more likely to value power over universalism (that would be the person motivated by self-enhancement). The same principle applies to the difference between openness to change and conservation, which you can think of as polar opposites.