Validating the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI): Examining green behavior and job crafting within a nomological network of personality

Abstract

Personality assessment in organizations has mostly served as a tool for decision-making regarding selection and job performance. In this article the focus is shifted towards understanding the role of personality in individuals’ propensity to exhibit contemporary work-related behaviors, such as employee green behavior (EGB) and job crafting (JC), through a nomological network. From an indigenous perspective, the cultural applicability of EGB and JC was established prior to investigating the external validity of the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI). The unidimensional EGB-framework developed by Ones and Dilchert (2009) was found to have a covert and an overt component in the South African context, while the JC-model developed by Tims, Bakker, and Derks (2012) was unchanged. Within the nomological network, Positive Social-Relational Disposition did not display any predictive qualities. Conscientiousness and Negative Social-Relational Disposition were found to predict both EGB (covert) and JC. Extraversion, Openness, and Neuroticism displayed predictive qualities only within the JC-model. Further investigation of these relationships is suggested, using quantile regression.

Keywords

• cross-cultural personality
• green behavior
• indigenous personality
• job crafting
• nomological network
• personality assessment
• south african personality inventory