Why it pays to be mean at work?

Nice guys finish last--in the office. The more caring you are, the less likely it is you'll be promoted.Whatever happened to working together as a team? People who care for their colleagues are unlikely to be promoted, according to a study of 308 white collar workers by Dr. Nikos Bozionelos, a professor in the management school at Great Britain's University of Sheffield, reports News-Medical.Net. Why? Those who have an agreeable personality and think about and care for others tend to neglect their own careers.The study: Just over 300 white collar, professional workers were interviewed about their accomplishments at work. Success in the workplace is either extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic success is an objective measurement, typically defined by job grade or level. Intrinsic success is more subjective and is measured by job satisfaction, financial accomplishments, and the like. In this study, each participant's job grade was noted, and each was asked to evaluate his or her career using five intrinsic measurements.The results: Previous studies have strongly linked personality traits and disposition to career success, but unlike those studies this one examined the relationship between a person's disposition and his or her success within a specific company. Bozionelos and his colleagues found that three personality types were less likely to be successful in their careers: agreeable people, conscientious workers, and the neurotic.Agreeable personalitiesEmployees who had agreeable personalities and were also altruistic, friendly, and sensitive to the needs of others tended to assign lower priority to their careers and related activities, reports News-Medical.Net. In some cases, these people would even step aside at the expense of their own career success so a colleague could be promoted instead.Conscientious workersConscientious workers miss out on career success most likely because they are concentrating too hard on performing well and in the process overlook networking opportunities and other career prospects.Neurotic personalitiesThese people do less well because they often lower their aspirations and consciously restrict their career and professional choices.Why is this information useful?Managers should recognize that people with certain personality traits may need special career development advice. "It will be of substantial assistance to individuals to be aware of the advantages and limitations that their personality profiles offer and impose," Bozionelos explained. "For example, agreeable individuals can become aware of their natural tendency to downgrade themselves and neurotic individuals can learn to adjust their negative outlook of life and personal success."The findings have been published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.