Assessing the Impact of Big Five Personality Traits on Job Performance: A Study in Association with Insurance Agents in Northern Province, Sri Lanka

Abstract

The flourishing life insurance industry in Sri Lanka underscores the pivotal role of insurance agents in advancing revenue streams and overall success. This study examines the nexus between the Big Five personality traits and the Job performance of insurance agents in the life insurance companies in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. The independent variables encompass the dimensions of openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability, while the dependent variable comprises job performance. A stratified random sampling approach was employed to distribute 300 structured questionnaires among insurance agents in life insurance companies. The collected data were analyzed by using different statistical techniques. The outcomes of the multiple regression analysis underscore a substantial impact of all Big Five personality dimensions excluding agreeableness on job performance. These findings offer valuable insights for insurance agents, aiding them in making informed career choices. Simultaneously, life insurance company managers can leverage this research to refine their selection criteria, ensuring the recruitment of individuals whose personalities align with the dimensions that significantly impact job performance in the industry and identify the training needs for the personality development of the insurance agent in the life insurance companies in Sri Lanka.