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Line Managers’ Personality Traits Related to Effective 
Human Resource Management Implementation 
 

Brian S. Gunderson | Columbia Southern University, Orange Beach, Alabama, USA 

Robert Goldwasser | Columbia Southern University, Orange Beach, Alabama, USA 

Contact: bsgunderson@live.com  

Abstract 
Human resource managers are vital actors in the implementation of HRM policies and practices. 
Effective HRM implementation depends on many antecedents, such as line managers' attributes 
(attribution theory), including personality traits. Though there has been recent research regarding 
attribute theory and HRM implementation, most research has centered on performance management, 
social relationships, or external (environmental) attributes. This has created a gap in the literature 
surrounding line managers' personality traits and HRM implementation. This study examined the 
relationship between line managers’ personality traits, using the HEXACO Model of Personality 
Structure, and effective HRM implementation. The results show that line managers' personality traits 
associated with social and idea-related endeavors correlate more with HRM implementation than task-
related personality traits. Personality traits such as Agreeableness, Extroversion, Emotionality, and 
Openness to Experience are significantly related to HRM implementation. In contrast, Honesty-Humility 
and Conscientiousness are not. This may be due to social relationships that encourage cooperation, 
creativity, sociability, and sentimentality. The study expands the body of knowledge surrounding HRM 
implementation by line managers, which allows for creating policies, procedures, and plans for line 
managers' recruitment, development, and retention to enhance organizational outcomes. 

Keywords: Line Managers, Personality Traits, HEXACO, HRM Implementation, Attribution Theory 

  

mailto:bsgunderson@live.com


 
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January 2022 | Volume 1, Number 1 

Introduction 
Human resource management (HRM) implementation is the process of incorporating HR practice into 
the daily life of an organization by HR personnel, managers, and employees through the introduction, 
application, and perception of HR practices (Bondarouk et al., 2018). HRM implementation is the 
cornerstone of HRM effectiveness (Trullen et al., 2016). Effective implementation of HRM policies and 
processes creates positive results for the company and employees (Mirfakhar et al., 2018). 

Line managers play a critical role in implementing HRM policies and processes (Bos-Nehles & 
Meijerink, 2018). Line managers interview candidates, develop employees, evaluate performance, and 
are involved in promotions and terminations (Lopez, 2018). Line managers are agents of the 
organization whose knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes (KSAOs), including personality and 
motivation, influence HRM implementation (Bos-Nehles et al., 2013; Kehoe & Han, 2020). 

Personality is a quality that impacts many behaviors and decisions of individuals. Ashton and Lee 
(2007) developed the HEXACO Model of Personality Structure. The HEXACO model uses a six-
dimensional framework containing the personality factors Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, 
Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience. The HEXACO model is 
aligned closely with the Big Five or five-factors model (FFM) of personality for the first three factors. 
The other three factors offer a more complex relation to the last two dimensions of the FFM (Ashton & 
Lee, 2007). Beliefs and motivation are antecedents attributed to perceived causes (attributions) of 
behaviors, effects, or expected actions (Kelley & Michela, 1980). Attribution theory (Heider, 1958; 
Kelley, 1973; Weiner, 1985) offers the framework for understanding the relationship between 
antecedents and attributions that affect the implementation of HRM by line managers (Martinko & 
Mackey, 2019). 

The bulk of the research involving line managers' HRM implementation is focused on performance 
management systems (Van Waeyenberg & Decramer, 2018). For example, Fu et al. (2018) found that 
line managers' consistency in treating team members and individual responsiveness are positively 
related to individual job performance. The triad of social connections (line managers, coworkers, and 
employees) influence HRM attributions (Beijer et al., 2019). Employees have a positive perception of 
HRM policies if they have a good relationship with their line managers. Therefore, employee 
commitment to following HR policies increases (Bos-Nehles & Meijerink, 2018). However, additional 
research is required to understand how line managers' knowledge, abilities, personality, or other 
attributes influence how line managers implement HRM practices (Kehoe & Han, 2020). 

Attribution theory identifies internal and external attributions that explain causal perceptions of various 
events, such as HRM implementation (Heider, 1958). Following the concepts of attribution theory, 
personality traits are personal (internal) attributes that can positively or negatively impact line managers' 
HRM implementation and performance. Personality traits, such as agreeableness and humility, impact 
how line managers behave and their attitudes about policies and processes (Moshagen et al., 2019). 
Evans (2017) found that role ambiguity reduced line managers' confidence in HRM implementation, 
whereas overload and conflict resulted in the renegotiation of HR policies. Similarly, line managers who 
experienced role stress or overload failed to consistently implement HRM (Evans, 2017). 



 

 

3 Business Management Research & Applications: A Cross-Disciplinary Journal 

The use of attribution theory with HRM is in its infancy. Heider (1958), in his seminal work, explained 
that it was human nature to seek out the causes of events. Attribution theory provides the framework to 
understand how people explain the causes of behaviors or events (Martinko & Mackey, 2019). Hewett et 
al. (2018) argued that people seek to explain the causes of the situations they find themselves in. 
Attributions are causal reasons for events (Gardner et al., 2019). Attributions can be internal or external 
(Heider, 1958). Kelley (1973) linked attributes to the distinctiveness of the behavior, the consensus from 
others regarding the behavior, and how consistently the behavior is displayed. High consistency, 
consensus, and distinctiveness often result in the attribution of the outcome to the nature of the task 
(Gardner et al., 2018). Line managers' effective implementation can be explained by attributing 
industriousness or aptitude (Weiner, 2018). 

A consistent measure of line managers' attributions related to effective HRM implementation had not 
been articulated until recently. Bos-Nehles et al. (2020) developed a psychometrical instrument to 
measure HRM implementation based upon internal and external line managers' attributions. Bos-Nehles 
et al. (2020) considered the internal attributions of line managers, like desire, and the external 
attributions, like HR support. Personality traits have been measured for years through various 
instruments, like the Big Five or FFM (Ashton & Lee, 2007). In 2001, Ashton and Lee developed the 
HEXACO model to measure personality traits (Ashton & Lee, 2007). In 2009, Ashton and Lee 
developed the HEXACO-60 short measure of personality traits. This study examines line managers' 
personality traits as attributions related to HRM implementation. 

The importance of understanding the effectiveness of HRM implementation was highlighted by the call 
for papers in The International Journal of Human Resource Management (Bondarouk et al., 2016; 
2018). Kehoe and Han (2020) recognized the need for additional scholarship “examining the role of line 
managers' individual qualities in shaping the likelihood and effectiveness with which they engage in 
different forms of HRM involvement” (p. 120). Though there has been recent research regarding 
attribute theory and HRM implementation, most research has centered on performance management, 
social relationships, or external (environmental) attributes. This created a gap in the literature 
surrounding line managers' personality traits and HRM implementation. As Kehoe and Han (2020) 
pointed out, there remains a need for additional scholarship regarding how the individual qualities of 
line managers, including personality, influence HRM implementation. This paper fills that gap. 

Methodology 
For this study, a quantitative, correlation research method was used to examine the relationship between 
personality traits and the HRM implementation of line managers from various industries and 
organizations within the United States. Line managers are critical to the delivery of HRM policies and 
practices, and as Evans (2017) pointed out, an understanding of how and why they implement HRM is 
beneficial to organizations. 

There exists a lack of understanding about how personal characteristics of line managers, such as 
personality traits, affect their HRM implementation of policies and procedures. In addition to HRM 
personnel, managers are vital participants in HRM policy implementation (Lopez, 2018). Regarding 
employee commitment, employee engagement, and enhanced performance, line managers are essential 
leaders who champion employee involvement and influence employee attitudes toward HR policies and 



 
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January 2022 | Volume 1, Number 1 

practices (Shipton et al., 2016). HRM implementation varies across organizations and industries due 
mainly to the line managers involved with HRM implementation (Kehoe & Han, 2020). 

Mirfakhar et al. (2018) examined the antecedents influencing effective HRM implementation. They 
found that the beliefs and attitudes towards HRM practice affect organizational outcomes and 
encouraged additional research into personal attributes, such as personality traits and their influence on 
HRM implementation. Further, Kehoe and Han (2020) examined the research regarding line managers 
and HRM implementation. They realized that additional research into individual qualities (personality 
traits) could further understand line manager involvement with HRM implementation. 

Behaviors and the characteristic patterns of thoughts and emotions are represented in an individual's 
personality traits (Diener & Lucas, 2021). Personality traits are associated with consistency and stability 
(Diener & Lucas, 2021), which are critical factors of attribution theory (Kelley, 1973; Weiner, 1985). 
Beijer et al. (2019) pointed out that further study of personality factors, such as empathy and self-
monitoring, may provide additional insights into the attribution influences between coworkers and line 
managers. The insights and discoveries of prior researchers have led to this study's research question: 

RQ1: Is there a significant relationship between line managers' personality traits and their HRM 
implementation? 

To answer this question, the personality traits of line managers need to be identified and then compared 
to effective HRM implementation. This study used the six dimensions of the HEXACO model: Honesty-
Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience 
(Ashton & Lee, 2007). Consequently, the following hypotheses have been developed: 

H10: Honesty-Humility is not related significantly to effective line manager HRM 
implementation. 

H1A: Honesty-Humility is related significantly to effective line manager HRM implementation. 

H20: Emotionality (emotional intelligence) is not related significantly to effective line manager 
HRM implementation. 

H2A: Emotionality (emotional intelligence) is related significantly to effective line manager 
HRM implementation. 

H30: Extraversion is not related significantly to effective line manager HRM implementation. 

H3A: Extraversion is related significantly to effective line manager HRM implementation. 

H40: Agreeableness is not related significantly to effective line manager HRM implementation. 

H4A: Agreeableness is related significantly to effective line manager HRM implementation. 

H50: Conscientiousness is not related significantly to effective line manager HRM 
implementation. 



 

 

5 Business Management Research & Applications: A Cross-Disciplinary Journal 

H5A: Conscientiousness is related significantly to effective line manager HRM implementation. 

H60: Openness to Experience is not related significantly to effective line manager HRM 
implementation. 

H6A: Openness to Experience is related significantly to effective line manager HRM 
implementation. 

This study used two survey instruments, one to assess the effectiveness of HRM implementation and the 
second to identify the dominant personality traits of line managers. The HEXACO personality 
inventories are available in a variety of sizes and languages. The HEXACO 60-item and 100-item 
inventories are available for download free of charge to nonprofits and academic researchers from the 
website (Ashton & Lee, 2009). In this study, the authors utilized the English version of the HEXACO-
60 Model of Personality Structure, a self-report form (Ashton & Lee, 2009). The goal was to reduce the 
amount of time participants must spend completing the surveys to increase participation and completion. 
Moshagen et al. (2019) conducted a meta-analytic investigation of the HEXACO inventories and found 
that all versions had high reliabilities and high degrees of self-observer agreement. Reliability estimates 
(Cronbach's alpha) ranged from 0.80 to 0.84 (Moshagen et al., 2019). Further, the reliabilities of self-
ratings and observer ratings were near identical (Moshagen et al., 2019). Each of the six domains is 
represented by ten items to cover a wide range of content (Ashton & Lee, 2009). Each of the four sub-
traits is represented by at least 2 of the items in the instrument (Ashton & Lee, 2009). 

Bos-Nehles et al. (2020) developed a psychometric measurement instrument to analyze line managers' 
attributions for effective HRM implementation. The survey consists of 44 items covering desire 
(motivation), competencies, support, capacity, and policy and procedures. Each dimension consists of 
sub-factors that influence the dimension. Under desire are intrinsic motivation factors, identified 
regulation, external regulation, amotivation, and value-added. Under the capacity dimension is role 
overload. Under competencies is occupational self-efficacy. Under the support dimension are HR 
support services and HR support behavior. The policy and procedures dimension includes role conflict, 
role ambiguity, and user-friendliness of HR forms. Validity was examined by comparing middle-
managers with line managers within an organization. Independent samples t-test demonstrate that the 
two groups are significantly different, supporting the validity of the scale measurement (Bos-Nehles et 
al., 2020). Cronbach's alphas were calculated for each dimension to ensure internal consistency and 
reliability (Bos-Nehles et al., 2020). Cronbach's alpha consistently scored above 0.70 for each of the five 
domains (see Bos-Nehles et al., 2020, p. 753). 

To calculate the sample size needed for the study, the researchers utilized G*Power (Faul et al., 2009). 
G*Power (Faul et al., 2009, p. 1149) “is a stand-alone power analysis program for many statistical tests 
commonly used in the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences;” it can be used for six correlation 
power analyses. For this study, a priori analysis was conducted. The calculations were based on a two-
tailed study, a medium effect size of p = 0.3. The researcher presumed an α error of 0.05 and a power 
estimate of 0.80 (1 – β). If the value for the population (the p-value) is smaller than 0.05, the researcher 
can identify the relationship as significant and accept the alternative hypothesis. If the p-value is greater 
than 0.05, the researcher should accept the null hypothesis and reject the alternative hypothesis. The 
assumption is that the total sample size needed is 84. 



 
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January 2022 | Volume 1, Number 1 

To administer the survey and contact potential respondents, the researcher utilized Centiment, a 
marketing and research service provider. Informed consent was embedded at the beginning of the survey 
with a yes/no response. If a respondent answered no, the respondent was disqualified from participation. 
Only respondents aged 18+ were allowed to participate in the survey. Anonymity was ensured through 
tagging of participants with unique identifiers. Participants were not required to share personally 
identifiable information. Security measures were implemented to protect the data during collection and 
transmission to the researcher. Centiment does not store project data after collection and once the results 
have been delivered to the researcher (Centiment, n.d.). 

Discussion 
Over three days, Centiment sent out push notifications and emails about the availability of the survey. 
Once survey responses reached 250 completes, the survey window was closed. The total sample 
population was N = 259. Unfortunately, eight participants were removed after examining the survey 
results showed that all questions by the participants had the same answer and the time spent answering 
each question was under 0.5 seconds per question. The average time spent to complete the survey was 
776 seconds (approximately 13 minutes). The removal of these participants' data reduced the sample to 
N = 251. Data analysis was conducted using a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics to 
measure and test the data. Tables 1 and 2 summarize the participants' sociodemographic characteristics 
and the varied industries represented by the line managers. 

  



 

 

7 Business Management Research & Applications: A Cross-Disciplinary Journal 

Table 1    Table 2   
Sociodemographic Characteristics of 
Participants  Representative Industries of Participants 
Gender N %  Industry N % 

Male 114 45.4%  Architecture 3 1.2% 
Female 137 54.6%  Banking/Financial/Accounting 11 4.4% 

Age    Communications/Information 2 0.8% 

18-24 2 0.8% 
 

Construction/Carpentry/Electrical 
Installation 11 4.4% 

25-34 20 8.0%  Consulting 6 2.4% 
35-44 52 20.7%  Education 26 10.4% 
45-54 75 29.9%  Energy/Utilities/Oil and Gas 3 1.2% 
55+ 102 40.6%  Engineering 9 3.6% 

Number of Employees 
Supervised 

  
 Government/Public Service 16 6.4% 

2-5 100 39.8%  Healthcare/Biotech/Pharmaceuticals 20 8.0% 

6-10 62 24.7% 
 

Hospitality/Tourism/Food and 
Beverage 9 3.6% 

11-15 24 9.6%  Human Resources 5 2.0% 

More than 15 65 25.9% 
 

Information 
Technology/IT/Telecommunications 14 5.6% 

Organization Size 
(Employees) 

  
 Insurance 9 3.6% 

Less than 50 46 18.3%  Legal/Law 6 2.4% 
51-100 35 13.9%  Manufacturing/Automotive 19 7.6% 
101-500 35 13.9%  Marketing/Advertising 1 0.4% 
501-1000 22 8.8%  Media/Entertainment 3 1.2% 
1001-5000 41 16.3%  Non-Profit/Social Services 8 3.2% 
5001+ 71 28.3%  Other 38 15.1% 
Do not Know 1 0.4%  Real Estate/Property 1 0.4% 

    Retail/Wholesale Trade 20 8.0% 
Note. N = 251.    Sales 4 1.6% 

    Security 2 0.8% 
    Shipping/Distribution/Transportation 5 2.0% 
       
    Note. N = 251   

 

  



 
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January 2022 | Volume 1, Number 1 

There was a suitable mix of female (55%) to male (45%) line managers. Line managers over 55 years 
old represented a large percentage of the sample (41%). Line managers supervised from 2-5 employees 
(40%), 6-10 employees (25%), 11-15 employees (10%), and more than 15 employees (25%). There was 
a wide variety of industries represented, with Retail/Wholesale Trade, Education, and 
Healthcare/Biotech industries making up approximately a quarter of the industries. In addition, there 
was a mix of line managers from small, medium, and large organizations sampled. 

Spearman's correlation was chosen for hypothesis testing due to the skewness and lack of normalcy 
encountered with the data. Likewise, Spearman's correlation is not impacted by outliers as with 
Pearson's correlation. This is because Pearson's correlation is a parametric test and Spearman's 
correlation is a non-parametric test using the ranks of values rather than the values themselves (Field, 
2013). 

Honesty-Humility 

Honesty-Humility is associated with a tendency not to manipulate others and a decreased risk of losses 
due to withdrawal of cooperation by others (Ashton & Lee, 2007). Interestingly, Honesty-Humility was 
not significantly related to line managers' HRM implementation, and there was a weak, negative 
correlation between Honesty-Humility and line managers' HRM implementation, rₛ(249) = -.109, p = 
.085. Consequently, the null hypothesis cannot be rejected, and the alternative hypothesis cannot be 
accepted. Line managers in the sample scored on average in the mid-range of scores. This points to line 
managers as being honest, sincere, and avoiding greed, overall. However, some may be more willing to 
engage in risky behaviors and manipulate others to get what they want. 

Emotionality 

Emotionality refers to the tendency to experience fear, physical dangers, anxiety, and the need for 
emotional support or sentimental attachments (Ashton & Lee, 2007). Emotionality had a significant 
relationship with line managers' effective HRM implementation, rₛ(249) = .197, p = .002.The null 
hypothesis can be rejected, and the alternative hypothesis can be accepted. This is consistent with other 
studies related to line managers' work relationships. Fletcher (2016) found a positive relationship 
between the meaningfulness of employee development opportunities and employees who perceived they 
had a good relationship with their line managers. Consequently, employees perceive positive HRM 
policies if line managers are engaged and develop positive relationships with their employees (Fletcher, 
2016). Positive work attachments and emotional support through work relationships seem to affect line 
managers' HRM implementation positively. 

Extraversion 

Extraversion tends to feel confident addressing groups, enjoy social gatherings, be enthusiastic, 
energized, and feel positive about themselves (Ashton & Lee, 2007). Like, Emotionality, Extraversion 
was significantly related to line managers' HRM implementation, rₛ(249) = .281, p < .001. The null 
hypothesis can be rejected, and the alternative hypothesis can be accepted. Extraversion is associated 
with social endeavors (Ashton & Lee, 2007). For example, Bos-Nehles & Meijerink (2018) found that 
effective HRM implementation is a social process dependent upon the relationships between HRM 
professionals, employees, and line managers. Beijer et al. (2019) support the conclusion that the social 



 

 

9 Business Management Research & Applications: A Cross-Disciplinary Journal 

environment between line managers and coworkers influences HR attributions. Relational attributions 
involve attributions about a cause due to a relationship between people rather than internal or external 
attributions (Gardner et al., 2019). For example, a social endeavor of line managers is exemplified by 
their level of servant leadership. Relational attributions about a manager's serving influence the 
employees' gratitude (Sun et al., 2019). 

Agreeableness 

Agreeableness tends to forgive others, be willing to compromise, be lenient, cooperative, and control 
anger (Ashton & Lee, 2007). Therefore, it makes sense that Agreeableness was significantly related to 
line managers' HRM implementation, rₛ(249) = .231, p < .001.The null hypothesis can be rejected, and 
the alternative hypothesis can be accepted. Lopez (2018) found that line managers engaged in HRM 
policies and practices using their political and cognitive abilities. The line managers either proposed a 
decision based on their formal role, negotiated outcomes outside the formal policies, or avoided or 
circumvented HRM policies or procedures (Lopez, 2018). Line managers are willing to compromise to 
get what they need for their teams. 

In addition, Evans (2017) found that role overload, role conflict, and role ambiguity led to role stress. As 
role stress increased, there was a corresponding variance or deviation from the intended HRM practices 
and policies. If line managers' role stress is reduced and they feel comfortable in their positions, they are 
less likely to experience anger. Agreeableness will increase. 

Conscientiousness 

Conscientiousness is a task-related endeavor and is the tendency to be organized, disciplined to achieve 
work goals, strive for accuracy and perfection, and be deliberative and careful with decision-making 
(Ashton & Lee, 2007). It was surprising that Conscientiousness had a weak, insignificant relationship 
with line managers' HRM implementation, rₛ(249) = .003, p = .961. The null hypothesis cannot be 
rejected, and the alternative hypothesis cannot be accepted. However, line managers from the sample 
scored higher in Conscientiousness on average than in any of the other traits. Consequently, task-related 
personality traits may not influence the HRM implementation of line managers. Instead, there may be a 
relationship to leadership or another role-related attribute necessary for line managers to obtain their 
positions. 

Openness to Experience 

Openness to experience had a significant, weak relationship to HRM implementation, rₛ(249) = .188, p 
= .003. The null hypothesis can be rejected, and the alternative hypothesis can be accepted. The 
Openness to Experience domain describes the tendency to be absorbed in the beauty of art and nature, 
inquisitive, use imagination freely, and interest in unusual ideas or people (Ashton & Lee, 2007). Line 
managers may have unique perspectives on how to implement HR policies. The HR department plays a 
critical role in line managers' HRM implementation (Trullen et al., 2016). HR personnel can help 
develop line managers' abilities and opportunities by participating in the development of HR policies 
and by deploying HR specialists in the field (Trullen et al., 2016). HR managers can play a critical 
support role to help keep line managers from deviating from the HR processes due to a lack of 
understanding or a failure to see the value in the policies (Bos-Nehles et al., 2017). When managers are 



 
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January 2022 | Volume 1, Number 1 

free to use their imaginations and make suggestions for HRM approaches, the implementations’ 
effectiveness may increase. 

The results show that line managers' personality traits associated with social and idea-related endeavors 
correlate more with HRM implementation than task-related personality traits. Task-related 
characteristics, such as Conscientiousness, may be related to the line manager role but not necessarily to 
the function of HRM. HRM implementation is one of many functions performed by line managers. As 
Bos-Nehles and Meijerink (2018) found, effective HRM implementation is a social process. It is clear 
from the results that personality traits such as Agreeableness, Extroversion, Emotionality, and Openness 
to Experience are significantly related to HRM implementation. This may be due to the social 
relationships that encourage cooperation, creativity, sociability, and sentimentality (Ashton & Lee, 
2007). 

Recommendations for Future Research and Practice 
As Ashton and Lee (2009) pointed out, the HEXACO-60 model helps examine domain-level traits when 
time constraints exist. The 100- and 200-reports offer a more thorough look at the facet levels of 
personality that make up the six domains of the HEXACO model. Therefore, future researchers could 
examine the facet-level attributes, which may provide more insight into effective HRM implementation 
beyond the initial examination of this study. The effective HRM implementation measure consists of 
five domains (Desire, Competencies, Support, Capacity, and Policy and Procedures) (Bos-Nehles et al., 
2020). Therefore, research examining correlations between the six HEXACO personality traits and each 
HRM domain could provide a more in-depth understanding of line managers' HRM implementation 
practices. Observers, such as line managers' supervisors, HR personnel, or employees, could provide a 
different viewpoint of line managers' personality traits and HRM implementation. Then researchers 
could compare the observer reports to the self-report findings of this study to see if the results hold 
across studies. In addition, future research could examine the various social relationships that effect 
HRM implementation. 

In professional practice, managers and HR personnel can develop strategies that highlight the 
development of social traits, such as Extraversion and Agreeableness. Training managers can develop 
programs to strengthen the personality traits of line managers. For example, a development program can 
focus on creating positive social relationships between employees and managers, or how to deal with 
anxiety or frustration positively, characteristics of Extraversion and Agreeableness. 

The results show significant and moderate correlations between social-endeavor personality traits 
(Emotionality, Extraversion, and Agreeableness). Likewise, idea-related personality traits (Openness to 
Experience) were substantial. Consequently, HR practitioners should consider these traits when making 
promotions or talent acquisition decisions. This is not to say they are the only considerations. For 
example, Conscientiousness may not be related to HRM implementation, essentially. However, the 
personality trait may well be an essential trait of leaders and managers. 

Line managers are agents of an organization's HR. They are often encouraged to act with autonomy and 
flexibility concerning HRM implementation, which may require a distinct profile of competencies, 
personality, and motivation (Kehoe & Han, 2020). Openness to Experience is characterized by 
inquisitiveness, use of imagination freely, and an interest in unusual ideas or people (Ashton & Lee, 



 

 

11 Business Management Research & Applications: A Cross-Disciplinary Journal 

2007). Management should consider policies and practices that provide more autonomy to line managers 
to make decisions. Line managers can use their imaginations and curiosity to improve processes and 
make positive changes for enhanced outcomes. 

This study aimed to examine the relationship between line managers' personality traits and their 
effective HRM implementation. The results show that line managers' personality traits associated with 
social and idea-related endeavors correlate more with HRM implementation than task-related 
personality traits. The study is significant because it increases scholars' and business managers' 
understanding of personality traits related to effective HRM implementation and how those traits can 
influence organizational outcomes. As a result of this study, managers, employee development leaders, 
and HR personnel have additional information to make better hiring, promotion, and training decisions 
concerning line managers. 

  



 
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January 2022 | Volume 1, Number 1 

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	Line Managers’ Personality Traits Related to Effective Human Resource Management Implementation
	Abstract
	Introduction
	Methodology
	Discussion
	Recommendations for Future Research and Practice
	References

