Insights from personality and decision-making in software engineering context

If you like to keep things organized and can control your own feelings, you will probably be a better decision-maker, at least in software development. This Ph.D. research sought to understand the relationship between personality and decision-making considering software development. Previous studies have found that such a relationship is present, at least within the Management field. There is evidence that several personality characteristics such as be able to trust other people, be courteous, hardworking, and be creative have an impact on decision-making. That being the case, are the outcomes the same when considering such relationships within Software Engineering? This was the question that led to the next step of this Ph.D. research.

In software development, the results showed that characteristics such as creativity and trust have less impact when compared to being organized and having emotional control. Kun otetaan huomioon päätöksentekotapa, ihmiset, jotka voivat helposti luottaa muihin ihmisiin ja kohteliaita, antavat muiden osallistua päätöksentekoprosessiinsa. In other words, they prefer, for example, to listen to other people's opinions while making decisions. Concerning decision’ efficacy, in general, characteristics such as organization and emotional control play a significant role. Despite the exciting results, this research topic still needs to be further investigated. Between this and that, the number and geographic location of people who participated in this investigation limits the power of generalization. Under these circumstances, it can be inferred that yes: Your personality characteristics matter in the decision-making!