The predictive role of individual differences of the work performance of Lithuanian driving examiners

Abstract

Driver examiners are one of the first traffic safety agents as they ensure that candidates with bad skills do not participate in the traffic as licensed drivers. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of individual differences for the occupational performance of driving examiners in Lithuania. 103 male examiners and 10 their supervisors participated in the study. Examiners filled in the self-report questionnaires: NEO-PI-R personality questionnaire, the scale of attitudes towards traffic safety, and situational judgement test assessing communication competence. Job performance rates were obtained from supervisors using the routine procedure implemented in the organization. Examiners rated by supervisors as more proficient are those who have higher conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness to experience, extraversion and lower neuroticism as well as high communication competence and more positive attitude towards traffic safety. Communication competence was the only significant predictor of better job performance of driver examiners when controlling for interaction between tested variables. Although the data allowed to distinguish psychological characteristics of examiners who were rated as performing better at their work, the predictive role of individual differences was modest. Other research strategies and variables should be applied in order to reach more comprehensive results in this field.