Chapter 4-10

rapid decisions and used less information in making their choices than did the low risk-taking managers. Interestingly, the decision accuracy was the same for both groups While it is generally correct to conclude that managers in organizations are risk aversive,²⁹ there are still individual differences on this dimension.³⁰ As a re- sult, it makes sense to recognize these differences and even to consider aligning risk-taking propensity with specific job demands. For instance, a high risk-tak- ing propensity may lead to more effective performance for a stock trader in a brokerage firm because that type of job demands rapid decision making. On the other hand, a willingness to take risks might prove a major obstacle to an accountant who performs auditing activities. The latter job might be better filled by someone with a low risk-taking propensity. Type A Personality Do you know any people who are excessively competi- tive and always seem to be experiencing a chronic sense of time urgency? If you do, it's a good bet that those people have a Type A personality. A per- son with a Type A personality is "aggressively involved in a chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time, and, if required to do so, against the opposing efforts of other things or other persons."³¹ In the North American culture, such characteristics tend to be highly prized and posi- tively associated with ambition and the successful acquisition of material goods. Type A's are always moving, walking, and eating rapidly; feel impatient with the rate at which most events take place; strive to think or do two or more things at once; cannot cope with leisure time; are obsessed with numbers, measuring their success in terms of how many or how much of everything they acquire. In contrast to the Type A personality is the Type B, who is exactly the op- posite. Type B's are "rarely harried by the desire to obtain a wildly increasing number of things or participate in an endless growing series of events in an ever-decreasing amount of time."³² Type B's never suffer from a sense of time urgency with its accompanying im- patience; feel no need to display or discuss either their achievements or accom- plishments unless such exposure is demanded by the situation; play for fun and relaxation rather than to exhibit their superiority at any cost; can relax without guilt. Type A's operate under moderate to high levels of stress. They sub- ject themselves to more or less continuous time pressure, creating for themselves a life of deadlines. These characteristics result in some rather specific behavioral outcomes. For example, Type A's are fast workers be- cause they emphasize quantity over quality. In managerial positions, Type A's demonstrate their competitiveness by working long hours and, not infrequently, making poor decisions because they make them too fast. Type A's are also rarely creative. Because of their concern with quan- tity and speed, they rely on past experiences when faced with problems.	type A personality Aggressive involvement in a chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time and, if necessary, against the opposing efforts of other things or other people.

	Richard Branson's propensity to take risks aligns with his job de- mands of being an entrepreneur. Branson, founder and chairman of London-based Virgin Group, started risky ventures that com- pete against industry giants. His Virgin Atlantic airline, for example, has taken market share from British Airways and has earned the reputation as one of the financially healthiest airlines in the world. Branson's risk-taking personality extends to his leisure activities of speedboat racing, sky diving, and ballooning. Shown here, Branson prepares for an around-the-world balloon excursion.

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