The Relationship between Personality and Computer Deviance

Computer deviance by employees, defined as malicious and nonmalicious computer use behaviors, has contributed to billions of dollars of monetary and productivity losses for public and private sector organizations. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between personality characteristics and employees' computer deviance. Trait theory formed the theoretical framework for this study. The research questions addressed whether a relationship existed between personality characteristics (honesty-humility and conscientiousness) and computer deviance. Data were collected using the HEXACO-100 personality inventory and the Personal Use of Work Computers (PUWC) survey, which was transferred into a web-based survey and administered via random clustering and snowball sampling to 85 public sector employees in the southeastern United States. A Pearson product-moment correlation analysis indicated a statistically significant negative relationship (p < .02) between certain personality characteristics and computer deviance. Specifically, employees with stronger honesty-humility and conscientiousness personality characteristics were less inclined to commit computer deviance. The results of this correlational analysis furthered the understanding of the area of computer deviance committed by employees. Organizational leaders could use these findings to foster an organization with employees who perform daily operations ethically and ensure the security of electronic information. Implications for positive social change include providing organizational leaders with an understanding of why employees commit computer deviance. This information could aid in decreasing loss of revenue as well as productivity associated with such actions.