Chapter 2 Perspectives on Individual behavior

Week 2- 05/03/2008

Lecture Plan
Demographic Ability Individual
What

characteristics

behavior and personality

is personality? Personality theories Personality in the organization

Individual behavior
Both

innate factors and Environmental factors affects our behavior. (Lewin, 1951)
B=f (P, E) where: B=Behavior P=Person (innate), and E=Environment

Individual behavior and Work Efficiency

Stimulus Perceptions Learning Personality Behavior Work efficiency

Demographic Attitude Ability Need Personality Motivation

Evaluation

Demographic Characteristics
Age

Gender
Marital Tenure

status

Dependent variables:
Productivity

(Job performance) Absenteeism Turnover Job satisfaction

Ability

What is Ability?
An individuals capacity to perform the various tasks in a job.

Intellectual Abilities
That required to do mental activities (e.g., number aptitude, verbal comprehension, memory, reasoning, spatial visualization).

Physical Abilities
That required to do tasks demanding stamina, dexterity, strength, and similar characteristics.

The Ability - Job Fit

Employee performance and job satisfaction are enhanced when there is a high ability - job fit

Types of Ability
Intellectual Ability Physical Ability

Verbal Ability Numerical Ability Reasoning Ability Deductive Ability Memory Spatial Ability Perceptual Ability

Motor Skills (e.g. reaction time, dexterity) Physical Skills (e.g. strength, endurance)

Managing Ability in Organizations

Ability-Job Fit using Human Resource Management
Selection

Placement
Training Rewards

Individual behavior and personality

What

is personality:

thinking that determine a persons unique way of interacting with the environment

characteristic patterns of behaviour and modes of

Theoretical

models:

Trait, Humanistic, Psychoanalytic, Type

What Determines Personality?

Heredity

(nature) Environment (nurture) Situation (high constrained vs. low constrained)

Personality Tests
Personality
selection

tests are used for:

training workers for team work career development

Trait theories
The

Big Five Model:

Extraversion - sociable, talkative and assertive. Agreeableness - good-natured, cooperative and

trusting. Conscientiousness - responsible, dependable, persistent and achievement oriented. Emotional stability - calm, enthusiastic, secure (positive) Openness to experience - imaginativeness, artistic sensitivity and intellectualism.

Online test : http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/

Other approaches
Humanistic approach (Rogers, 1970): a need for personal growth and fulfillment (self-actualization)

Id (basic drive which act irrationally and on impulse; Superego: environmental influences on the mind or conscience Ego : balance the conflicting directions f the id and superego. Behavioral characteristics: denial, compensation

Psychodynamic theory

Jungs personality theory

Extrovert/ Introvert; Sensing/intuitive; Thinking/Feeling; Judging/Perceiving MBTI( Myers-Briggs Type Indicator-basis for personality testing)

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm

Major Personality Attributes Influencing OB

Locus of Control - the degree to which people believe they are masters of their own fate. (internal vs external) Machiavellianism - pragmatic, emotional distance, ends justify means. Self-Esteem - liking or disliking of themselves. Self-Monitoring - adjust behavior to external, situational factors. Risk-Taking Type A Personality Type B Personality

Type A and Type B

Type

A Personality

Always

moving, walking, and eating rapidly Feel impatient with the rate Strive to think or do two or more things at once Cannot cope with leisure time Obsessed with numbers

Type A and Type B (cont..)

Type

B Personality

Never

suffer from a sense of time urgency Feel no need to display or discuss either their achievements or accomplishments Play for fun and relaxation Can relax without guilt

Personality and national culture

A

countrys culture influences the dominant personality characteristics of its population.

Locus of control: In North American people believe that they dominate their environment; in some other societies, such as Middle Eastern countries, believe that life is essentially preordained. Type A personality: 50% of the North American population is Type A; in culture such as Sweden and France, where materialism is less revered, a smaller proportion of Type A personality.