Managing Individual Differences and Behaviors Chapter 11

Personality Consists of the stable psychological traits and behavioral attributes that give a person his or her identity

Big Five Personality Dimensions 1. Extroversion 2. Agreeableness 3. Conscientiousness 4. Emotional Stability 5. Openness to Experience

Extroversion How outgoing, talkative, sociable, and assertive a person is

Agreeableness How trusting, good-natured, cooperative, and soft-hearted one is

Conscientiousness How dependable, responsible, achievement- oriented, and persistent one is

Proactive Personality Someone who is more apt to take initiative and persevere to influence the environment  Associated with success, individual, team, organization, and entrepreneurship

Self-efficacy Belief in one’s ability to do a task  I can/can’t do this task

Learned Helplessness The debilitating lack of faith in one’s ability to control one’s environment.

Locus of control Indicates how much people believe they control their fate through their own efforts.  I am/am not the captain of my fate

Emotional Stability How relaxed, secure, and unworried one is

Emotional intelligence EI The ability to cope, empathize with others, and be self-motivated.

Developing higher EI is associated with: Better social relations for children and adults Better family and intimate relationships Being perceived more positively by others Better academic achievement Better psychological well-being

Traits of emotional intelligence Self-awareness – the ability to read your own emotions and gauge your moods accurately, so you will know how you’re affecting others. Self-management- the ability to control your emotions and act with honesty and integrity in reliable and adaptable ways. Self-awareness – Empathy – allows you to show others that you care Relationship management – the ability to communicate clearly and convincingly, disarm conflicts, and build strong personal bonds.

Organizational Behavior Trying to explain and predict workplace behavior.  Individual behavior  Group behavior

Values Abstract ideals that guide one’s thinking and behavior across all situations.

Attitude A learned predisposition toward a given object.

Three components of attitude Affective Cognitive behavioral

Cognitive Dissonance The psychological discomfort a person experiences between his or her cognitive attitude and incompatible behavior.

Perception The process of interpreting and understanding one’s environment.

Four distortions in perception Selective perception Stereotyping The halo effect Casual attribution

Selective Perception The tendency to filter out information that is discomforting, that seems irrelevant, or that contradicts one’s beliefs.

Stereotyping The tendency to attribute to an individual the characteristics one believes are typical of the group to which the individual belongs.  By sex  By age  By race/nationality

Absenteeism When an employee does not show up for work.

Halo Effect Form an impression of an individual based on a single trait.

Casual Attributions The activity of inferring causes for observed behaviors.

Fundamental Attribution Bias People attribute another person’s behavior to his or her personal characteristics rather than to situational factors.

Self-serving Bias People tend to take more personal responsibility for success than for failure.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy Pygmalion Effect The phenomenon in which people’s expectations of themselves or others lead them to behave in ways that make those expectations come true.

Employee Engagement An individual’s involvement, satisfaction, and enthusiasm for work.

Organizational Commitment Reflects the extent to which an employee identifies with an organization and is committed to its goals.

Important Workplace Behaviors Performance and productivity Absenteeism and turnover Organizational citizenship behaviors Counterproductive work behaviors

Performance and Productivity The method of evaluating performance must match the job being done.

Absenteeism and Turnover Absenteeism – when an employee doesn’t show up for work. Absenteeism is related to job satisfaction. Turnover – when employees leave their jobs.

Onboarding Programs Help employees to integrate and transition to new jobs by making them familiar with corporate policies, procedures, culture, and politics by clarifying work-role expectations and responsibilities.

Organizational Citizenship Behaviors Those employee behaviors that are not directly part of employees’ job descriptions – that exceed their work-role requirements.

Counterproductive Work Behaviors (CWB) Types of behavior that harm employees and the organization as a whole.

Diversity Represents all the ways people are unlike and alike – the differences and similarities in age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, capabilities, and socioeconomic background.

Four Layers of Diversity Personality Internal Dimensions – those human differences that exert a powerful, sustained effect throughout every stage of our lives. External Dimensions – include an element of choice – they consist of the personal characteristics that people acquire, discard, or modify throughout their lives. Organizational Dimensions

Glass Ceiling The metaphor for an invisible barrier preventing women and minorities from being promoted to top executive jobs.

Americans with Disabilities Act Prohibits discrimination against the disabled. Required organizations to reasonably accommodate an individual’s disabilities.

Underemployed Working at jobs that require less education than they have

Ethnocentrism The belief that one’s native country, culture, language, abilities, or behavior is superior to those of another culture.

Stress The tension people feel when they are facing or enduring demands, constraints, or opportunities and are uncertain about their ability to handle them effectively. It is the feeling of tension and pressure. The source of stress is called a stressor.

Sources of job related stress Demands created by individual differences Stress created by the job itself Stress created by others’ expectations of you  Roles: sets of behaviors that people expect of occupants of a position. Stress created by co-workers and managers Stress created by the environment and culture (asbestos removal, coal mining, fire fighting, EMS’s, police, etc.) Stresses created by forces outside the organization  Money problems, family situations, divorce, etc.

Consequence of Stress Burnout – a state of emotional, mental, and even physical exhaustion.

Burnout is a physical, mental and emotional response to constant levels of high stress combined with a feeling of not being in control. It usually results in physical and mental fatigue and can include feelings of hopelessness, powerlessness and failure. Burnout often begins when you feel unable to meet competing demands and become frustrated, pessimistic and dissatisfied. Some demands are self-imposed (such as having very high expectations of yourself) and some are other- imposed (from family, job or society).

Some stressors most associated with burnout: feeling overworked and under-appreciated confusion about expectations and priorities too much responsibility at work insecurity about layoffs Over-commitment at home and work

Buffers Administrative changes Changes that managers can make to reduce the stressors that lead to employee burnout.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP’s) A host of programs aimed at helping employees to cope with stress, burnout, substance abuse, health-related problems, family and marital issues, and any general problem that negatively influences job performance.

Holistic Wellness Program Focuses on self-responsibility, nutritional awareness, relaxation techniques, physical fitness, and environmental awareness.

Openness to Experience How intellectual, imaginative, curious, and broad-minded one is

Five traits important to organizations Locus of control Self-efficacy Self-esteem Self-monitoring Emotional intelligence

Self-esteem The extent to which people like or dislike themselves, their overall self-evaluation.  High self-esteem  Low self-esteem  I like/dislike myself

Self-monitoring The extent to which people are able to observe their own behavior and adapt it to external situations.  I’m fairly able/unable to adapt my behavior to others

Affective Component “I feel” Consists of the feelings or emotions one has about a situation.

Cognitive Component “I believe” Consists of the beliefs and knowledge one has about a situation.

Behavioral Component “I intend” Intentional component Refers to how one intends or expects to behave toward a situation.

Values and attitudes influence people’s workplace behavior. Behavior: their actions and judgments

Work-related attitudes Job satisfaction Job involvement Organizational Commitment

Job Satisfaction How much do you like or dislike your job? The extent to which you feel positively or negatively about various aspects of your work.  Work  Pay  Promotions  Co-workers  Supervision

Job Involvement How much do you identify with your work? Job Involvement – is the extent to which you identify or are personally involved with your job. Job involvement correlates with job satisfaction

Organizational Commitment Reflects the extend to which an employee identifies with an organization and is committed to its goals. Managers are advised to increase job satisfaction to elicit higher levels of commitment. Higher commitment can facilitate higher performance.

Organizational Citizenship Behaviors Those employee behaviors that are not directly part of employees’ job descriptions – that exceed their work-role requirements.  Constructive statements about the business  Expression of personal interest in the work of others  Suggestions for improvement  Training new people  Care for organizational property, and punctuality and attendance well beyond standard or enforceable levels

Counterproductive Work Behaviors Types of behavior that harm employees and the organizations as a whole.  Absenteeism  Tardiness  Drug and alcohol abuse  Disciplinary problems  Sexual harassment  sabotage

Four steps in the Perceptual Process Perception – the process of interpreting and understanding one’s environment  Selective attention (did I notice something?)  Interpretation and evaluation (what was it I noticed and what does it mean?  Storing in memory (remember it as an event, concept, person, or all three)  Retrieving from memory to make judgments and decisions (what do I recall about that?)

Self-fulfilling Prophesy or Pygmalion Effect Describes the phenomenon in which people’s expectations of themselves or others lead them to behave in ways that make those expectations come true.

Reducing stressors in the organization Buffers – (administrative changes) that managers can make to reduce the stressors that lead to employee burnout.  Employee Assistance Program (EAP)  Holistic wellness program – focuses on self-responsibility, nutritional awareness, relaxation techniques, physical fitness, and environmental awareness. Create as supportive work environment Make jobs interesting Make career counseling available