Unit 3: Organisations and behaviour Individual Behaviour 9/14/2019

Individual behaviour Identify nature of individual differences Explain basic theories of personality, perception, attitude Explain their significance for human behaviour at work Managerial strategies for diagnosis & control of individual behavioural problems 9/14/2019

Individual behaviour To manage people, you need to understand people Understand why they behave as they do May encourage/change behaviour 9/14/2019

We are different! Individuals behave differently Different over time, circumstances, with different people Groups behave differently than they would on their own 9/14/2019

Personality Total pattern of characteristic ways of thinking, feeling & behaving that constitute individual’s distinctive method of relating to environment 9/14/2019

Nature or nurture? Nomothetic approach Idiographic approach Personality fixed, various elements of personality, (traits) dividing people into personality types Idiographic approach Personality develops through interaction with environment & how individual sees himself 9/14/2019

Traits and types consistently observable properties pick & mix from range of possible traits individuals possess different traits, different strengths trait clusters personality type 9/14/2019

Idiographic approach People change over time Complex product of interaction with environment & other people Self-image Personality development – mature > independence 9/14/2019

Personality & work behaviour Compatibility of individual personality with: task systems & management others in team 9/14/2019

Incompatibilities Restore compatibility Achieve compromise Understand nature of differences Modify their behaviour Remove incompatible personality 9/14/2019

Perception Psychological process by which stimuli or in-coming sensory data are selected & organised into patterns which are meaningful to the individual 9/14/2019

perception Context Nature of stimuli Internal factors Fear or trauma See what you want to see Nature of stimuli Large, bright, unfamiliar, moving, repeated (advertising) Internal factors Stimuli that match personality, needs, expectations etc Fear or trauma Avoid seeing things don’t want to see 9/14/2019

Perception & work behaviour You might misinterpret, avoiding awkward information, jumping to conclusions Others might misinterpret differently Get people to define situation as they see it 9/14/2019

Common clashes Managers & staff Work cultures Race & gender ‘them and us’ Work cultures Sales team v production team Race & gender Joke or offensive? Implied discrimination 9/14/2019