Individual Differences Personality, Demographics, and Emotions

Goals Importance of individual difference in Management. Important for group dynamics (diversity and selection) Important for conflict management and stereotypes Important for motivation.

Individual Differences Personality—Enduring characteristics that describe an individual’s behaviors Demographic Characteristics—Genetically or sociologically determined characteristics. Age, gender, disabilities, culture. Emotions—intense feelings that are directed at someone or something. Mad glad sad happy.

Personality Types Many different types. Meyers Briggs Big five

Caution Behavior is a function of personality and Environment. Debate which is most important. Most people are adaptable. 2/3 of the population is within one standard deviation of the mean. The impact of strong situations is quite powerful. “Honest” people will tell lies. Class Groups (weak culture) vs organizations (strong culture).

Myers Briggs Gave you the assessment earlier 4 dimensions but three most relevant Information gathering—types of information one has preferences for. Evaluating information Decision making Introversion—extroversion not so relevant.

Type Theory Preferences and Descriptors EXTROVERSIONINTROVERSION Outgoing Publicly impressive Interacting Speaks, then thinks Gregarious Quiet Reserved Concentrating Thinks, then speaks Reflective SENSINGINTUITING Practical Specific Feet on the ground Details Concrete General Abstract Head in the clouds Possibilities Theoretical THINKINGFEELING Analytical Clarity Head Justice Rules Subjective Harmony Heart Mercy Circumstances JUDGINGPERCEIVING Structured Time oriented Decisive Makes lists / uses them Organised Flexible Open ended Exploring Makes lists / loses them Spontaneous

Sensing vs Intuition Concrete information vs abstract.

“ Excuse Me, Where is the Rest Room ?” Sensor : Go through the green double doors and turn immediately left. You’ll pass a staircase and a sign that says “Caution: Doors Open Outward.” Three doors past that is the director’s office. The rest room will be the next door on your right.” Intuitive : “Go through the doors and turn left. It’s down the hall. You can’t miss it.”

Business people more sensing; Professors more Intuitive. Cases sensing people tend to take the surface problems, intuitive thinkers tend to look for the hidden causes. Sensing people like routine problems, intuitors like novel problems—such as cases.

Sensors—label intuitors as head in the clouds, vague, poor communicators. Intuitors labor sensors as dull, weak thinkers.

Thinking Vs Feeling Head vs Heart Facts vs impact on people. Finance and accounting tend to be thinking. Bottom line is money. Marketing and Management tend to be feeling—bottom line is people and their reactions. Women tend to be more feelers than men.

Huge differences here. People vs Cash. While related evaluations are different. Spock vs Bones in Star Trek. Example: SAR is budget problems.

Judgment vs Perception Logical and systematic vs creativity and innovation. Constraints vs opportunities. Jean Luc Picard vs Data or perhaps Worf.

J’s vs. P’s Judger: “The problem with you P’s is that you always answer a question with another question.” Perceiver: “Is that bad?”

J-P Perceptions of Time Judgers plan it fill it up make each moment meaningful deadline organize it use it Perceivers find out how much we have play brainstorm check out limitations have fun get coffee

Think about conflict How does each manage conflict S or N in terms of viewing conflict T or F assess options J or P view the options.

Diversity or Harmony Pretty clear that diversity yield better decisions as long as everyone understands the other members strengths. Intuitors are great at analyzing problems. They see the larger picture. Sensors great at sorting the facts. Thinkers and feelers are both good. Need to blend both Perceivers great at creative solutions; judgers great at tempering the realism of the solution.

Take some time: Share with your members where you are. Note differences. When analyzing your case take advantages of the differences. Realize that others approach problem solving different from you. Embrace those differences. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Utilize group members at different stages of decision making.

Five-Factor Model of Personality –Yet another way to describe personalities The Big Five Personality Model Openness to Experience Extraversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Emotional Stability

Extraversion Widely debated and misunderstood. Extroverts get emotionally and physically energized interacting with other people. Introverts get emotionally and physically drained interacting with other people. Extroverts appear to have slight leadership advantage.

Agreeableness vs Dogmatics Ability to accommodate the wishes of others vs the expectation that people will accommodate to your personal wishes. Agreeableness is not correlated to leadership. However, people like agreeable people to be group members.

Conscientiousness vs Spontaneousness Orderliness, persistence, dependability. Leaders tend to be conscientious.

Emotional Stability vs Neuroticism Mental health Leaders tend to be emotionally stable.

Openness to experience. Novelty vs regularity. Risk taker vs risk adverse.

Overlap with others Machiavellianism (low on agreeableness) Self esteem (high on emotional stability) Risk Taking (high on openness) Type A’s (low on agreeableness)

Again a tendency to conflict with others who are different from you.

Agreeable and dogmatics Extroverts and introverts. Conscientiousness vs spontaneous. Learn that others are different Any Trait has its positive and negative attributes. Selection is important.

Demographics Age, gender, race, national origins. Stereotype others based on these qualities. Stereotypes are assigned attributes to others based on their identification with that group. Examples:

Why are stereotypes problematic? Does age or gender influence leadership?

Why do we stereotype? Note social differences Assign negative qualities to social differences. Men are from Mars women from Venus.

Managing people with Stereotypes Video

Emotions and work People are emotional. Feelings. You will be working with people who have emotions. Gender variations in demonstrating emotions. Should one show emotions at work? Mad, sad, happy, glad? Can one hide emotions?

Importance of emotions Decision making—creates biases in rational decision making Motivation and leadership—both positive and negative Conflict

Emotional Intelligence Self awareness Self management Self motivation Empathy Social skills Research suggests that EI and IQ are both important for general work success.

Important for motivation Need to be aware of what motivates others. Not all people are motivated by money equally.

Summary