1. People in Organisations
Individual Behaviour
7/17/2018
HE Business

2. 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
7/17/2018
HE Business

3. Individual behaviour To manage people, you need to understand people
Understand why they behave as
they do
May encourage/change behaviour
7/17/2018
HE Business

4. We are different! Individuals behave differently
Different over time, circumstances, with different people
Groups behave differently than they would on their own
7/17/2018
HE Business

5. Personality
Total pattern of characteristic ways of thinking, feeling & behaving that constitute individual’s distinctive method of relating to environment
7/17/2018
HE Business

6. 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
7/17/2018
HE Business

7. Traits and types consistently observable properties
pick & mix from range of possible traits
individuals possess different traits, different strengths
trait clusters
personality type
7/17/2018
HE Business

8. Idiographic approach People change over time
Complex product of interaction with environment & other people
Self-image
Personality development – mature > independence
7/17/2018
HE Business

9. Personality & work behaviour
Compatibility of individual personality with:
task
systems & management
others in team
7/17/2018
HE Business

10. Incompatibilities Restore compatibility Achieve compromise
Understand nature of differences
Modify their behaviour
Remove incompatible personality
7/17/2018
HE Business

11. Perception
Psychological process by which stimuli or in-coming sensory data are selected & organised into patterns which are meaningful to the individual
7/17/2018
HE Business

12. 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
7/17/2018
HE Business

13. 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
7/17/2018
HE Business

14. 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
7/17/2018
HE Business

15. Further research
Research on the various theories and ideas such as OCEAN
7/17/2018
HE Business