1. Foundations of Individual Behaviour
Biographical characteristics
Ability
Personality
Learning

2. Biographical Characteristics
Age
Relationship between age and job performance
Perception of Older workers (+ve & –ve Qualities)
Effect of age on turnover, absenteeism, productivity and satisfaction?
Gender
No consistent male-female differences
Absenteeism?

3. Biographical Characteristics
Marital status
Effect on absences, satisfaction and turnover!
More investigation needed e.g. couples in living-together without marriage!
Tenure
Seniority- Productivity relationship
Seniority- Absenteeism relationship

4. ABILITY
Contrary to what we were taught in school, we weren’t all created equal?
Ability refers to an individual’s capacity to perform the various tasks in a job.
2 sets of factors: intellectual and physical abilities
THE ABILITY-JOB FIT
The specific intellectual and physical abilities required for adequate job performance
e.g. pilots need strong spatial- visualization abilities.
If the ability-job fit is poor, not even positive attitude nor high level of motivation will help!

5. PERSONALITY
When we talk of Personality, we don’t mean that the person has charm, a positive attitude towards life, a smiling face, or is a finalist for ‘Happiest and friendliest’ in this year’s Miss Mauritius contest!
A dynamic concept describing the growth and development of a person’s whole psychological system.
The sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others!

6. PERSONALITY DETERMINANTS
HEREDITY (role of research)
ENVIRONMENT (culture)
SITUATION
An adult’s personality is now generally considered to be made up of both hereditary and environmental factors moderated by situational conditions

7. PERSONALITY TRAITS
Early work focused on popular characteristics such as shy, aggressive, submissive, lazy, loyal, timid etc. which revolve around enduring characteristics.
Personality traits are enduring characteristics that describe an individual’s behaviour and they are exhibited in a large number of situations.
Out of many traits identified, 16 were found to be steady and constant sources of behaviour

8. PERSONALITY TRAITS
MBTI-a personality test (100 question that asks people how they usually feel or act in particular situations) that taps four characteristics and classifies people into one of 16 Personality types.
Extrovert or Introvert (E or I)
Sensing or Intuitive (S or N)
Thinking or Feeling (T or F)
Perceiving or Judging (P or J)
These classifications are then combined into 16 personality types e.g. INTJ’s are visionaries.

9. PERSONALITY TRAITS The Big Five Model
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Emotional Stability
Openness to Experience
Research on Big Five: link between Personality dimension and Job performance= Conscientiousness.
Extraversion predicts performance in managerial and sales Position

10. PERSONALITY ATTRIBUTES
Powerful predictors of behaviour in organizations.
Also what research reveals about the relationship between these attributes and Absenteeism/Job Satisfaction/ Job Involvement
Locus of Control
Machiavellianism
Self Esteem
Self Monitoring
Risk Taking
Type A Personality

11. LEARNING SHAPING: A MANAGERIAL TOOL
Systematically reinforcing each successive step that moves an individual closer to the desired response
Methods of shaping behaviour: 4 ways
Positive Reinforcement
Negative Reinforcement
Punishment
Extinction
SHEDULES OF REINFORCEMENT AND BEHAVIOUR

12. LEARNING and Specific Organizational Applications
Using lotteries to reduce Absenteeism
Well Pay vs. Sick Pay
Employee Discipline
Developing Training Programs
Creating Mentoring Programs
Self Management