2-Understand People at Work

Lecture
By
Asad Ur Rehman
Assistant Professor
asad.rehman@hamdard.edu.pk
Understanding People
at Work:
Individual Differences
and Perception
Hamdard University
Understand Personalities at Work

2
After this lecture you should be able to do the following:

1. Define personality and describe how it affects work
behaviors.
2. Understand the role of values in determining work
behaviors.
3. Explain the process of perception and how it affects
work behaviors.
4. Understand how individual differences affect ethics.
5. Understand cultural influences on individual
differences and perception.
Organizational Behaviour
Advice for Hiring Successful Employees:

The Case of Guy Kawasaki
3
Guy Kawasaki
(www.guykawasaki.com) who is a
Silicon Valley (San Jose-California)
venture capitalist and the author of
nine books.
Most individuals have
personalities that can easily get
in the way of their objective.

4
Good people hire people that

are better than themselves
He also believes that mediocre

employees hire less-talented employees
in order to feel better about themselves.
He believes that the role of a leader is to
produce more leaders, not to produce followers.

5
Some managers fear diversity and the

possible complexities that it brings, and
They make the mistake of hiring similar

individuals without any sort of differences.

6
Kawasaki has learned that mathematics and finance

are the easy part of any job.
He observes that the true challenge comes in trying to

effectively manage people.
Kawasaki regrets the choices he made in college,

saying, I should have taken organizational behavior
and social psychology to be better prepared for the
individual nuances of people.
The Role of Fit
The Role of Fit

8
While personality traits and other individual

differences are important, we need to keep in
mind that behavior is jointly determined by
the person and the situation.
Certain situations bring out the best in

people, and someone who is a poor performer
in one job may turn into a star employee in a
different job.
The Role of Fit

9
Imagine that you are interviewing an employee who is

Proactive, and creative,
Willing to take risks
Outgoing personality
Would this person be a good job candidate?

What behaviors would you expect this person to
demonstrate?
Question above is misleading. While human beings
bring their traits to work, every organization is different,
and every job within the organization is also different
The Role of Fit

10
Someone who is proactive and creative may be a

great fit for a . .
Company in the high-tech sector that would benefit
from risk-taking individuals
May be a poor fit for a company that rewards routine
and predictable behavior, such as accountants.
Similarly, this person may be a great fit

for a job such as a scientist
but a poor fit for a routine office job
The Role of Fit

11
Person-organization fit
refers to the degree to

which a persons
Person-job fit
Skill (technical)
Knowledge
Abilities, and
Values
Personality
Goals, and
other characteristics
match those of the
organization.
Example: Very social,
good communicator
is the degree to which a

persons
other characteristics match

the job demands.
Example: know the

technology of electronics
Engg.
The Role of Fit

12
The first thing many recruiters look at is the

personjob fit (technical skills).
Companies are often also interested in hiring

candidates who will fit into the company culture.
When people fit into their organization,
they tend to be more satisfied with their jobs

more committed to their companies
more influential in their company
they actually remain longer in their company
The Role of Fit

13
Example:
People who have worked in multiple companies
tend to understand the impact of a companys
culture better, and therefore they pay more
attention to whether they will fit in with the
company when making their decisions.
14
Values and Personality
Values
15
Values refer to . .
Stable life goals that people have,
Reflecting what is most important to them
Family, job or religion etc
Values are established throughout ones life as a result of the

accumulating life experiences and tend to be relatively stable.
Example: somebody living is society where individual observe

Telling lie is very common (will he be honest ?)
Not following traffic rules is normal
Cheating in exam is NOT a crime
Individual will have different value than somebody living society

where
Telling lie is crime
Breaking traffic rules is major offense
Values
16
The values that are important to people tend to

affect
Types of decisions they make
How they perceive their environment
and their actual behaviors
Moreover, people are more likely to accept job

offers when the company possesses the values
people care about.
Heard about the Book Built to Last: Successful Habits

of Visionary Companies written by Jim Collins ?
What are the values people care about?

17
Terminal Values
refer to end states people

desire in life,
Such as leading a exciting life

Family Security
Self respect
Inner harmony
a world at peace
Instrumental Values
deal with views on

acceptable modes of
conduct,
such as being honest

Ethical,
Being ambitious
Broad minded
Forgiving
Where do values come from?

18
Research indicates that they are shaped early in life and

show stability over the course of a lifetime.
Early family experiences are important influences over the

dominant values.
People who were raised in families with low socioeconomic

status and those who experienced restrictive parenting
often display conformity values when they are adults.
While those who were raised by parents who were cold

toward their children would likely value and desire security.
Personality
19
Personality encompasses the relatively stable feelings,

thoughts, and behavioral patterns a person has.
Our personality differentiates us from other people, and

understanding someones personality gives us clues about
how that person is likely to act and feel in a variety of
situations.
In order to effectively manage organizational behavior, an

understanding of different employees personalities is
helpful.
Having this knowledge is also useful for placing people in

jobs and organizations.
Personality
20
If personality is stable, does this mean that it does not

change?
You probably remember how you have changed and

evolved as a result of your own life experiences,
Attention you received in early childhood

The style of parenting you were exposed to
Successes and failures you had in high school
and other life events.
In fact, our personality changes over long periods of

time.
Personality
21
Two most popular ways to study personality

Big Five Personality traits
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Big Five Personality Traits

22
Trait
Description
Openness
Person is being curious, original, intellectual,

creative, and open to new ideas.
Conscientiousness
Person is being organized, systematic, punctual,

achievement oriented, and dependable.
Extraversion
Person is being outgoing, talkative, and sociable,

and enjoys being in social situations.
Agreeableness
Person is being nice, tolerant, sensitive, trusting,

kind, and warm.
Neuroticism
Person is being anxious, irritable, aggressive,

temperamental, and moody.
(or emotionality)
Openness
23
Openness is the degree to which a person is curious,

original, intellectual, creative, and open to new ideas.
People high in openness seem to thrive in situations

that require being flexible and learning new things.
They are highly motivated to learn new skills
They do well in training settings
Open people are highly adaptable to change
Teams that experience unforeseen changes in their tasks
do well if they are populated with people high in
openness
Conscientiousness
24
Conscientiousness refers to the degree to which a person is

organized, systematic, punctual, achievement oriented, and
dependable.
Conscientious people have higher levels of motivation to

perform
Lower levels of turnover,
Lower levels of absenteeism
Higher levels of safety performance at work
It seems that conscientiousness is a good trait to have for

entrepreneurs.
Highly conscientious people are more likely to start their

own business.
Extraversion
25
Extraversion is the degree to which a person is outgoing, talkative,

and sociable, and enjoys being in social situations.
One of the established findings is that they tend to be effective in
jobs involving sales.
They tend to be effective managers and they demonstrate

inspirational leadership behaviors.
Extraverts do well in social situations. Part of their success comes

from how they prepare for the job interview.
They actively seek information and feedback, and build effective

relationships, which helps with their adjustment.
Agreeableness
26
Agreeableness is the degree to which a person is nice, tolerant, sensitive,

trusting, kind, and warm. Agreeableness are likeable people who get along
with others.
Agreeable people help others at work consistently, and this helping

behavior is not dependent on being in a good mood.
This may reflect their ability to show empathy and give people the benefit
of the doubt.
Agreeable people may be a valuable addition to their teams and may be

effective leaders because they create a fair environment when they are in
leadership positions.
Not agreeable are shown to quit their jobs unexpectedly, perhaps in

response to a conflict they engage with a boss or a peer.
Neuroticism
27
Neuroticism refers to the degree to which a person is anxious, irritable,

aggressive, temperamental, and moody.
These people have a tendency to have emotional problems and experience

stress and depression on a habitual basis.
People very high in neuroticism experience a number of problems at work.
For example, they are less likely to be someone people go to for advice and
friendship.
They may experience relationship difficulties.

They tend to be habitually unhappy in their jobs and report high intentions
to leave, but they do not necessarily actually leave their jobs.
If they achieve managerial jobs, they tend to create an unfair climate at
work.

28
Unlike the Big Five, which assesses traits, MBTI measures

types. MBTI on the other hand, classifies people as one of
16 types.
MBTI was developed in 1943 by a motherdaughter team,

Isabel Myers and Katherine Cook Briggs.
Its objective at the time was to aid World War II veterans

in identifying the occupation that would suit their
personalities.

29
Favorite world: Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or on your own
inner world?
Extraversion (E) : Those who drive energy from other people and objects.
Introversion (I): Those who drive energy from inside
Information: Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in

or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning?
Sensing (S): Those who reply on their 5 sense.
Intuition (N): Those who reply on their intuitions & hunches
Decisions: When making decisions, do you prefer to first look at logic and
consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances?
Thinking (T): Those who use their logic.
Feeling (F): Those who use their values & ideas
Structure: In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things
decided or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options?
Judging (J)
Perceiving (P)
30

31
www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

32
33
Positive and Negative Affectivity

34
You may have noticed that behavior is also a function

of moods.
When people are in a good mood,

they may be more cooperative
smile more,
and act friendly
When these same people are in a bad mood,

they may have a tendency to be picky
Irritable
Less tolerant of different opinions

35
Positive affective people experience positive moods more

frequently, whereas negative affective people experience
negative moods with greater frequency.
Negative affective people focus on the glass half empty

and experience more anxiety and nervousness.
When a team comprises mostly negative affective people,

there tend to be fewer instances of helping and
cooperation.
When people with a lot of power are also high in positive

affectivity, the work environment is affected in a positive
manner and can lead to greater levels of cooperation and
finding mutually agreeable solutions to problems.
OB Toolbox: I work with a negative person

36
Understand that you are unlikely to change

someone elses personality:
Personality is relatively stable and criticizing
someones personality will not bring about change.
If the behavior is truly disruptive, focus on behavior,
not personality.
Keep an open mind:

Just because a person is constantly negative does not
mean that they are not sometimes right.
Listen to the feedback they are giving you.
OB Toolbox: I work with a negative person

37
Set a time limit: If you are dealing with someone who

constantly complains about things, you may want to limit
these conversations to prevent them from consuming your
time at work.
You may also empower them to act on the negatives they

mention: The next time an overly negative individual
complains about something, ask that person to think of
ways to change the situation and get back to you.
Ask for specifics: If someone has a negative tone in

general, you may want to ask for specific examples for what
the problem is.
Self-Monitoring
38
Self-monitoring refers to the extent to which a person is

capable of monitoring his or her actions and appearance in
social situations.
People who are social monitors are social chameleons who

understand what the situation demands and act
accordingly, while low social monitors tend to act the way
they feel.
High social monitors are sensitive to the types of behaviors

the social environment expects from them.
Their greater ability to modify their behavior according to

the demands of the situation and to manage their
impressions effectively is a great advantage for them.
Self-Monitoring
39
In general, they tend to be more successful in their careers.
Second, high social monitors tend to experience higher

levels of stress, probably caused by behaving in ways that
conflict with their true feelings.
In situations that demand positive emotions, they may act

happy although they are not feeling happy, which puts an
emotional burden on them.
Finally, high social monitors tend to be less committed to

their companies.
Proactive Personality
40
Proactive personality refers to a persons inclination to fix

what is perceived as wrong, change the status quo, and use
initiative to solve problems.
Instead of waiting to be told what to do, proactive people

take action to initiate meaningful change and remove the
obstacles they face along the way.
In general, having a proactive personality has a number of

advantages for these people.
For example, they tend to be more successful in their job

searches.
Proactive Personality
41
They are also more successful over the course of their careers,
because they use initiative and acquire greater understanding of
the politics within the organization.
They adjust to their new jobs quickly because they understand the
political environment better and often make friends more quickly.
Proactive people are eager to learn and engage in many

developmental activities to improve their skills.
Research shows that the success of proactive people depends on

their understanding of a companys core values, their ability and
skills to perform their jobs, and their ability to assess situational
demands correctly.
Self-Esteem
42
Self-esteem is the degree to which a person has overall positive

feelings about his or herself.
People with high self-esteem view themselves in a positive light, are

confident, and respect themselves.
On the other hand, people with low self-esteem experience high

levels of self-doubt and question their self-worth.
High self-esteem is related to higher levels of satisfaction with ones

job and higher levels of performance on the job.
People with low self-esteem are attracted to situations in which

they will be relatively invisible, such as large companies.
Self-Esteem
43
Managing employees with low self-esteem may

be challenging at times, because negative
feedback given with the intention to improve
performance may be viewed as a judgment on
their worth as an employee.
Therefore, effectively managing employees with

relatively low self-esteem requires tact and
providing lots of positive feedback when
discussing performance incidents.
Self-Efficacy
44
Self-efficacy is a belief that one can perform a specific task

successfully. Research shows that the belief that we can do
something is a good predictor of whether we can actually do it.
Self-efficacy is different from other personality traits in that it is job

specific.
You may have high self-efficacy in being successful academically, but

low self-efficacy in relation to your ability to fix your car.
At the same time, people have a certain level of generalized selfefficacy and they have the belief that whatever task or hobby they
tackle, they are likely to be successful in it.
Self-Efficacy
45
Is there a way of increasing employees self-efficacy?
Hiring people who are capable of performing their tasks and

training people to increase their self-efficacy may be effective.
Some people may also respond well to verbal encouragement. By

showing that you believe they can be successful and effectively
playing the role of a cheerleader, you may be able to increase selfefficacy.
Giving people opportunities to test their skills so that they can see
what they are capable of doing (or empowering them) is also a
good way of increasing self-efficacy.
OB Toolbox: Ways to build your Self-Confidence

46
Take a self-inventory: What are the areas in which you lack

confidence? Then consciously tackle these areas. Take part
in training programs; seek opportunities to practice these
skills. Confront your fears head-on.
Set manageable goals: Success in challenging goals will

breed self-confidence, but do not make your goals
impossible to reach. If a task seems daunting, break it apart
and set mini goals.
Find a mentor. A mentor can point out areas in need of

improvement, provide accurate feedback, and point to
ways of improving yourself.
OB Toolbox: Ways to build your Self-Confidence

47
Dont judge yourself by your failures: Everyone fails, and the most
successful people have more failures in life. Instead of assessing
your self-worth by your failures, learn from mistakes and move on.
Until you can feel confident, be sure to act confident: Acting

confident will influence how others treat you, which will boost your
confidence level. Pay attention to how you talk and behave, and act
like someone who has high confidence.
Know when to ignore negative advice. If you receive negative

feedback from someone who is usually negative, try to ignore it.
Surrounding yourself with naysayers is not good for your selfesteem.
48
Perception
Perception
49
Perception may be defined as the process with which

individuals detect and interpret environmental stimuli.
What makes human perception so interesting is that

we do not solely respond to the stimuli in our
environment.
We go beyond the information that is present in our

environment, pay selective attention to some aspects
of the environment, and ignore other elements that
may be immediately apparent to other people.
Perception
50
Perception
51
Perception
52
That is all

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Lecture

Understand Personalities at Work

After this lecture you should be able to do the following:

Advice for Hiring Successful Employees:

Advice for Hiring Successful Employees:

Good people hire people that

He also believes that mediocre

Advice for Hiring Successful Employees:

Some managers fear diversity and the

They make the mistake of hiring similar

Advice for Hiring Successful Employees:

Kawasaki has learned that mathematics and finance

He observes that the true challenge comes in trying to

Kawasaki regrets the choices he made in college,

The Role of Fit

The Role of Fit

While personality traits and other individual

Certain situations bring out the best in

The Role of Fit

Imagine that you are interviewing an employee who is

Would this person be a good job candidate?

The Role of Fit

Someone who is proactive and creative may be a

Similarly, this person may be a great fit

The Role of Fit

refers to the degree to

is the degree to which a

other characteristics match

Example: know the

The Role of Fit

The first thing many recruiters look at is the

Companies are often also interested in hiring

When people fit into their organization,

they tend to be more satisfied with their jobs

The Role of Fit

Values and Personality

Values are established throughout ones life as a result of the

Example: somebody living is society where individual observe

Individual will have different value than somebody living society

The values that are important to people tend to

Moreover, people are more likely to accept job

Heard about the Book Built to Last: Successful Habits

What are the values people care about?

refer to end states people

Such as leading a exciting life

deal with views on

such as being honest

Where do values come from?

Research indicates that they are shaped early in life and

Early family experiences are important influences over the

People who were raised in families with low socioeconomic

While those who were raised by parents who were cold

Personality encompasses the relatively stable feelings,

Our personality differentiates us from other people, and

In order to effectively manage organizational behavior, an

Having this knowledge is also useful for placing people in

If personality is stable, does this mean that it does not

You probably remember how you have changed and

Attention you received in early childhood

In fact, our personality changes over long periods of

Two most popular ways to study personality

Big Five Personality Traits

Person is being curious, original, intellectual,

Person is being organized, systematic, punctual,