BM 003

1 HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATION

CHAPTER 2- INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES, MENTAL ABILITY AND PERSONALITY

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: In this chapter we will attempt to provide some important clues on individual
differences, mental ability and personality.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Asses the consequences of individual differences

Differentiate the key reasons why people are different from each other: Demographic diversity,
Aptitude and ability ,Personality
Evaluate the various components of the various theories of intelligence
Correlate the personality factors and traits of individuals that can influence an organization
Differentiate the five components of emotional intelligence
Develop mutual respect and openness in learning the individual differences, mental ability and
personality of a person

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

- Refer to the variation in how people respond to the same situation based on personal
characteristics.
- Note: The idea is that each person is different from all others and these differences are usually
substantial rather than meaningless

CONSEQUENCES OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

1. People differ in productivity

- Productivity refers to the rate of output per worker
- It cannot be expected that everyone will sell the same number of units in for a given period
2. People differ in the quality of their work
- Efficient vs effective worker in terms of quality of work
3. People react differently to empowerment
- Empowerment means giving someone the power to do something
4. People react differently to any style of leadership
- Leadership styles
5. People differ in terms of need for contact with other people
- Introvert vs extrovert when it comes to working PREPARED BY: RMJ HERMOSURA
6. People differ in terms of commitment to the organization
- Highly committed organization tend to produce high quality output
- Less committed are less concerned
7. People differ in terms of level of self- esteem
- Low self-esteem tend to less productive avoid accepting more responsibilities and also they
think their abilities doesnt match the requirements of the job
- Great inventions work and discovered by people with high- self- esteem

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2 HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATION
CHAPTER 2- INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES, MENTAL ABILITY AND PERSONALITY

WHAT MAKES PEOPLE DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER

1. DEMOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY
The sources of demographic diversity include the following:
a. GENDER DIFFERENCES
- Men and women are not different along the following concerns:
A.1 problem solving abilities
A.2 analytical skills
A.3 competitive drive
A.4 motivation
A.5 learning ability
A.6 sociability
b. GENERATIONAL AND AGE- BASED DIFFERENCES
- Changes in values over generations
c. CULTURE
Culture refers to the learned and shared ways of thinking and acting among group of
people or society

Culture two dimensions specifically, these are classified as follows:

a. Social culture- refers to social environment of human- created beliefs, customs, knowledge and
practices that define conventional behavior in as society
b. Organizational culture- set of values, beliefs and norms that is shared among members of an
organization
2. APTITUDE AND ABILITY
Aptitude refers to the capacity of a person to learn or acquire skills.
Ability refers to an individuals capacity to perform the various tasks in job

Aptitude and ability are very important considerations when people are considered for EMPLOYMENT
in organization.

Person overall abilities are made up of two sets of factors: PHYSICAL AND MENTAL

THEORIES OF INTELLIGENCE

A. DIMENSIONS OF INTELLECTUAL ABILITY PREPARED BY: RMJ HERMOSURA

a. COGNITIVE INTELLIGENCE
- Acquire and apply knowledge
b. SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE
- Relate with others
c. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
- Understanding ones own feelings, and empathy for others
d. CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE
- Outsiders ability to interpret someone unfamiliar and ambiguous behavior
B. THE TRIARCHIC THEORY OF INTELLIGENCE
- By ROBERT STERNBERG

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3 HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATION
CHAPTER 2- INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES, MENTAL ABILITY AND PERSONALITY

- There three important parts of intelligence namely:

a. COMPONENTIAL INTELLIGENCE
- Analytical intelligence involves components used in thinking
- Traditional type of intelligence that is use in solving problems with abstract reasoning
b. EXPERIENTIAL INTELLIGENCE
- Creative intelligence
- Type of intelligence that is required for imagination and combining things in novel ways
c. CONTEXTUAL INTELLIGENCE
- Practical intelligence
- Everyday intelligence or street smarts
- Requires adapting to , selecting and shaping our real- world environment
C. THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
-By Howard Gardner
-He proposes eight different components of intelligence which the individual possesses in
varying degrees
3. PERSONALITY
Refers to the sum of total ways which an individual react and interacts with other

DETERMINANTS OF PERSONALITY

1. HEREDITARY
2. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: Cultural, Social and Situational Factors
3. PERSONALITY FACTORS AND TRAITS
a. Emotional stability
b. Extraversion
c. Openness to experience
d. Agreeableness
e. Conscientiousness
f. Self- monitoring behavior
g. Risk taking and thrill seeking
h. Optimism

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

- Managing ones emotions especially in the workplace

- EQ was introduced by Daniel Goleman PREPARED BY: RMJ HERMOSURA
- EQ refers to the ability of the person to accurately perceive, evaluate and regulate emotions and
feelings

COMPONENTS OF PHYSICAL ABILITY

1. SELF REGULATION
2. MOTIVATION
3. EMPATHY
4. SELF-WARENESS
5. SOCIAL SKILLS