Organizational Behavior

1. Organizational Behavior Module 4: Individual Personalities and Behaviors

2. Module Learning Outcomes Recognize the importance of valuing individuals' differences 4.1: Describe how individual personality and behavior impacts the typical contemporary work experience 4.2: Describe how the modern workplace can both homogenize/conform behavior, and encourage individuality and personal expression

3. Personality and Behavior in the Workplace

4. Learning Outcomes: Personality and Behavior in the Workplace 4.1: Describe how individual personality and behavior impacts the typical contemporary work experience 4.1.1: Examine personality traits 4.1.2: Discuss how personality traits can influence or predict behavior 4.1.3: Discuss situational influences on personality

5. Personality • The outer appearance and behavior of a person • Personality traits can change with time • Often the focus of business, to determine if a new hire fits in with culture, etc. • Examples of personality traits: • Outgoing • Funny • Quiet • Talkative

6. Character • A set of moral and mental qualities and beliefs, that makes a person different from others • Indicates the traits of a person which are hidden from sight • Requires knowing the individual for some time • Examples of character traits: • Loyalty • Honest • Kindliness

7. Personality Testing • Myers-Briggs • Extrovert vs. introvert • Sensing vs. intuition • Thinking vs. feeling • Judging vs. perceiving • The Big Five (OCEAN) • Openness • Conscientiousness • Extraversion • Agreeableness • Neuroticism

8. Class Activity: Introvert or Extrovert? As a class, determine whether an introvert or an extrovert would be most well suited for the following jobs. Discuss why, and why it might be important to do personality testing when hiring for these positions? • Sales associate • Librarian • Information Technology Professional • Financial Analyst • Nurse • Project Manager

9. Personality and Behavior • Personality influences behavior • Personality traits are on a spectrum, and the more extreme an individual is on that spectrum, the easier the behavior is to predict. • Observing behavior in different scenarios helps predict response

10. Situation Affects Behavior • Situations can influence an individual’s personality. • An individual’s personality paired with the situation can help to predict behavior.

11. Practice Question 1 What is the benefit of using personality tests in the workplace? • Personality traits in the workplace are irrelevant • Personality traits can be used when determining who to keep and who to let go • Personality traits can help us understand employees and create effective work groups • Personality traits can be used to create the perfect work environment

12. Practice Question 2 Using personality traits to predict behavior can be challenging because _________________. • only situations have been proven to predict behavior • there are varying degrees of personalities • there are a limited number of personality traits • they are never accurate

13. Practice Question 3 Which of the following statement is an accurate description of the severity in which situations influence personality? • Situations can temporarily or permanently change an individual’s personality • Situations have little to no impact on an individual’s personality • Situations influence personalities in the same way • The situation does not influence personality, instead personality influences the situation

14. Individuality and the Workplace

15. Learning Outcomes: Individuality and the Workplace 4.2: Describe how the modern workplace can both homogenize/ conform behavior, and encourage individuality and personal expression 4.2.1: Examine how individuality and conformity work together in the modern workplace 4.2.2: Describe how companies narrow the range of acceptable behavior 4.2.3: Describe the individualized management approach 4.2.4: Discuss the impact a technology driven workplace has on organizational behavior

16. Individuality vs. Conformity • Organizations support individuality to increase job satisfaction • Organizations command some conformity to ensure productivity and output • Management by Objective (SMART goals) • Competency models

17. Individualized Management • Individualized management includes Employees choosing their own hours Employees wearing what they want Encourage employees to develop their own brand Employs people from different cultures Employs people with different intellectual levels Employs people with different skills and interests

18. Technology in the Workplace • Communication • Workplace environments • Organization and efficiency • Accessibility

19. Practice Question 4 Which of the following helps companies to narrow the range of acceptable behavior through an open dialogue between employees and managers about goals? • S.M.A.R.T. Goals • The Development of Competency Models • Ethics Training • Management by Objective (MBO)

20. Practice Question 5 Which of the following statements does NOT explain why an individualized management approach promotes individuality? • Creating explicit company guidelines for all employees to abide by • Allowing employees to be themselves improves productivity • Giving employees more power to choose fosters a happy work environment • Hiring employees with varying intellect and expertise increases output

21. Quick Review • Personality and character are different, and businesses focus primarily on personality • Personality traits can, to a certain degree, assist in predicting workplace behavior • Situations can influence personality • Individuality is important to business, but organizations must strike a balance between individuality and conformity. They can do so, in part, with individualized management • Technology in the workplace impacts individuality and the means by which it is expressed