Unit 1: Individual Behavior
This unit concentrates on the individual in the organization. It explores individuals' attributes and characteristics, including personality, values, and perspectives. People bring different perspectives to the organization, and managers need to know how they fit into the organization and job. We will also explore how people make decisions and examine new paradigms for decision-making.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 6 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- classify individual attributes (such as values, personality, and individual perspectives) that people bring into the workplace;
- describe how an individual's attributes affect their work behavior;
- explain how person-job fit and person-organization fit affect work behaviors and job satisfaction; and
- compare decision-making models (rational, intuitive, creative, or using the P-O-L-C framework) for individual and organizational decision-making.
1.1: Attitude and Attributes
In learning how to manage people in an organization, we consider the attributes and characteristics of the individual people who are a part of the organization. Every unit in an organization is comprised of individuals. While we do not need to be psychiatrists to be good managers and leaders, we need to understand what attributes and attitudes individuals bring to the organization. This section will illustrate that when we know an individual's character, we can better use their strengths in the organization and help them succeed in the workplace.
It is impossible to lead or manage people if we do not understand human relations, including psychology and sociology. This resource explores personality and attitude, individual perception, self-esteem and self-confidence, emotional intelligence, goal setting, and the effects of different types of stress. As you read, consider people you have worked with and yourself in the workplace. Try to identify individual factors that you recognize. Think of ways to work with people with some of the attributes you read about. There are also some links to a personality test you may take for your knowledge.
This chapter explains the difference between work attitudes and work behaviors. Our attitudes toward our job and careers affect our workplace behavior. We hear and read about having a positive attitude, but as managers and leaders, we need to know how to create an environment that fosters the attitudes and behaviors we want people to have. This text helps us understand how people's personalities and fit with their work environment affect their performance and commitment to the organization.
- You may have heard the old saying "perception is reality", and to each of us, it is true. Our reactions to the world are based on our perceptions of what the world is. Sometimes our perceptions are a true reflection of what is happening outside of us, but we have all known people who have a perception that is incorrect despite their convictions. Each of us "sees" or perceives information differently, and we select, screen, organize, and interpret stimuli differently. This resource will help you understand how our perceptions and reactions affect those around us. That understanding can help us change our behaviors as managers and leaders. The concepts of job satisfaction and interpreting the causes of behavior are introduced.
Watch this video to learn tools and tips from a well-known company for managers, which help create a supportive environment where people feel empowered to achieve their greatest success.
1.2: Workplace Behavior
Managers and leaders need to be observant of employee behaviors in the workplace. It may not always be possible to know what someone's characteristics are, but it becomes easier to figure out by observing their behaviors. We may not be able to change someone, but we have to address their behaviors at work. Negative behaviors such as consistently being late, failing to meet deadlines, or spreading rumors will reduce workplace productivity. This section illustrates that when employees exhibit positive behaviors, such as respecting their colleagues, the work environment is collaborative.
As managers and leaders, we must consider positive and negative work behaviors and develop tactics to achieve organizational goals. This resource discusses job performance, organizational citizenship, absenteeism, and turnover. The text also explains how the organization treats people and affects work behaviors.
Student perspectives on workplace behavior are examined in this video. Students discuss workplace behaviors they have experienced and how they can change their behaviors. They also explore what professionalism is. As you watch the video, consider how this might help managers when they interact with employees. Also, think about whether you agree with the student's observations.
This article describes work behaviors that affect job performance, organizational citizenship, absenteeism, and turnover. You will explore the factors that negatively affect work behaviors and predictors of positive behaviors.
This video explores professionalism as individual behavior. Think about the behaviors you exhibit in the workplace and try to think about them in the same terms as your manager. As you learn about these behaviors, keep them in mind, as the next video will be the employers' point of view.
Watch this video for perspectives from several employers as they consider the professional behaviors they expect from their employees. Consider these professional behaviors when you enter the workplace to ensure that you present the best side of your behaviors to your manager and colleagues.
1.3: Job Satisfaction
Managers need to know what factors make people satisfied in their job roles. Higher job satisfaction leads to higher productivity, increased profits, lower turnover, and employee loyalty. In the first part of this unit, we examine the studies conducted from an organizational perspective. In other words, the studies examined what external factors impact employee satisfaction. Later in the unit, we will consider employees' perspectives on what gives them job satisfaction.
This text introduces the early research of Frederick Herzberg, who studied job satisfaction in the late 1950s. While related to research on employee motivation, Herzberg was more focused on what factors are a source of job satisfaction. Interestingly, Herzberg found that dissatisfaction is not the opposite of job satisfaction. Rather, employees might not be inclined to do their best job if they worked at jobs with few satisfiers. As you go through the resources and videos, you will notice some of them look at the issues from the organization's perspective, and others look at them from the perspective of individuals or management.
Watch this video to see how the company's leaders and managers affect employees' satisfaction in their job roles. Employees seek trust, fairness, being truly listened to, and respect. When these factors are present, employees are more satisfied in their jobs. That satisfaction can translate into increased productivity and profitability for the company.
Read this study on the influence of compensation on job satisfaction in Indonesia. One thing that we need to remember is that different cultures may be satisfied by different job factors. Furthermore, we also need to consider that different types of jobs or working conditions may change the factors that affect job satisfaction. For example, a factory or a restaurant setting may give rise to different job satisfiers than a more professional office setting such as a bank.
Research has focused on employees as if they were a homogenous workforce with similar desires, needs, and capabilities. While this approach may have been adequate when the first studies on job satisfaction were conducted, researchers now recognize that we should consider more criteria in professional business management. This study examines the factors contributing to job satisfaction among different generations of workers. The authors identified four indicators of professional job satisfaction: working conditions, sense of self-worth, the possibility of development, and relations with other employees.
1.4: Person-Job Fit
The concept of person-job fit involves identifying the competencies someone needs to fill a specific job role and then finding the person who has those competencies. Leaders and managers need to integrate the organization's needs with the individuals' abilities so that both can become the best they can be. Ensuring that the job fit is correct for each individual in the organization will mean that the organization can be more efficient. People waste time and effort trying to perform job functions that do not suit their capabilities.
- Earlier, you discovered that job commitment affects employee innovation. A problem that employers may face is high employee turnover. When employees leave the firm, efficiency is lost, and employee morale drops. This study considers how employee engagement is impacted by person-job (P-J) fit and person-organization (P-O) fit. As you read, you will learn how you can align the values and goals of the employer and employee.
This resource examines how employee and environmental characteristics should match in a multicultural workplace. For example, when looking for someone to fill a construction position versus an office position, you will need to use different factors to judge the person's fit.
1.5: Person-Organization Fit
This section examines the relationship between the organization, its people, the organizational environment, and behavior within that environment. As you read, think about why managers and leaders need to understand the context of the work environment and how that factors into their relationships with employees.
- Studies have shown that businesses benefit from having employees from different cultures. This text examines the nature of culture and cultural diversity as it affects behavior in organizations. As read, consider how individual personalities can impact an organization's expressions of culture.
Read this case study to understand how having a positive relationship with an organization produces commitment to citizenship behavior in the organization. The research suggests that organizations should clearly explain their mission and goals so individuals can determine if they will fit with the organization.
Watch this video to review recent high-profile sports team employee termination and learn how to better assess a job candidate's potential ability to fit in a corporation's culture.
1.6: Factors in Job Satisfaction
As we continue to explore the individual and their role in the workplace, this section looks at the factors contributing to job satisfaction.
According to the interactionist perspective, behavior is a function of the person and the situation interacting with each other. Read this article to explore this concept, which will help you as a manager and leader to determine your actions and approach when hiring employees and making organizational decisions.
- This resource explores the work organizational psychologists have done to understand job satisfaction, different styles of management, different styles of leadership, organizational culture, and teamwork.
- This study explores the relationship between work characteristics, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational policies and procedures in the transition economy of Serbia. Consider how work characteristics in Serbia differ from those in developed countries like the United States. Studies such as this can help multinational companies manage workforces in other countries.
1.7: Decision-Making
Ultimately, the decisions that individuals, managers, and leaders make within an organization determine its success. The resources in this section explore traditional models for making decisions. After completing this section, reflect on the relationship between employee participation in decision-making and job satisfaction.
This article defines decision-making and lists ethical questions to ask yourself when making a critical decision. It also discusses different types of decisions, when to employ various decision-making approaches, and determining which decision-making process is appropriate for any given situation.
Read this text, which explores the effects of groupthink on the decision-making process. It includes a compare-and-contrast outline for individual decision-making and group decision-making. Pay attention to the pros and cons and the techniques associated with each. Why is groupthink an unhealthy habit for a manager or an organization?
This text considers the decision-making process and differentiates analyzing a problem from decision-making. It looks at the decision-making process from the perspective of achieving the organization's strategic goals. More than steps to follow, pay attention to managers' difficulties when trying to balance strategic objectives and select appropriate alternatives. This text also takes a different perspective on decision-making styles and proposes some approaches to decision-making when the future is uncertain. Finally, it explores the idea of avoiding decisions as a conscious choice.
1.8: Decision-Making in Dynamic Business Environments
Managers make decisions in an ever-changing business environment and often have to make them quickly. This section presents case studies that show evidence of poor decision-making.
- Making decisions as a manager usually involves the P-O-L-C Framework, where decisions are about Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling. This resource examines common themes in faulty decisions and decision-making traps.
Read this article for a slightly different perspective on making decisions within an organization. It looks at the different stakeholders that often have conflicting needs. Ethical decision-making is also explored.
In this video, one of the world's most successful hedge fund creators suggests that individuals should be encouraged to speak their minds, and even calling out the manager is fair game. Have you ever voiced a controversial opinion that contradicted your manager's?
Study Guide: Unit 1
We recommend reviewing this Study Guide before taking the Unit 1 Assessment.
Unit 1 Assessment
- Receive a grade
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.