Unit 2: Managing Individuals, Personalities, and Motivation
Organizational behavior focuses on how individuals interact within a firm. As you know, different incentives motivate and influence individuals; some people strive for success or social status, others like to keep busy, and others are focused on simply making money. These are significant differences to consider if you are at the helm of a business, as they may influence how you motivate your workforce.
This unit will explore individual personalities and what inspires people to want to succeed in the workplace. You will learn the tools used to identify these traits and recognize that certain traits, such as the ability to handle stress, are more desirable than others in a work setting. Note that different organizations will value traits differently. For example, perhaps your organization values a sense of humor more! Knowing these traits and how to identify them in people will greatly enhance the success of a business.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 15 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- discuss how work environment affects workplace behavior, such as an employee's attitudes and perceptions;
- assess your own personality characteristics and motivation through a series of surveys;
- correlate the effects of motivation on performance and apply motivational theories to increase an employee's motivation; and
- interpret and explain the various components of job design.
2.1: Individuals
We are now moving on to the topic of understanding people in the workplace. This article will introduce you to the differences you will see in the workplace and help you understand these differences better. You'll also read about the concept of perception, which we will cover more in-depth in the next unit.
Complete this OCEAN or Big 5 Personality Trait survey. Reflect on your categorical scores and see where your workplace strengths fall and how you can improve upon your weaknesses.
2.2: Attitudes
The chapter goes into greater detail on how attitudes affect work behaviors. As you read, focus on understanding cross-cultural differences in job attitudes and behaviors at work.
Complete this Open Enneagram of Personality Scales Test. Reflect on your personality and see where your workplace strengths fall and how you can improve upon your weaknesses.
Complete the module by reading the mateterials and pay close attention to the identifiers for a high EQ. Make a two columns labeled strengths and weaknesses and write down each character trait in the appropriate column. After reviewing your results, see where your workplace strengths fall and how you can improve upon your weaknesses.
Stress and emotions are two critical elements that influence a person's perception. As you read this chapter, also think about the role that emotions play in behavior. We will then introduce you to the concept of emotional intelligence. Pay particular attention to the concepts of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. How do these concepts relate to individual performance? The chapter concludes with a discussion on the role of national culture on stress.
Review this presentation. As you read, think about your own experiences in dealing with emotion and burnout in the workplace. What role does emotion play in contemporary organizations? How has this changed over the past 100 years? What factors may have contributed to this? How do the physical and mental environments of workers affect them?
2.3: Employee Job Performance
This article tells us that absence behavior is influenced by many factors related to the workplace and the employee. As you read this article, think about how motivation can impact an employee's work attendance.
Think about your experiences in dealing with turnover in the workplace. What are the factors that lead to turnover? How might a manager minimize turnover in the workplace? As you review this presentation, note the steps you can take to address this concern in your work environment.
2.4: Motivation
This article will introduce you to the basic needs of employees in the workplace. As you read, concentrate on the role of motivation in determining employee performance. Think back to our discussion on equity theory. How are fairness perceptions determined, and what are the consequences of these perceptions? You will also read about motivational theories and how you can use these theories to improve motivation in your workplace.
Complete the test. Reflect on your motivational needs according to McClelland's Theory.
This chapter will expose you to the history of various job design approaches. As you read this chapter, consider how you may increase the motivating potential of a job.
Watch this video. Reflect on your own intrinsic and extrinsic motivators and how you can help motivate others.
Unit 2 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.