Understanding People at Work

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.

Understanding People at Work: Individual Differences and Perception

Learning Objectives


After reading this chapter, 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 cross-cultural influences on individual differences and perception.


Individuals bring a number of differences to work, such as unique personalities, values, emotions, and moods. When new employees enter organizations, their stable or transient characteristics affect how they behave and perform. Moreover, companies hire people with the expectation that those individuals have certain skills, abilities, personalities, and values. Therefore, it is important to understand individual characteristics that matter for employee behaviors at work.

Source: Saylor Academy, https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_organizational-behavior-v1.1/s07-understanding-people-at-work-i.html
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