Chapter 14 Effectively Managing Individual and Group Behavior

Chapter 14 Effectively Managing Individual and Group Behavior Pamela S. Lewis Stephen H. Goodman Patricia M. Fandt Slides Prepared by Bruce R. Barringer University of Central Florida © 2001 South-Western College Publishing

Learning Objectives Slide 1 of 3 1. Discuss why it is important for managers to understand individual differences. 2. Define personality and briefly explain four personality characteristics considered significant in the workplace. 3. Identify three perceptual biases. 4. Discuss the importance of understanding perceptual errors and how to reduce them. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -2

Learning Objectives Slide 2 of 3 5. Address the relationship between job satisfaction and performance. 6. Address the key elements in the definition of a team. 7. Comment on the various types of team member roles. 8. Identify the development phases of groups. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -3

Learning Objectives Slide 3 of 3 9. Explain how cohesiveness can impact a team.

Understanding Individual Behavior Employee Behavior Managerial Challenge An individual’s behavior will be determined to a great extent by several internal elements, such as attitudes, personalities, perceptions, and abilities. As a result, managers are challenged to understand recognize the importance of individual differences in their employees. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -5

Personality Characteristics Slide 1 of 7 • Personality – Personality is the enduring, organized, and distinctive pattern of behavior that describes an individual’s adaptation to a situation. – A number of personality traits have been convincingly linked to work behavior and performance. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -6

Personality Characteristics Slide 2 of 7 • Self-Esteem – The extent to which people believe they are capable, significant, successful, and worthwhile. – A positive self-esteem is credited with enhancing performance, increasing the likelihood of success, and fueling motivation. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -7

Personality Characteristics Slide 3 of 7 • Locus of Control – The extent to which individuals believe that they can control the environment and external events affecting them. • Internal locus of control – Believe that events are primarily the result of one’s own behavior. – As a result, these individuals tend to be more proactive and take more risks. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -8

Personality Characteristics Slide 4 of 7 • Locus of Control – External locus of control • Believe that much of what happens is controlled and determined by outside forces. • As a result, these individuals are more reactive to events and less able to rebound from stressful situations. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -9

Personality Characteristics Slide 5 of 7 • Type A and Type B Personalities – Type A Personality • Characterized by a sense of commitment, the tendency to set high standards and goals, a devotion to work, and a concern of time urgency. – Type B Personality • Characterized as easy-going, relaxed, and able to listen carefully and communicate more precisely than Type A individual. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -10

Personality Characteristics Slide 6 of 7 • Resilience – Resiliency is the ability to absorb high levels of disruptive change while displaying minimal dysfunctional behavior. – Not all individuals have high resiliency. However, resiliency skills can be increased through training. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -11

Personality Characteristics Slide 7 of 7 • Perception – The way people experience, process, define, and interpret the world around them. – Perceptions are influenced by an individual’s experiences, needs, personality, and education. – As a result, two individuals may view the same situation differently. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -12

The Perceptual Process Slide 1 of 2 • Stereotyping – The tendency to assign attributes to someone, not on individual characteristics, but solely on the basis of a category or group to which that person belongs. • Halo and Horn Effect – The process in which we evaluate and form an overall impression of an individual based solely on a specific trait or dimension. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -13

The Perceptual Process Slide 2 of 2 • Selective Perception – The tendency to screen out information with which we aren’t comfortable or do not consider relevant. • Reducing Perceptual Errors – Perceptual errors can reduce the quality of managerial decisions. – Simple knowledge of perceptual errors is the first step in avoiding such mistakes. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -14

Attitudes Slide 1 of 3 • Attitudes – Relatively lasting beliefs, feelings, and behavioral tendencies held by a person about specific objects, events, groups, issues, or persons. – Attitudes result from a person’s background, personality, and life experiences. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -15

Attitudes Slide 2 of 3 • Most Commonly Studied Work Attitude – Job satisfaction • The degree to which individuals feel positively or negatively about their jobs. • The best-known scale that measures job satisfaction is the Job Descriptive Index (JDI). © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -16

Attitudes Slide 3 of 3 • Relationship Between Job Satisfaction and Performance – Managers should not assume a simple causeand-effect relationship between job satisfaction and performance. – The relationship between job satisfaction and performance in any particular situation will depend on a complex set of variables. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -17

Ability • Ability – Defined as an existing capacity to perform various tasks needed in a given situation. – Ability may be classified as mental, mechanical, and psychomotor. – In the organizational setting, ability and effort are key determinants of employee behavior and performance. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -18

Key Inputs for Designing Effective Teams • Difference Between a Group and a Team – Group • A group is normally defined as two or more individuals who interact with one another. – Team • A group of interdependent individuals with shared commitments to accomplish a common goal or purpose. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -19

Critical Elements for Effective Teams Interdependent relationship Interaction Team Common purpose © 2001 South-Western

Group Categories • Formal Groups – Deliberately created to accomplish goals and serve the needs of the organization. • Informal Groups – Self-created groups that evolve out of the formal organization based on proximity, common interests, or needs of individuals. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -21

Membership Composition • Team Composition – The mixture of individual inputs and skills included in the team. – Roles • Task-oriented roles focus on behaviors directly related to accomplishing the goals of the group. • Relationship-oriented roles include behaviors that cultivate the well-being, continuity, and development of the group. • Self-oriented roles occur to meet some personal need or goal of an individual without regard for the group’s problems. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -22

Team Diversity Slide 1 of 2 • Homogeneous – A team is considered similar or homogeneous when it is composed of individuals having group-related characteristics, backgrounds, interests, values, and attitudes that are alike. • Heterogeneous – When the individuals are dissimilar with respect to group-related characteristics, backgrounds, interests, values, and attitudes, the group is diverse and is referred to as heterogeneous. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -23

Team Diversity Slide 2 of 2 • Does a Similar or Diverse Composition Lead to a More Effective Team? – For tasks that are standard and routine, a homogeneous group functions more quickly. – For tasks that are nonroutine and require diverse skills, a heterogeneous group yields better results. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -24

Other Issues Pertaining to Teams Slide 1 of 2 • Group Size – Effective task groups can range from two members to a normal upper limit of sixteen. – As group size increases, more potential human resources are available to perform the work and accomplish needed tasks. – However, communication and coordination become more difficult as group size increases. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -25

Other Issues Pertaining to Teams Slide 2 of 2 • Team Goals – Another critical element for designing effective teams is team goals. – A goal provides a clear, engaging sense of direction and tells us what is going to be accomplished. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -26

Team Development Process Slide 1 of 4 • Forming Stage – Seeking basic information, defining goals, developing procedures, and making a preliminary evaluation of how the group might interact to accomplish goals. – Group development stage marked by apprehension. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -27

Team Development Process Slide 2 of 4 • Storming Stage – Group development stage that occurs as group members experience conflict with one another as they locate and attempt to resolve differences of opinion about key issues, relative priority of goals, and the task-related direction of the leader. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -28

Team Development Process Slide 3 of 4 • Norming Stage – During the norming stage, a real sense of cohesion and teamwork begin to emerge. – Group members feel good about each other and identify with the group. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -29

Team Development Process Slide 4 of 4 • Performing Stage – The group is fully functional and has learned to solve complex problems and implement the solutions. – Cohesion has progressed to the point of collaboration. • Adjourning – Involves the termination of task behaviors and disengagement from relationship-oriented behavior. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Transparency 14 -30

Managerial Implications Successful teams have specific, well-defined goals, develop interdependent and collaborative relationships, share leadership, provide feedback, recognize the reward performance. © 2001 South-Western Publishing Is there a secret to creating this type of team? No. As a manager, you must create the environment for the development and nurturing of successful teams. Transparency 14 -31