Managing Individual Differences Behavior Supervising People as People

Managing Individual Differences & Behavior Supervising People as People

n First law of human behavior: n “People are different. What one person considers a golden opportunity another considers a threat. ”

Perception n n Process of interpreting and understanding one’s environment Individuals organize and interpret information from their environments using perceptual filters n n personality, psychology, experience, preferences, beliefs-based differences Objective vs. perceived realities

Types of Recognition Frequency with Which Supervisors Say They Give Various Types of Recognition for Good Performance Frequency with Which Subordinates Say Supervisors Give Various Types of Recognition for Good Performance Gives Privileges 52% 14% Gives more responsibility 48% 10% Pat on the Back 82% 13% Sincere and Thorough Praise 80% 14% Trains for Better Jobs 64% 9% Gives more Interesting Work 51% 3%

Perception n n People perceive the world uniquely Differences in perceptions can cause problems n n n Communication Conflict Motivation Judgment Decision Making

Object Perception

Social Perception How we gather information about the social world--about peoples’ behavior, moods, motives, and traits Similar to object perception, but n People are more dynamic than objects n We’re trying to figure out intentions, motives, and causes of behavior

Causal Attribution Why did they do that? n internal causes traits n skills n abilities n n external causes n situational constraints

Errors/Biases in Social Perception n Fundamental Attribution Error n n n The tendency to attribute others' bad performance to internal causes & Attribute their good performance to external causes Self-serving bias n n attribute successes to ourselves - internal attribute failures to the environment – external

Distortions in Perception n Review PA n n Selective perception n n Halo, contrast, Primacy/recency etc. filter out information that is discomforting, that seems irrelevant, or that contradicts one’s beliefs or expectations Closure n n tendency to fill in the gaps when information is missing Assume what we don’t know is consistent with what we do know

Distortions in Perception n Stereotyping n n tendency to attribute to an individual the characteristics one believes are typical of the group to which that individual belongs Sex-role, age, race/ethnicity

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy n Self-Fulfilling prophecy n n the phenomenon in which people’s expectations of themselves or others lead them to behave in ways that make those expectations come true Also called the Pygmalion effect

Perception Implications n Increase the accuracy of your own perceptions. n Conscious information processing n Ask yourself about the bias n Reality testing—Check your assumptions n n Ask questions (and let them answer) Look for information that disconfirms your beliefs 360 feedback Know your people

Perception Implications n Leaders must be attuned to: n n n The perceived realities and attributions of their team The fact that perceived and objective realities may not mesh The idea that people respond to the perceived reality Managers must eliminate differences between employees’ perceived and objective reality. Have high (yet realistic) expectations

Personality n n Relatively stable, unique set of traits and attributes that give a person his/her identity and determine his/her preferences and behavior. Why consider personality?

THE “BIG FIVE” (CANOE): Conscientiousness The degree to which a person is dependable, responsible, thorough, perseverant v Most consistent personality predictor of performance v Also predicts lack of problem behavior v

THE “BIG FIVE”: Agreeableness The extent to which a person is polite, good natured, flexible, cooperative, trusting. v May predict job performance in jobs… v

THE “BIG FIVE”: Neuroticism (Emotional Stability) The degree to which a person is anxious, depressed, moody, emotionally unstable, temperamental. v May predict job performance in what type of jobs? v v

THE “BIG FIVE”: Openness The degree to which a person is imaginative, curious, flexible, open to change. v May predict job performance where? v v v

THE “BIG FIVE”: Extraversion The degree to which a person is sociable, talkative, assertive, active, ambitious. v May predict job performance in what type of jobs? v

SELF-ESTEEM v v v How perceive themselves overall: abilities, competencies, and effectiveness High self esteem is related to higher performance, commitment, loyalty, and longevity. What can managers do to foster high self esteem?

SELF-EFFICACY n n Belief in one’s ability to do a task Learned helplessness

FOSTERING SELF-ESTEEM & Self EFFICACY v v v

LOCUS OF CONTROL v How much people believe they control their fate through their own efforts. v v v Why is locus of control important? v v v Internal External Response to supervision and structure? Satisfaction? Performance? Incentive Systems? How might a manager influence employees’ locus of control?

LOCUS OF CONTROL v v v

Emotional Intelligence n Ability to detect, express, and manage emotion in oneself and others. Other Self (Social Competence) (Personal Competence) Recognition of emotions Self Awareness Regulation of emotions Self-Management Social Awareness (Empathy) Relationship Management (Social Skills)

Emotional Intelligence n n n Some suggest that EI is the best predictor of work success It’s “learnable” It’s related to communication, motivation (self and others), effective leadership (Hendrie Weisinger, “Emotional Intelligence at Work” (Jossey-Bass, 1998).