Organizational behavior - Chapter 2 -- Notes

Individual differences -- the ways in which people differ from one another
personality -- the pattern of relatively enduring ways that a person feels, thinks, and behaves
nature -- biological heritage, genetic makeup
nurture -- life experiences
attraction- selection- attrition (ASA) framework -- the idea that an organization attracts and selects individuals with similar personalities and loses individuals with other types of personalities
trait -- a specific component of personality

the big five personality profile
extraversion -- the tendency to experience positive emotional states and feel good about oneself in the world around them, also called positive affectivity
neuroticism -- the tendency to experience negative emotional states in the oneself in the world around one negatively, also called negative affectivity
agreeableness -- the tendency to get along well with others
conscientiousness -- the extent to which a person is careful, scrupulous, and preserving
openness to experience -- the extent to which a person is original, has broad interests, and is willing to take risks

Locus of control
external locus of control -- describes people who believe that fate, lot, or outside forces are responsible for happens to them
internal locus of control -- describes people who believe that ability, effort, or their own actions determine what happens to them

Self-monitoring -- the extent to which people try to control the way they present themselves to others
self-esteem -- the extent to which people have pride in themselves and their capabilities

Personality types
type a - a person who has an intense desire to achieve, is extremely competitive, it has a strong sense of urgency
type b - a person who tends to be easy-going and relaxed

Need for achievement -- the desire to perform challenging tasks well and to meet ones own high standards
need for affiliation -- the desire to establish and maintain good relations with others
need for power -- the desire to exert emotional and behavioral control or influence over other

How personality is measured
ability -- the mental or physical capacity to do something

cognitive abilities
verbal ability -- ability to understand and use written and spoken language
numerical ability -- ability to solve arithmetic problems and deal with numbers
reasoning ability -- ability to come up with solutions for problems and understand the principles by which different problems can be solved
deductive ability -- ability to reach of appropriate conclusions from an array of observations or evaluate the implications of a series of facts
ability to see relationships -- the ability to see how two things are related to each other and then apply this knowledge to other relationships and situations
ability to remember -- abilities to recall things ranging from simple associations to complex groups of statements or sentences
spatial ability -- ability to determine the location or arrangement of two objects in relation to one's own position and to imagine how an object would appear if its position in space were altered
perceptual -- ability to uncover visual patterns and see relationships within and across patterns

Physical ability
motor skills -- the ability to physically manipulate objects in an environment
physical skills -- a person's fitness and strength

Emotional intelligence -- the ability to understand and manage one's own feelings and emotions and the feelings and emotions and other people

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summary

The two main types of individual differences are personality differences and ability differences. Understanding the nature, determinants, and consequences of individual differences is essential for managing organizational behavior. Because people differ so much from each other, an appreciation of the nature of individual differences is necessary to understand why people act the way they do in organizations.

Personality is the pattern of relatively enduring ways that a person feels, things, and behaves. Personality is determined both by nature (biological heritage) and nurture (situational factors). Organizational outcomes that have been shown to be predicted by personality include job satisfaction, work stress, and leadership effectiveness. Personality is not a useful predictor of organizational outcomes when there are strong situational constraints. Because personality tends to be stable over time, managers should not expect to change personality in the short run. Managers should except employees personalities as they are and develop effective ways to deal with people.

Feelings, thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors in an organization are determined by the interaction of personality and the situation.

The big five personality traits are extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. Other personality traits particularly relevant to organizational behavior include locus of control, self-monitoring, self-esteem, type a & type b personalities, and the needs for achievement, affiliation, and power.

In addition to possessing different personalities, employees also differ in their abilities, or what they are capable of doing. The two major types of ability are cognitive ability and physical ability.

Types of cognitive ability can be arranged in a hierarchy with General intelligence at the top. Specific types of cognitive abilities are verbal ability, numerical ability, reasoning ability, deductive ability, ability to see relationships, ability to remember, spatial ability, and perceptual ability.

There are two types of physical ability, motor skills and physical skills.

Both nature and nurture contribute to determining physical ability and cognitive ability. A third, recently identified, ability is emotional intelligence.

In organizations, ability can be measured by selecting individuals who have the abilities needed to compost tasks, placing employees in jobs that capitalize on their abilities, and training employees to enhance their ability levels.