Why is it important for a manager to understand the individual differences of each of the member of his team?

Each of Northwest Missouri State University's online MBA programs features a compelling course for all current and future managers. The Organizational Behavior in Administration course covers various behavioral concepts found in organizational settings with implications for management personnel. The course emphasizes the practical application of various topics such as teamwork, leadership, motivation, organizational change and development.

Why is this course considered essential to the development of leaders who work in a diverse array of managerial roles? Managers must understand why people behave as they do within organizations, by first appreciating the complex nature of individuals, and second, by being able to identify causes and effects of individual behaviors. The collective behaviors of individuals within an organization create an atmosphere that strongly influences business performance, for better or worse.

An organization benefits in five significant ways when managers have a strong foundation in organizational behavior:

1. Managers understand the organizational impacts of individual and group behaviors.
2. Managers are more effective in motivating their subordinates.
3. Relationships are better between management and employees.
4. Managers are able to predict and control employee behavior.
5. The organization is able to make optimally efficient use of human resources.

By studying the principles of organizational behavior, managers become adept at the following five key skills:

1. Identify and promote positive behaviors: "Prosocial" behaviors within an organization are those which benefit other individuals and the company as a whole. Leaders at every level of the organization need to be able to identify, promote and reward these behaviors -- and conversely, to discourage behaviors that lead to mistrust and other poor interpersonal dynamics between people who must work together.
2. Create a positive workplace culture: Individual "prosocial" behaviors do not necessarily occur naturally. New hires do not come into organizations with a mental makeup optimized for the success of their companies. They must first be incentivized, in part through rewards, recognition, perks and bonuses. The right incentives are the building blocks of a supportive and selfless workplace culture.
3. Motivate employees to exhibit "prosocial" behaviors: This discipline offers a set of motivational tools for managers to use, which takes into account individual differences between employees. Effectively, this skill is applied psychology and sociology for managers.
4. Identify the causes of "antisocial" behaviors: Toxic behaviors that can infect a department and spread throughout an organization may originate with individuals; they may come from the top down; or they may even be the result of external or internal influences. A manager with expertise in organizational behavior will be able to find the root causes of negative behaviors and develop plans to solve the identified problems.
5. Assess likely employee response before initiating organizational change: Predictive capabilities are among the most important for managers, and become even more important as leaders work their way up in the organizational structure. In order to determine the right strategies and implement them successfully, leaders at every level must be able to accurately anticipate how employees will react, and work to develop contingencies. The study of organizational behavior enables this predictive capability.

Often, when organizations go through inevitable slumps or downturns, they bring in experts in organizational behavior for guidance. This practice exemplifies the importance of learning the fundamental concepts in this discipline.

Learn more about Northwest Missouri State University's online MBA programs.

Sources:

Chron: Organizational Behavior Skills Needed by Managers

Management Notes: Importance of Organizational Behavior

Chron: How to Explain the Importance of Organizational Behaviors

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Diversity and inclusion are a major part of any organization’s success. The ability of an organization to recognize, value, and respect individuality, and furthermore, make use of the different perspectives made possible by embracing diversity, to encourage employees to participate in the opportunities and decision making activities in the organization, help foster a culture of inclusion in an organization. An organization that values inclusion and diversity has a better understanding of its customers thus enabling it to represent the community in which it does its business. Such an organization also can enhance its effectiveness in terms of organizations, and it can fully capitalize on the talents that the diverse workforce provides (Byrd and Scott 2014).

Individual differences in the workplace matter as each individual brings a number of differences to work, such as different values, uniqueness in personality, emotions, and moods. On the occasion a new employee enters an organization, their stable and transient characteristics will affect how this particular employee performs and behaves in the workplace. Additionally, companies hire individuals on the belief that these people possess certain values, skills, personalities, and abilities. It is, therefore, important to comprehend particular characteristics that matter for employee behaviors at work.
Diversity

More and more organizations are rapidly discovering that increasing the diversity at the workplace is an advantage. An increase in diversity results in such benefits as improved performance, increased number of satisfied customers, and an even more satisfied workforce. An organization such Wal-Mart has grown tremendously as a result of diversifying its workforce and capitalizing on the local talent which has enabled it to target minority customers which is far more effective as the business has addressed a distinction that drives the purchasing decision of the minority groups (Gordon 2002 p. 73).

A truly diverse workforce includes, and treats equally, men, women, individuals with different ethnic backgrounds, the young and the old, the physically challenged and other groups of people who differ from the dominant group (Block, Aumann, and Chelin 2012). Diversity often results in greater staffing ability, an increased understanding of the various customers’ needs, and better decision-making. The changes taken by various enterprises to diversify their workforce have made the belief in the preeminence of one’s culture dysfunctional in a global economy (Koppelman and Goodhart 2011 p.85). Managers with a diversified workforce who appreciate the distinctiveness of each employee have the ability to form collaborative interactions among individuals with diverse abilities, skills expectations, aspirations, and experiences.

In recent times, an increase in the number of women, ethnic and racial minorities, older workers, and the physically challenged has been on the increase. A lot of managers realize that these groups have a significant part in the success of an organization. They bring important and different perspectives that can assist the companies to gain a competitive edge. The need to diversify the workforce has seen the dramatic increase in the percentage and number of women in the workforce. This change has resulted from economic realities and equal employment and affirmative action legislation. However, women still earn less than their male counterpart, even though, their collective earnings have increased from past years.

A case not to employ more women, although a weak case at best, can be made that women workplace behaviors are highly dependent on their personal lives. Women are seen to have more responsibilities regarding childbearing and child rearing. Thus, they make the choice to reduce their work commitment to part-time. According to studies conducted on women in the workplace, it has been shown that part time work commitment is a benefit. The studies show that part-time work is associated with decreased interference between family and work responsibilities, better time management skills, increased productivity at work, and an overall increase in life satisfaction for women. Part time work commitment allows women to balance the personal and work lives. However, women run the risk of slowing their career advancement prospects and their salaries (Gordon 2002 p.78).

Diversification of the workforce allows for the reduction of the stereotype mentality in the society. It also helps to promote workers on the basis of their abilities and demonstrated competence. A diverse workforce in terms of race enhances the interpersonal relationships in the workplace. The minority groups do not feel out of place in the organization as they are in the company of their fellow countrymen and other minority groups other than their own. This results in a favorable work environment that translates into improved productivity. A diverse management is also advantageous as the manager or managers can relate to the problems and issues of his fellow race (Pinkett, Robinson and Patterson 2010). He has a better understanding of their background and is in a perfect position to assist them with any compilations they may have in the workplace.

The major drawback of diversification in terms of race is the issue of racial discrimination in the workplace. Cases of soccer players using derogatory statements against teammates and NASCAR drivers making racist remarks on African American crew members are just a few of the examples that show racial discrimination is still a vice in the workplace. Managers thus have their hands full in reducing stereotypes and promoting employees on the basis of ability and demonstrated competence as this is proving to be a major challenge to the diversification efforts.
Individual Values and Attitudes

An individual’s attitudes and values develop over an extended period commencing from early childhood. Values and attitudes are associated with personality traits and thus have an influence on an employee’s behavior at the workplace. By comprehensively understanding the values and beliefs of his or her employees, a manager is in a better position to diagnose underlying reasons for workplace problems more effectively (Robbins and Judge 2010 p.200). These value and attitudes can further help in coming up with appropriate solutions to such problems.

Values can be referred to as the fundamental principles and ideology that help guide a person’s behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes. Values are most often stable characteristics that are developed throughout one’s childhood. Values are more evident in non-work and work settings throughout one’s adult life. Beliefs about money, the importance of work, social interactions, and other characteristics of one’s network and work life are influenced by one’s values. The two most important types of values are core values, which are easily susceptible to changes as compared to peripheral values that are less likely to change. Knowing the distinction between these two types of values is paramount for every manager. A manager needs to realize and understand that it is extremely difficult to change a worker’s core values through training or other forms of intervention. However, core values can be easily altered by family members, friends or prominent religious leaders (Ball 2012). Proper identification of core values and their impact on an individual’s behavior on work conditions goes a long way in helping managers place workers in appropriate situations.

Attitude, on the other hand, can be defined as an individual’s propensity to consistently respond to various characteristics of people objects or situations. One’s attitude can be deduced from one’s statements about their feelings and beliefs. We can further understand one’s attitude from how they react in different situations, how they do perform different activities and from how they speak and conduct themselves in various settings (Gordon 2002 p.80). A perfect example would be in a case of determining individuals job satisfaction levels by providing a description of their job and how they perceive it and by further examining their demeanor on the job.

A diverse workforce has no doubt varying attitudes. A proper and accurate description and diagnosis of the different attitudes in the workplace is crucial. Only then can a manager understand how these attitudes will affect behavior on specific work conditions in the workplace. After accomplishing this, a manager can then determine whether to prescribe ways to change the attitudes of the employees or change the work situation in order to come up with the optimal productive outcomes (Robbins and Judge 2013). An organization with different attitudes has an effect on the competitive nature of the workplace. Although attitudes do not create competition, they play a crucial role in enhancing the competitive environment. A positive attitude in the workplace encourages the spirit of healthy competition, which is good for the overall productivity of the company.

Negative attitudes in the workplace can, however, spell doom for an organization. Employees who perceive that the company does not share their values, beliefs and attitudes will be dissatisfied as the company is in no way assisting in helping the employee achieve his or her goals. The employee will thus perceive that the company is blocking their pursuit to accomplishing their objectives. In order to avoid this, a manager has to make sure that he provides an environment that will accommodate flexibility to balance the employees’ personal and professional responsibilities. Researcher and professional have thus paid more attention to job satisfaction as it affects an employee’s performance and commitment to the job. This is despite the fact that a more sophisticated relationship between productivity, turnover, commitment, and satisfaction may exist.
Personality

Workers can be described according to other personal characteristics other than their race, gender and age. A person’s particular personality has a significant influence on one’s job performance. Personality can be defined as a set of distinctive individual traits that consist of one’s motives, competencies, attitudes, interests, values, and emotions. Personality types are often as a result of influence from one’s family, cultural social and the hereditary environment. Personality in turn affects how an individual acts in different situations, how one set goals for himself or herself and how you rely on various relationships to accomplish set out goals (Ashton 2013).

One’s personality can be defined as the relative stable behavioral patterns, feelings, and thoughts that an individual possesses. One’s personality is the differentiating factor, that is to say, our characters help in distinguishing one person from another. A good understanding of an individual’s personality will give an idea as to how a particular person will act under different circumstances. An understanding of the various employees’ personalities is crucial to the effective management of the organization behavior. A manager with the ability to comprehend and manage these different characters has an added advantage in that he or she can quickly and efficiently place the right person in the right job and organization (Wagner and Hallenbeck 2010). The personality types of the top executives also play a significant role in the company. For example, managers who are of the opinion that no one in the company can be trusted are usually secretive and executives who have the need to control every aspect of the company’s operations create an environment that heavily relies on formal controls and direct supervision to achieve the organization’s objectives.

Managers can utilize information collected from the various instruments used to assess people personalities as part of the pre-employment screening or promotional decisions in the existing workforce. The different personality traits give a manager the power to determine the perfect candidate for the opportunities the organization has to offer (Taraman 2010). This reduces the risks of hiring an individual only to find out, when it is already too late that, although his or her qualifications are exemplary, his or her personality characteristics are not suited for the position he or she is currently in. This kind of confusion and wrong placement can cost the company crucial resources such as time and money.

Various personality tests are utilized to help determine the best position for each employee. Studies show that most companies are making use of personality test to screen their employees. Most companies have been known to make use of the 50-adjective Predictive Index to assist in determining the most appropriate work for current and future potential employees. Other forms of tests help determine the confidence, creativity, and aggressiveness of potential salespersons. The differences in personality types and the different personality type tests at their disposal help managers determine whether an employee is a team player, whether an employee has the drive required to succeed, whether a particular employee is compatible with the rest of the workforce and finally determine whether an employee has positive feelings of self-worth. After determining this, the manager can then proceed to adjust the work conditions to match better with her different worker’s personalities thus ensuring better outcomes.

Managers can find it beneficial to know how certain dimensions of one’s personality traits might influence employee behavior. An excellent description and analysis of a person’s character can give light to some issues that managers should consider in managing that employee (Paludi 2012 p.158). Some of the different personality traits and attributes that managers should take into account in management are internalizers, who feel that they have full control of their actions and live and externalizers, who believe other people, are in control of their lives. Another classification is Type A individuals, who are highly competitive, always in a rush, are quick to anger, and are always performing task hurriedly as compared to their counterparts, Type B individuals, who are more relaxed, take things one at a time and have no trouble expressing their feelings.

Information on whether a particular employee is an introvert or an extrovert can aid manager assess how their employees gather information, evaluate alternatives and makes decisions. People can be classified as either introverted, characterized by being shy, extroverted, characterized by being outgoing and thriving at social functions. These two groups of people can further be subdivided on the basis of how the acquire information. For instance, through sensing, relying heavily on sensory organs to make decisions and intuition, relying more on the feeling one has towards a particular situation. Sensing personalities tend to use thinking as the ultimate tool to come to conclusions as compared to the intuition counterparts who rely more on the feelings to make decisions.

These various types of personality types are crucial for the development and competitiveness of an organization. An organization with a workforce that has all the different types of personality traits and attributes has is leaps and bounds ahead of any organization that has not embraced this kind of diversity. This kind of diversity help managers thinks of employees along the different dimensions of personality traits and attributes. Such categorization of the different personality traits assists managers comprehends their employees’ actions, helps them match employees to their appropriate jobs and helps them explain the different perceptions of various situations in employees.

The different personality traits are also advantageous for managers as they can evaluate themselves and determine whether they are more suited for conflict resolution, risk taking or task performance. Once this is determined, a manager is in a better position to delegate those functions that he is not better suited for. In the long run, this will improve the company’s productivity (Neala, Spencer, and Wilson 2011). The effectiveness of a manager carrying out his duties and his interactions with his workforce are dependent on both his personality type and the personality types of his employees. A possible disadvantage of the different personality traits and attributes in the workplace is that a manager may not understand the behaviors of his workforce. This can be because the manager has differing traits from his employees. A situation made worse by the fact that the particular manager is not inclined to understand the different characteristics and attribute that his employees possess.

However, this is an unlikely event as most companies nowadays are offering diversity training, programs and activities that aim to highlight the differences in personality traits and attributes in the worker and also offer strategies on how to handle the different personality types in the workplace. This kind of training is helping managers value and understand individual differences in personality types and assists them acquire strong diagnostic skills.

Conclusion

As more companies go on with the search for new ways to enhance their bottom line and ensure that their employees maintain and increase their performance and do not venture into other businesses, such issues as diversity, embracing individual differences in the workplace and emphasizing in the personal growth of the employees have become major components of management. Some of the steps that various organization are taking to manage diversity and individual differences are by isolating diversity initiatives from the traditional management activities. They accomplish this by encouraging and facilitating short seminars on diversity for their employees. This helps to nurture the spirit of promoting diversity in the workplace. Managers are also formalizing diversity initiatives without integrating them with the core management practices by forming intercultural exchange programs and finally by liking the diversity initiatives to the already existing core activities and management systems (Wood and Landry 2008).

Individual differences are a major part of a company’s success. Top management, therefore, needs to put in place policies that encourage diversity. Managers who practice diversity in their hiring, developing and promoting minority groups, may it be women older workers or minority race, need to be recognized and rewarded for their actions. Support programs to foster individual differences are the next logical step to ensure a company’s competitive and innovative nature. These programs will help the workers to acclimatize to other workers who do not belong to a dominant group. Lastly, managers should conduct diversity training while providing structures that support diversity.

References

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Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. (2013). Organizational behavior. Boston, Pearson.

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Wood, P., & Landry, C. (2008). The intercultural city planning for diversity advantage. London, Earthscan. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk& AN=2 08923.

Zaballero, A. G., Tsai, H.-L. G., & Acheampong, P. G. (2012). Leveraging Workforce Diversity and Team Development.

Why is it important to understand individual differences?

Why is it important for managers to understand the individual's role within the organization?

Why is it important to know the differences between the people in the workplace?

How does a manager deal with individual difference among employees?