1. MODULE 18 INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR “There’s beauty in individual differences” How do personalities influence individual behavior? How do perceptions influence individual behavior? How do attitudes influence individual behavior?

2. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Personalities MODULE GUIDE 18.1 The Big Five personality traits describe work-related individual differences. Additional personality traits can also influence work behavior. People with Type A personalities tend to stress themselves. Stress has consequences for work performance and personal health.

3. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Personalities Personality is the profile of characteristics making a person unique from others. If you were to describe a person using the Big Five personality traits, you would be talking about the degree to which he or she is extroverted or introverted, agreeable or disagreeable, conscientious or not, emotionally stable or not, and open or closed minded. Other personality traits that may play a role in the workplace are locus of control, authoritarianism, Machiavellianism, problem-solving styles, and self-monitoring.

4. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Personalities How to Identify the Big Five Personality Traits Extraversion An extravert is talkative, comfortable, and confident in interpersonal relationships; an introvert is more private, withdrawn and reserved. Agreeableness An agreeable person is trusting, courteous and helpful, getting along well with others; a disagreeable person is self-serving, skeptical and tough, creating discomfort for others. Conscientiousness A conscientious person is dependable, organized, and focused on getting things done; a person who lacks conscientiousness is careless, impulsive, and not achievement oriented. Emotional Stability A person who is emotionally stable is secure, calm, steady, and self-confident; a person lacking emotional stability is excitable, anxious, nervous, and tense. Openness to Experience A person open to experience is broad-minded, imaginative, and open to new ideas; a person who lacks openness is narrow-minded, has few interests, and resists change.

5. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Personalities Authoritarianism the degree to which a person defers to authority and accepts status differences. Machiavellianism the degree to which someone uses power manipulatively. Locus of control the extent to which one believes that what happens is within one’s control. Self-monitoring the degree to which someone is able to adjust behavior in response to external factors.

6. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Personalities Stress a state of tension experienced by individuals facing extraordinary demands, constraints, or opportunities. Constructive Stress a positive influence on effort, creativity, and diligence in work. Destructive Stress a negative influence on one’s performance.

7. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Personalities Stress in the U.S. 31% of college-educated businesspeople work 50 hours per week. 40% of adults get less than 7 hours of sleep nightly during workweek. 60% of meals are rushed; 34% of lunches are eaten “on the run.” 33% of workers feel dead-ended in their jobs. 47% of workers under 35 report having feelings of burnout versus 28% of those over 35.

8. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Personalities Type A Personality oriented toward extreme achievement, impatience, and perfectionism. Type A Personality Indicators Always moving, walking, and eating rapidly Impatient, disliking waiting Doing or trying to do several things at once Feeling guilty when relaxing Trying to schedule more in less time Using nervous gestures such as clenched fists Hurrying or interrupting the speech of others

9. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Personalities Job Burnout is physical and mental exhaustion from work stress. Workplace Rage is aggressive behavior toward co-workers or the work setting. Personal Wellness is the pursuit of a personal-health promotion program.

10. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Perceptions MODULE GUIDE 18.2 Perceptual distortions can obscure individual differences. Perception sometimes causes attribution errors as we explain events and problems. Impression management is a way of influencing how others perceive us.

11. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Perceptions Perception the process through which people receive and interpret information from the environment. Stereotype using attributes commonly associated with a group to an individual. Halo effect uses one attribute to develop an overall impression of a person or situation. Selective Perception the tendency to single out for attention those aspects of a situation or person that reinforce or appear consistent with one’s existing beliefs, values, or needs. Projection occurs when we assign our personal attributes to other individuals. Some call this the “similar-to-me” error.

12. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Perceptions

13. Fundamental Attribution Error overestimates internal factors and underestimates external factors as influences on someone’s behavior. Self-serving Bias occurs when, in judging our own performance, we take personal credit for successes and blame failures on external factors. Impression Management Attempts to create desired perceptions in the minds of others

14. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Attitudes MODULE GUIDE 18.3 Attitudes predispose people to act in certain ways. Job satisfaction is a positive attitude toward one’s job and work experiences. Job satisfaction can predict absenteeism, turnover, and organizational citizenship. Job satisfaction has a complex relationship with job performance.

15. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Attitudes An attitude is a predisposition to respond in a certain way to people and things. Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person’s attitude and behavior are inconsistent.

16. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Attitudes Job satisfaction is an important work attitude, reflecting a person’s evaluation of the job, co-workers, and other aspects of the work setting. What we know from job satisfaction studies: Majority of American workers at least somewhat satisfied with jobs. About 14% are “very satisfied.” Job satisfaction declined 9% from 1995 to 2005. Job satisfaction higher in smaller firms (50 employees) than larger ones (5000). Job satisfaction and life satisfaction tend to run together.