Human behaviour in the workplace - Essay Example

Human behaviour in the workplace Introduction People are different from the times of creation, and for this reason they exhibit diversity in every place they live, including their areas of work (Arnold, 2005). Arnold (2005) states that, in the place of work, individuals can bring their mental and physical abilities, their personalities, and their traits. A good example to illustrate this can be given by considering an instance where an individual who is active, responsible and risk taker is being vetted for a job. It is obvious that such an individual shall be a significant asset at the workplace. Consequently, individuals will bring diverse traits in the organization, because, organizations are different, and the jobs in an organization are different. This paper explores how such actions lead to a change in attitude of all the stakeholders involved in the workplace. Discussion According to the excerpt, by Uczynski and Buchanan (2009), application of theories in the places of work is sometimes confusing. Many people have a problem of understanding the principles work. One of the field in psychological studies include the study of individual's personality, this provides an excellent example of the theory in practice. A good example is a situation in which two people have first-class honors in business management. The two individuals have their personal strengths and weakness and most probably, they have identified them. The two people live together. Consequently, individuals are not different because of their identifiable features, built based on how they interact with other people in various situations and people of different levels (Uczynski and Buchanan 2009). The behavior of a person is defined as how a person portrays their personalities and how they relate to people in their proximity (Uczynski and Buchanan 2009). In the context of this paper, behaviors of individuals will be considered by evaluating how they relate to fellow employees at their workplace. A good example is a shy student in the class; there is a high possibility that such a student will never contribute anything to class. Not that the student does not understand what is being taught in class but because of lack of courage to present themselves. Consequently, if the shy student is encouraged by the tutor, the shyness will be overcome; the student shall be able to present the issue being discussed in class. The Situations at hand are used to determine a behavior. Traits theory According to Mullins (2010), a trait is a characteristic that is dominant in an individual that makes them behave in a particular manner. Traits have been greatly used ti study the personalities of individuals mostly in their workplaces. The theory majors on the differences between individuals and what makes them unique in their different ways (Uczynski and Buchanan 2009). Further to that, the main purpose of this theory is to identify the differences between individuals based on their personalities. Traits theory differentiates individuals into cardinal traits, central traits, or secondary characters. Cardinal traits are traits that are evident in individuals whole life. The traits are unique to every individual to some extent they are identified on the uniqueness of the traits. Central traits are the obvious characteristics found in a person that can be used to define their personalities. Despite being unique to most individuals in most cases, to some situations they are not unique. Last is a secondary trait; the trait exists in a person's life because of a particular attitude or preferences. They are not dominant in an individual's personality, but they occur under different circumstances (Uczynski and Buchanan 2009). Personality Questionnaires Theory. This theory focuses on using questions to measure the personalities of individuals. The questions used are based on a yes, no or I do not know answers (Mullins 2010). In workplace, questionnaires theory can be applicable in measuring the level of team building exhibited by the workers. For example, there might be a questionnaire that requires the workers to identify whether they feel comfortable with each other in their workplace or uncomfortable. Mullins (2010) further explains that the answer given by the workers shall depict their personalities. The five-factor theory of personality In this theory, it focuses on the guidelines that can be used to study individual's personality. They are commonly referred to as the Big Five (Price 2011). The guidelines used include honesty, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (Price 2011). The guidelines are very practical when it comes to the study of differences that exist between people. Of all the guidelines, the most important of them is conscientiousness because it weighs an individual expertise on different occupations and knowledge of their work. A good example is of a junior officer who has a wide knowledge of the field of his operations, which are result oriented and a performer. However, the person is corrupt and reports to work late all the time. Such a person fails in one of the factors used to measure human personality that is Conscientiousness (John and Robins 2008). Hans Eysenck (a renowned philosopher), who proposed the theory, claimed that the personality of a person is inherited from their ancestors. Through the application of these guidelines, it is possible to categorize individuals into several personalities since personalities are determined by use of this guidelines as proposed by this theory. A good example is an Extrovert, who will tend to discuss an issue with other people. Contrary to that, introvert would prefer to go through the point alone before including the others in it (Price 2011). Application in the workplace Recruitment and selection Recruitment of workers is crucial and important to the success of any organizations. It is a wish of all the organizations that are profit oriented to make the right decisions in recruitments. The application of the theories will help the organization to select workers who are qualified to help the organization achieve all their goals and minimize costs while maximizing profits. Most of the organizations will consider an individual’s personality during the interviewing process as a guiding factor. Hence, they use character to select those to work with and those to reject. An example is in the hospitality industry, if a person has a bad character, they cannot fit in this industry (Mullins 2010). Personal development and teambuilding According to Uczynski and Buchanan (2009), the process is efficient if questionnaires are used to determine personal development and to elicit team-building and development programs. Uczynski and Buchanan (2009) further explains that this process trigger discussions on individual differences, importance of diversity in workplaces and how team working can benefit personalities and boost productivity in workplaces. Team building is essential since it coordinates all the workers in an organization to work in harmony with each other. It is one of the determining factors in the success of the organization. Teambuilding means that talents are combined and abilities of different individual. Consequently, through this practice the organization will achieve all its goals. Conclusion In conclusion, it is true that differences evidenced in different people are crucial in the performances in the workplace. Additionally, they can either positively or negatively impact on their performance. Hence, every company have its set goals and objectives that they ought to achieve, how workers respond to that will determine whether the company will succeed or fail. In any organization, the behaviors of employees are determined, by the way, the organization fulfills their needs. Contrary to that, biological factors do not have any influence in determining how an individual behaves. However, the managers of any organization should recognize that behaviors are determined by individuals need. As a result, the human resource of such a company should work to motivate their workers and fulfill all their needs. In addition, personality theories are crucial in determining the knowledge of persons in the workplace. The theories can be used to measure the prowess of workers, hence important in measuring organization performance. References Arnold, J. & Randall R et al. (2005). Work psychology: understanding human behaviour in the workplace. Harlow, Prentice Hall. Bakker, A. B., Albrecht, S. L., & Leiter, M. P. (2011). Key questions regarding work engagement. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology Blustein, D. L. (2011). A relational theory of working. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79(1), pp.1-17. Hogan, R., Johnson, J., & BRIGGS, S. R. (2009). Handbook of personality psychology, Academic Press journal, 45(6), pp.45-66 John, O., & Robins, R. 2008. Handbook of Personality, Third Edition: Theory and Research. New York: Guilford Publications. Mullins, L., 2010. Management and organisational behaviour. London: Pearson Education. 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