Individual and Interpersonal Behavior

WHAT IS INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR?

• Individual behavior can
be defined as a mix of
responses to external
and internal stimuli. It is
the way a person reacts
in different situations
and the way someone
expresses different
emotions like anger,
happiness, love, etc.
Causes of Individual Behavior

• Certain individual
characteristics are
responsible for the way a
person behaves in daily life
situations as well as reacts
to any emergency
situations. These
characteristics are
categorized as :
✓Inherited characteristics
✓Learned Characteristics
Inherited Characteristics
The features individuals acquire from
their parents or from their
forefathers have inherited
characteristics. In other words, the
gifted features an individual
possesses by birth are considered
inherited characteristics.
The following features are
considered inherited characteristics :
• Color of a person’s eye
• Religion/Race of a person
• Shape of the nose
• Shape of earlobes
Learned Characteristics
It consists of the following features :
• Perception − Result of different
senses like feeling, hearing etc.
• Values − Influences perception of a
situation, decision making process.
• Personality − Patterns of thinking,
feeling, understanding and behaving.
• Attitude − Positive or negative
attitude like expressing one’s
thought.
Factors Influencing Individual Behavior
The key factors influencing an
individual’s behavior in
personal as well as social life
are:
• Abilities
• Gender
• Race and culture
• Attribution
• Perception
• Attitude
 1.Abilities
Abilities are the traits a person learns
from the environment around them as
well as the traits a person is gifted with
by birth. These traits are broadly
classified as:
• Intellectual abilities − These
personify a person’s intelligence,
verbal and analytical reasoning
abilities, memory, and verbal
comprehension.
• Physical abilities − These personify
a person’s physical strength,
stamina, body coordination, and
motor skills.
• Self-awareness abilities − It
symbolizes how a person feels about
the task, while a manager’s
perception of his abilities decides the
kind of work that needs to be allotted
to an individual.
2.Gender
• Research proves that men and
women both stand equal in terms
of job performance and mental
abilities; however, society still
emphasizes differences between
the two genders.
For example − An organization
encourages both genders to work
efficiently towards the company’s
goal and no special promotion or
demotion is given or tolerated for
any specific gender.
 3.Race & Culture
• Race is a group of people sharing similar physical
features. It is used to define types of persons
according to perceived traits. For example −
Indian, African. On the other hand, culture can be
defined as the traits, ideas, customs and traditions
one follows either as a person or in a group. For
example − Celebrating a festival.
• Race & culture have always exerted an important
influence both at the workplace as well as in the
society. The common mistakes such as attributing
behavior and stereotyping according to
individual’s race & culture basically influences an
individual’s behavior.
• In today’s diverse work culture, the management
as well as staff should learn and accept different
cultures, values, and common protocols to create
more comfortable corporate culture.
 4.Attribution
Attribution is the course of observing behavior
followed by determining its cause based on an
individual’s personality or situation.
The attribution framework uses the following
three criteria −
• Consensus − The extent to which people in
the same situation might react similarly.
• Distinctiveness − The extent to which a
person’s behavior can be associated to
situations or personality.
• Consistency − The frequency measurement of
the observed behavior, that is, how often does
this behavior occur.
 5.Perception
Perception is an intellectual process of transforming
sensory stimuli into meaningful information. It is the
process of interpreting something that we see or hear
in our mind and using it later to judge and give a
verdict on a situation, person, group, etc.
It can be divided into six types namely :
• Of sound − The ability to receive sound by
identifying vibrations.
• Of Speech − The competence of interpreting and
understanding the sounds of language heard.
• Touch − Identifying objects through patterns of their
surface by touching them.
• Taste − The ability to detect the flavor of
substances by tasting them through sensory organs
known as taste buds.
• Other senses − Other senses include balance,
acceleration, pain, time, the sensation felt in the
throat and lungs, etc.
• Of the social world − It permits people to
understand other individuals and groups in their
social world.
Influences on Perception

Your construction is influenced

by several factors including:
1. Past experiences
2. Education
3. Values
4. Culture
5. Self-concept
6. Expectations
7. Preconceived notions
8. Present circumstances
6.Attitude
• Attitude is the abstract learnt reaction or say response of a person’s
entire cognitive process over a time span.
• For example − A person who has worked with different companies
might develop an attitude of indifference towards organizational
citizenship.
 WHAT IS
INTERPERSONAL
BEHAVIOR?
• Interpersonal behavior is the behavior and
actions that are present in human relationships.
Basically, the term ‘interpersonal’ focuses on
the bond between two people, and the behavior
between these two individuals will depend on
the context of their relationship. The way in
which people communicate, and all that this
entails, is considered interpersonal behavior.
Interpersonal behavior may include both verbal
communication and nonverbal cues, such as
body language or facial expressions. Verbal
interpersonal behavior consists of joking,
relating to one another via the art of storytelling,
and taking or following orders. Interpersonal
skills are highly desirable in many situations,
specifically careers that rely on personal
relationships such as the healthcare industry or
sales.
• Interpersonal behavior will result in productive
work which is ultimately what organizations
are looking for. At the employee level, if trust
and passion for work exist, the unity between
them can achieve great results. These results
would be in terms of reduction in the time lag,
better quality work, and excellence in working
procedures. Even in an educational institution,
such behaviors have a chain reaction. If two
people do not get together and are forced
together in a group assignment, it might just be
completed half-heartedly by the two and not
achieve desired results. This will have two
consequences. First, it will affect the other
group members and their grades. Second, it
will foster hatred and mistrust within which
will have long-term effects on those two and
those surrounding them.
Interpersonal Skills in the Workplace
• In this competitive marketplace, businesses seek
to employ those who not only have the proper
experience and knowledge but have strong
interpersonal skills that fit well within a
company’s culture. Strong interpersonal skills,
such as negotiating, problem-solving and
knowledge-sharing, are the main job
requirement, as employees must be able to work
well with others to achieve company objectives.
Interpersonal skills may also include:
• Teamwork
• Verbal and written communication
• Dependability
• Responsibility
• Empathy
Importance of Interpersonal Relationship In
Organization
1) An individual spends around eight to nine hours in his organization
and it is practically not possible for him to work all alone. Human
beings are not machines that can work at a stretch. We need people to
talk to and share our feelings. We are social animals and we need
friends around. An individual working in isolation is more prone to
stress and anxiety. They hardly enjoy their work and attend office just
for the sake of it. Individuals working alone find their jobs monotonous.
It is essential to have trustworthy fellow workers around with whom
one can share all his secrets without the fear of them getting leaked.
We must have friends at the workplace who can give us honest
feedback. This provides a sense of belongingness.
Importance of Interpersonal Relationship In
Organization
2) A single brain alone can’t make all decisions alone. We need people to
discuss various issues, evaluate pros and cons, and reach solutions
benefiting not only the employees but also the organization as a whole.
Employees can brainstorm together and reach for better ideas and
strategies. Strategies must be discussed on an open platform where every
individual has the liberty to express his/her views. Employees must be called
for meetings at least once a week to promote open communication.
Interaction on a regular basis is important for a healthy relationship.
3) Interpersonal relationship has a direct effect on the organization’s culture.
Misunderstandings and confusion lead to negativity in the workplace.
Conflicts lead you nowhere and in turn, spoil the work environment.
Importance of Interpersonal Relationship In
Organization
4) We need people around who can appreciate our hard work and
motivate us from time to time. It is essential to have some trustworthy
co-workers at the workplace who not only appreciate us when we do
some good work but also tell us about our mistakes. A pat on the back
goes a long way in extracting the best out of individuals. One needs to
have people at the workplace who are more like mentors than mere
colleagues.
5) It always pays to have individuals around who really care for us. We
need colleagues to fall back on in times of crisis. If you do not talk to
anyone at the workplace, no one will come to your help when you
actually need it.
Importance of Interpersonal Relationship In
Organization
6) An individual needs to get along with fellow workers to complete
assignments within the stipulated time frame. An Individual working
all alone is overburdened and never finishes tasks within deadlines.
Support of fellow workers is important. You just can’t do everything on
your own. Roles and responsibilities must be delegated as per
specialization, educational qualification, and interests of employees. An
individual needs the help of his fellow workers to complete
assignments on time and for better results.
 The Nature of Employee Attitudes
• Attitudes are the feelings and benefits
that largely determine how employees
will perceive their environment. People
differ in their personal dispositions as
they enter organizations. Some people
have positive affectivity; optimistic,
upbeat, cheerful, and courteous. Some
have negative affectivity; pessimistic,
downbeat, irritable, and abrasive. Key
employee attitudes are job satisfaction,
job involvement, organizational
commitment, and positive work mood.
• Employee attitude is essential. Why?
Because workplace etiquette is vital to productivity
and success. It influences how we compensate
individuals for their accomplishments, whom we
encourage, and what we acknowledge and reward.
Finally, how our workers act daily significantly impacts
our culture and company.
• Employee attitude is the positive or negative display
of motivation an employee shows. It can be displayed
toward individual job duties, products or services,
coworkers or management, or the organization as a
whole in the workplace. Ignoring it can harm a
company’s employee retention.
• If a person’s attitude toward their job is terrible, it
may condemn even the brightest and most skilled
person to severely poor performance. Employees
with a good attitude of devotion and engagement
lead to an elevated effort even if they are not the
most gifted or competent.
• When a positive employee treats a bad customer as
a chance for the consumer to alter their attitude
toward the employee, the customer is likelier to
change their approach toward the employee. Later
on, it might serve as an example for other staff while
improving the customer experience.
 Effects of Employee Attitudes
• Dissatisfied employees may engage in psychological withdrawal,
physical withdrawal, or even overt acts of aggression and
retaliation for presumed wrongs.
Psychological withdrawal- Daydreaming during the job.
Physical withdrawal- Unauthorized absences, early departures.
• Satisfied employees may provide acts of customer service
beyond the call of duty, have sparkling work records, and
actively pursue excellence in all areas of their jobs.
• Satisfaction and dissatisfaction are related to the areas of
performance, turnover, absences and tardiness, theft, violence,
and other behaviors that organizations are vitally concerned
about controlling.
 Two Job Attitudes that Have The Greatest
Potential To Influence How an Employee behaves:
1. Job satisfaction refers to the feelings people have toward their job. If
the number of studies conducted on job satisfaction is an indicator, job
satisfaction is probably the most important job attitude.
2. Organizational commitment is the emotional attachment people have
toward the company they work for. A highly committed employee is
one who accepts and believes in the company’s values, is willing to
put out effort to meet the company’s goals, and has a strong desire to
remain with the company. People who are committed to their company
often refer to their company as “we” as opposed to “they” as in “in
this company, we have great benefits.” The way we refer to the
company indicates the type of attachment and identification we have
with the company.
Job Satisfaction

• Job Satisfaction is a set of favorable or unfavorable feelings and

emotions with which employees view their work. It is an affective
attitude. Attitudes consist of feelings, thoughts, and intentions to
act. An employee may say; “I enjoy having a variety of tasks to do”
feelings“, My work is quite complex” thoughts“, I plan to quit this
job in three months” intentions.
• Job Satisfaction typically refers to the attitudes of a single
employee. When assessments of individual satisfaction are
averaged across all members of a work unit, the general term
used to describe overall group satisfaction is morale. Group
morale is especially important to monitor since individuals often
take their social cues from their work associates and adapt their
own attitudes to conform to those of the group.
Organizational commitment
• Organizational commitment or employee loyalty, is the
degree to which an employee identifies with the organization
and wants to continue actively participating in it. It is a
measure of the employee’s willingness to remain with a firm
in the future. It often reflects the employee’s belief in the
mission and goals of the firm, and willingness to expend
effort in their accomplishment. Commitment is usually
stronger among long-term employees. Committed
employees have good attendance records, demonstrate a
willing adherence to company policies, and have lower
turnover rates.
Factors Contributing to Job Satisfaction
and Organizational Commitment
 CHANGING EMPLOYEE ATTITUDES
Guidelines for changing employee attitudes:
• Make the reward system closely tied to individual or team performance.
• Set challenging goals with employees so that those with achievement drives
can experience the opportunity for satisfaction through their
accomplishment.
• Define clear role expectations so that employees struggling with ambiguity
can overcome that concern.
• Refrain from attacking the employee’s attitude. Use active listening skills
instead, because an undefended attitude is more receptive to change.
• Provide frequent feedback to satisfy the need for information about
performance levels.
• Exhibit a caring, considerate orientation by showing concern for employee
feelings.
• Provide opportunities for employees to participate in decision making.
• Show appreciation for appropriate effort and citizenship behaviors.
Quality of Work Life
• It refers to the favorableness or unfavorableness of the job
environment of an organization for its employees.
•
“Quality of work life” is a generic phrase that covers a person's
feelings about every dimension of work including economic rewards
and benefits, security, working conditions, organizational and
interpersonal relationships, and its intrinsic meaning in a person's life.
• Quality of work life is significant to all the organizational inputs which
leads to employees' satisfaction and influences organizational
effectiveness. The importance of quality of work life is to extend jobs
and working conditions that are outstanding for employees as well as
the economic strength of the organization.