IGNOU : M.COM : MCO 1 : UNIT 5 : Q - 1. What is individual behaviour ? Discuss various factors influencing the individual difference.

 

Ans. Behaviour refers to the response made by an individual. The response may be the result of influence of external factors. The external factor is termed as stimulus and the action taken by the individual is known as response. Both heredity and environment determine the behaviour of an individual. The psychologists say that man’s heredity determines what kind of person he/she can be and the environment determines what he/ she becomes. Behaviour of an individual is determined by both the heredity and environmental factors. Heredity refers to the characteristics transmitted by parents to the next generation. Human beings acquire biological characteristics through genes, which control the development of tissues and organs of the body. They are determined at the time of the conception. Parents influence hereditary characteristics through the transmission of genes. Children acquire certain features of physique and psychic qualities out of this genetic transmission. Research in genetic engineering also suggests that heredity determines physical, mental and emotional states of the individuals. Physical stature, gender, colour, intelligence etc. are influenced by the hereditary factors.

Individual Differences

Now, it is clear to you that as soon as a child is born, he/she is exposed to a variety of environmental forces. The biological characteristics clubbed with the environmental forces determine the behaviour of an individual. The question arises why the behaviour of one person differs from other?

When you visit an organisation, you find that somebody is very polite; someone is sensitive, someone aggressive, talkative, etc. Thus you realise that the behaviour of one person differs from the others. The understanding of individual differences helps the managers to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the subordinates and their attitude towards the works and the organisation. The manager can examine the performance pattern of the employees as a result of the individual difference and chalk out the strategy to exploit the positive behaviour of the employees. A number of factors influence the behaviour of an individual in the organisation.

John Ivancevich and Michael Matteson have identified major factors influencing individual difference in behavioural pattern as : demographic factors, abilities and skills, perception, attitudes and personality. Let us learn them briefly.

Demographic Factors: These factors are socio economic background, education, nationality, race, age, sex, etc. The persons belonging to good socio-economic background, well educated, young etc. may be preferred by the organisation because they are likely to perform better. You must be aware that the young professionals having good academic background and communication skills are in great demand. For example, a call centre prefers the young professional having excellent command on communication. Thus the study of demographic factors helps the manager to identify the suitable persons for a particular job.

Abilities and Skills: Ability refers to mental or physical capacity of an individual to do something whereas skill refers to an ability to act in a way that allows a person to perform well. Ability and skills play very important role in individual’s behaviour and performance. If a person’s abilities and skills match the job requirement, he/she is likely to perform better in the organisation. Therefore, the manger has a challenging job of matching the abilities and skills of the employees to the job requirement.

Perception: Perception refers to the cognitive process meant for interpreting the environmental stimuli in a meaningful way. Every individual may organise and interpret environmental stimuli based on his/her own reference. Several factors influence the perception of an individual so their study may be very crucial for the manager. The manager must create the favourable work environment so that the employees perceive them in a favourable way. If the employees perceive them in a positive way, they are likely to perform better.

Attitude: Psychologists have defined attitude as a tendency to respond favourably or unfavourably to certain objects, persons or situations. The formation of attitude is influenced by the family, society, culture, peers and organisational factors. In an organisation, manager requires to study the variables related to job and create the work environment in such a favourable way that the employees are tempted to form positive attitude towards the job. If the employees form positive attitude, he/she may perform better in the organisation.

Personality: Personality refers to the study of the characteristics and distinctive traits of an individual, the inter-relations between them and the way in which a person responds and adjusts to other people and situations. Several factors like heredity, family, society, culture and situation influence the personality of an individual. As a result, individuals differ in their manner of responding to organisational environment. It is the most complex aspect of human beings and influences their behaviour immensely. Therefore, the study of personality traits provides an opportunity to understand the individuals, properly direct their effort and motivate them for the accomplishment of the organisational goal.