III BBA : ORGANISATION BEHAVIOR

UNIT:I
There are two words in OB:
Organization: It is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—
comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
It is group of people who are collected to work for a common goal with collective effort.
Behavior: It is a verbal and physical response shown by a person as a consequence of impact
of his or her surroundings.
In other words: the way in which one acts or conducts oneself.
What is Organizational Behavior (OB)?
Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of human behavior in the work setting, the influence
of an organization on its employees, and the employees of the organization.
Definitions:
• Organizational behavior is directly concerned with the understanding, prediction, and
control of human behavior in the organization. – Luthans
• OB is the study of what people think, feel, and do in and around the organizations.
– McShane and Glinow

• According to Fred Luthans, “Behaviour is directly concerned

with the understanding, prediction and control of human
behaviour in organisations.”
Nature/ Features / Characteristics of OB
• A Separate Field of Study and not a Discipline Only
By definition, a discipline is an accepted science that is based on a theoretical foundation. But,
OB has a multi-interdisciplinary orientation and is, thus, not based on a specific theoretical
background. Therefore, it is better to reason to call OB a separate field of study rather than a
discipline only.
• An Interdisciplinary Approach
organizational behavior is essentially an interdisciplinary approach to study human behavior at
work. OB tries to integrate the relevant knowledge drawn from related disciplines like
psychology, sociology, and anthropology to make them applicable for studying and analyzing
organizational behavior.
• Integral Part Of Management
Organizational Behaviour is termed as an important part of the whole management system. It
is concerned with understanding the human behaviour of those working with the organization.
Employees are important resources for every organization and helps in achievement of goals.
Their proper management and treatment become an essential requirement for every business.
 • Goal-Oriented
Organizational Behavior is goal-oriented and action-oriented field of study. Its main aim is to
manage the organizational affairs to achieve the goals of organization timely. Organization
Behavior performs several researches and detects problems in the organization.
• On-Going Process
Organization Behavior is continuous and ongoing concept followed within the organization. It
continuously makes an effort to ensure organization effectiveness. All activities of the
organization are continuously monitored through organization behavior. Organization
environment is analyzed from time to time using different theories and researches.
• Multi-Level Analysis
There are different level analyses which are performed by organization behavior.
Organizational Behavior performs analysis at 3 levels to understand the behavior: Individual
behavior, group behavior and organization behavior itself. It performs all these analyses
systematically to better understand the organizational affairs.
• Branch Of Social Science
Organization behavior uses various concepts of social science in performing various researches
required for understanding organization structure. It is influenced by several social sciences.
Sociology, Anthropology and psychology are some of important social science used by
organizational behavior.
• Both Science And Art
Organization Behavior is termed as both science and art. It implies performing several
researches and collecting data systematically regarding behavior. The collected information is
then used to control and manage problems in the organization.
• Normative Science
Organizational Behavior is a normative science too. It is not only concerned with finding and
defining the cause and effect relations of organizational situations. It also finds out mean that
is best and accepted by all out of its researches to ensure organizational results.
• Beneficial For Organization And Individuals
Organizational Behavior is a term which is beneficial for both organization and peoples
working within the organization. It creates good interpersonal relations among employer and
employees in the organization. Employers get full detailed information about their employees
working with them.

Objectives of Organizational Behavior

The organizations in which people work have an effect on their thoughts, feelings, and actions.
These thoughts, feelings, and actions, in turn, affect the organization itself.
Organizational behaviour studies the mechanisms governing these interactions, seeking to
identify and foster behaviours conducive to the survival and effectiveness of the organization.

1. Job Satisfaction.
2. Finding the Right People.
3. Organizational Culture.
4. Leadership and Conflict Resolution.
5. Understanding Employees Better.
6. Understand how to Develop Good Leaders.
7. Develop a Good Team.
8. Higher Productivity.

Organisational Behaviour – 3 Levels: Individual, Group and Organisational Level

OB can be defined as actions and behaviors of individuals and groups towards and their impact on the
organization’s overall functioning and performance. OB can be studied at various levels within an
organization, and each level has a unique set of roles, responsibilities, and goals.

Following points discuss the three levels briefly:

1. Individual Level – Deals with the concepts at the individual level. Examples of individual-
level concepts are perception, personality, learning, motivation, and attitude.

2. Group Level – Deals with the concepts at the group level. Examples of group-level concepts
are team, conflict, leadership, power, and politics. Group-level concepts may include how
groups are formed, how to make effective teams, how individually and collectively the group
activities can be improved, how to motivate employees, and which type of group would be
suitable for a particular assignment.

3. Organizational Level – Deals with the concepts at the organizational level. Examples of
organizational-level concepts are change management and organizational culture. Other topics
discussed at organizational level include the concept of organization, different organizational
models, and organizational change along with its impact and implementation. The working
conditions and stress management are also discussed at the organizational level.

Importance of Organisational Behavior

1. Effective Decision-Making
A well-designed organizational structure in place makes the decision-making process
more effective. This means that every member of the team or the organization is well-
versed in their roles and responsibilities. They find it easier to act independently, being
proactive and taking initiative. Managers can delegate tasks swiftly and assign tasks
according to varying degrees of skills and follow-up. This ensures that everything runs
smoothly.
2. Understanding People
Organizational behavior helps the management understand people, their motivation and
their skills and abilities. The management must be aware of subtle differences in work
styles if they want to encourage teamwork. Everyone has personal goals that are aligned
with professional goals. With a carefully-placed organizational structure, it’s easier to
track progress and fulfill employee needs for the best results.
3. Navigating Workplace Conflicts
An organization works effectively if there is good communication, openness and trust.
The importance of organizational behavior is that it helps teams function with minimal
conflict. There’s accountability at every step because tasks are interdependent.
Organizations also have a code of conduct and certain values that employees must abide
by. This regulates the work environment, keeping everyone focused on larger goals.

4. Improved Performance
Motivating employees, giving incentives and acknowledging hard work are the pillars of
organizational behavior. This helps improve work performance because employees are
inspired to put their best foot forward. If you feel that you’re valuable to the organization,
you’re likely to work harder. The management must ensure that employees feel like a
part of the organization to encourage them toward achieving short-term and long-term
goals.

5. Healthy Work Environment

The significance of organizational behavior can be understood in the context of a healthy
work environment—one where team members trust each other and work in tandem with
each other. Being on good terms with your coworkers means that you can work together
to achieve your objectives. Mutual respect across departments and levels constitutes an
effective organizational behavior strategy.

The importance of organizational behavior isn’t restricted to how well employees perform. It
also determines the smooth functioning of the day-to-day activities within an organization.
Hence, the management should aspire to create a harmonious, flexible and accessible work
environment.

Fundamental Concepts / Basic Assumptions of Organizational Behaviour

Organization Behaviour is based on a few fundamental concepts which revolve around the
nature of people and organizations.
There are two fundamental concepts of OB:

1. The nature of people

• Individual Differences.
• Perception.
• A Whole Person.
• Motivated Behaviour.
• The desire for Involvement.
• The value of the Person.

2. The nature of Organisation

• Social System.
• Mutuality System.
• Ethics system.

Main Challenges and Opportunities of Organizational Behaviour

Challenges and opportunities of organizational behaviour are massive and rapidly changing for
improving productivity and meeting business goals.

1. Improving Peoples’ Skills.

2. Improving Quality and Productivity.
3. Total Quality Management (TQM).
4. Managing Workforce Diversity.
5. Responding to Globalization.
6. Empowering People.
7. Coping with Temporariness.
8. Stimulating Innovation and Change.
9. Emergence of E-Organisation & E-Commerce.
10. Improving Ethical Behavior.
11. Improving Customer Service.
12. Helping Employees Balance Work-Life Conflicts.
13. Flattening World.

Improving People’s Skills

Technological changes, structural changes, environmental changes are accelerated at a faster

rate in the business field. Unless employees and executives are equipped to possess the
required skills to adapt to those changes, the targeted goals cannot be achieved in time.

Improving Quality and Productivity

Quality is the extent to which the customers or users believe the product or service surpasses
their needs and expectations.
For example, a customer who purchases an automobile has a certain expectation, one of
which is that the automobile engine will start when it is turned on.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a philosophy of management that is driven by the

constant attainment of customer satisfaction through the continuous improvement of all
organizational processes.

Managing Workforce Diversity

This refers to employing different categories of employees who are heterogeneous in terms of
gender, race, ethnicity, relation, community, physically disadvantaged, elderly people, etc

The primary reason to employ the heterogeneous category of employees is to tap the talents
and potentialities, harnessing the innovativeness, obtaining synergetic effect among the
divorce workforce.

Responding to Globalization

Today’s business is mostly market-driven; wherever the demands exist irrespective of

distance, locations, climatic conditions, the business operations are expanded to gain their
market share and to remain in the top rank, etc. Business operations are no longer restricted to
a particular locality or region. The company’s products or services are spreading across
nations using mass communication, the internet, faster transportation, etc.

Empowering People

The main issue is delegating more power and responsibility to the lower level cadre of
employees and assigning more freedom to make choices about their schedules, operations,
procedures and the method of solving their work-related problems.

Encouraging the employees to participate in the work-related decision will sizable enhance
their commitment to work.

Stimulating Innovation and Change

Today’s successful organizations must foster innovation and be proficient in the art of
change; otherwise, they will become candidates for extinction in due course of time and
vanished from their field of business.

Victory will go to those organizations that maintain flexibility, continually improve their
quality, and beat the competition to the market place with a constant stream of innovative
products and services.

The emergence of E-Organisation & E-Commerce

It refers to the business operations involving the electronic mode of transactions. It

encompasses presenting products on websites and filling the order. The vast majority of
articles and media attention given to using the Internet in business are directed at online
shopping. In this process, the marketing and selling of goods and services are being carried
out over the Internet.

Key Forces/Scope/ Factors Affecting Organizational Behavior.

Organisational behaviour is a chief component of any business school core curriculum because
it sets out to help students comprehend how human beings deal with being part of organisations,
large or small, working in teams and so forth. It is, fundamentally, the study of the ‘soft’ end
of business. The theories derive from a diversity of disciplines including sociology and
psychology. It disquiets itself with the problematical patterns of individual and group working.
Thus, the apparent aim of the study of organisational behaviour is to understand why people
work in positive ways and then working out how to use this knowledge to improve the use of
resources.
THE PEOPLE

You spend a lot of your waking hours at work, so it's beneficial if they're enjoyable hours, but
that's not always the case. The people within an organization are one of the primary influences
over the overall organizational behaviour within a company. The interactions between
individual employees is, in fact, one of the main areas of study within the field of organizational
behaviour. Various personal characteristics that may influence organizational behaviour
include the education level of employees, their backgrounds, abilities and beliefs.

COMPANY STRUCTURE

The structure of a company refers to the organization of individuals in various roles and the
relationships, both formal and informal, between those roles. For example, some companies
have rigid hierarchies that define the relationship between managers and employees, while
others have more collaborative, egalitarian systems in place. The number of levels in an
organization also influences the company's organizational behaviour. For example, in a
company with many levels between entry-level employees and top management, entry-level
employees may feel they have less of a stake in their organization or that their opinions are
valued less than in a company in which there are relatively few levels between top and bottom.

PROS AND CONS OF TECHNOLOGY

The use of technology is an often-overlooked component of organizational behaviour. For

example, employees within a company may exhibit the organizational behaviour of
communicating primarily via email, while employees in another company may make it a habit
to walk down the hall to others' offices to speak face-to-face. Technology also affects
organizational behaviour in that it allows companies to increasingly allow employees to work
from home, resulting in less bonding among employees. At the same time, the use of
technology can bring together people separated geographically through the use of
teleconferencing, for example.

THE ENVIRONMENT

The environmental influences on organizational behaviour can come from both internal and
external sources. A company engaged in a highly regulated business may have a strict and
structured culture due to the need to conform to certain laws and regulations from the
company's external environment. The internal environment of a company also affects
organizational behaviour. For example, a struggling company will often have a different
organizational behaviour than a successful and growing business. When a company's higher
ups set an example in order to improve organizational behaviour, the effects trickle down to
lighten the mood from one level to the next which is as good for morale as it is for business.

Models of Organisation behavior

In management, the focus is on the study of the five organizational behavior models:

Autocratic Model
Custodial Model
Supportive Model
Collegial Model
System Model

Autocratic model
This model has its roots in the historical past and definitely became the most prominent model
of the industrial revolution of the 1800 and 1900s. It gives the owners and managers the power
to dictate and form decisions while making employees obey their orders. The model asserts
that employees need to be instructed and motivated to perform while managers do all the
thinking. The whole process is formalized with the managers, and authority power has the
right to give the command to the people, “You do this or else…”, is a general dictatorship
command. As Newstrom suggests, “the psychological result of the employees is dependence
on their boss, whose power to “hire, fire and perspire” is almost absolute. Employers receive
less wages as they are less skilled, and their performance is also minimum, which they do rather
reluctantly as they have to satisfy the needs of their families and themselves. But there are
some exceptions as many employees do give higher performance because they would either
like to achieve or have a close association with their boss, or they have been promised a good
reward, but overall, their performance is minimum.

Custodial Model
Now the time came when managers began to think the security of the employees is imperative-
it could be either social as well economic security. Now managers have begun to study their
employees’ needs; they found out that although in the autocratic setup, employees do not talk
back yet they have many things to say but the incapability to speak results in frustrations,
insecurity, and aggressive behavior towards their employee’s bosses. Since they are not able to
display their feelings, they would vent these feelings to their family and neighbors. This causes
suffering to the entire community and relationships, and this often results in bad performance.
Newstrom gave the example of a wood processing plant where the employees were treated
very cruelly, even to the extent of physical abuse. Since workers were not able to strike back
directly, they show their aggression by destroying the good sheets of veneer, destroying the
supervisor’s credibility.
Employers now had begun to think of how to develop better relations with the employees and
keep them satisfied and motivated. In 1890 and 1900, many companies started welfare
programs for the employees, which began later to be known as paternalism. In the 1930s,
these welfare programs evolved into many fringe benefits to provide security to the employees,
which resulted in the development of the Custodial model of organizational behavior.
A successful custodial approach depends on providing economic security, which many
companies are now offering as a high pay scale, remunerations in the form of health benefits,
corporate cars, financial packaging, and many other forms of incentives. These incentives
increase the employees’ satisfaction level and help them to achieve a competitive advantage.
To avoid layoffs, employers also tries to “retain employees, reduce overtime, freeze hiring,
encourage both the job transfers and relocations, provide early retirement incentives, and
reduce subcontracting to adjust to slowdowns, especially in the information
technology”. (Newstrom, p.32)
The custodial approach induces employees now to show their dependency and loyalty towards
the company and not to the boss or managers, or supervisors. The employees in this
environment are more psychologically contended and preoccupied with their rewards, but it is
not necessary they would be strongly motivated to give the performance. The studies show that
though it has been the best way to make them happy employees but not productive employees,
the question still remains what should be the better way? But overall, this step had been a
stepping stone for creating and developing the next step.

Supportive Model
Unlike the two previous approaches, the supportive model emphasizes on a motivated and
aspiring leader. There is no space for any control or authoritative power in this model or on the
incentives or reward schemes, but it is simply based on motivating staff through the
establishment of the manager and employee relationship and the treatment that is given to
employees on a daily basis.
Quite contrarily to the autocratic mode, it states that employees are self-motivated and can
generate value that goes beyond their day-to-day role or activity. But how do the employees
get self–motivated? By creating a positive workplace where they are encouraged to give their
ideas, there is some kind of “buy-in” in the organizational behavior setup and the direction that
it takes.
One of the key aspects of the supportive model has been studies conducted at the Hawthorne
Plant of Electric in the 1920s and 1930s. Elton Mayo and F.J Roethlisberger led the study to
implore human behavior at work by implementing and placing keen insight into the
sociological, and psychological perspectives in the industrial setup. They concluded that a
single organization is a social system, and a worker is an important component of the system.
They found that a worker is not a tool that can be used in any way but has its own behavior and
personality and needs to be understood. They suggested that understanding group dynamism,
including supportive supervision, is imperative to make workers contribute and be supportive.
Through leadership organizations give the space and climate for the employees to develop,
form their own thinking and take the initiative. They would take responsibility and improve
themselves. Managers are oriented towards supporting the employees to give performances
and not just supporting them through employee benefits as done in the custodial approach.
The supportive model is widely accepted chiefly in developed nations where the needs of the
employees are different as it fulfills many of the employees’ emerging needs. This approach
is less successful in developing nations where the social and economic need of the working
class is different. In short, in the supportive model, money is not what retains the satisfaction
of the employees, but it is a part of the organization’s life that has been put to use and makes
other people feel wanted.

The Collegial Model

In this scheme, the structure of an organization is developed in a way that there is no boss or
subordinates, but all are colleagues who have to work as a team. Each of the employees has
to participate and coordinate with each other to achieve the target rate. No one is worried about
his status or job title. Manager’s role is here like a coach whose function is to guide the team
to perform and generate a positive and motivating work environment instead of focusing on his
own personal growth. The team requires adopting new approaches, research and development,
and new technologies to better their performance.
We can also say the Collegial model is an extension of the supportive model. The success of
the collegial model depends on the management’s ability to foster the feeling of partnership
between the employees. This makes the employees feel important and needed. They also feel
that managers are not just mere supervisors but are also giving their equal contribution to the
team.
To make the collegial model successful many organizations have abolished the use of bosses
and subordinates during working, as these terms create the distance between the managers and
subordinates. While some organizations have abolished the system of allotting reserved space
for executives. Now, any employee can park their vehicle in the common parking space, which
increases their convenience and makes them more comfortable.
The manager is oriented toward the team performance while each employee is responsible for
his task and towards each other. They are more disciplined and work as per the standards set
by the team. In this setup, employees feel fulfilled as their contribution is accepted and well
received.

The System Model

The most emerging model of today’s corporate era is the system model. This model emerged
from rigorous research to attain a higher level of meaning at work. Today’s employees need
more than salary and security from their job; they need the hours they are putting towards the
organization is giving them some value and meaning. To add to it, they need work that is
ethical, respectful, integrated with trust and integrity, and gives a space to develop a community
feeling among the co-workers.
In the system model, the expectations of the managers are much more than getting the work
done by the employees. The managers have to show their emotional side, be more
compassionate and caring towards their team, and they must be sensitive to the needs of the
diverse workforce. They have to devote their attention to creating the feeling of optimism,
hope, trustworthiness, courage, and self-determination, and through this, they try to develop a
positive work culture where the employees feel more at ease and work as if they are working
for their families. This ultimately results in the long time commitment and loyalty of the
employees and the success of the company.
Managers also try to foster two main concepts; authenticity and transparency and social
intelligence. Managers always try to make the employees feel part of the project and the
organization and give them all the support so that they can increase their efficiency and
output. In turn, the employees feel more emotionally and psychologically part of the
organization and become more responsible for their actions. Employees feel more inspired,
motivated, and important and feel that what they are doing and what they think would be good
for the organization which goes beyond their personal achievements.
The models have originated perceiving the changing employee needs with each model has been
the stepping stone for the more productive and useful model. To assume that any one of the
models has been the best model is wrong as no model is hundred percent perfect but has been
evolving all through the years with the changes in our perception, study, and social conditions
affecting human behavior. Any of the above models can be modified, applied, and extended
in many different ways. As there has been advancement in the collective understanding of
human behavior, a new social condition emerged, and with it, there has been an evolution of
the new model.

Unit-II Individual Behaviour

What is Individual Behavior?

Individual behavior refers to the actions, responses, reactions, and behaving ways of the individual in
a particular position. It is the combination of responses to internal and external stimuli.

Each Individual/human behavior is different from others. Understanding human behavior helps to
know how particularly people respond to some situations and express themselves.
Factors Influencing Individual Behaviour

It is obvious that we behave differently in different situations. It is all agreed that human behaviour is
caused, motivated, and goal-directed.

We behave and respond to something based on our knowledge, experience, and environment around
us. In fact, these are the factors that form individual behaviour.

There are diversified factors affecting individual behaviour however they are broadly classified into
four categories.

• Personal biographical factors.

Sex
Age
Education
Abilities
Marital Status
• Psychological factors.
Personality
Perception
Attitudes
Values
Learning
• Environmental factors.
Economic Conditions
Political Conditions
Cultural Values
• Organizational factors.
Physical Facilities
Organizational Structure
Leadership Styles
Reward System

Personal Biographical Factors

Individual biographical factors are inherited in nature. These are inherited by individuals from their
parents. From the date they come to the earth they are characterized by biographical factors. They are:

Sex. Sex or gender is an inherited characteristic that is determined by birth as male or female. Found,
males are emotionally stronger than women. Even physically males are stronger. Traditionally, females
are mainly involved in household work and males are in work. But, this has changed men and women
equally involved in jobs.
Age. Age is the length of time that determines the time a person lived. The age of an individual start to
increase from the day he/she is born. At a young age, people tend to be more creative and energetic and
are curious to explore things.
Education. By birth, people learn to speak, walk, behave, and respond to their surroundings. Parents
and other family members are the first educators of people. From the parents, children learn the basic
education, and morality, and become socialized human beings.
Abilities. It is the personal strength people have. The inherited ability of individuals is greatly
influenced by the health of parents, nutrition, and the environment around them. Abilities can be
inherited or learned.
Marital Status. Married people seem more responsible towards family than other unmarried. For them
steady jobs become important and such employees are expected to devote their best effort to the
workplace.

Psychological Factors
Psychological factors are the learned characteristics of the individual. These are the factors individuals
have to learn from the environment and built concepts about the world. Major psychological factors
are:

Personality. Everyone’s personality is unique. Personality refers to the ways a person thinks, feels,
acts, and behaves and which are unique from others. The unique nature of individuals is the
psychological characteristics that they gained from experience and knowledge.
Perception. Perception is the viewpoints of individuals around the world and the interpretation of the
things they see. It is the psychological process of seeing objects and constructing conclusions. Two
persons’ perceptions are different their seeing way of the world probably can not be the same.

Attitudes. Attitude is the belief system that directs our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Attitude can be
positive or negative as so we differently respond to people, situations, and ideas.
Values. Values are the moral belief and structures of people that guide their actions. Values consist of
an individual’s philosophy as to what is good, right, or desirable and they contain moral flavor.

Learning. Humans are learning beings. From birth to death people never stops learning. It takes place
during interaction with the environment and relatively permanently changes the thinking, behavior, and
actions of people.

Environmental Factors
Environmental factors are inevitable factors that have a greater influence on individual behavior. Such
as:
Economic Conditions. A person with a stable job and a good salary will definitely seem fit and clean
than a person who doesn’t have one. When there are more employment opportunities the economic
conditions of people seem to be good and living standards also improve.
Political Conditions. Politics have a great influence on organizations, people, and the whole nation.
People are knowingly and unknowingly affected by the political system. A stable political system is
required to operate stables jobs opportunities, provide freedom to people, and make different choices
as they want.
Cultural Values. Every society’s cultural values are different. Whenever a person shifts to the next
society he must understand and adapt their cultural ties. Similarly, different organizations have different
cultures that employees must assume.
Organizational Factors
In organizational settings, there are also different factors that affect individuals i.e. employees’ behavior
working there. Such as:

Physical Facilities. Physical facilities of an organization refer to the physical condition consisting of
office furnishing, the comfort of working, etc. The physical environment of the organization positively
influences employees – they feel physically safe working there.
Organizational Structure. It refers to how an organization is structured, and how different roles,
responsibilities, and duties are divided. A sound organizational structure clearly defines the how-to
functions freeing employees from roles conflicts and achieving greater efficiency.
Leadership Styles. Today managers are leaders also. Being a manager he should have to influence and
encourage his employees for better performance. In an encouraging working environment, employees
tend to stay longer and reduce turnover.
Individual Behavior Framework
On the basis of these elements, psychologist Kurt Lewin stated the Field theory and
outlined the behavior framework. This psychological theory studies the patterns of
interaction between an individual and the environment. The theory is expressed using
the formula
B = F(P,E)

where, B – Behavior, F - Behavior Function, P – Person, and E - Environment around

the person.

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 our forefathers are the inherited
characteristics. In other words, the gifted features an individual possesses by birth is considered
as inherited characteristics.
Following features are considered as inherited characteristics −
 • Color of a person’s eye
• Religion/Race of a person
• Shape of the nose
• Shape of earlobes
Learned Characteristics
Nobody learns everything by birth. First our school is our home, then our society followed by
our educational institutions. The characteristics an individual acquires by observing,
practicing and learning from others and the surroundings is known as 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.

Reasons to understand Individual Behaviour/Importance of Individual

Behaviour

The way we behave impacts our own lives and the lives of those around us. But how much do
we know about why we behave the way we do? Are we really choosing what is best for us or
are we just behaving habitually? Beyond gaining a better appreciation of our own psychology,
gaining a better understanding of human behaviour can help us understand the various internal
and external factors that shape our experiences. It can also help us understand others better and
improve how we engage and interact.

Reasons to understand Individual Behaviour

1. Understanding motivation
2. Increasing productivity
3. Creating high performing teams

1. Understanding motivation
Understanding what motivates us, and the people around us, can be a very helpful tool, both at home
and at work. This is because intrinsic and extrinsic motivators drive people in different ways. Therefore,
understanding the interplay of both can help us grasp how to motivate them (and ourselves).
This is applicable in any group setting, but particularly in the workplace, as maintaining a motivated
workforce is key to building and growing a successful company. In psychology and social work, a deep
understanding of human behaviour can also help develop innovative and effective ways to address
various social issues.

2. Increasing productivity
As we mentioned already, a motivated workforce is an essential part of developing and maintaining a
thriving business. However, there are many different ways to motivate people, and some will respond
differently to intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. For example, a greater sense of purpose and fulfilment
(intrinsic) or getting a raise (extrinsic).
If we don’t understand what drives human behaviour in the first place, how can we be expected to know
how to motivate others constructively? While manipulation and force may be an unfortunate part of
toxic work environments, genuinely taking the time to understand how people think, act, and feel can
help create a healthy and productive work environment.
3. Creating high performing teams
We can learn so much by understanding others and ourselves and applying this to any team or social
setting.

Even on a grander scale, learning more about how people think, act and feel can help with nation-
building efforts, and create more harmonious social relations.

What is Personality & Its Meaning

Personality is the product of social interaction in group life. In society every person has different
traits such as skin, color, height and weight. They have different types of personalities because
individuals are not alike. It refers to the habits, attitudes as well as physical traits of a person which
are not same but have vary from group to group and society to society, everyone has personality,
which may be good or bad, impressive or unimpressive.

Personality describes the unique patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that distinguish
a person from others. A product of both biology and environment, it remains fairly consistent
throughout life.

For instance, "She is generous, caring, and a bit of a perfectionist," or "They are loyal and
protective of their friends."

Personality has been derived from the Latin word “persona” which means “mask” used by the actors
to change their appearance. It is the combination of an individual thoughts, characteristics, behaviors,
attitude, idea and habits.

Definition of Personality
Macionis define as “It is the constant pattern of thinking, feeling and acting.”

Types of Personality

Following are the three types of personality

1. Extrovert Personality
This type has the tendency to live mostly outside the like to live with others. Those individuals are
highly socialized and have contact with outside people in the society. They want to join other groups
who are more in number.

2. Introvert Personality
Introvert is opposite to extrovert. Those people are always live alone in their rooms and do not want to
go outside. They have their own imaginary world. They are teachers, scientists, thinkers and
philosophers.

3. Ambivert Personality
Between extrovert and introvert personalities there is a third one type called ambivert. People belonging
to this type enjoy both the groups and attend them. They have middle mind and want to live in both
parties. Sometimes they join outside people but sometimes they live in their own rooms.
Personality Development Tips

1. Should be a better listener

2. Good conversation
3. Be positive in outlook and attitude
4. More reading and building interest
5. Should be a good courteous
6. Interaction with new people
7. Helpful to other people
8. Give respect if you want respect
9. Confident about yourself

Personality Traits
Trait theories tend to view personality as the result of internal characteristics that are
genetically based and include:

• Agreeable: Cares about others, feels empathy, enjoys helping others

• Conscientiousness: High levels of thoughtfulness, good impulse control, goal-
directed behaviors
• Eager-to-please: Accommodating, passive, and conforming
• Extraversion: Excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and high amounts
of emotional expressiveness
• Introversion: Quiet, reserved
• Neuroticism(Unstable): Experiences stress and dramatic shifts in mood, feels
anxious, worries about different things, gets upset easily, struggles to bounce back
after stressful events
• Openness: Very creative, open to trying new things, focuses on tackling new
challenges.

Determinants of Personality

There are four major determinants of personality:

• Biological/Physical Determinants: Hereditary and physical features

• Social Determinants: Sociological aspects related to the community and his/her role
in the community
• Psychological Determinants: Behaviour, emotions, sentiments, thought patterns and
complexes of an individual.
• Intellectual Determinants: Values, Humour, Morality, etc.

Other determinants of personality include cultural, situational, environmental factors, etc.

Physical Determinants of Personality

Biological traits are the foremost parameter that reflects various factors of one’s personality.
Being the essential determinant of personality, it incorporates a majority of other factors as
well which bring out the various insights about an individual. Some important constituents
under the physical determinants of personality are:

Hereditary: The features that can be determined from the time of conception are generally
put under hereditary.

Physical Features: Physical appearance is also amongst the integral determinants of

personality. How one appears physically actually plays an important role in how they are
perceived by others.

Psychological Determinants of Personality

Considering a personality as a particular style pertaining to each individual, the psychological

approach is amongst the major determinants of personality. This specific style which is
different for each individual actually gets determined through the accumulative
characteristics of mental trends, emotions, sentiments, thought patterns and complexes.
Further, it also studies an individual’s mental conflicts, wishes, aspirations, feelings of
repression, sublimation and emotional well-being.

Social Determinants of Personality

The social determinants analyse a personality as per the status of the individual in their
social group or community and consider the individual’s conception of their role in the group
is like. The key factor that this approach weighs in is what others perceive us as plays a
greater role in the formation of our personality.

The era has seen the widespread emergence of communication tools, especially through
social media. Social media influencers hold an authoritative power to influence the masses
around the globe.

Intellectual Determinants of Personality

Intelligence is another essential factor that can play an important role in the development of
our personality. Our intellect can influence various aspects and areas of our behaviour which
in turn, can determine our personality. Here are the intellectual determinants of Personality:

• Humour: Humour is one of the integral intellectual determinants of personality as it

helps us get a realistic view of things, facilitates social acceptance and further also
ironically brings forward a lighter perspective of life.
• Morality: Our intellect and worldview plays a crucial role in the development of our
morality and how we see certain things as moral or immoral. Thus, morality is another
factor that determines our intellect and thus overall personality as well.
• Values: An individual learns about values from his/her upbringing as well as from the
society they are brought up in. These values and beliefs also form our intellectual
behaviour and thus are an important determinant of our personality.

Situational Factors
In our discussion of various determinants of personality, a vital mention should go to the
situational category. It would not be difficult for you to relate to the fact that we as humans,
react differently to distinct situations.

For Example: You may behave differently in front of your boss in the office than at a club
with your friends.

Family Factors

The most significant out of the different determinants of personality is that of familial. The
environment at home blended with the direct influence of the parents is the major
contributors to the traits that build our personality.

For example, a child brought up in a violent household will be quite different and emotionally
and socially timid and cold as compared to a child reared in a warm, adjusting and healthy
environment.

Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory

This theory is based on the belief that man is encouraged more by unforeseen forces than the
conscious and logical thought. Freud believed that most of the things in life are not present at
the conscious level but they are present at an unconscious level.
The features of Freud’s theory include three attributes − Id, Ego, and Superego.
• Id − It defines the innate component of personality. It is the impulsive and
unconscious part of mind that seeks immediate satisfaction. Example − A
hungry baby cries till he/she is fed.
• Ego − It is derived from Id and assists in dealing with the external world. It also
helps in translating the inner needs into expressions. It deals with practical and
rational thinking process. Example − We have a fight with our friend and expect
the friend to talk first, even though both of us want to talk.
• Superego − It is different from ego and is partially unconscious. It includes the
traditional values of society as interpreted by our parents. It also helps in the
integral vision of punishment. Example − Ram came late today so he is
grounded for a week.

Erikson’s Theory (Psycho-Social Development Theory)

This theory states that personality is groomed throughout lifetime. He presents eight distinct
stages each with two possible outcomes. Successful completion of each stage leads to a healthy
personality. These stages are −
• Infancy − It is the period between 0-1 years of age. In this stage, children learn
the ability to trust others depending on their caregivers. Unsuccessful
completion in this stage results in anxiety and insecurity. Example − Children
 of this age are more comfortable with those faces they see more often and not
with strangers.
• Early Childhood − It is the period between 1-3 years of age. In this stage,
children learn to be independent. If given support, they become more confident
else they become dependent over others. Example − Children in this age are
taught how to walk, how to talk etc.
• Play Age − It is the period between 3-6 years of age. In this stage, children assert
themselves frequently. The failure leads to development of a sense of guilt
among them. Example − Children in this age group, need to be taught how to
behave and should be taught to be focused.
• School Age − It is the period between 6 years of age till puberty. In this stage,
children become more innovative. They feel confident and want to achieve their
goals. If not encouraged they may feel inferior. Example − Teenagers should be
protected and parents need to understand them and should handle them patiently.
• Adolescence − This stage is a transformation from childhood to adulthood. Here
children find their own identity and should be guided and supported in order to
help them choose the right direction. Example − Decision such as which stream
to choose science or commerce etc. happens during this stage.
• Young Childhood − This stage is also known as young adulthood. Here, they
begin to open up and become more intimate with others. Example − Making
close friends.
• Adulthood − In this stage, they focus on establishing career and settling down
with relationships that are important. Example − Applying for jobs.
• Mature Adulthood − In this stage, a person is old and thus in this stage the
productivity slows down. Example − Taking care of the family.

Sheldon’s Physiognomy Theory/Personality/Body type

This theory was proposed by William Sheldon. He presents personalities by classifying

individuals into convenient categories based on their body shapes. They are −

• Endomorphs
• Mesomorphs
• Ectomorphs
Endomorphs
In this category, People will have large body, wide hips, narrow shoulders, high body fat in arm and
legs etc.

Personality: Outgoing, relaxed, talent, fun-loving, good sense of humour.

Some endomorph personalities are John Goodman, Jack Black etc.

Mesomorphs
In this category, the body is hard and rectangular physique. People with this kind of personality
like to take risk, are courageous and have power. Some common mesomorph features are wide
shoulders, small waist, low body fat.
Some mesomorph personalities are Jennifer Garner, Tina Turner etc.
Ectomorphs
In this category, the body is thin, narrow shoulder, thin legs and arms and narrow face.
Personality: Introverted with little or no social skills, anxious, private, quiet, artistic and
thoughtful.
Some notable ectomorph personalities are Brad Pitt, Bruce Lee etc.

Learning:

Meaning:
Learning can be defined as the permanent change in behavior due to direct and indirect experience. It
means change in behavior, attitude due to education and training, practice and experience. It is
completed by acquisition of knowledge and skills, which are relatively permanent.
In other word: Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills,
values, attitudes, and preferences.

Factors Affecting Learning

Learning is based upon some key factors that decide what changes will be caused by this
experience. The key elements or the major factors that affect learning are motivation, practice,
environment, and mental group.
Coming back to these factors let us have a look on these factors −
• Motivation − The encouragement, the support one gets to complete a task, to
achieve a goal is known as motivation. It is a very important aspect of learning
as it acts gives us a positive energy to complete a task. Example − The coach
motivated the players to win the match.
• Practice − We all know that” Practice makes us perfect”. In order to be a
perfectionist or at least complete the task, it is very important to practice what
we have learnt. Example − We can be a programmer only when we execute the
codes we have written.
• Environment − We learn from our surroundings; we learn from the people
around us. They are of two types of environments – internal and
external. Example − A child when at home learns from the family which is an
internal environment, but when sent to school it is an external environment.
• Mental group − It describes our thinking by the group of people we chose to
hang out with. In simple words, we make a group of those people with whom
we connect. It can be for a social cause where people with the same mentality
work in the same direction. Example − A group of readers, travellers, etc.
These are the main factors that influence what a person learns, these are the root level for our
behavior and everything we do is connected to what we learn.

Types of Learners:
What are the different types of Learners?

1. Kinesthetic Learners

2. Read/ Write Learners

3. Visual or Spatial Learners

4. Auditory Learners

5. Natural Learners

6. Linguistic Learners

7. Interpersonal Learners
8. Intrapersonal Learners

9. Logical/ Mathematical Learners

10. Musical or Rhythmic Learners