Foundations of Individual Behavior

Ability
An individuals capacity to perform the various tasks in a job.

Intellectual Abilities

Physical Abilities
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Ability
Made up of two sets of factors:
Intellectual Abilities
The abilities needed to perform mental activities. General Mental Ability (GMA) is a measure of overall intelligence. No correlation between intelligence and job satisfaction.

Physical Abilities
The capacity to do tasks demanding stamina, dexterity, strength, and similar characteristics.

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Dimensions of Intellectual Ability

Number Aptitude

Memory

Verbal Comprehension

Spatial Visualization

Intellectual Ability

Perceptual Speed

Deductive Reasoning

Inductive Reasoning

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Nine Basic Physical Abilities

Strength Factors Dynamic strength: Trunk strength:

Ability to exert muscular force repeatedly or continuously over time Ability to exert muscular strength using the trunk muscles against external objects Ability to exert force

Static strength:

Explosive strength:

Ability to expend a maximum of energy in one or a series of explosive acts

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Flexibility Factors

Extent flexibility: Ability to

move the trunk and back muscles as far as possible

Dynamic flexibility: AbIlity to

make rapid, repeated flexing movements

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Other Physical Factors

Body coordination: Ability to Balance: Ability to maintain

co-ordinate the simultaneous actions of different parts of the body. equilibrium despite forces pulling off balance. maximum effort requiring prolonged effort over time.

Stamina: Ability to continue

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Biographical Characteristics
Objective and easily obtained personal characteristics. Age
Older workers bring experience, judgment, a strong work ethic, and commitment to quality. Turnover, absenteeism, productivity, satisfaction.

Gender
Few differences between men and women that affect job performance.

Tenure
People with job tenure (seniority at a job) are more productive, absent less frequently, have lower turnover, and are more satisfied.
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Other Biographical Characteristics

Religion
May impact the workplace in areas of dress, grooming, and scheduling. The law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of their religion.

Sexual Orientation
In June 2009, the High Court of Delhi, in a landmark judgment, decriminalized homosexual sex between consenting adults, overturning a 149-year-old British colonial law Domestic partner benefits are an important consideration.

Gender Identity
Relatively new issue transgendered employees.
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Learning
What is Learning?
A relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience.

Theories of Learning
Classical conditioning
Individual responds to some stimulus that would ordinarily not produce such a response

Operant conditioning
Behavior is a function of its consequences.

Social learning
The view that people can learn through observation and direct experience: attention, retention, reproduction, re-inforcement.
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Diversity

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Implementing Diversity Management Strategies

Making everybody more aware and sensitive to the needs of others. Attracting, Selecting, Developing, and Retaining the Diverse Employees

Working with Diversity in Groups

Effective Diversity Programs

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Global Implications
Intellectual Abilities
Structures and measures of intelligence generalize across cultures.

Diversity Management
Diversity management is important across the globe. However, different cultures will use different frameworks for handling diversity.

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Summary and Managerial Implications

Summary:
Ability
Directly influences employees level of performance. Managers need to focus on ability in selection, promotion, and transfer. Fine-tune job to fit incumbents abilities.

Biographical Characteristics
Should not be used in management decisions: possible source of bias.

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Summary and Managerial Implications

Diversity Management
Must be an ongoing commitment at all levels of the organization. Policies must include multiple perspectives and be long term in their orientation to be effective.

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