PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

“Performance management can be defined as a strategic and integrated approach to delivering sustained success to organisations by improving the performance of the people who work in them and by developing the capabilities of teams and individual contributors.

Performance management is strategic in the sense that it is concerned with the broader issues facing the business if it is to function effectively in its environment and with the general direction in which it intends to go to achieve longer-term goals.” Armstrong, M. (2006)

The main purpose of the performance management strategy is to provide the means to help an organisation and its’ employees get better results. It involves an approach to managing people in a way that increases the probability of achieving proposed targets. One of the methods of the Performance Management is appraisals. Appraisals require line managers to appraise the performance of their staff, usually on an annual basis. Then the employee and the manager take part in the meeting to review the employee’s performance.

Describe an appraisal you have had at work.  Was it effective?  What were the outputs of the meeting?

When I worked as a sales assistant in Leroy Merlin, I had an appraisal after half a year of working there. The meeting was conducted by the department executive, Claudia. She started the conversation in a very friendly way, asking first about my life, school and plans. Afterwards we started a conversation about my work in the company, she wanted to know if I liked working for this organisation and if I had any problems related to work.  During the conversation, she discussed with me my main duties and responsibilities which should be carried out, along with what was going to be expected from me. She acquainted me with some of the main aims and plans of the organisation. At the end I was given very positive feedback for my work.

I found the appraisal very effective. The meeting was conducted in a nice and friendly way which meant that I did not get nervous or stressed.  It was also very helpful, as it was a great chance to talk with my department executive about problems and some other issues related to my work. I was very satisfied with the appraisal and the meeting, at the end, I felt very motivated to achieve my new targets.

Read the article from The Times on mentoring.  What skills do you think are required to be an effective mentor?

                           

Let me start with the definition of the word “Mentor.” A mentor is a wise and trusted teacher and guide. According to Beardwell, I., Holden, L. and Claydon, T. (2004, p.299) mentors are more experienced employees, who help, encourage or support younger or less experienced employees. They are supposed to help other people with their challenges and achieving goals.  To be an effective mentor, there are many skills required. First of all a mentor needs to be experienced so he/she is able to help and provide an appropriate type of information. He/she has to be a good listener, so he/she can listen and understand the needs of other people.  Secondly, an effective mentor needs to have skills and qualities which will be respected by their protégés. A good level of communication and people-developing skills is also required. A mentor also has to be patient and emphatic. Overall, mentors should be able to identify their proteges’ weaknesses and strengths and encourage them to analyse their target performance. They are expected to guide, support, caution and help their protégés to hit the set target.

Identify someone from your college/uni, school, work, social life who has been a mentor to you.  How have they affected your life?

A person who has been a mentor to me for my whole my life is my Grandma. She always helps me to solve my problems and guides me through my life, she is always there when I need and I believe that without her support, I would not have been able to achieve most of the things I have achieved. My Grandma has knows me the better than anyone and she always listens to me and understands my needs. My Grandma, as a mentor, affected me by changing my perspectives on life. I am very respectful and thankful to her for that.

To conclude, I think that performance management is extremely important in every organisation. Giving appraisals is effective for both, organisation and employees. It makes employees feel important and well motivated in achieving their tasks. Motivated and hard-working employees are the key to success of every organisation.

References:

-              Armstrong, M (2006) Strategic Human Resource Management. Third Edition. London and Philadelphia: Kogan Page.

-              Beardwell, I., Holden, L. and Claydon, T. (2004) Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach. Forth Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

-              The Times (2010) [Online] Available at: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article3778514.ece [Accessed: 20th April 2011]

SELECTION

“The selection and recruitment process is concerned with identifying, attracting and choosing suitable people to meet an organisation’s human resource requirements.” Beardwell, I., Holden, L. and Claydon, T. (2004)

There are many techniques of selection which could be used in organisations. First, and probably the most common is to Interview potential candidates. An interview is a conversation between the interviewer and applicant. The interviewer asks questions to obtain required information about the applicant and determine if this person is suitable for the job.  The main advantage of interviews is that the interviewer can meet and talk with a candidate in person; this assures that the responses are from the person intended.  One of the disadvantages is that job interviews can be time consuming, it takes a while to obtain the required information and make sure that the right person has been chosen. If there are a large number of applicants then this disadvantage becomes even greater and sometimes interviewing every applicant can be an unrealistic task.

( picture taken from http://www.businesspundit.com/the-ten-worst-job-interview-questions-ever/)

 A telephone interview can also be used as a part of the selection process (especially for jobs in call centres). The advantage of a telephone interview is that it can also be used to shortlist candidates for a face-to-face interview. Telephone interviews can be quicker and easier to arrange and provide less opportunity to discriminate on grounds of race, age etc. This technique of selection also has some disadvantages. One of them is that the interviewers could be biased against people with a particular manner or accent.

The use of an assessment centres is a process that consists of a small group of applicants that undertake tests and exercises under observation. This technique is usually used by large companies. The use of an assessment centre allows organisations to observe the behaviour of a candidate in a work related setting.  Unfortunately, they can be also very expensive and take a lot of time to organised, another disadvantage the likelihood of competition between applicants. The idea of competing with each other might make the candidates nervous and insecure.

One interview I had was for the position of Sales Assistant in Leroy Merlin. It was a one-to-one interview with the Human Resource Manager, Caroline. First of all, she went through my CV and cover letter. Afterwards I was asked some questions related to my life, work experience, education, plans and skills. I was also set with a few problem solving tasks. For example I had to explain how I would deal with uncomfortable situations or how I would you deal with unpleasant clients etc. At the end I had to act out a small role play, me in the role of a sales assistant and the interviewer as an impolite customer. I think that interview was very effective. The interviewer was very nice and friendly and this made me feel relaxed, comfortable and more confident. She made the interview as easy as a normal conversation with a friend. Following the interview I was offered the job.

I believe it is important to carry out an interview in a friendly, stress-free way. Being nervous, worried and stressed does not help candidates. There are many people who cannot deal with stress very well. Also it might have a big influence on their performance in the interview.

To improve the selection process in my own organisation, I would put some additional methods into the system. Instead of carrying out only common techniques like interviews, assessment centres or references, I would like to try to add a new technique called Graphology, which is not widely used in UK. This method is based on the idea that handwriting analysis is very important and could reveal personal traits and characteristics. An organisation takes a writing sample provided by a candidate, and proceeds to do a personality profile, matching the congruency of the applicant with the ideal psychological profile of employees in the position. A graphological report is then used in conjunction with other tools, such as comprehensive background checks, practical demonstration or a record of work skills.  Although this technique has been criticised and is not very popular, I think it is a useful additional tool, it could help the organisation to get to know candidates and their personalities.

In conclusion, different organisations use different selection methods to choose the right people. Every method has many pros and cons. Some of them are easy to falsify, allowing applicants to create a personality that the organisation would favour (personality tests) and some of them are not (interviews). In an effort to avoid this in my own organisation, I would utilise different methods of selection for all shortlisted candidates.

References:

-         Beardwell, I., Holden, L. and Claydon, T. (2004) Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach. Forth Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

-         Foot, M. and Hook, C. (2008) Introducing Human Resource Management. Fifth Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

-         Uwex.edu (2011) [Online], Available at: http://www.uwex.edu/ces/tobaccoeval/pdf/ProConInt.pdf [Accessed: 10th April 2011]

-         Wikipedia (2011) [Online], Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphology#Employment_profiling [Accessed: 10^th April 2011]

RECRUITMENT

Recruitment is the process of identifying and hiring the best-qualified candidate for a job vacancy. Its aim is to obtain a pool of suitable candidates for vacant posts and to use and be seen to use a fair process.  Today, recruitment is also possible online. There are many websites created to help people looking for jobs. One of the most popular recruitment websites in the Great Britain is www.fish4jobs.co.uk.

                                                    (Picture taken from http://www.channel4sales.com/advertising/sponsorship/previous_sponsors)

The website is very eye-catching, by the domination of a bright, orange colour that attracts more people. It has been made in a very attractive, modern and creative way.

Fish4jobs.co.uk is also easy to use. The main ‘’jobs browser’’ was made bigger and situated at the top of the front page. Using it is very simple, as the only required information is: keywords e.g. sales assistant and location of where you wish to work. Under the main browser, there are two smaller searching tools which allow people to look for jobs, depending mainly on location (e.g. Glasgow, London etc) or occupation industry (e.g. IT, Accountancy). This recruitment website is also very easy to access. By going to the most popular search engine Google.co.uk and entering the word “job,” we can find fish4jobs.co.uk on the 5^th position of the listed websites.  By making the recruitment website so attractive, easy to access and operate, people would be more likely to visit and use this website.

                             

( picture taken from: http://www.personal-marketing.co.uk/dealing-with-recruitment-agencies/)

There are many advantages of online recruitment, such as:

-         Most people in today’s society have an internet connection, which is a very useful device. Thanks to internet, online recruitment became easy to access. People can look for jobs via their computers, laptops or mobile phones, instead of going to the job agencies, buying newspapers etc.

-         Online recruitment is not only easy for applicants, but also for companies. It is much easier and quicker to put a job vacancy on their website, than advertising it in a newspaper.

-         Online recruitment is cheap. Putting a job vacancy in the newspaper costs a lot of money, where as putting a job vacancy on its own website is almost free.

-         Websites can offer a larger range of specific jobs. Usually, when people are looking for the job, they are looking for one or two specific types. For example students usually want to work in the pubs or as waiter/waitresses, so they can have different shifts and reconcile work with studying. A newspaper does not guarantee that they will find specific vacancies, while online recruitment websites do. There consist of different jobs in different areas. Through the searching tool, people are able to look for specific jobs in areas of their choice.

-         Online recruitment websites are helpful. Some of them contain many different guides of how to fill in the forms, how to write CVs etc. Also, job vacancy advertisements are on websites 24 hours a day, it lets people rethink their decisions and come back to offers whenever they wish to.

Unfortunately, online recruitment has some drawbacks:

-         The major disadvantage of online recruitment is that it is not or everyone. There are many people who in their entire lives have had nothing to do with devices like computers or laptops. They are usually older people. They prefer more traditional ways of looking for jobs, such as national or local press.

-         Too many candidates. Because, the online recruiting websites became so famous, there are many people using them. They are more likely to apply for more jobs “just in case.” More candidates for one job vacancy mean a smaller chance of getting the job.

-         It can become confusing as traditionally, people would have had only several job vacancies to apply for, and could therefore select a target vacancy more easily. Because the online recruitment websites have hundreds of vcancies, it becomes confusing and hard shortlist ones to apply for.

-         Access to the internet. Not everyone nowadays has access to the internet, meaning that people with perfect skills and potential might be missed due to their lack of ability to apply online.

-         Lack of face-to-face contact. Physical appearance and personality is very important. However, most job applications are analysed electronically by Managers or HR Managers, this means decisions are made prior to a face-to face interview.

Capgemini is one of the biggest consulting companies in the world, leader in provision of integrated consultative and outsourcing services. Capgemini was carrying out a recruitment campaign in Poland, which was directed at students of Cracow’s universities. The purpose of the campaign was to recruit students for exciting and challenging job roles within a large international corporation, whilst also promoting the fact they were a professional and friendly employer.  The campaign really caught my interest, as it was above all directed to people of my age, students and people searching for an interesting job. Posters of the campaign were creative and eye-catching. The website of this recruitment campaign was informative and it contained all of the required information (for example skills required for different job positions, written and oral fluency in English or German, or degree related to the job position). The organisation was also promising many attractive opportunities of personal development like professional training, courses or the possibility of working for Capgemini in different countries.

To summarise, online recruitment is a new way of hiring people and is very important within every organisation. It allows people to search for jobs easily, quickly and comfortably. There are many advantages of online recruitment. However, it is not for everyone. Some people might also find it very frustrating and confusing. Too many job offers do not help people to find the right job vacancy. It makes people rethink, come back to job vacancies several times and sometimes end up with applying for none of them.

References:

-         - Beardwell, I., Holden, L. and Claydon, T. (2004) Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach. Forth Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

-         Business Dictionary (2011) [Online].Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/recruitment.html [Accessed: 17th April 2011]

-         Capgemimi (2010) [Online].Available at: http://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/capgemini-rekrutuje-studentow [Accessed: 17th April 2011]

-         Capgemini (2010) [Online]. Available at: http://www.pl.capgemini.com/ [Accessed: 17^th April 2011].

-         Fish4jobs (2011) [Online].Available at: www.fish4jobs.co.uk [Accessed: 17^th April]

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

“The equal opportunities approach seeks to influence behaviour through legislation so that discrimination is prevented. It has been characterised by a moral and ethical stance promoting the rights of all members of society. The approach, sometimes referred to as the liberal tradition (Jewson and Mason 1986), concentrates on the equality of opportunity rather than the equality of outcome found in more radical approaches. The approach is based on the understanding that some individuals are discriminated. ‘’ Torrington, D., Hall, L. and Taylor, S. (2005)

‘’Diversity implies a wide range of conditions and characteristics. In terms of businesses and their workforces it is about valuing and reaping the benefits of a varied workforce that makes the best of people’s talents whatever their backgrounds.’’ Skills for Business (2010) [Online].

       

(picture taken from : http://www3.uwic.ac.uk/English/Secretariat/EandD/Pages/Home.aspx)

There are some differences between these two concepts. The first major difference is that equality operates within the law, while diversity is often beyond the law. Equality recognises and values the similar experiences that particular workers may have in workplace. It uses a collective approach, like treating a particular group of workers very similar. Diversity recognises and values people’s differences and in comparison to Equality uses an individual approach rather than a collective one.

THE EMPLOYMENT EQUALITY (AGE) REGULATIONS 2006 was implemented in October 2006. It contains regulations about age discrimination in employment and vocational training. It makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against a person on the basis of his or her age. The employers should focus on the individual’s skills and competencies when recruiting. This legislation might have a few impacts on employers. The employers should be careful, when hiring or assessing employees. They should make sure that the assessment has nothing to do with employees age or if employers think that the recruit is too young/old for the specific job and that’s the reason of not hiring this person, they should be careful with reasons they give.  Another impact on employers might that some of the employees could use The Age Legislation Act for the wrong reasons, for example, some employees might say they felt discriminated against of they if were not given a bonus and then put the blame on employers for discriminating against them as an attempt to blackmail them into giving the bonus.

What stereotypes do we tend to hold about younger and older people? Suggest two ideas as to how organisations can attempt to change these attitudes

Stereotypes are beliefs that society tend to have about individuals or specific social groups. Young people are usually stereotyped to be lazy, immature, inexperienced and thinking only about partying and money. On the other hand, older people tend to be stereotyped as being slow, bad drivers,  set in their own ways and not very good with operating modern technology devices such as laptops, computers and mobile phones.

As we all know, stereotypes are not always true and cannot be applied to everyone. Organisations should not look at stereotypes and employ people regardless to their age, as long as they are capable of working in the specific job or position.

In an effort to change the attitudes of older employees, organisations could hold “workshops.” In these “workshops” people of a similar age can demonstrate the benefits of modern technology and see how it has made their working life easier and more enjoyable. 

Visit one organisational website to benchmark practice in relation to equal opportunities.

Marks and Spencers is one of the UK’s leading retailers, selling clothing, food and homeware.

             

(picture taken from: www.marksandspencer.com)

Its policy is to promote environment free from discrimination, harassment and victimisation, where every employee receives equal treatment, regardless of age, colour, gender, religion etc.

Marks and Spencers claims that it works towards creating a culture, where everyone is equal and respects the individual’s differences. The organisation treats discrimination, harassment and victimisation very seriously and is responsive to the needs of its employees. They raise awareness by designing and delivering training programmes that support the Equal Opportunities aims. They also monitor and report the composition of the Company’s workforce and review changes in attitude and application of Company policy.

In conclusion, equal opportunities are very important in every organisation as it helps to treat all of the people with different backgrounds equally. Employers should be careful with actions they undertake to not be accused of discrimination. There are many different stereotypes about people from various age groups, organisations should not take it into consideration as a major factor when recruiting. Marks and Spencers is one of the companies that do not discriminate against people, they employ people regardless of their background and make sure that all of them receive equal treatment.

References:

-         Marks and Spencer (2011) [Online] Available at: http://corporate.marksandspencer.com/documents/how_we_do_business/equal_opps_policy.pdf [Accessed: 18th April 2011]

-         Skills For Business (2011) [Online] Available at: http://www.sfbn-equality-diversity.org.uk/ [Accessed: 18th April 2011]

-         Torrington, D., Hall, L. and Taylor, S. (2005).Human Resource Management. Sixth Edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

TEAMWORKING

‘’There is some debate whether group and team is a separate concept. A group is two or more people with a common relationship.

However, team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose or performance goal. ‘’ Langton, N. and Robbins, S.P., (2006)

If the group members shared leadership, developed its own purpose or goal or worked together continuously, rather than occasionally, it could become a team.

In 1965, an American Psychologist- Bruce Wayne Tuckman proposed The Forming – Storming – Norming – Performing model of group development. He believed that groups pass through a standard sequence of stages. In 1977, B.W. Tuckman added a fifth stage called Adjourning.

(picture copied from Langton, N. and Robbins, S.P., (2006))

The first assignment for People and Organisations was to make a presentation and write a report about Motivation. It was a group assignment and I was working in a group of four members.

Forming- is the first stage, which is characterised by much uncertainty. Members of my group did not know each other well, so all of us were a little bit shy and watchful. Through conversation we tried to establish our roles and get to know each other better.

Storming- is the second stage characterised by conflict. At this stage members of the group knew each other better. It happens often, that at this stage many conflicts occur, members start feeling de-motivated or even deciding to leave the group. However, in my group there was no conflict, the group communicated well, sharing ideas and views. At this stage the need of a leader became higher, so one of the girls started coordinating the work.

Norming- is the third stage characterised by cohesiveness. At this stage, the team got organised and started making progress. Team members were effectively working together, helping each other and asking for others opinion. The team started fulfilling its purpose.

Performing- is the fourth stage. The group’s energy and motivation has moved from getting to know each other to performing. The team members became supportive, tolerant and open. We found a way to get the job done effectively, without inappropriate conflict.

Adjourning- is the final stage, where the team split up. At this stage we completed our task and our work was marked with a good grade.

I do not think that my team met the final stage of Tuckman’s five-stage model. When the job was done, there was no sense of loss felt by any of my team members.

Give an example of a time when you have worked in a team and you were successful.

I can remember one time when I worked in the team and we were successful. When I worked in Leroy Merlin as a sales assistant, almost every three month employees were put into groups and were given specific tasks to do.

Once, during the recruitment period in my organisation, I was put into a group of 4 girls, our task was to prepare a presentation and give a lecture to the new employees about dealing with unpleasant customers. It was a massive task to do, as it was supposed to last at least one hour.

First thing we did, was hold a meeting to discuss our task. Looking at Tuckman’s model of group development, my team went through first stage, forming, very quickly as we knew had known each other for a long time and we were able to communicate well.  For the first few days we spent our time planning all of the details. I believe that my team started stage two, storming, when we started creating our presentation. A few conflicts occurred between the members as we had different points of view about doing the presentation.  As we had known each other for long time and were really good friends, we managed to solve our problems and reach an agreement.  At his stage, the need for a leader became apparent, so from that moment I started managing the team.  When we all got a little bit more organised and started making progress, our team went to third stage, norming, during this stage the team started fulfilling our main purpose.

Performing- during this stage we had most of our work done. We finished our presentation and the plan for the lecture together, sharing opinions and helping each other. We also set members tasks and made them responsible for different parts of our presentation and lecture. The next day was the day of the lecture. We started with our presentation, where we explained to new employees, types of customers they might come across whilst working as a sales assistants. We divided customers into a few different types (unpleasant, demanding, aggressive etc.) and explained how to deal with each type in a nice and polite way. We gave some examples from our own experience and tried to act some scenarios out, with girls from my team as customers and new employees as sales assistants. Our task was done successfully and the Human Resource Manager was very impressed with our lecture and teamwork. Fortunately, my team did not reach the last stage, adjourning, as we did not split up but actually stayed in the team for other set tasks.

Using the link below “The Times Top 100 companies to work for”, review 2 companies where teamwork has been identified as a major contributory factor to their success.

-         NAPP PHARMACEUTICALS HOLDINGS is a UK based pharmaceutical company that is part of a worldwide association of independent companies that have a strong track record in providing innovative treatments that make a positive difference to patients' lives. The online article from The Times shows that Staff feel they are paid fairly for the work they do and their pay is relative to others within the organisation. Employees believe that working for this organisation is good for personal growth. Also they are able to have their say on the direction of the business and they can discuss with their respective departments how they can help the firm meet its objectives. It shows that the company involves employees in decision making, which in turn motivates them and makes them feel important. Managers regularly express their appreciation when a team member does a good job. The relation between managers and workers improves the level of motivation and it shows that teamwork is a major contributory factor to their success.

-         ADMIRAL GROUP- specialise in providing low cost car insurance for younger drivers, people living in cities and those driving performance cars. The online article The Times says that collaboration is the driver of success at Admiral. Managers show their appreciation, when team members do a good job. Managers are open and honest with staff. They help them fulfil their potential and motivate them to give their best every day. Admiral Groups is definitely an organisation which shows that managers and the ordinary workers create a team and their teamwork is the major factor to the company’s success.

In conclusion, teamwork in daily life, like in organisation between workmates and managers with the ordinary workers is a very important issue. Team members help each other, share views and work towards this same purpose. A well created team results in achieving the targets and doing the set tasks successfully.

References:

-         Admiral Group.(2011) [Online] Available at: http://www.admiral.com/aboutAdmiral/aboutAdmiral.php [Accessed: 11th April 2011]

-         Langton, N. and Robbins, S.P., (2006) Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour. Third Edition. Ontario: Pearson Education Canada.

-         Napp Pharmaceutical Group. (2011) [Online] Available at: http://www.napp.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx [Accessed: 11th April]

-         The Times. (2011) [Online] Available at: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/ [Accessed: 11^th April]

PERSONALITY

Personality is the sum of all the behavioural and mental characteristics of which an individual is recognized as being unique. It has also been defined as a dynamic concept describing the growth and development of a person’s whole physiological system.

(picture taken from: http://www.realbollywood.com/news/2010/01/slash-drugs-complimented-personality.html )

There are many different approaches to personality.

-Nature: is a belief that people are born with personalities and their behaviour traits are genetic.

-Nurture- states that individuals’ personalities take form from the culture they were brought up in, the norms among our families, friends and other influences.

There is one more approach, called “situational” and it implies that people can change their behaviour in different situations.

Looking at these approaches to personality, I feel that nurture is the dominant influence. In my opinion, people form their personality through out their life, it takes shape through the things they experience or people they are surrounded by.  I do not believe that people are born with their personalities. For example, if a child is naughty and spoilt, it does not mean it is not going to change when it grows up. I think that personality and other character traits can change  with age and experiences in life.

Besides this, there are two other theories describing perspectives from which a personality is looked at. These are the “nomothetic” approach and the “idiographic” approach.

- The nomothetic approach looks at the identification of traits and personality as a collection of characteristics. This approach states that the personality is inherited and cannot be changed; the level of environmental influence is low. It suggests that the amount of possessed traits makes people different.

- The idiographic approach is concerned with understanding the uniqueness of individuals. In comparison to the nomothetic approach, the idiographic approach states that the most important part in shaping personality is the environment.

THE BIG FIVE MODEL

The five-factor model of personality is the most widely accepted model of personality. It consists of five factors, detailed as follows:

-Extraversion- traits of character for this factor could be talkativeness, sociability and assertiveness.

-Agreeableness- agreeable people are likely to be warm, trusting and co-operative.

-Conscientiousness- a personality factor that describes the degree to which someone is responsible and achievement-oriented.

-Neuroticism- factor that describes the degree to which someone is calm, self-confident and secure.

-Openness- people high with a high level of openness are imaginative and intellectual.

I took the “the big personality test” from the BBC website, created by Professor Robert Winston.  I used the test to look at my own personality. The test revealed my five traits within 20 minutes and showed the results in the graph below:

Each trait can have its own level: Low, Medium and High.

-Neuroticism- as we can see from the graph above, my level of Neuroticism is high (4.6/5).  This means that I am hasty, self-conscious and tense. I do agree with this, because I am a worrier. Being neurotic is not necessarily a bad thing, because it might also work as a very good motivator. People who continually worry about things, get them done quicker or better. However to keep worrying about stuff might cause anxiety or even depression.

-Extraversion- the level of this trait is medium (3.1/5). It means that I am likely to enjoy the benefits of both extroversion and introversion. I could be sociable, risk-taking as well as quiet and reserved. I also highly agree that I am a mix of both of them. There could be moments when I am terribly shy, as well as moments when I am 100% extravert.

-Agreeableness- the level of this trait is medium (3.9/5). This suggests that people with a score like mine are likely to show concern for the feelings of others. Again I need to agree with the test result, because I am an empathetic and trusting person.

-Conscientiousness- the level I reached is medium (3.7/5). It describes how responsible, organised and hard-working a person is likely to be. People with a medium level of this trait are less likely to be workaholics. Instead, they achieve a good work-life balance.

-Openness- my level of this trait is medium (3.6/5). People with a score like mine have a broad range if interests, they are creative and flexible. It also shows that I can come up with original solutions to problems.

Overall, I think that “the big personality test” was very useful. The results were as I expected and in my opinion the test was an ideal tool for outlining my personality. However, I do not think that organisations should use it as a selection tool, as candidates could easily manipulate the test by giving false answers based on the requirements of the employer; the results of the test would then become useless.

REFERENCES:

-         Dictionary.Reference. (2011) [Online] Available at: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/personality [Accessed: 12th April 2011]

-         Langton, N. and Robins, S.P., (2006) Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour. Third Edition. Ontario: Pearson Education Canada.

-         Mullins, L.J., (2010) Management & Organisational Behaviour. Ninth Edition. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

-         The BBC Lab UK. (2010) [Online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/labuk/experiments/personality/feedback/big-five-text [Accessed: 12th April 2011]

PERCEPTION

“Perception is the process by which individuals select and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.

There are many factors affecting perception. These factors can be found in the perceiver, target or situation” Langton, N. and Robbins, S.P., (2006)

Describe a situation from your own experience where your initial perception of someone was incorrect.  What led you to make that initial judgement and what did you discover later which indicated that this perception was incorrect?  What would you do differently to avoid making this judgement again?

I can remember one situation, when my perception of someone was incorrect. The person of whom my perception was faulty was the Chief Executive of the company I used to work for. When I applied for the job in the company as a sales assistant, I had to go through two interviews, one with the Human Resource Manager and another with the Store Manager.  When I first stared working there, I would only see the Chief Executive when she was coming to and from work. My first impression of her were not very good, she seemed to be very haughty and conceited. I never saw her smiling, but always very serious. I had an impression that she looked down at everyone, she reminded me of Editor-In-Chief Miranda Priestly played by Meryl Streep in the movie “Devil wears Prada.” After a few weeks I had some training sessions at my workplace. Most of them were run in a very humorous and stress-free way, but one of them was due to be run by my Chief Executive. I really was not looking forward to it as I thought it was going to be boring and stressful, however, the training session completely changed my opinion about her. During the training, she turned out to be a very nice and funny person with an impressive sense of humour, she was well-prepared and everyone appeared to be enjoying the session.

I believe my initial perception about her was incorrect and I made my judgement too quickly. I should not have made my opinion about her without getting to know her a little bit better.

That is why, to avoid making incorrect judgements about someone, I always try to get to know that person better.

                                                                           

Read the article below on “Communication is Child’s Play @ Unilever.”  Using an organisation with which you are familiar, explain the goals of that company as if you were communicating with 12 year olds. 

(picture taken from www.lush.co.uk)

Communication with children is very hard as they do not have the same points of reference as adults, with this in mind, some people may become frustrated when trying to explain something to a child. Another issue, which does not help communication with children is that they can become bored when listening to people teaching them.As soon as they stop understanding a topic they will get bored, they stop listening and start trying to find other things t do that are more fun.  To explain something to children, adults need to try and translate it in a way that is interesting and understandable to children.

The organisation I am familiar with is Lush, Fresh Homemade Cosmetics.

If I wanted to explain to explain to 12 year old, that Lush is against Animal Testing, I would say: We love animals, so we sell products which do not hurt them.   The organisation believes in making effective products from only fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. I would translate it for kids as: We love Mother Nature, so all our products come from her. Lush also supports projects that take care of animals and gives money to campaigning organisations. I would explain this as: We love animals and we try to help them by fighting for their rights. They also support those groups who protect and campaign for the rights of others in those countries where human rights abuse are both common and at times, life threatening. I would explain it as: All of the people create a big family that is why we should help each other.

References:

- Langton, N. and Robins, S.P., (2006) Fundamentals of Organizational Behaviour. Third Edition. Ontario: Pearson Education Canada.

-Lush Fresh Homemade Cosmetics (2011) [Online] Available at: http://www.lush.co.uk/articles/we-believe/a-lush-life_105-10054_10.html [Accessed: 9th April 2011]