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]

ENTERPRISE WEEK

From 8^th of November through to 15^th of November students of Bucks New University were able to attend a number of seminars being held at the university’s Gateway building.

One of the events was called ‘’Interview with the Vampire’s sound designer’’. The speech was given by award winning sound designer, sound recordist and sound supervisor – Dean Humphreys. During the seminar he spoke mostly about his career as a sound designer, setting up his own business and working with many of the world’s leading directors such as Ridley Scott, Roman Polanski and Luc Besson.

Another seminar I attended was called ‘’The Intrapreneur in our midst’’ and was presented by entrepreneur and marketing executive Marcus Bicknell. He spoke about starting his businesses, his successes and failures. It was very interesting listening to his experience with opening up businesses.

He presented with a great sense of humour and also at the end provided students with help and hints about setting up a business, where to get ideas from, the qualities of a good entrepreneur and how to become a successful entrepreneur.

In my opinion ‘’The Intrapreneur in our midst’’ was much more informative and helpful to me, mostly because his seminar had a lot in common with my Business course. The event was very interesting, well-organized and beneficial.  I think his speech was an inspiration to students and it really made me think more about my future.

I think The Enterprise week seminar with Marcus Bicknell has definitely influenced my career aspirations. I can say I derived many benefits from his speech making me think differently about my future.

CONFLICT AT WORK

According to Mullins (2010, p.96) conflict is behaviour intended to obstruct the achievement of some other person’s goals.

The view of conflict is that it is bad for organisations and tends to be associated with situations which give rise to inefficiency, ineffectiveness or physical stress.

The place where conflict will almost always occur is workplace.

In my previous job which was in a DIY store, one of the staff members had a conflict with a department manager over working hours. The department manager wanted all employees to work from 7a.m. He thought that it was a big asset for the shop if customers could receive service first thing in the morning. The employee couldn’t work so early because she was a single mother and had two small children. Sometimes she arrived late what caused arguments with the manager.

After discussing the problem and understanding each other’s needs, the manager let her work from 9a.m. and modified her timetable so not to interrupt with childcare responsibilities.

In 1959 two social psychologists John R.P. French and Bertram Raven listed five sources of power within organisation:

-Positional power- also called ‘’legitimate’’ power is the most obvious and most important kind of power. It is formal authority delegated to the holder of the position and exists when the leader has the right to tell others what to do. Also it might be created by the leader’s job title. A good example of legitimate power is a military captain etc.

-Referent power- is the most effective power of individuals to attract others. It is based on appeal, charisma or charm. People with referent power can have an influence on others. Perfect examples of referent power are celebrities.

-Expert power- is usually limited to the area in which the expert is trained and qualified. Its influence is based on special skills, knowledge or experience. From which the employees can gain expert power.

-Reward power- people in power are able to give out rewards such as: benefits, time off, promotions etc. It is based on the ability to distribute rewards that others view as valuable.

For example: Managers are people with reward power.

-Coercive power- is similar to reward power, but this type of power is based on fear and abuse.

What 5 strategies can organisations use to overcome conflict at work?

It is very important for organisations to know how to minimise conflict at work, one excellent method is to intentionally build relationships with all subordinates, setting goals, regularly evaluate and revise job descriptions. If a conflict has already occurred it is important to face it and deal with it.

Conclusion

Underlying stress and tension, problems, different points of views, beliefs, values and personality clashes – they all might cause conflicts in the workplace. There are many different ways to overcome or minimise a conflict but the ideal solution is to put systems in place that greatly reduce the chance of conflict occurring.

References:

-         Armstrong, M (2006) Strategic Human Resource Management.3^rd edition. London and Philadelphia. Kogan Page

-         Mullin, L.J. (2010) Management & organisational behaviour. 9^thedition. Essex. Pearson Education Limited.

-         Ehow.com [Online]. Available from:

     http://www.ehow.com/how_6318570_overcome-conflict-    .html Accessed: January 2010

LEADERSHIP

According to Shackleton (1995) leadership is the process in which an individual influences other group members towards the attainment of group or organizational goals.

The definition does not assume who the leader is. It might or it might not be the head of the group. Therefore Managers may or may not be leaders, and also leaders might or might not be managers.

There are many differences between management and leadership in attitudes towards goals, relations with others, conceptions of work or development.

The First difference is-a Manager should create stability, while leader should encourage change.

Another difference is in attitudes towards goals – a Manger tends to be impersonal and what a leader is more personal and passive.

 A Manager’s task is to make plans, organise and direct, however a leader should communicate, motivate and encourage other people.

In their relationships with other people, managers maintain a low level of emotional involvement, while leaders have empathy.

 The ‘Managerial grid’ was developed by Blake and Mouton in 1964.

It is based on two aspects of leadership behaviour.

(picture taken from :http://www.12manage.com/methods_blake_mouton_managerial_grid.html )

First is concern for production that is, task-oriented behaviours (clarifying roles, measuring outputs, scheduling work) and second is concern for people demonstrated by people-centred behaviour (building trust and friendly atmosphere).

This model is represented as a grid with CONCERN OF PRODUCTION as the x-axis and CONCERN OF PEOPLE as the y-axis. Each x-axis ranges 1-9.

It identifies five different styles of leadership:

-         1,1 The Impoverished Manager

-         9,1 The Authoritative Manager

-         1,9 The Social Manager

-         5,5 The Middle of the Road Manager

-         9,9 The Team Manager.

THINK ABOUT SOMEONE YOU USED TO WORK FOR AND IDENTIFY THE LEADERSHIP STYLE THEY USED

A few years ago I worked part-time in a DIY store. I was a sales-assistant and I reported to the Team Manager. On Blake and Mouton’ grid I would fit him to 9, 1 model – The Authoritative Manager. He was very competitive and critical of differing opinions, he used to make decisions and clearly identify the goals that led the company to success. Also he always considered his views as more valid than others. The greatest strength of this style was producing action when it was needed.

EXAMPLE OF A STRONG LEADER

In my opinion a good example of a strong leader is Gandhi who was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian Independence movement. What made him a good leader was definitely his strong personality and character features like commitment, honesty, responsibility, motivation, charisma and wisdom. Effective leaders also help others to understand the necessity of change and accept the common vision of what he/she seeks to accomplish.

There are many different styles of leadership and certain styles work best in different situation. Good leadership is very important within any organisation. The person who is a strong leader has an influence on other people, can easily determine and motivate them which in turn results in better performance.

REFERENCES:

-         Armstrong, M (2006) Strategic Human Resource Management.3^rd edition. London and Philadelphia. Kogan Page.

-         Mullin, L.J. (2010) Management & organisational behaviour. 9^thedition. Essex. Pearson Education Limited.

-         Wikipedia.org. [Online]. Available from:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohandas_Karamchand_Gandhi . Accessed January 2010

-         Memeticians.com. [Online]. Available from: http://www.memeticians.com/2008/01/nature-vs-nurture-what-makes-a.php

ORGANISATION CULTURE

There are many definitions of organisational culture. One such definition is that an organisation can organise itself through its rules, procedures and beliefs making up the culture of the company.

Every organisation has its “visible’’and “hidden” aspects of organisational culture. The visible aspects of an organisation are reflected in slogans, symbols or behaviour of employees. The organisation of my choice is the DIY store I used to work for - Leroy Merlin.

The first example of organisational culture I came across was the company’s uniform, every employee had to wear a green top with the company logo and black trousers; this uniform made staff members easy to spot and enhanced the company’s corporate identity.

Another visible aspect of Leroy Merlin is definitely: the colour theme (green and white) and the display of shelves. The atmosphere in the shop was calm and relaxing. Also the staff members were very friendly and helpful to all customers.

Hidden aspects of organisational culture are all the values, attitudes or beliefs, one such aspect is customer care. Leroy Merlin always tried to understand customers need’s and make sure its customers were happy shopping there.  Another hidden aspect of Leroy Merlin was donating to charities and taking care of the environment by being involved in “The company good for environment” programme, focusing on waste of raw materials.

Charles Handy is an Irish author and philosopher specialising in organisational culture and behaviour. He broke up organisational culture into four categories, they are:

Power culture - where there is one person with the central power source (head of the organisation) that exercises control. His/her decisions are taken very quickly, there are few rules and procedures and the atmosphere is very competitive and political.

Role culture - An environment in which work is controlled by procedures and rules, such a culture is typical of a bureaucratic organisation. Power is associated with positions not people. A good organisational example is the military services or police.

Task culture – This is where the aim is to bring together the right people and let them get on with it. The culture is adaptable and teamwork is important. 

Person culture – An individual is the central point, the organisation exists only to serve and assist the individuals in it. There is no hierarchy. An organisational example of this culture is an architect or barrister.

The main problem of trying to classify culture into one of the four types as described above is that some organisations have their own cultures. Each company is different and sometimes more than one culture might be found in one workplace. For example a company such as Leroy Merlin has several departments and every department has its own type of culture. Changing all departments into one single type of culture might cause  problems like de-motivation and dissatisfaction.

To conclude culture is very important within the organisation because it makes an organisation ‘’unique’’. Every company has visible and hidden aspects. The role of visible aspects is to attract clients, while hidden aspects determine and affect them.

Both of them together help the company to gain a success.

REFERENCE:

-         Armstrong, M (2006) Strategic Human Resource Management.3^rd edition. London and Philadelphia. Kogan Page.

-         Learnmanagement2.com [n.d]. [Online]. Available from:
http://www.learnmanagement2.com/maslow.htm . Accessed January 2010

-         Leroymerlin.pl [n.d]. [Online]. Available from:
http://www.leroymerli.pl  . Accessed January 2010

-         Mullin, L.J. (2010) Management & organisational behaviour. 9^thedition. Essex. Pearson Education Limited.

IMPROVING STAFF PERFORMANCE

According to Mullins (2010, p.259) there are many theories attempting to explain the nature of motivation. Some of them like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Herzberg’s two-factor theory or Alderfer’s need hierarchy model are called content theories.

However equity, expectancy and goal theory belong to process theories of Motivation.

The difference between them is that content theory attempts to explain specific things that motivate individuals in different situations. It is concerned with identifying people’s needs and strengths.

However process theories offer a more dynamic approach.

They are more interested in understanding the process of developing motives. In process theory there is less emphasis on specific factors that causes behaviour.

Choose one organisation and identify all the ways in which they can motivate their employees.

An organisation which motivates its employees very well and individually is Leroy Merlin, a home-improvement store and garden centre that originated in France.

Using the Leroy Merlin website and asking my friend who still works there, I found out that as well as 10% discount on shop products, employees also get holidays, health insurance, eye and dental care and free gym  or swimming pool memberships. Leroy Merlin also rewards its employees with benefit packages including a Contributory Pension scheme and a bonus scheme incorporating sales and/or profit sharing. Every month all employees are set individual tasks to do, if the task is completed, they got a reward (cinema ticket or bonus).

This company uses the Goal theory demonstrated by Locke and Latham (1984) which is based on the premise that people’s goals are play an important part in determining behaviour.

From research, Locke found that specified and hard goals lead to better performance.

To conclude, motivation is very important in every organisation to inspire the staff members. To make them feel satisfied, both of the content and process theories have to take place together. The company of my choice uses mainly the goal-setting theory, which seems to be a very successful method. The goals are being set and the employees get rewards for their input. In the result it makes them feel important and the feedback can be received.

REFERENCES:

Beardwell, I.,Holden, L., and Claydon, T. (2004) Human Resource Management: A Contemporary Approach.4^thedn.

Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

Foot, M. and Hook, H. (2008) Introducing Human Resource Management .5^thedn.Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

Leroymerlin.pl [n.d]. [online]. Available from:
http://www.leroymerlin.pl  . Accessed January 2010

Mullins, L.J.(2010) Management & organisational behaviour. 9^thedn.Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.