Individual Differences
Individual differences are one of the aspects that can impact the way an organization performs. People differ, and every member of a business has his or her behaviors. Consequently, managers and leaders should ensure that they learn the differences among employees and focus on strategies that can help them contribute to the companyâs development. For instance, people have different talents, which can enable institutions to become more productive. The motivation, Abilities, Role Perception and Situational Factors (MARS) model is a theory that has been developed to show how individuals behave as a result of internal and external factors (Costanza et al. 2012). The external factors include race, age, gender, and ethnicity, while external factors are religion, work experience, and educational level.
Gender and Age
Individualsâcharacteristics have been analyzed to determine how people behave differently due to some aspects. One of the factors involves gender, whereby women may have some traits that are not present in men. Gender differences have led to gender inequality since some people believe that females are inferior to males. This has also impacted how individuals behave in organizations and the duties that women are allocated in companies. Age is another aspect that is analyzed when focusing on individual differences in firms (Costanza et al. 2012). Companies employ people of different ages since the major factors considered during the hiring and recruitment process are the candidateâs skills and qualifications.
Consequently, enterprises consist of young adults, adults, and older people working in different departments. Thus, age can impact how an individual behaves and interacts with others in an organization. The stage of life can also be linked to age since it is another factor considered when analyzing individual differences. Typically, people go through different life stages, whereby a particular stage is associated with some behaviors (Costanza et al. 2012). For instance, adolescents have different manners from adults. Thus, the life stage impacts the way people behave in organizations and can be examined when focusing on individual differences.
Religious Background
Religious background is another major aspect that people can analyze when determining how individual differences impact individualsâ behaviors in organizations. The world is diverse, and various religions in the world have different beliefs (Costanza et al. 2012). These values can influence workersâ behaviors in the company and their relationships with other members. Moreover, companies that have discriminated against people from a particular religion due to their beliefs have been reported in many countries. Thus, one can argue that religious background is a factor involved in individual differences in companies.
Education Level
Education level has a major impact on how individuals behave in the community. People have varied education levels, which can influence the way they perform their tasks in business. In most cases, workers with a high education level are associated with excellent skills in a particular field (Costanza et al. 2012). The level of illiteracy can influence the decision-making process of an individual. Furthermore, critical thinking is encouraged in learning institutions, which helps individuals be excellent decision-makers in their work. Thus, the level of education is a significant element that can be analyzed when focusing on individual differences in organizations.
How Individual Differences Impact Oneâs behavior
Individual differences influence the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors of employees. Hence, companies should guarantee that all people in the organization learn about their differences and ensure that they work as a team irrespective of their differences. Moreover, the world is diverse, and people have different cultures and values that can impact their feelings (Costanza et al. 2012). Globalization has also led to increased immigration, leading to greater diversity in organizations.
Another major aspect that involves peopleâs differences and their behaviors in an organization is their thoughts. Individuals have varied perspectives regarding a particular issue. For instance, companies introduce changes to upsurge their production. Nonetheless, some workers may feel that the projects are not beneficial and may limit them from achieving their goals. Hence, managers and leaders should guarantee that they interact with the employees to determine their thoughts concerning new plans. Moreover, engaging with the staff can be of great significance in acquiring new ideas from different people (Guillaume et al. 2017). A company that ensures that the workersâ options are analyzed and used in various programs increases its chances of acquiring new ways of performing its duties.
Businesses have also been encouraged to focus on the workerâs thoughts since it makes them feel appreciated and valued in the business, enhancing their contribution to the firmâs development. Individualsâ think can also be influenced by some characteristics such as education level, stage of life, racial and ethnic background, age, and religious background (Guillaume et al. 2017). Thus, leaders should analyze these aspects when focusing on individualsâ thoughts and behaviors in the organization. People also exercise stereotyping in companies, which influences how they interact with other members. Some individuals generalize groups of people, leading to discrimination at the workplace and ignoring diversity. Thus, stereotyping should be avoided, and all people should be valued and appreciated regardless of their differences.
Teamwork
Teamwork is one of the most significant strategies that many organizations have implemented to increase production. Although many people do not differentiate between a team and a group, the two words have different meanings. Typically, a group primarily involves sharing information and making decisions without necessarily involving real joint effort (Salas et al. 2015). A team works in a more coordinated effort to achieve a goal, and individuals cooperate together to attain their objectives. People in a team share a performance goal, enabling them to develop strategies to achieve these aims (Salas et al. 2015). A team can also be a group of two or more people who are mutually accountable for achieving a common purpose. Therefore, teams in organizations can play a significant role in helping individuals achieve individual and collective goals.
Characteristics of Effective Teams
Nonetheless, some factors can be analyzed to determine the characteristics of effective teams. One of the aspects is mutual trust, whereby all individuals should be honest and ready to work with other members. Trust is crucial as it enables people to develop new projects and have confidence in a particular leader. Moreover, honesty is one of the leadership traits that have been encouraged by many individuals (Mohanty & Mohanty, 2018). Thus, appropriate management has been facilitated in teams to ensure that transparency is achieved. Clear goals is another characteristic of effective teams (Salas et al. 2015). Typically, having specific objectives ensures that all members can be part of the team and play a particular role in achieving these aims. Relevant skill is an aspect that contributes to the performance of the team (Salas et al. 2015). Having adequate skills is vital since they can use their proficiency to tackle the challenges experienced during different business procedures. Therefore, people can analyze these characteristics to determine how effective a team is and the different ways that can be implemented to improve the behaviors and performance of the workers.
Reasons Why Firms Should Have Teams
Reasons, why firms should have a team, can also be analyzed by individuals when focusing on organizational behavior. In most cases, companies use teams to overcome challenges in the firm and develop new ways of improving production. One of the advantages of building teams in businesses is that members can educate one another and develop their skills (Salas et al. 2015). Experienced workers can also educate the less experienced members about various procedures to enable them during business operations. Teams are structured to maximize member proficiency and integrate efforts to improve the performance of the members.
Building teams is also another great way of increasing motivation. Companies have ensured that they develop strategies such as promotion, bonuses, and allowances to motivate employees. However, many companies lack adequate information regarding the importance of teams in inspiring workers. Teams help individuals interact and learn about their strengths and weaknesses (Salas et al. 2015). Thus, employees can be motivated by other colleagues to focus on limiting their flaws and utilizing their strengths. Moreover, working with people who have achieved different goals in their life inspires an individual to contribute harder. Thus, teams bring people together, whereby they can learn about the membersâ achievements, inspiring others to work harder.
Employee involvement is another essential aspect that companies utilize to increase their performance. Ensuring that all workers are part of the projects increases production since business practices are conducted with ease. Limited time is also used during production due to the cooperation and participation of employees. Consequently, teams ensure that all people are given responsibilities that aim to achieve the teamâs purpose. Employee involvement is crucial since every member feels a part of the organization and has a role to play in the company. Team cohesion is also encouraged since it involves the degree of attraction people feel toward the team and their motivation to remain members (Salas et al. 2015). Consequently, objectives are attained using clubs since they encourage employee contribution.
Decision-making is a vital and major element of every organization. Moreover, some situations require quick decisions, whereby an individual may not have adequate time to consult other members. Hence, teams enable workers to advance their decision-making skills since they are assigned different tasks to complete effectively. Additionally, working with experienced members allows an individual to learn about critical thinking and solving various challenges in the work fields (Mohanty & Mohanty, 2018). Thus, various aspects can be analyzed when focusing on teams in corporations and their impact on a companyâs behavior.
Communication
Communication is crucial in organizations since it enables workers to share information that can develop the company. Typically, communication is defined as the process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more individuals (Mikkelson, York, & Arritola, 2015). Consequently, businesses should ensure that effective communication is exercised to guarantee that data shared is understood by the receivers. Moreover, transmitting a message ineffectively can lead to confusion and conflict in a corporation. Thus, leaders and managers are encouraged to educate workers on how to improve their communication skills. A leader who can communicate effectively with the members can share information with ease. Moreover, having excellent communication skills enabled managers to interact with other workers with ease and learn about the challenges they face in the company. Communication can also impact the behaviors of individuals in an organization. For instance, interacting with people efficiently limits internal disputes in companies (Mikkelson, York, & Arritola, 2015). Therefore, communication in businesses is a vital aspect considered when analyzing behaviors in businesses.
The Communication Process
The communication process can also be analyzed to guarantee that people understand how communication occurs in companies. The information originates from the sender, whereby he or she encodes the message before sending it to the target audience. After encoding, the sender uses a communication channel to ensure that message can reach its destination effectively. The channels decode the message before it reaches the receivers to ensure that they can read and interpret the message with ease. Communication can be exercised using two methods. One of the approaches is the verbal approach, which involves spoken communication and may be conducted face to face or through phone and video calls. Non-verbal communication is the second method, whereby words are not used, and one can use images to send a message about a particular issue. Although both strategies can be utilized during communication, verbal communication is the most used technique since it is more convenient. Moreover, it supports other communications and provides the observable expressions of emotions and feelings.
Persuasion in Communication
Persuasion is another aspect involved in communication, whereby one can change another personâs beliefs. In many cases, organizations use communication to transform workersâ perspectives and ensure that they can participate in programs that improve the firmâs performance. For instance, changing organizational culture can be a difficult task for leaders and managers. However, effective communication helps them to introduce these changes with ease since members can be informed about the advantages of the new strategies. The use of facts and arguments and emotional appeal is exercised when persuading members about a particular business aspect.
Different Ways of Communication
There are different ways that communication can be exercised in organizations. For instance, official channels can enable leaders and other individuals to convey their message to the target audiences. Planned meetings, conference calls, and newsletters are some of the official channels that many companies use in communication. Additionally, modern technology has led to increased use of e-mails and intranets since people can access the internet easily. The availability of electronic gadgets such as smartphones and laptops has made communication easier. For instance, many companies are using apps such as zoom to hold meetings with employees in different areas due to the current Covid-19 pandemic.
People also use unofficial channels to communicate with many companies. These include inter-staff chats, outside of workplace chats, and lunchroom conversations (Seymour & Geldenhuys, 2018). In this case, members can use these passages to interact with other members and share information about a particular issue in the organization. Thus, both official and unofficial channels can play a significant role in communication.
Gender communication differences are a factor that can be analyzed when focusing on how individuals interact in a company. Men and women have some specific features that can be noticed during communication. Typically, males are associated with powerful speeches and giving advice directly, while females are known to give information indirectly. Additionally, men are task-oriented, unlike women, who are relationship-oriented. In this case, women focus on their rapport with the audience before engaging in a conversation. Women are also more sensitive to non-verbal cues than men. Thus, these aspects can impact how people communicate and behave in an organization. Leaders should also ensure that they focus on these differences when interacting with workers since they can influence how they relate.
Achieving goals in a company largely depends on communication since individuals can learn new skills from other workers. The ability to listen and ask the right questions helps people understand the information being shared by the sender (Seymour & Geldenhuys, 2018). Thus, people can ensure that they develop such elements to improve their communication skills. Moreover, these communication abilities enable workers to interact with the customers and learn their perceptions regarding a companyâs products and services. Thus, communication is an essential aspect that people should analyze when focusing on organizational management and behavior.
Conclusion
To conclude, organizational behavior is a broad concept that involves various aspects. Individual differences can be analyzed since companies consist of people from diverse backgrounds and races. The differences can impact how people behave in various ways. For instance, age, gender, and education levels are some of the factors that impact the way people behave in companies. Teams in organizations are another factor that impacts how people behave in a company. They enable people to improve their skills and learn from other members, increasing their output. Teams are also encouraged since they inspire employee involvement. Thus, many companies have encouraged workers to build teams that can enable them to achieve their goals. Communication is another aspect that many people analyze when focusing on business performance. Communication is vital since it helps people interact with ease and learn from one another. Verbal and non-verbal communication channels have been used in many businesses to ensure that information is shared and understood with ease. In essence, organizational behavior is a factor that people examine since it impacts a firmâs production.
Reference List
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