Organizational Behavior - Individual Differences (Chapter 3)

Flashcards on Individual Differences and Organizational Behavior

Individual differences

Personal attributes that vary from one person to another.

Person-job fit

The fit between a person’s abilities and the demands of the job, and the fit between a person’s desires and motivations and the attributes and rewards of a job

Person-group fit

The extent to which an individual fits with the workgroup’s and supervisor’s work styles, skills, and goals

Person-organization fit

The fit between an individual’s values, beliefs, and personality and the values, norms, and culture of the organization

Person-vocation fit

The fit between a person’s interests, abilities, values, and personality and a profession

Realistic job previews (RJPs)

Present both positive and potentially negative information to job candidates.

Personality

The relatively stable set of psychological attributes that distinguish one person from another.

Agreeableness

The ability to get along with others

Conscientiousness

Refers to an individual being dependable and organized

Neuroticism

Characterized by a person’s tendency to experience unpleasant emotions: anger, anxiety, depression, and feelings of vulnerability

Extraversion

The quality of being comfortable with relationships

Openness

The capacity to entertain new ideas and to change as a result of new information

Introversion

The tendency to be less comfortable in relationships and social situations

The Myers-Briggs framework

Personality framework based on Carl Jung’s work on psychological types and measured by the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Locus of control

The extent to which one believes one’s circumstances are a function of either one’s own actions or of external factors beyond one’s control

Internal locus of control

Reflects the perception that we are in control of our lives and what happens to us.

External locus of control

Reflects the belief that forces beyond our control dictate what happens to us.

Authoritarianism

The belief that power and status differences are appropriate within hierarchical social systems such as organizations

Machiavellianism

A trait causing a person to behave in ways to gain power and control the behavior of others. “The end justifies the means.”

Tolerance for risk

The degree to which a person is comfortable with risk and is willing to take chances and make risky decisions

Tolerance for ambiguity

Reflects the tendency to view ambiguous situations as either threatening or desirable

Workplace bullying

Repeated mistreatment of another employee through verbal abuse; conduct that is threatening, humiliating, or intimidating; or sabotage that interferes with the other person’s work

General mental ability

The capacity to rapidly and fluidly acquire, process, and apply information; Involves reasoning, remembering, understanding, and problem solving.

Information processing capacity

Involves the manner in which individuals process and organize information

Multiple intelligences

Suggests there is more than one way to be smart and is important for determining different learning preferences

Emotional intelligence (EI)

An interpersonal capability that includes the ability to perceive and express emotions, to understand and use them, and to manage emotions in oneself and other people

Self-awareness

Being aware of what you’re feeling

Self-motivation

Persisting in the face of obstacles, setbacks, and failures

Self-management

Managing your own emotions and impulses

Empathy

Sensing how others are feeling

Social skills

Effectively handling emotions of others

Learning style

Individual differences and preferences in how we process information while problem-solving, learning, or engaging in similar activities

Sensory modality

A system that interacts with the environment through one of the basic senses

Visual learning

Learning by seeing

Auditory learning

Learning by hearing

Tactile learning

Learning by touching

Kinesthetic learning

Learning by doing

Convergers

Learn by active experimentation and abstract conceptualization; superior in technical tasks, inferior in interpersonal settings

Divergers

Learn by concrete experience and reflective observation; superior in generating alternate hypotheses and ideas; tend to be imaginative and people- or feeling-oriented

Assimilators

Learn by abstract conceptualization and reflective observation; more concerned about abstract concepts and logical soundness than about people and practical values; suited to research and planning

Accommodators

Learn by active experimentation and concrete experience; focus on risk taking, opportunity seeking, and action; deal with people easily; suited to action-oriented jobs such as marketing and sales

Discovery learning

An inclination for exploration during learning

Experiential learning

A desire for hands-on approaches to instruction

Observational learning

A preference for external stimuli such as demonstrations and diagrams

Structured learning

A preference for processing strategies such as taking notes, writing down task steps, subjective assessments

Group learning

Preference to work with others while learning; active and interactional