Lecture Organizational behavior - Chap 2: Introducing organizational behavior

Chapter 2
Diversity, Personality, and
Values
Appreciation opens doors to opportunity


Chapter 2 Study Questions





Why are diversity and individual differences
important?
What is personality?
How are personality and stress related?
What are individual and cultural values?

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

Why are diversity and
individual differences
important?
Individual differences attempts to identify
where
behavioral tendencies are similar and where they
are different.



Capitalizing on differences requires an
understanding of what they are and valuing the
benefits they can offer.



Self awareness - being aware of one’s own
behaviors, preferences, styles, biases, personalities,
and so on.



Awareness of others - being aware of the
behaviors, preferences, styles, biases, and
personalities
of others.
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John Wiley & Sons,

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Why are diversity and
individual
differences
Components of Self
important?
Self-concept

•

 The view individuals have of themselves as
physical, social, spiritual, or moral beings.
• Self-esteem

 A belief about one’s self worth based on overall
self-evaluation.
• Self-efficacy



A belief in one’s ability to successfully
accomplish a specific task.

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

Why are diversity and
individual differences
Nature versus Nurture
important?
Heredity (nature) consists of those factors that are
•

determined at conception, including physical

characteristics, gender, and personality factors.
• Environment (nurture) consists of cultural, social, and
situational factors.

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Why are diversity and
individual differences
important?

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

Why are diversity and
individual differences
important?

Valuing (or not Valuing) Diversity

• Discrimination – the flip side of valuing

diversity against women and minorities in
the workplace.

• Glass Ceiling Effect – An invisible barrier or
“ceiling” that prevents women and
minorities from rising above a certain level
of organizational.
• Race and Ethnicity – The value of
heterogeneous perspectives within teams
and organizations.

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Why are diversity and individual
differences important?
Gender 


Women bring a different set of skills and
styles to the workplace.



“Leaking pipeline”  #of women decreases the
more senior the roles become.

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

Why are diversity and
individual differences
Sexual Orientation
important?
Attitudes toward gays and lesbians have steadily
•

improved.
• Many states now have executive orders protecting the
rights of gay and lesbian workers.

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

Age

Why are diversity and
individual differences
important?

• Diverse workforce (40% Baby Boomers,

36% GenXers, 16% Millennials).

• Generational mix provides an excellent

example of diversity in action.
• Interesting discussion of this subject on

current blogs. (e.g. CNNMoney)

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

Disability

Why are diversity and
individual differences
important?

• Any form of impairment or handicap.
• Advocates are seeking new definition in order to remove

the stigma that has been associated with the term
‘disability

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

Why are diversity and
individual differences
important?

Social Identity Theory

• Developed to understand the psychological basis

of discrimination.
• Categorizing yourself as a member of a social
group leads to ‘in-group’ identification.
 In-group membership
 Out-group membership

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What is personality?


Personality
• Combination of characteristics that capture the unique

nature of a person as that person reacts to and interacts
with others.

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What is personality?
“Big Five” personality dimensions
• Extraversion
 Being outgoing, sociable, assertive.

• Agreeableness
 Being good-natured, trusting, cooperative.

• Conscientiousness
 Being responsible, dependable, persistent.

• Emotional stability
 Being unworried, secure, relaxed.
• Openness to experience
 Being imaginative, curious, broad-minded.
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What is personality?


Social traits

• Surface-level traits that reflect the way a person appears

to others when interacting in various social settings.


Problem­solving style
• Reflect the way a person gathers and evaluates

information when solving problems and making
decisions.

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What is personality?


Information gathering
• Getting and organizing data for use.
• Styles of information gathering range from

sensation to intuitive.

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Figure 2.1: Four problemsolving styles of the
Jungian typology

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What is personality?


Evaluation in problem solving
• Making judgments about how to deal with information

once it has been collected.
• Styles of information vary from an emphasis on feeling to
an emphasis on thinking.

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What is personality?


Personal conception traits
• The way individuals tend to think about their social and

physical settings, as well as their major beliefs and their

personal orientation concerning a range of issues.

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What is personality?


Locus of control
• The extent to which a person feels able to control his/her

own life.
• Concerned with a person’s internal-external orientation.

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Figure 2.2

Ways in which
internal locus of control differs from
external locus of control

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What is personality?


Proactive Personality – Disposition that identifies
whether or not individuals act to influence their
environment.
• Show initiative
• Take action
• Persevere until meaningful change occurs

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What is personality?


Authoritarianism
• Tendency to adhere rigidly to conventional values and to

obey recognized authority.


Dogmatism 
• Leads a person to see the world as a threatening place

and to regard authority as absolute.

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What is personality?
People with a high Machiavellian personality:
• Approach situations logically and

thoughtfully.
• Are capable of lying to achieve personal
goals.
• Are rarely swayed by loyalty, friendships,
past promises, or others’ opinions.
• Are skilled at influencing others.

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What is personality?


People with a low­Machiavellian personality:
• Accept direction imposed by others in loosely structured

situations.
• Work hard to do well in highly structured situations.

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