PERSONALIT
Y and
PERCEPTION
introduction
• Perception and personality affect how people relate to
each other and their work. Managers will learn how
selective attention, stereotypes, and other attitudinal
distortions are formed and may contribute to group
dynamics, interpersonal conflict and inequity in the
workplace.
• Understanding the fundamentals of social identity theory,
perception and personality can assist managers in
managing and maximizing diversity, coaching employees
and teams, and reducing stress in the workplace
personali
ty
personality
• Personality means how a person affects others and how he
understands and views himself as well as the pattern of inner and
outer measurable traits and the person-situation interactions (Fred
Luthans).
• According to Stephen P. Robbins, personality is the sum total ways in
which an individual reacts and interacts with others. It may be defined
as those inner psychological characteristics that both determine and
reflect how a person responds to his environment.
• Personality can be defined as those inner psychological
characteristics that both determine and reflect how a person responds
to the environment.
Determinants
1. Heredity : Human behaviour is partly affected by heredity.
The parent's qualities are passed on to the children
through the molecular structure of genes located in the
chromosomes. In our day to day life, so many times we
use the term "Like father like son" as "Like Mother like
daughter".
2. Environment : All personality traits are not determined by
heredity. Environment also plays a very important role in
the development of personality of a person. Environment
comprises of culture, family, social and situational factors.
–(a) Culture : Culture is sum total of learned believes, values and
customs. Cultural factors determine now a person acts whether
independently or dependently. Culture establishes norms, attitudes and
values that are passed along from generation to generation.
–(b) Family : Families influence the behaviour of a person especially in the
early stages. The nature of such influence will depend upon the following
factors :
–(i) Socio-economic level of the family
–(ii) Family size
–(iii) Birth order
–(iv) Race
–(v) Religion
–(vi) Parent's educational level and Geographic location.
– (c) Social : Socialization is a process by which an infant
acquires customary and acceptable behaviour. Social life has
a considerable impact on the individual's behaviour. A man is
known by the company he keeps. Social groups influence the
behaviour of the individuals.
– (d) Situational : Situational factors also play a very important
role in determining the personality of a person. Life is a
collection of experiences. Some of the events and
experiences can serve as important determinants of his
personality.
The Nature of Personality
1. Personality reflects individual differences: For instance,
some people can be described as "high" in
venturesomeness, e.g., willing to accept the risk of doing
something new or different, such as skydiving or mountain
climbing, whereas others can be described as "low" in
venturesomeness, e.g., afraid to buy a really new product.
– 2. Personality is consistent and enduring: Even though
consumers' personalities may be consistent, their
consumption behaviour often varies considerably because
of the various psychological, socio-cultural, environmental
and situational factors that affect behaviour. For instance,
although an individual's personality may be relatively
stable, specific needs or motives, attitudes, reactions to
group pressures and even responses to newly available
brands may cause a change in the person's behaviour.
Personality is only one of a combination of factors that
influence how a consumer behaves.
– 3. Personality can change: For instance, an
individual's personality may be altered by major life
events, such as the birth of a child, the death of a
loved one, a divorce, or a significant career promotion.
An individual's personality changes not only in
response to abrupt events but also part of a gradual
maturing process.
1. EMOTIONAL STABILITY/NEUROTICISM – indicates how a person’s ability
to remain stable and balanced
High
Calm
Resistant to stress
Secure
Stable
Low
Anxious
Depressed
Insecure
Susceptible to stress
5 Personal Factor Characteristics
2. CONSCIENTIOUSNESS – indicates how organized and self-disciplined a
person is
High
Dependable
Organized
Persevering
Punctual
Low
Disorganized
Easily discouraged
Unpredictable
Unreliable
5 Personal Factor Characteristics
3. AGREEABLENESS – indicates how warm, friendly and tactful a
person is
High
Amiable
Cooperative
Flexible
Trusting
Low
Aloof
Contrary
Suspicious
Unfriendly
5 Personal Factor Characteristics
4. EXTRAVERSION – indicates how outgoing and social a person is
High
Active
Assertive
Excitable
Sociable
Low
Apprehensive
Dull
Shy
Timid
5 Personal Factor Characteristics
5. OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE – indicates how open-minded and authority-
challenging a person is
High
Creative
Curious
Insightful
Intellectual
Low
Bored
Intolerant
Routine-oriented
Uninterested
5 Personal Factor Characteristics
Holland's Six Personality Types
– Realistic (Do’er)
• Likes to work with animals, tools, or machines; generally
avoids social activities like teaching, healing, and
informing others;
• Has good skills in working with tools, mechanical or
electrical drawings, machines, or plants and animals;
• Values practical things you can see, touch, and use like
plants and animals, tools, equipment, or machines; and
• Sees self as practical, mechanical, and realistic.
– Investigative (Thinker)
• Likes to study and solve math or science
problems; generally avoids leading, selling, or
persuading people;
• Is good at understanding and solving science
and math problems;
• Values science; and
• Sees self as precise, scientific, and intellectual.
– Artistic (Creator)
• Likes to do creative activities like art, drama, crafts, dance,
music, or creative writing; generally avoids highly ordered or
repetitive activities;
• Has good artistic abilities -- in creative writing, drama, crafts,
music, or art;
• Values the creative arts -- like drama, music, art, or the works
of creative writers; and
• Sees self as expressive, original, and independent.
– Social (Helper)
• Likes to do things to help people -- like, teaching,
nursing, or giving first aid, providing information;
generally avoids using machines, tools, or animals to
achieve a goal;
• Is good at teaching, counselling, nursing, or giving
information;
• Values helping people and solving social problems; and
• Sees self as helpful, friendly, and trustworthy.
– Enterprising (Persuader)
• Likes to lead and persuade people, and to sell things and
ideas; generally avoids activities that require careful
observation and scientific, analytical thinking;
• Is good at leading people and selling things or ideas;
• Values success in politics, leadership, or business; and
• Sees self as energetic, ambitious, and sociable.
– Conventional (Organizer)
• Likes to work with numbers, records, or machines in a
set, orderly way; generally avoids ambiguous,
unstructured activities
• Is good at working with written records and numbers
in a systematic, orderly way;
• Values success in business; and
• Sees self as orderly, and good at following a set plan.
–Go to
https://www.16personalities.
com/free-personality-test
and take the test to check
what is your personality type.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Which is your most natural
energy orientation?
1. Extraverted – direct their attention to the OUTER
world of people, places, things and activity.
– Act first, think/reflect later
– Feel deprived when cut-off from interaction with the outside world
– Usually open to and motivated by outside world of people and things
– Enjoy wide variety and change in people relationships
Which is your most natural
energy orientation?
2. Introverted – directed inward to the INNER world of
thoughts, interests, ideas, and imagination.
– Think/reflect first, then Act
– Regularly require an amount of "private time" to recharge
batteries
– Motivated internally, mind is sometimes so active it is "closed"
to outside world
– Prefer one-to-one communication and relationships
1. Sensing – side of our brain that notices the
sights, sounds, smells and all the sensory details
of the PRESENT.
– Mentally live in the Now, attending to present opportunities
– Using common sense and creating practical solutions is
automatic-instinctual
– Memory recall is rich in detail of facts and past events
– Best improvise from past experience
– Like clear and concrete information; dislike guessing when
facts are "fuzzy”
Which way of perceiving or understanding is
most "automatic" or natural?
2. Intuitive – side of our brain seeks to understand,
interpret and form OVERALL patterns of all the
information that is collected and records these
patterns and relationships.
– Mentally live in the Future, attending to future possibilities
– Using imagination and creating/inventing new possibilities is
automatic-instinctual
– Memory recall emphasizes patterns, contexts, and connections
– Best improvise from theoretical understanding
– Comfortable with ambiguous, fuzzy data and with guessing its
meaning
Which way of perceiving or understanding is
most "automatic" or natural?
1. Thinking – side of our brain that analyzes
information in a DETACHED, objective fashion.
– Instinctively search for facts and logic in a decision situation
– Naturally notices tasks and work to be accomplished
– Easily able to provide an objective and critical analysis
– Accept conflict as a natural, normal part of relationships
with people
Which way of forming judgments and
making choices is most natural?
2. Feeling – side of our brain that forms conclusions in
an ATTACHED and somewhat global manner, based on
likes/dislikes, impact on others, and human and
aesthetic values.
– Instinctively employ personal feelings and impact on people in
decision situations
– Naturally sensitive to people needs and reactions
– Naturally seek consensus and popular opinions
– Unsettled by conflict; have almost a toxic reaction to disharmony
Which way of forming judgments and
making choices is most natural?
1. Judging – approaches the outside world WITH A
PLAN and is oriented towards organizing one's
surroundings, being prepared, making decisions and
reaching closure and completion.
– Plan many of the details in advance before moving into action
– Focus on task-related action; complete meaningful segments
before moving on
– Work best and avoid stress when able to keep ahead of
deadlines
– Naturally use targets, dates and standard routines to manage
life
What is your "action orientation" towards the
outside world?
2. Perceiving – takes the outside world AS IT COMES
and is adopting and adapting, flexible, open-ended
and receptive to new opportunities and changing
game plans.
– Comfortable moving into action without a plan; plan on-the-go
– Like to multitask, have variety, mix work and play
– Naturally tolerant of time pressure; work best close to the
deadlines
– Instinctively avoid commitments which interfere with flexibility,
freedom and variety
What is your "action orientation" towards the
outside world?
Implications for Managers
Personality:
1. Evaluate the job, group, and organization to
determine the best fit
2. Big Five is best to use for selection (Emotional
stability/Neuroticism, Conscientiousness,
Agreeableness, Extraversion, Openness to experiences.
3. MBTI for development and training
(Extraverts/Introverts, Sensors/Intuitives,
Thinkers/Feelers, Judgers/Perceivers)
PERCEPTI
ON
Perception defined
– The process by which individuals
organize and interpret their
impressions in order to give
meaning to their environment.
– We don’t see reality. We interpret
what we see and call it reality.
Perception
– Perception is an intellectual process of
transforming sensory stimuli to meaningful
information. It is the process of interpreting something
that we see or hear in our mind and use it later to
judge and give a verdict on a situation, person, group
etc.
It can be divided into six types
• Of sound − The ability to receive sound by identifying vibrations.
• Of speech − The competence of interpreting and understanding
the sounds of language heard.
• Touch − Identifying objects through patterns of its surface by
touching it.
• Taste − The ability to receive flavour of substances by tasting it
through sensory organs known as taste buds.
• Other senses − They approve perception through body, like
balance, acceleration, pain, time, sensation felt in throat and lungs
etc.
• Of the social world − It permits people to understand other
individuals and groups of their social world. Example − Priya goes
to a restaurant and likes their customer service, so she will
perceive that it is a good place to hang out and will recommend it
to her friends, who may or may not like it. Priya’s perception about
the restaurant is good.
Perceptual Process
–Perceptual process are the different stages of
perception we go through. The different stages are −
–
• Receiving
• Selecting
• Organizing
• Interpreting
Receiving
• Receiving is the first and most important stage in
the process of perception. It is the initial stage in
which a person collects all information and
receives the information through the sense
organs.
Selecting
• Selecting is the second stage in the process. Here a person doesn’t
receive the data randomly but selectively. A person selects some
information out of all in accordance with his interest or needs. The
selection of data is dominated by various external and internal factors.
• External factors − The factors that influence the perception of an
individual externally are intensity, size, contrast, movement, repetition,
familiarity, and novelty.
–
• Internal factors − The factors that influence the perception of an
individual internally are psychological requirements, learning,
background, experience, self-acceptance, and interest.
Organizing
• Keeping things in order or say in a synchronized way is organizing. In
order to make sense of the data received, it is important to organize them.
We can organize the data by −
–
• Grouping them on the basis of their similarity, proximity, closure, continuity.
–
• Establishing a figure ground is the basic process in perception. Here by
figure we mean what is kept as main focus and by ground we mean
background stimuli, which are not given attention.
• Perceptual constancy that is the tendency to stabilize perception so that
contextual changes don’t affect them.
Interpreting
• Finally, we have the process of interpreting which
means forming an idea about a particular object
depending upon the need or interest. Interpretation
means that the information we have sensed and
organized, is finally given a meaning by turning it
into something that can be categorized. It includes
stereotyping, halo effect etc.
Importance of Perception in
OB
• We need to understand what the role of perception in an
organization is. It is very important in establishing different role
of perceptions like,
• Understanding the tasks to be performed.
• Understanding associated importance of tasks allotted.
• Understanding preferred behaviour to complete respective
tasks.
• Clarifying role perceptions.
Feedback
Known to self Unknown to self
Known Open Blind
Disclosure
to others area area
Unknown Hidden Unknown
to others area area
Johari Window (Joseph Luft & Harry Ingram)
– Empathy – understanding and sensitivity to the
feelings, thoughts, and situation of others.
– Know oneself – becoming more aware of one’s
values, beliefs, and prejudices.
– Disclosure – informing others of your beliefs,
feelings, and experiences that may influence the
work relationship.
– Feedback from others about your behavior.
Improving Perception
The Link Between Perception
and Decision Making
Decision making occurs as a reaction to a
perceived problem
Perception influences:
Awareness that a problem exists
The interpretation and evaluation of
information
Bias of analysis and conclusions
Final Thoughts
“The greatest enemy of learning is not
ignorance, but what you think you
already know.”
“We know we cannot teach you
anything you are not willing to learn.”
