HBOR MODULE 2

FOUNDATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR

Individual Behavior - It is the way a person reacts in different situations and the way someone expresses
different emotions like anger, happiness, sadness, love, etc...

FACTORS INFLUENCING INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR

1. PERCEPTION – refers to the cognitive process through which individuals select, organize,
interpret, and give meaning to the vast array of stimuli in their work environment.
Example: it is how a person sees something, if you learn that a new co-worker is very happy, you
might immediately assume that she is also friendly, kind and generous.
2. ATTITUDE - They act as a guiding force, affecting decision-making, job performance, and
interpersonal relations. Positive attitudes often lead to proactive and collective behaviors, while
negative attitudes can result in opposition, conflict, or disengagement.
Example: Showing gratitude when someone helps you. Being respectful of other people.
3. PERSONALITY - refers to the unique traits, behaviors, and characteristics that individuals exhibit
in a work environment. It influences how individuals interact with others, perceive situations,
and make organizational decisions.
4. EMOTIONS - shape an individual's belief about the value of a job, a company, or a team.

5 Models of Individual Behavior in an Organization

Ability, motion, role perceptions, and situation are the predictors of individual behaviour and
performance (MARS)

MAR are clustered together in the model because they are located within the personSituational factors
are external to the individual but still affect their behaviour + performance

Employee Motivation Motivation: the forces within a person that affects their direction, intensity,
andpersistence of voluntary behaviour

oDirection refers to the path along which people steer their effort

oIntensity is the amount of effort allocated in the goal

oPersistence is continuing the effort for a certain amount of time

AbilityAbility: the natural aptitudes and learned capabilities required to successfully complete a task
oAptitudes are the natural talents (physical + mental) that help employees learn specific tasks more
quickly and perform them better

oLearned capabilities are the skills and knowledge that you currently possess
oAptitudes and learned capabilities are the main elements of a broader concept called competencies,
which are characteristics of a person that result in superior performance

Role perceptions: the degree to which a person understands the job duties assigned to or expected of
him/her

Exists in three forms:

oEmployees have clear role perceptions when they understand the specific duties or consequences for
which they are accountable

oRole clarity exists when employees understand the priority of their varioustasks and performance
expectations

oRole clarity is about understanding the preferred behaviours for accomplishing the assigned tasks

Role perceptions are important because they represent how well employees know where to direct their
effort; employees perform more accurately and efficiently

MARS model of individual behavior is a model that seeks to elaborate individual behavior as a result of
internal and external factors or influences combined together. The name itself is an acronym for
individual Motivation, Abilities, Role Perception and Situational Factors.

These are marked as the four major factors in determining individual behavior and results. The model
can be implemented to a variety of situations, but is usually applied in Management, Industrial
Psychology or Organizational Behavior studies. This model represents that these four factors have a
mixed effect on individual performance. If any factor weakens, performance will decrease.

Say for example, passionate salespeople who understand their duties and have enough resources will
not perform their jobs well if they lack sufficient knowledge and sales skill. Therefore, the Container
Store and other enterprises that excel in customer service pay attention to all four factors in the MARS
model.

Motivation

Motivation can be described as internal forces that impact the direction, intensity, and endurance of a
person’s voluntary choice of behavior. It consists of −

 Direction − focused by goals.

 Intensity − bulk of effort allocated.

 Persistence − amount of time taken for the effort to be exerted.

For example − A team leader encourages team members to work efficiently.

 Aptitudes − natural talent that helps people learn more efficiently and perform effectively.

 Learned capabilities − accomplished skills and knowledge.

 Competencies − abilities, individual values, personality traits and other features of people that
result in superior performance.

 Person-job fit − there are three ways to match people with jobs

o selecting qualified people

o developing employee abilities through training

o redesigning job to fit person's existing abilities

For example − Rohan completes a task in 4 days while the time allotted was 6 days. He has the ability to
complete it before the required time frame.

Role Perceptions

They are the beliefs about what behavior is necessary to achieve the desired results, and have a check
that everyone is clear regarding their part. It is of four types −

 Understanding the tasks to be performed.

 Understanding associated importance of tasks allotted.

 Understanding preferred behaviors to complete respective tasks.

 Clarifying role perceptions

For example − Every member in a group is clear regarding the part allotted to them. For instance, the
write down the minutes of the meeting.

Situational Factors

Individual behaviour performance also depends on the situation

These are usually conditions beyond the employee’s immediate control that constrain/facilitate
behaviour and performance