Foundations of Individual Behavior.

Table of contents

Foundations of Organizational Behavior:-
1.Personal Factors:-

2.Environmental Factors:-

3.Organizational System and Resources:-
4.Frequently Asked Questions

Overall set of how an individual presents, treats, acts, responses, interacts, coordinates, reacts and supports to people in organization in order to achieve organizational objective is known as individual/ human  behavior. Individual behavior is influenced by following factors:-

(A).Personal factors,
(B).Environmental factors,
(C).Organizational systems and resources.

(A).Personal factors:-

The personal factors influencing the individual behavior are hereditary and cognitive features.

 (a).Hereditary features:-

Hereditary features come to people from their genetics. It is by birth features which can't be changed. Organization should identify hereditary features of staff to lead their individual behavior towards achieving organizational goal. Hereditary features influencing individual behavior are physiological features, qualification, capability, age, gender, term, relationship status and wisdom.

 (i).Physiological features

Physiological features of person are complexion, body weight, height, skin, voice, hair and eyesight etc. These may have impact on behavior of individual.

(ii).Qualification

Level and nature of qualification influence on individual behavior.  Proper qualification plays role in keeping individual positive, providing sound income, broader employment options and better lifestyle.

(iii).Capability

Capability is the ability or capacity of individual to execute different types of task in organization. It is two types in nature. These are intellectual capability and physical capability.

(iv).Age

Age influences individual behavior. Younger employees are assumed to be more, innovative, energetic, adventurous, risk taking, ambitious, with high stamina, customer friendly and highly job quitting in nature than older. Older employees are assumed to be more conservative, less adaptable, less stamina but less job quitting in nature than younger.

(v). Gender

People are male or female or third gender by birth. Female employees are assumed to be more emotional, adaptable to management, less attentive, less-customer friendly and job quitter in nature than male. Male are assumed to be more tougher, aggressive to management, more attentive, customer friendly and job quitting in nature than female.

(vi). Term

Term is duration of work experience. Highly experienced employees are assumed to be more productive, less job quitter and highly satisfied in nature than less experienced.

(vii).Relationship Status

Married workers are assumed to have less absences, more job satisfaction, less turnover, more responsible and more value to job than single.

(viii).Wisdom

Wisdom is the level of intelligence which can be increased through inspiration, proper environment, practices, learning and continuous efforts. People with higher wisdom are assumed to be less rigid and stubborn. They are assumed to be soft, calm and anticipatable.

(ix).Religion

Religion influences on moral, ethics and code of conducts. Religion helps in shaping attitudes towards works and extrinsic rewards. Highly religious people are supposed to be loyal, honest, less corrupted, customer friendly, soft, calm, goal oriented and less lazy in nature.

(b). Cognitive Features:-

The acquired or learnt characteristics of individual are known as cognitive features.  These factors are learnt after birth. These factors can be changed. Employees achieve these factors from atmosphere and makes opinion about others. It is very difficult to predict cognitive features because these are invisible in nature. Major elements of cognitive features are learning, personality, values, attitudes, emotions, expectations, learning and perceptions.

(i). Expectations:-

Expectations are strong hope or belief that something positive results will come as standard set on the pre state of mind plan. Expectations influence on individual behavior. If employees expect to be promoted or rewarded, they will try to perform better than others.

(ii).Values:-

 It is the ethical belief or convictions that guide the actions of individual. It is individual ethics about right or wrong. Organization should focus on some values like equity, freedom, equality, honesty and obedience and so on.  Studying values are so important in individual behavior which helps in understanding attitudes, motivation and perceptions.

(iii).Perceptions:-

The process whereby people select, organize and interpret the sensory stimulus into meaningful information about working environment is called perceptions. Same event can be perceived in different ways by different individuals. Some people assume cannabis as plant for addiction and some believes it as medicinal plant.

(iii).Attitudes:-

The long lasting feelings, belief and behavioral tendencies directed towards specific people, group, ideas, issues, objects is called attitudes. It expresses positive or negative feelings towards anything. Positive attitude helps to increase productivity, reduce job turnover and absenteeism. Negative attitude is opposite results of that.

(iv).Personality:-

The set of comparatively stable unique characteristics of a person which makes him different from other is known as personality. It is combined form of physiological and psychological traits. Personality influences on individual behavior. Extrovert personalities are more successful in sales and marketing job than introvert.

(v).Emotions:-

A strong sentiment or feeling created from one's situation, circumstances, mood or relationship with others is called emotions. It is temporary in nature which arises due to internal and external stimulus. Emotions influence the ability to receive, process and reaction to information.  Generally, emotions are of major six categories;- anger, fear, joy, love, sadness and surprise. Employees can't be customer friendly while they are in anger, sadness or fear, it is negative emotions. But they become customer friendly while they are happy, in joy or love, it is positive emotions.

(vi).Learning:-

The relatively permanent change brought in individual behavior which occurs as result of experience is called learning. Learning is task of earning knowledge. People continuously learn until they exist. Positive learning brings positive impact on individual behavior.

 (B). Environmental Factors:-

External environment is assumed to have higher influence on individual behavior. These are economic, socio-cultural, political, legal and technical factors.

(a).Economic Factors:-

Individual behavior is influenced by economic factors. Organizational atmosphere where individuals work is largely influenced by economic factors. Major economic factors are job opportunity, compensation and economic cycles.

(i).Job opportunities:-

Availabilities of job opportunity influence individual behavior. Employee turnover will be low though job is less satisfactory if less job opportunity is available. Employee will leave the job though current job is satisfactory and try to achieve maximum satisfaction at another job if another better job is easily available.

(ii).Compensation:-

The total monitorial and non-monitorial payments that employer provide to an employee for purchasing the work that employee done for organization is called compensation. The value of compensation influence individual behavior in organization. If organization is providing higher compensation to the job employee performs, employee turnover will be less. Otherwise, employees will try to search another organization paying higher compensation for job they will perform.

(iii). Economic cycles:-

Employee's behavior is influenced by economic cycles. Generally, they expect job security and continuous income even in recession of economy. So, they love being part of organization having such facilities. Government offices or state owned companies sure job security and constant income even in recession of economy generally so employee's turnover is less in these organizations.

(b).Socio-cultural factors:-

 The bonding with friends, family, subordinates and supervisors is the key of social environment. These things influence the individual behavior. Cultures determine the values and belief of individual.  Cultural factors influencing individual behavior are such as:-

(i).Values and belief

(ii). Work ethics,

(iii).Effort-reward expectations etc.

(c).Political factors:-

Political factors influence individual behavior indirectly. It influences individual behavior through another various aspects. Political situation, political institutions, pressure groups and political philosophy influence the individual behavior.

(i).Political Philosophy:-

Political philosophy influences the individual behavior. Democratic philosophy provides more relative freedom to individual that can influence on career selection, job design and performance. Totalitarian provides controls society and no more job related freedom are offered.

(ii).Political Situation:-

Political situation influence the individual behavior. Politically stable countries have more job opportunity and high level of capital investment so that people never try to go foreign for job opportunities. People of politically instable country leave their nation for better job opportunity and better system of another country. It happens due to low job opportunity and less capital investment in instable countries.

(iii).Pressure groups:-

Strong pressure group feedbacks employees about service they are providing and behavior they are showing to customers. Employees always become careful while serving them. If they could not service them properly, employees may leave job too due to more stress.

(iv).Political system:-

The whole combination of election process, power centers and political parties are called political system. Good governance of political system forces employees to be less corruptive, punctual in performance and accountable to management and public.

(d).Technological factors:-

Technology is machinery, tools, techniques, methods or robotics anything that helps institution to accomplish task fast with less efforts in qualitative and time saving way. Technological development influences the individual behavior of employees. The employees having more technical knowledge get more job opportunities. So, turnover of technical manpower is higher. They always expect more remuneration than non technical manpower.

(e).Legal Factors:-

The rule of conduct enforced by the state is known as law. They treat all persons equally. Legal factors are all the legal surroundings that affect business activities. It consists of acts, rules, regulations, institutions and processes. Individual behavior of employees influenced by business law, general business legislation, labor legislation, financial legislation, social legislation and soctoral legislations etc.

(C).Organizational System and Resources:-

It consists of infrastructural arrangement, organizational resources, organizational structure, leadership, reward system and motivation.

(a).Infrastructural arrangement:-

Proper arrangement for peace, heat, light, air, cleanliness, office lay out, furniture, and space  provides positive vibes to individual. They perform with high morale and organizational performance increases. They become loyal to organization.

(b).Organizational Resources:-

Resources are the technological, human, financial and physical requirements of the organization which influence the individual behavior of employees. Employees of organization having sufficient resources work with full effort, high morale, less metal pressure, positivity, less anger, stress free mood than others. They never quit organization with higher resources too.

(c).Organizational Structure:-

Organizational structure defines the procedure of job, relationships, division of work, chain of command, span of control. Well defined organizational structure bring positive work attitude, satisfaction, high morale, clarity and less stress to employees than unclear organizational structure.

(d).Leadership.

It is the process of influencing workers to achieve the organizational objective. Managers should as a good leader provide guidelines, support, suggestions and schooling to staff. Individual behavior is learnt by behavior shown by management to them. So, the behavior managerial must be sound than managerial qualities.

 (e).Reward system:-

Organization should arrange proper system to reward better performance. Reward system influences individual behavior of employee. Performance based reward influences employees to perform more tasks in smart way.

(f).Motivation:-

Organization should track personal goals and motives of employee. They should be motivated accordance with their personal motives. Motivated employees are more dedicated to well being of organization than others.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.Explain foundations of organizational behavior.
2.Explain personal factors as foundations of organizational behavior.
3.Explain hereditary factors and cognitive factors as foundations of OB.
4.Explain environmental factors as foundations of OB.
5. Explain organizational system and resources as foundations of OB.
6. Explain economic, socio-cultural and political factors as foundations of OB.