UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBO

Institute of Human Resource Management

Subject : MBM 15 - Organisational Behaviour

Topic : Foundation of Individual Behaviour

Facilitator : Dr. K. Kajendra, Ph.D, MBA, M.Com,

B.Com (Special).
Senior Lecturer,
Faculty of Management and Finance
Department of Marketing
University of Colombo.

1
 UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBO
Institute of Human Resource Management

Subject : MBM 5232 – Organizational Behaviour

Topic : : Foundation of Individual Behaviour

Facilitator : Prof.K. Kajendra, Ph.D, MBA,

M.Com, B.Com (Special).
Faculty of Management and Finance
Department of Marketing
University of Colombo. 2
 Foundation of Individual Behaviour

– Human behaviour is a complex phenomenon

and it is most difficult to define to in absolute
terms.
–These responses would reflect psychological
structure of the person and may be a result of a
combination of biological and psychological
processes.

3
Psychologist Kurt Levin believes that people are

influenced by a number of diversified factors,

and influence of these factors determines the

pattern of behaviour.

B = F ( P, E )
B = Behaviour
P = Person
E = Environment
4
• Different people behave differently in the same or
similar environment.

• When the situation demands, the environment may

change the behaviour of an individual
• E.g. certain training programe or rehabilitation programes
have changed the human attitudes and behaviour.

• The individual can also change the environment by

setting goals and standards and by determination and
motivation.
5
Researchers say that the structure of the nervous
system play a significant part in the emerging pattern
of behavior which bringing about the integration of
human behavior and personality.

Some psychologist believe that some aspects of human

behaviour can be explained in terms neural activity
and neural physiological processes.

6
• Why people behave the way they do

• Asian people beliefs

Astrology,

Numerology,

Palmistry or palm reading,

physical structure of the individual.

7
• The theory of “born” leaders suggests that some people
behave in a certain manner because they were born that
way.

• The belief is based upon the assumption that certain

behavioural charectristics are genetic in nature and are
inherited

8
The causes of human behaviour can be classified
in to two categories:

• Inherited Characteristics
– Some of the inherited charectristics which
may or may not be changed by external
forces.

– These factors may or may not be important

determinants of Performance

• Learned Characteristics 9
 Inherited Characteristics
(a) Intelligence
 The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
 An inherited trait.
 Intelligence can be enhanced by proper environment or
proper motivation
 Intelligence people are easy to convince if the point is right
and they can be expected to be much more stable and
predictable.
(b) Physical Characteristics

height, slim body, vision, dexterity (skill

in performing task), stamina

10
Sex
– Being a male or female is genetic in nature and can be
considered as an inherited characteristics.

– It is highly debatable whether being a male or a female

in itself is indicative of any behavioural patterns.

Class room discussion

Whether females are inherently differing

from male?
11
Age
– It is a kind of inherited charismatic

– The age may affect the behaviour in physiological

as well as psychological ways.
• E.g. young people – more energetic, innovative, risk
taking, adventurous

• Old people – conservative

– According to Lehman, the peak of creative ability is among

people between the ages 30-40.

12
Religion
Religion and religiously based cultures play an
important role in determining some aspects of
individual behaviour.

• E.g. highly religious people high morale,

standards, and usually do not tell lies or talk
ill of others.

13
 Intellectual Abilities
• The abilities needed to perform mental
activities.

• General Mental Ability (GMA) is a

measure of overall intelligence.

1
 Dimensions of Intellectual Ability

Number
Aptitude

Verbal
Comprehension
Memory

Intellectual
Spatial
Visualization Ability Perceptual
Speed

Deductive Inductive
Reasoning Reasoning

2
 Intellectual Ability
• Number attitude
– Ability to do speedy and accurate arithmetic
• E.g. Accountant
• Verbal comprehension
– Ability to understand what is read or heard and the
relationship of words to each other.
• Perceptual speed
– Ability to identify visuals similarities and differences
quickly and accurately

16
• Inductive reasoning
– Ability to identify a logical sequence in a problem and
then solve the problem
• Deductive reasoning
– Ability to use logic and asses the implications of an
argument
• Spatial visualization
– Ability to imagine how an object would look if its
position in space were changed
• Memory
– Ability to retain and recall past experiences
17
Learned Characteristics
– Some of the behavioural characteristics that account for
enormous diversity in human behaviour are a product of our
exposure to various situations and stimuli, both within the family
and the out side environment.

– Some of the learned characteristics :

• Attitude

• Perception

• Personality

• Learning 18
• Environmental Effect on Behaviour
 Behaviour is a reaction to situations.

 The type of reaction is based upon some inherited and some

learned behavioural characteristics.

 The environment is an important factor in determining such

type of reactions.

• E.g. some of the coolest people have been known to lose

temper under certain situations.

• Highly skilled people have changed jobs because the

environment in the job situations was not conducive(helping)
to their enhancement.

• Less skilled people have learned skills and because of the19 right
• The environment surrounding the work place has two
elements
• Physical, and Social

• The physical environment at a work place is the

arrangement of people and things so that this setting has a
positive influence on people.

• Some of the physical factors that influence behaviour are :

- noise level, heat, light, ventilation, cleanliness,
accessibility of work tools, space utilisation, colour
20
coordination, nature of job, office furnishing.
• The Social Environment
– The social environment relates to

• Interactions among people and respect for numerous

social and societal laws .

• Laws are enforced by the legal system

• Laws relate to all members of the society.

21
 Behaviour and Performance
Performance is a reflection of three characteristics

1. Individual’s capacity to perform

2. Individual’s willingness to perform

3. Organisational support

Individual’s capacity to perform

Ability which is partly a measure of

intelligence is the basic and important

ingredient for effective performance. 22

Individual’s willingness to perform

– To achieve high level of performance, the individuals

must show willingness to perform and adequate work
effort.

Organisational support

Organisational support and resources affect

human behaviour in a significant way and

performance is influenced by behaviour.
23
• Inadequate organizational support
– Lack of time

– Inadequate tools and equipment

– Unclear instruction

– Job related information

– Lack of job related authority

– Lack of required services and help from others

– Inflexibility of procedures.

24
 WORKFORCE DIVERSITY.
• We aren’t all the same. This is obvious enough, but
managers sometimes forget that they need to recognize and
capitalize on these differences to get the most from their
employees.

• Effective diversity management increases an organization’s

access to the widest possible pool of skills, abilities, and
ideas.
• Managers also need to recognize that differences among
people can lead to miscommunication, misunderstanding,
and conflict. 25
Therefore, individual characteristics like age,
gender, race, ethnicity, and abilities can
influence employee performance.

We’ll also see how managers can develop

awareness about these characteristics and
manage a diverse workforce effectively.

26