Describe How to Manage Workplace Relationships

LEARNER GUIDE

SAQA US ID US TITLE NQF LEVEL CREDITS

244572 Describe How to Manage Workplace 3 2
(114943) Relationships
This page is left blank on purpose.
INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................5

OVERVIEW..............................................................................................................................6

MODULE 1 ..............................................................................................................................9

1.1 The Need for Clear Structures in Workplace Relationships .................................................. 9

1.1.1 Documents and Policies that Indicate the Structure ............................................................. 9
1.1.2 Activity: Functions of Communication................................................................................. 10
1.2 The nature of personal interactions and appropriate behavior ............................................ 10
1.2.1 The Myers-Briggs type of personality indicator................................................................... 11
1.2.2 The Big Five Personality Model.......................................................................................... 11
1.2.3 Emotions and moods ......................................................................................................... 11
1.2.3.1 Felt Versus Displayed Emotions ........................................................................................ 11
1.2.3.2 Differences Between Women and Men .............................................................................. 12
1.2.4 Deviant Workplace Behaviours .......................................................................................... 12
1.2.5 Activity: Deviant Workplace Behaviours ............................................................................. 12

MODULE 2 ............................................................................................................................13

2.1 The interrelationship between personal and professional relationships .............................. 13

2.1.1 The difference between personal and professional relationships ....................................... 13
2.1.2 Activity: The Difference Between Personal and Professional Relationships ....................... 14
2.2 How difficulties in personal relationships influence the workplace ...................................... 15
2.2.1 Consequences of relationship difficulties ........................................................................... 15
2.2.2 Activity: Difficulties that I Experience in Workplace Relationships ...................................... 16
2.3 The effect of professional relationships on personal relationships ...................................... 16
2.3.1 Activity: The effect of professional relationships on personal relationships ......................... 16

MODULE 3 ............................................................................................................................17

3.1 Techniques for self-management ....................................................................................... 17

3.1.1 Ways of Acquiring Self-Knowledge .................................................................................... 17
3.1.1.1 Understand Your Emotions ................................................................................................ 18
3.1.2 Activity: Assess Your Locus of Control ............................................................................... 18
3.2 Techniques for communicating feelings and ideas ............................................................. 19
3.3 Manage conflict constructively ........................................................................................... 20
3.3.1 Activity: Functional and dysfunctional conflict..................................................................... 21
3.4.1 Understanding Emotions .................................................................................................... 22
3.4.2 Activity: Defensive Climates ............................................................................................... 22

MODULE 4 ............................................................................................................................23

4.1 The Effect of Stereotyping on Relationships....................................................................... 23

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 3

4.1.1 The Concept “Stereotyping” ............................................................................................... 23
4.2 Stereotypes in the Workplace ............................................................................................ 23
4.2.1 Activity: Stereotypes in the Workplace ............................................................................... 24
4.3 Own stereotypes and the effect of labeling ........................................................................ 24
4.3.1 Activity: How Stereotyping Affects Personal Relationships................................................. 25
4.4.1 Activity: Reasons for Stereotyping ..................................................................................... 26

References............................................................................................................................27

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 4

INTRODUCTION

Dear Learner,

Welcome to Unit Standard 244572 (114943) which will enable you to acquire knowledge and skill
effectively to manage workplace relationships. It should lead to the positive management of
relationships to ensure productivity and the creation of a culture and climate in the work environment.

The level of the Unit Standard is Level 3 and the Credit Value is 2 credits, therefore you should
spend approximately 20 national hours on this Unit, 40% of the time in instructional learning and 60%
in the workplace.

There are 4 Specific Outcomes for this Unit Standard:

1. Explain the need for clear structure in workplace relationships
2. Explain the interrelationship between personal and professional relationships
3. Identify techniques for self-management
4. Explain how stereotyping affects relationships

Remember that an outcome can also be referred to as an exit goal, so by mastering an outcome you
are equipping yourself to progress through a learning programme.

Your facilitator will guide you through each module with its Specific Outcomes so that you will
understand what is expected of you. Your facilitator will also guide you to the back of this learner
guide and go through the Alignment Matrix.

Enjoy the learning process!

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OVERVIEW
The UNIT STANDARD used in this learning module:

Describe how to manage workplace relationships

SAQA US UNIT STANDARD TITLE
ID
244572 Describe how to manage workplace relationships
ORIGINATOR ORIGINATING PROVIDER
SGB Life Skills
QUALITY ASSURING BODY
-
FIELD SUBFIELD
Field 07 - Human and Social Studies People/Human-Centred Development
ABET UNIT STANDARD OLD NQF LEVEL NEW NQF LEVEL CREDITS
BAND TYPE
Undefined Regular- Level 3 NQF Level 03 2
Fundamental
REGISTRATION STATUS REGISTRATION REGISTRATION END SAQA DECISION
START DATE DATE NUMBER
Reregistered 2010-08-16 2012-06-30 SAQA 0480/09
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2013-06-30 2016-06-30

In all of the tables in this document, both the old and the new NQF Levels are shown. In the text (purpose statements,
qualification rules, etc), any reference to NQF Levels are to the old levels unless specifically stated otherwise.

This unit standard replaces:

Old NQF New NQF Replacement
US ID Unit Standard Title Credits
Level Level Status
Describe how to manage workplace
114943 Level 3 NQF Level 03 2 Complete
relationships

OUTCOMES of this Those who have achieved this unit standard will be able to:
Unit Standard • Explain the need for clear structure in workplace relationships
• Explain the interrelationship between personal and professional
relationships
• Identify techniques for self-management
• Explain how stereotyping affects relationships

PURPOSE of the • To acquire knowledge and skill effectively to manage

Unit Standard workplace relationships

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The Learning Assumed
to be in place:
Respond to selected literary text at NQF Level 3.
Pre-entry requirements

Learning Time It will take you approximately 20 hours to master the outcomes of this
Learning Programme.

What is expected To successfully master this unit, you are required to:
of you?
• Study the content of this skills programme;

• Complete all activities indicated in this skills programme;

• Utilise your coach and colleagues as learning resources, and

• Verify your learning progress with your coach/facilitator

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 7

ICONS Used in this Manual

ICON DESCRIPTOR
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In This Unit Standard you will be able to:
1. Interact successfully in oral/signed communication.
2. Use strategies that capture and retain the interest of an
audience.
3. Identify and respond to manipulative use of language.
ACTIVITIES
Written Assignments – Both FORMATIVE and SUMMATIVE Assessment
Activities.

FLAG IT! Take Note of these important information

Important theory or notes relating to the subject matter.

HINTS and TIPS

Hints and tips to help you disseminate the information or make things
practical step by step.

FILE to your PORTFOLIO

Important that these items are put into your portfolio.

RESOURCES
Reading lists, video clips, presentations and other resources to help
you with your studies.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 8

MODULE 1
-------------------------------------------

Explain the Need for Clear Structure in Workplace

Relationships (SO1)
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the module the learner will be able to:

o Identify documents and policies that indicate the structure in a specific workplace. (AC1)
o Observe the nature of personal interactions in a specific workplace in order to identify
appropriate behaviour. (AC2)

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1.1 The Need for Clear Structures in Workplace Relationships

Teams have different needs, and members should be selected for a team on the basis of their
personalities, skills and preferences. Effective teams match people to various roles in the organization.
There must be clear structures in workplace relationships.

1.1.1 Documents and Policies that Indicate the Structure

Teams can’t function properly if they don’t know who is to do what and if there is no structure to ensure
that all members contribute equally in sharing the workload. Agreeing on the specifics of work and how
they fit together to integrate individual skills require team leadership and structure. This can be provided
directly by management in the form of policies and other documents, or by the team members
themselves.

Clear structures in the workplace identify the roles that team members play in the organization
according to skills and preferences, who they report to, how they report to, and the degree of formality
in the feedback of information. Each person brings individual strengths to a team. If individual
preferences of the team members are matched with team role demands, it is more likely that team
members will work well together and that workplace relationships will be healthy.

There are three main functions that communication performs in organizations. They are:
- The command function: Communication allows members of organisations to issue, receive,
interpret and act on commands. Commands/directions are often given through in documents
such as memoranda and e-mails. Often commands are described in policies and procedures,
for example, a policy on safety. Directions are given from the top down and feedback is
expected from the bottom up. The goal is the successful influence of other members of the
organisation. The outcome of the command function is coordination among the many
interdependent members of the organisation.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 9

 - The relation function: Communication allows members of the organisation to create and
maintain productive business and personal relationships with other members of the
organisation. Relationships on the job affect job performance in many ways, for example job
satisfaction, the flow of communication both down and up in the organisational hierarchy, and
the degree to which commands are followed. The importance of good interpersonal skills is
highlighted on the job when you consider that many of the necessary relationships are not
chosen but forced by organisational circumstances, making the relationships less stable, more
prone to conflict, less committed, and so on. Documents that spell out the roles of employees
are job descriptions and job profiles.
- The ambiguity-management function: Choices in an organisation setting are often made in
highly ambiguous circumstances, for example, multiple motivations exist since choices affect
co-workers and the organisation, as well as oneself. The organisation’s objectives may not be
clear, or the context within which the choice needs to be made may be unclear. Communication
is the means for coping with and reducing the ambiguity inherent in the organisation. Members
talk with each other in an effort to structure the environment and makes sense of new situations,
which entails gaining and sharing information.

1.1.2 Activity: Functions of Communication

List the three main functions of communication in the workplace and shortly explain the
purpose of each of these functions. Give examples of documents that are used in each
of these functions

1.2 The nature of personal interactions and appropriate behavior

The nature of personal interaction in the workplace is largely dependent on the personalities of the
people that work there. Think of personality as the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts to
and interacts with others. People vary in their inherent ability to express intensity. You undoubtedly
know individuals who almost never show their feelings. They rarely get angry. They never show rage.
In contrast, you probably also know people who seem to be on an emotional roller-coaster. When
they’re happy, they are ecstatic. When they’re sad, they are deeply depressed. And two people can
be in the exact same situation – with one showing excitement and joy, while the other is calm and
collected.

People with different types of personalities work together. Often we hear of personality clashes in the
workplace. This simply means that people with different personalities could have difficulties working
together. Therefore, many companies make use of personality tests to identify the personalities of
workers that they want to employ.

The two most widely used tests to indicate personality types are the Myers-Briggs and the Big Five
Personality Model.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 10

1.2.1 The Myers-Briggs type of personality indicator

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is the most widely used personality-assessment instrument in
the world. It’s a 100-question personality test that asks people how they usually feel or act in particular
situations. On the basis of their answers, individuals are classified as extraverted or introverted,
sensing or intuitive, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving. These terms are defined as follows:
• Extraverted versus introverted: Extraverted individuals are outgoing, sociable, and assertive.
Introverts are quiet and shy
• Sensing versus intuitive: Sensing types are practical and prefer routine and order. They
focus on details. Intuitive individuals rely on unconscious processes and look at the “big picture”
• Thinking versus feeling: Thinking types use reason and logic to handle problems. Feeling
types rely on their personal values and emotions
• Judging versus perceiving: Judging types want control and prefer their world to be ordered
and structured. Perceived types are flexible and spontaneous

1.2.2 The Big Five Personality Model

In this model it is believed that five basic dimensions underlie all others and encompass most of the
significant variation in human personality. The big five factors are:
• Extraversion: The extraversion dimension captures one’s comfort level with relationships.
Extraverts tend to be gregarious, assertive, and sociable. Introverts tend to be reserved, timid,
and quiet
• Agreeableness: The agreeableness dimension refers to an individual’s propensity to defer to
others. Highly agreeable people are cooperative, warm, and trusting. People who score low
on agreeableness are cold, disagreeable and antagonistic
• Conscientiousness: This dimension is a measure of reliability. A highly conscientious person
is responsible, organised, dependable, and persistent. Those who score low on this dimension
are easily distracted, disorganised, and unreliable
• Emotional stability: People with positive emotional stability tend to be calm, self-confident and
secure. Those with high negative scores tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and insecure
• Openness to experience: The openness to experience dimension addresses one’s range of
interests and fascination with novelty. Extremely open people are creative, curious, and
artistically sensitive. Those at the other end of the openness category are conventional and
find comfort in the familiar.

1.2.3 Emotions and moods

Management theorists and practitioners have become to realize that even within the confines of
organizational life, emotions can’t be excluded or ordered in any meaningful way. It is recognized that
emotions, if properly managed, can drive trust, loyalty and commitment and many of the greatest
productivity gains, innovations, and accomplishments of individuals, teams and organizations.

Emotions are not traits – they are reactions to an object. You show your emotions when you’re happy
about something, angry at someone, afraid of something. Moods, on the other hand, aren’t directed at
objects. Emotions can turn into moods when you lose focus of the contextual object. For example,
when a colleague criticizes you for the way you spoke to a client, you might become angry at him or
her. That is, you show emotion (anger) towards a specific object (your colleague). But later in the day,
you might find yourself just generally dispirited. You can’t attribute this feeling to any single event;
you’re just not your normal, up-beat self. This affect state describes a mood.
1.2.3.1 Felt Versus Displayed Emotions

It can help you to better understand emotions if you separate them into “felt” versus “displayed”. Felt
emotions are the individual’s actual emotions. In contrast, displayed emotions are those that are

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 11

organizationally-required and considered appropriate in a given job. The key point here is that felt and
displayed emotions are often different. In fact, many people have problems working with others
because they assume that the emotions they see others display is what those others actually feel. This
is particularly true in organizations where role demands and situations often require people to exhibit
emotional behaviours that mask their true feelings.

1.2.3.2 Differences Between Women and Men

Women show greater emotional expression than men, they experience emotions more intensely, and
they display more frequent expressions of positive as well as negative emotions, except anger. In
contrast to men, women also report more comfort in expressing emotions. Finally, women are better
at reading nonverbal cues than men.

What explains these differences? One explanation is the different ways men and women have been
socialized. Men are taught to be tough and brave, and showing emotion is inconsistent with this image.
Women, on the other hand, are socialized to be nurturing. This may account for the perception that
women are generally warmer and friendlier than men. For instance, women are expected to express
more positive emotions on the job (shown by smiling) than men, and they do. A second explanation is
that women may have more innate ability to read others and present their emotions than do men.
Thirdly, women may have a greater need for social approval and, thus, a higher propensity to show
positive emotions like happiness.

1.2.4 Deviant Workplace Behaviours

Negative emotions can lead to a number of deviant workplace behaviour. Anyone who has spent much
time in an organization realizes that people often engage in voluntary actions that violate established
norms and which threaten the organization, its members, or both. These actions are called employee
deviance. They fall into categories such as production (i.e. leaving early, intentionally working slowly),
property (stealing, sabotage), political (gossiping, blaming co-workers) personal aggression (sexual
harassment, verbal abuse). Many of these deviant behaviours can be traced to negative emotions.

For example, envy is an emotion that occurs when you resent someone for having something that you
don’t, and which you strongly desire. It can lead to malicious deviant behaviours. Envy has been found
to be associated with hostility, “back-stabbing”, and other forms of political behaviour, negatively
distorting others’ successes, and positively distorting one’s own accomplishments.

1.2.5 Activity: Deviant Workplace Behaviours

Explain what is meant with deviant workplace behaviours with two examples from own
experience.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 12

MODULE 2
-------------------------------------------

Explain the Interrelationship Between Personal and

Professional Relationships (SO2)
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the module the learner will be able to:

o Explain the difference between personal and professional relationships with reference to the
need for clear boundaries. (AC1)
o Explain ways in which difficulties in personal relationships influence workplace relationships with
examples. (AC2)
o Explain the effect of professional relationships on personal relationships with examples. (AC3)

-------------------------------------------

2.1 The interrelationship between personal and professional relationships

The boundaries between professional and personal relationships can be blurred. Sometimes
professional relationships develop into friendships. The most obvious determinant of attraction is
proximity, or geographical closeness. If we work side by side over a long period of time, we tend to
minimize or overlook a person’s less desirable traits. Proximity tends to intensify liking because
opportunities for communication clearly increase as a function of proximity. For example, in a large
company, people who work on the same floor are more likely to share coffee breaks and gossip, go out
to lunch together, or even meet after work.

Another important aspect that must be kept in mind is similarity. People will become friends in the
working environment if another person has the same interests, whether in sports, music, or travel, and
they often seek someone of the same religion, race, and social background.
The context of every relationship has two aspects: the setting and the social-psychological environment
in which communication takes place and relationships develop.

Setting has an important connection with the principle of similarity: We form relationships with people
with whom we share a certain setting, or physical environment, probably because the shared setting is
indicative of similarities, for example in professional work relationships. We are unlikely to have a
relationship outside that setting. For example, your supervisor is unlikely to visit you at home. Your
relationship at the office is purely professional. On the other hand, your parents, children, or friends
are unlikely to come for a visit at the office. The setting is too professional.

2.1.1 The difference between personal and professional relationships

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 13

Most probably the biggest difference between personal and professional relationships is personal
information sharing. Not all relationships foster the sharing of personal information, although much
information could be shared on the work to be done, a professional relationship. For example, from
conversations with your supervisor, you may know that he is from Johannesburg, that he is married
with two children and that he is very active in his church and the community. Yet, you may feel that
you know little about him. Your relationship is purely professional. There is very little variety of topics
communicated. You talk about work. There is no intimacy of what is communicated, no personal
information or feelings, as would be the case in personal relationships with friends.

In a personal relationship the ultimate goal is happiness and building that spiritual connection
between yourself and others.

Personal relationships involve:

• Trust
• Care
• Time spent
• Knowing each other
• Celebrating/sharing interests
• Understanding/respecting/accepting differences

In a professional relationship you have a task/goal that you are working together to complete and
achieve. Many professional relationships do not involve feeling of “like” between the participants. It is
a case of ‘we are stuck with each other, let’s get this done a cordially as possible’.

Professional relationships involve:

• Friendliness
• Helpfulness
• Flexibility
• Teamwork (working together, cooperation)
• Listening to each other’s ideas

The difference between personal relationships and professional relationships is mainly that the
professional relationship is motivated by a goal and the personal relationship is motivated by
connectivity. Personal relationships are usually based on mutual desire to spend time with the other
person in the relationship.

2.1.2 Activity: The Difference Between Personal and Professional

Relationships
Explain in your own words the differences between personal and professional
relationships in your working environment. Give examples to make your explanation
clear.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 14

2.2 How difficulties in personal relationships influence the workplace

Susan Bongani has worked for a company in Johannesburg for 3 years. She enjoyed her work in large
because her boss, Tim Mokoena, was a great guy to work for. Then Tim got promoted and Chuck
Benson took his place. Susan says her job is a lot more frustrating now. “Tim and I were on the same
wavelength. It’s not that way with Chuck. He tells me something and I do it. Then he tells me I did it
wrong. I think he means one thing but says something else. It’s been like this since the day he arrived.
I don’t think a day goes by when he isn’t yelling at me for something. You know, there are some people
you just find it easy to communicate with. Well, Chuck isn’t one of those!”

Susan’s comments illustrate that communication can be a source of unhappiness and conflict.
Have you ever met someone to whom you took an immediate dislike? You disagreed with most of the
opinions they expressed. Even insignificant characteristics – the sound of their voice, the smirk when
they smiled, their personality – annoyed you. We’ve all met people like that. When you have to work
with such individuals, there is often the potential for conflict.

Employees often find themselves in a dilemma When their jobs requires them to exhibit emotions that
are incongruous with their actual feelings. Not surprisingly, this is a frequent occurrence. There are
people that you have to work with, with whom you find it very difficult to be friendly. Maybe you consider
their personality abrasive. Maybe you know they’ve said negative things about you behind your back.
Regardless, your job requires you to interact with these people on a regular basis. So you’re forced to
feign friendliness

2.2.1 Consequences of relationship difficulties

Difficulties in personal relationships influence the workplace negatively. The

following could happen:
• Productivity drops in the work group. Members don’t work towards a common goal any more,
but against each other
• Workplace relations are more brittle than usual with employees forming sides on issues
• There are role conflicts over who should do what, conflict that hinder the performance of the
group
• Assumptions about how thing should be done are made bogging the group down and affecting
service
• There could be supervisory issues, but the feelings of the group members are not asked for or
they refuse to discuss it
• A retarding or even breakdown of communication
• Reduction in group cohesiveness. The members don’t feel that they belong to the group any
more. It’s a case of everybody for himself or herself
• Subordination of group goals to the primacy of infighting among members
• It can bring group functioning to a halt and potentially threaten the group’s survival
• Affects the organisation and profits negatively. It could even lead to the closure of a business

For instance, one of New York’s best-known law firms, Shea & Gould, closed down solely because the
80 partners just couldn’t get along. As one legal consultant familiar with the organization said: “This
was a firm that had basic and principled differences among the partners that were basically
irreconcilable. “That same consultant also addressed the partners at their last meeting: “You don’t
have an economic problem,” he said. “You have a personality problem. You hate each other!”

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 15

 2.2.2 Activity: Difficulties that I Experience in Workplace Relationships
Explain a situation where you have experienced or are still experiencing difficulties in
workplace relationships at your company.

2.3 The effect of professional relationships on personal relationships

Charlotte and Teri both work at the Knysna Furniture Mart – a large discount furniture retailer. Charlotte
is a salesperson on the floor, and Teri is the company credit manager. The two women have known
each other for years and have much in common. They live within two blocks of each other, and their
oldest daughters attend the same secondary school and are best friends. In reality, if Charlotte and
Teri had different jobs, they might be best friends themselves, but these two women are constantly
fighting battles with each other. Charlotte’s job is to sell furniture, and she does a heck of a job. But
most of her sales are made on credit. Because Teri’s job is to make sure the company minimises credit
losses, she regularly has to turn down the credit application of a customer with whom Charlotte has just
closed a deal. It’s nothing personal between Charlotte and Teri, the requirements of their jobs bring
them into conflict.

There must be clear boundaries between personal and professional relationships at work. Personal
relationships could harm professional relationships just as much as professional relationships could
influence personal relationships as described above. If people at work become too close friends, it
could make the other members feel that they are cut out, they don’t feel part of the group. At the
workplace it is expected of employees to be professional. This includes having professional
relationships where all members work together toward a common goal. Of course, nobody expects
that you should have professional relationships only, personal relationships with people that you get
along with, will always be part of the working environment. Care should be taken, though, that your
personal relationships don’t cloud your judgment.

2.3.1 Activity: The effect of professional relationships on personal

relationships
Give an example of a situation at your workplace where a professional relationship
could have an effect on your personal relationship.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 16

MODULE 3
-------------------------------------------

Identify Techniques for Self-Management (SO3)

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the module the learner will be able to:

o Identify ways of acquiring self-knowledge and give an indication of the role of self-knowledge in
interpersonal relationships. (AC1)
o Demonstrate techniques for communicating own feelings, thoughts and opinions for different
situations. (AC2)
o Apply knowledge of self and relationships to manage conflict constructively. (AC3)
o Identify techniques to aid understanding of the thoughts, feelings and opinions of others with
reference to listening, reflection and body language. (AC4)

-------------------------------------------
3.1 Techniques for self-management

Effective face-to-face people are likely to have some basic qualities. Poise enables a person to be at
ease in a wide variety of social situations, often enjoying them, and able to talk with different types of
people in a relaxed and self-confident way. This self-confidence comes partly from the feedback of
willing responses constantly provided by other people so it may help to “feed” lines that will produce a
good response.

A necessary part of poise is being responsive to the needs, feelings and level of understanding in other
people. The market supervisor, for example will be looking for nonverbal messages that his or her
message to the worker has been understood, or whether he or she needs to elaborate.
Responsiveness can include offering rewards, like friendliness, warmth, sympathy and helpfulness to
the other person. These not only sustain and strengthen the relationship, but may also be held back
as a means of trying to get one’s own way

3.1.1 Ways of Acquiring Self-Knowledge

People differ in the degree to which they like or dislike themselves as capable and effective. This self-
perspective is the concept of core self-evaluation. People who have positive core self-evaluations
like themselves and see themselves as effective, capable, and in control of their environment. Those
with negative core self-evaluations tend to dislike themselves, question their capabilities, and view
themselves as powerless over their environment. People with positive core self-evaluations perform
better at work and have better relationships with others because they set more ambitious goals, and
persist longer at attempting to reach these goals.

Some people believe that they are masters of their own fate. Other people see themselves as pawns
of fate, believing that what happens to them is due to luck or change. The first type, those who believe
that they control their destinies, have been labelled internals, whereas the latter, who see their lives as
being controlled by outside forces, have been called externals. A person’s perception of the source of
his or her fate is termed locus of control.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 17

3.1.1.1 Understand Your Emotions

An understanding of emotions can improve our ability to explain and predict the selection process in
organisations, decision-making, motivation, leadership, interpersonal conflict, and deviant workplace
behaviours. People who know their own emotions and are good at reading others’ emotions may be
more effective in their jobs. This include:
• Emotional self-awareness: Knowing one’s emotions, being aware of what you’re feeling
• Emotional self-regulation: Controlling one’s emotions, the ability to manage your own
emotions and impulses
• Social awareness: Recognising emotions in others, the ability to handle the emotions of others
• Relationship management: Controlling emotions in others
• Empathy: The ability to sense how others are feeling
• Self-motivation: The ability to persist in the face of set-backs and failures

3.1.2 Activity: Assess Your Locus of Control

Read the following statements and indicate whether you agree more with the statement
in column A or in column B. In the space under “Choice”, write A or B, showing which
statement you most agree with.

Statement Choice

1 (a) Making a lot of money is largely a matter of getting the right breaks
(b) Promotions are earned through hard work and persistence
2 (a) I have noticed that there is a direct connection between how hard I study
and the grades I get
(b) Many times, the reactions of teachers seem haphazard to me
3 (a)The number of divorces indicate that more and more people are not trying
to make their marriages work
(b) Marriage is largely a game
4 (a) It is silly to think that one can really change another person’s basic attitudes
(b) When I am right I can convince others
5 (a) Getting promoted is really a matter of being a little luckier that the next person
(b) In our society, a person’s future earning power is dependent upon his or her
ability
6 (a) If one knows how to deal with people, they are really quite easily led
(b) I have little influence over the way other people behave
7 (a) The grades I make are the result of my own efforts; luck has little or nothing
to do with it
(b) Sometimes I feel that I have little to do with the grades I get
8 (a) People like me can change the course of the world affairs if we make ourselves
heard
(b)It is only wishful thinking to believe that one can readily influence what happens
in our society
9 (a) A great deal that happens to me is probably a matter of chance
(b) I am the master the master of my fate
10 (a) Getting along with people is a skill that must be practiced
(b) It is almost impossible to figure out how to please some people
Scoring key
Give yourself one point for each of the following selections:
1B, 2A, 3A, 4B, 5B, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9B, 10A
Scores can be interpreted as follows:
- 8 – 10: High internal locus of control

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 18

 - 6 – 7: Moderate internal locus of control
- 5: Mixed
- 3 – 4: Moderate external locus of control
- 1 – 2: High external locus of control

My locus of control is ___________________________________________________________

Adapted from Robbins (2001 : 100).

3.2 Techniques for communicating feelings and ideas

In the studies of human communication, authors distinguish between message content and the
relationship between communicators. It seems obvious that every message has content, whether the
information is correct or incorrect, valid or invalid, or even indeterminable. But every message also
defines how it is to be interpreted, and consequently something about the relationship between the
people involved. Each person conveys messages that tell how he or she perceives the other and their
relationship, and each expects to receive similar response. Perhaps the most satisfying interpersonal
response we can hope to receive is total confirmation, any behaviour that causes another person to
value himself or herself more. On the other hand, responses could be disconfirming, behaviours that
cause people to value themselves less, they reject both the speaker and what the speaker has to say.

A list of responses that are considered most confirming are:

• Direct acknowledgement: The other person acknowledges that you have said and gives you
a direct verbal response (Yes, I see where you’re coming from)
• The expression of positive feelings: He or she conveys positive feeling about what you have
just said (That’s a very good idea)
• The clarifying response: Here the other person tries to get you to clarify the content of your
message. (Could you expand on that a bit)
• An agreeing response: The other person reinforces or affirms what you have already said (I
totally agree)
• The supportive response: It offers comfort, understanding, or reassurance (I know just how
you feel)

The responses that are the most disconfirming are:

• The tangential response: Here the other person acknowledges your previous comment but
quickly shifts the direction of the conversation (Did you have time to look at the project? Not
much. Does this skirt looks to short?)
• The impersonal response: Here the other person uses intellectualised speech and avoids the
first person (“One often finds oneself getting angry” instead of “I’m getting angry”)
• An impervious response: It disregards you completely, offering neither verbal or nonverbal
recognition
• An irrelevant response: He or she changes the subject as would be with a tangential
response, but this time makes no attempt to relate that response to your previous comment
(You say: “I had a lousy day. I’m really ready to quit” The answer: “I wonder why Ann hasn’t
called Do you think she forgot?”)
• An interrupting response: The other person cuts you off before you have made your point
• An incoherent response: He or she consistently speaks in sentences that are rambling,
disorganised, or incomplete
• The incongruous response: Gives you conflicting verbal and nonverbal messages

Emotions can cause conflict. For example, an employee who shows up to work irate from her hectic
morning commute may carry that anger with her to her 9:00 meeting. The problem? Her anger can
annoy her colleagues, because she is rude and abrupt, which may lead to a tension-filled meeting.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 19

To reassure a troubled person, as in the example given, that he or she is overanxious, may be
interpreted as a lack of concern and lead to even more anger and rudeness. It can be highly supportive
to show empathy with another person’s emotions without trying to change him or her. Empathy can
be defined as: “perception and communication by resonance, by identification, by experiencing in
ourselves some reflection of the emotional tone that is being experienced by the other person.”

The two most important techniques to help others to share feelings, opinions and ideas are:
• Positivity: Being cooperative, cheerful, optimistic, not criticising, being patient, trying to build
the other person’s self-esteem.
• Openness: Encouraging the other person’s disclosure of thoughts and feelings, stating one’s
own feelings, stating needs and wants openly and honestly

3.2.1 Activity: Confirming Responses

List the five most confirming responses to a speaker.

3.3 Manage conflict constructively

Conflict can be defined as an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who
perceive incompatible goals, scarce rewards, and interference from the other party in achieving their
goals.

Conflict arises from the different perceptions between persons or groups. When conflict has an
emotional base, it is more difficult to resolve. In other words, when conflict is based on fear, jealousy,
anger, hatred, uncertainty or mistrust one needs special skills to achieve a resolution.

Few issues are more intertwined with emotions than the topic of interpersonal conflict. Whenever
conflict arise, you can be fairly certain that emotions are also surfacing. A manager’s success in trying
to resolve conflicts, in fact, is often largely due to his or her ability to identify the emotional elements in
the conflict and to get the conflicting parties to work through their emotions. And the manager who
ignores the emotional elements in conflicts, focusing singularly on rational and task-focusing concerns,
is unlikely to be very effective in resolving those conflicts.

Some conflicts support the goals of the group and improve its performance. These are functional ,
constructive forms of conflict. In addition there are conflicts that hinder group performance. These are
dysfunctional conflict, or destructive forms of conflict.

Conflict between team members isn’t necessarily bad. In fact, teams that are completely void of conflict
are likely to become apathetic and stagnant. So conflict can actually improve team effectiveness. But
not all types of conflict. Relationship conflicts- those based on interpersonal incompatibilities, tension,
and animosity toward others – are almost always dysfunctional. It appears that the friction and
interpersonal hostilities inherent in relationship conflicts increase personality clashes and decrease
mutual understanding, which hinders the completion of organisational tasks.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 20

It is vital to understand the source of the conflict. A vital strategy is to focus on the common needs and
interests of both parties. Both parties must state their sides. Conflict resolution begins without that
mutual confidence, as the parties have interests that inevitably conflict and they are not likely to fully
trust each other. The skills here are first those of presentation and then listening,
questioning and feedback.

3.3.1 Activity: Functional and dysfunctional conflict

Differentiate between functional and dysfunctional conflict.

3.1 Techniques to aid understanding of others

“I often tell Sharon things I haven’t told Janet, my wife, or tell her things before I tell Janet. I am closer
to her than I am to any of my male friends. Our relationship is not unusual, I’ve discovered. In a two-
year survey of nearly 2 000 men and women for a book on male relational behaviour, I learned that one
out of every three men knows a women, other than his wife, with whom he feels he can “talk about
anything.” She is usually a mother, sister, or, as in my case, a work associate. Sharon would listen to
me without losing objectivity.”

In the above relationship trust and understanding, and the sharing of information play a very big part.

Two atmospheres in interpersonal trust can be established. These are supportive or defensive
climates and are described in six sets of categories:
Category Defensive climate Supportive climate
Evaluation Feeling judged increases our defensiveness Description
Control We resist someone trying to control us Problem orientation
Strategy If we perceive a strategy or underlying motive, Spontaneity
we become defensive
Neutrality If the speaker appears to lack concern or interest Empathy
for and in us, we become defensive
Superiority A person who acts superior arouses our defensive
Feelings Equality
Certainty Those who are “know-it-alls” arouse our
Defensiveness Listening

When trust between people in relationships, whether professional or personal, increases, efficiency and
accuracy in communication also increase.
Relationships can be described in terms of two primary dimensions: affection and control. Affection is
the love/hate aspect of the relationship, which ranges from tender, cooperative loving behaviours to
those that are sarcastic, hostile, and aggressive. Control also has two poles: dominance/submission.

Along the affection dimension, a given behaviour, whether loving or hostile, tends to prompt behaviour
from the other person that is similar. For example, if Beth can’t stand Carroll and repeatedly acts
hostile, it’s more than likely that Carroll will come to respond in the same way to Beth. Conversely,
friendly, cooperative behaviour from Beth will tend to promote the same response from Carroll.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 21

3.4.1 Understanding Emotions

Some people have severe difficulty in expressing their emotions and understanding the emotions of
others. Psychologists call this ‘alexithymia’ (which is Greek for ‘lack of emotion’). People who suffer
from this rarely cry and are often seen by others as bland and cold. Their own feelings make them
uncomfortable, and they’re not able to discriminate among their different emotions. Additionally’ they’re
often at a complete loss to understand what others around them feel.

Understanding another person’s felt emotions is a very difficult task. But we can learn to read others’
display of emotions. We do this by focusing on verbal, nonverbal, and paralanguage.

The easiest way to find out what someone is feeling, is to ask him or her. Saying something as simple
as: “Are you okay? What’s the problem?” can frequently provide you with the information to assess
an individual’s emotional state. But relying on a person’s verbal response has two drawbacks.

First, almost all of us conceal our emotions to some extent for privacy and to reflect social expectations.
So we might be unwilling to share our true feelings. Second, even if we want to convey our feelings
verbally, we may be unable to do so. Some people have difficulty in understanding their own emotions,
and hence, are unable to express them verbally. So, at best, verbal responses provide only partial
information.

You’re talking with a colleague. Does the fact that his back is rigid, his teeth clenched, and his facial
muscles tight tell you something about his emotional state? It probably should. Facial expressions,
gestures, body movements, and physical distance are nonverbal cues that can provide additional
insight into what a person is feeling. Even something as subtle as the distance people choose to
position themselves from you can convey their feelings, or lack thereof, intimacy, aggressiveness,
repugnance, or withdrawal.

Paralanguage is communication that goes beyond the specific spoken words. It includes pitch,
amplitude, rate, and voice quality of speech. Paralanguage reminds us that people convey their
feelings not only in what they say, but also in how they say it.

3.4.2 Activity: Defensive Climates

List the six categories and the defensive behaviour of each in the atmosphere of trust
in personal relationships.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 22

MODULE 4
-------------------------------------------

Explain How Stereotyping Affects Relationships (SO4)

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the module the learner will be able to:
o Explain the concept of stereotyping with examples. (AC1)
o Identify stereotypes in the workplace with reference to gender, sexual orientation, race,
nationality, age, class and disability. (AC2)
o Identify own stereotypes and give an indication of how labelling affects personal relationships.
(AC3)
o Explore reasons why people label groups with reference to upbringing, culture, exposure and
general background. (AC4)

-------------------------------------------
4.1 The Effect of Stereotyping on Relationships

We all stereotype. It is in the human nature to do so. The behaviour of some people in a category
makes us expect all in that category to behave in the same way. For example, we have experienced
or observed a few taxi drivers that drove recklessly. Now we believe that all taxi drivers drive recklessly.
This is obvious invalid, because there are taxi drivers that drive safely.

4.1.1 The Concept “Stereotyping”

A stereotype is a generalization about a class of people, objects, or events that is widely held by a given
culture.

Generalizations are not without advantages. It’s a means of simplifying a complex world, and it permits
us to maintain consistency. It’s less difficult to deal with an unmanageable number of stimuli if we use
stereotypes. As an example, assume you’re a sales manager looking for filling a sales position in your
company. You want someone who is ambitious and hardworking and who can deal well with adversity.
You’ve had good success in the past by hiring individuals who participated in athletics while at school.
So you focus your search by looking for candidates who participated in athletics. In so doing, you have
cut down considerably on your search time. Furthermore, to the extent that athletes are ambitious,
hardworking, and able to deal with adversity, the use of this stereotype can improve your decision-
making. The problem, of course, is when we inaccurately stereotype. All athletes are not necessarily
ambitious, hardworking, or good at dealing with adversity

4.2 Stereotypes in the Workplace

How we perceive other human beings depend on generalizations derived from our shared experiences
as members of a given culture or society.

There can be no doubt that race membership affects our perceptions of others. For example, we are
better at recognizing pictures of members of our own race than pictures of members of another.

In our culture, with its strong emphasis on youth, stereotyping by age is also quite common. Thus,
many older people find that despite their professional experience, it is difficult to change jobs and, in

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 23

fact, some who have spent most of their working lives within a single company are passed over for
promotions or even let go.

In organizations, we frequently hear comments that represent stereotypes based on gender, age, race,
ethnicity, and even weight. “Women are too soft to discipline employees”, “men aren’t interested in
child care”, older workers can’t learn new skills”, “overweight people lack discipline”

Obviously, one of the problems of stereotypes is that they are widespread, despite the fact that they
may not contain a shred of truth or that they may be irrelevant. Their being widespread may mean only
that many people are making the same inaccurate perception on the basis of a false premise of a group.

4.2.1 Activity: Stereotypes in the Workplace

Give 5 examples of stereotypes that could occur in your workplace

.

4.3 Own stereotypes and the effect of labeling

To stereotype or to label people means that we have standardized expectations of certain groups or
individuals based on what we believe the characteristics of these groups are.

Your private theory of personality is in large part based on generalizations, many of which derive from
personal experience. If you have worked with an IT specialist before who was very shy and introvert,
you may think that all IT specialists are introverts. If you travel in Italy and your luggage is stolen, you
may come to feel that all Italians are dishonest.

Generalizations based on very limited personal experiences are often inaccurate and misleading.
When applied to a specific individual, most stereotypes are inappropriate and highly inaccurate – and
many are false. Relying on stereotypes rather than on direct perceptions can result in embarrassing
social situations.

Generalizations about human beings – especially generalizations about how they think and how they
are likely to behave – tend to distort our perceptions and to interfere with our ability to make accurate
judgments.

Typical stereotypes are that politicians are not to be trusted, women are more caring than men and that
men are more aggressive than women.

This is obviously not true. We must always listen to what people are actually saying to us rather than
hearing what we think a person are actually saying or what that type would say.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 24

Being aware of the dangers of stereotyping others, and trying to exercise self-discipline, can reduce
the degree to which you misunderstand other people, but you still have the problem that your
respondents will put you into a stereotype and hear what you say in accordance with whatever their
predetermined notion may be.

4.3.1 Activity: How Stereotyping Affects Personal

Relationships

Identify your own stereotypes and explain how this can affect personal relationships.

4.4 Reasons why People Label Groups

The frame of reference is the standpoint from which a person views an issue, and understanding of
the issue will be shaped by that perspective rather that any abstract “reality”. It is a set basic
assumptions or standards that frame our behaviour. These are developed through childhood
conditioning, through social background, education and our affiliations. Differences in the frames of
reference held by different people present inescapable problems. Can Israelis and Arabs ever really
understand each other?

The frame of reference on any particular matter is largely determined by opinions developed within a
group with which we identify, as few of us alter our opinions alone. This begins in childhood, when we
adopt the views and opinions of our parents. As we grow older, we become more independent in setting
our values, but also join other groups, whose values we begin to adopt: school, youth groups, sports
teams, gangs, work, and so on. We both follow and help to share opinion in our group, and most of us
are in a number of such reference groups.

Stereotypes are necessary at the start of working relationships. We cannot deal with every individual
as being a void until we have collected enough information to know how to treat them, so we always
try and find a pigeonhole in which to put someone. For example, we stop someone in the street to ask
directions only after we have selected a person who looks intelligent and sympathetic. If we are giving
directions to a stranger, we begin our explanation after having made an assessment of their ability to
understand quickly, or their need for a more detailed, painstaking explanation. The stereotype becomes
a handicap only when we remain insensitive to new information enabling us to develop a fuller and
more rational appraisal of the individual with whom we are interacting.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 25

 4.4.1 Activity: Reasons for Stereotyping

Shortly explain why people make use of stereotypes.

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 26

References

• http://forum.weebls-stuff.com
• Meyer, M. & Kirsten, M. 2005. Introduction to Human Resource Management. Claremont:
New Africa Books (Pty) Ltd.
• Redman, T. & Wilkenson, A. 2009. Contemporary Human Resource Management. Text and
Cases. Third Edition. Cape Town: Pearson Education.
• Robbins, S. P.; Judge, T. A.; Odendaal, A.& Roodt, G.: 2009. Organisational Behaviour.
Global and South African Perspectives. Cape Town: Pearson Education South Africa.
• Robbins, S. P.; Odendaal, A.& Roodt, G.: 2001. Organisational Behaviour. Global and
Southern African Perspectives. Cape Town: Pearson Education South Africa.
• Torrington, D.; Hall, L.; Taylor, S. & Atkinson, C. 2009. Fundamentals of Human Resource
Management. Managing people at Work. Cape Town: Pearson Education.
• Tubbs, S. L. 1994. Human Communication. Seventh Edition. Singapore: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
• www.ehow.com
• www.ehow.com
• www.hr.toolbox.com

244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 27

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244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 28

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244572 (114943) Describe how to manage workplace relationships - LG 29