The Nature of People:
With regard to people, there are six basic concepts: individual differences, perception, a whole
person, motivated behavior, desire for involvement, and value of the person.
Individual Differences: People have much in common (they become excited by an
achievement; they are grieved by the loss of a loved one), but each person in the world is
also individually different (and we expect that all who follow will be different!).The idea
of individual differences is supported by science. Each person is different from all others,
probably in millions of ways, just as each person’s DNA profile is different, as far as we
know. And these differences are usually substantial rather than meaningless. Think, for
example, of a person’s billion brain cells and the billions of possible combinations of
connection’s and bits of experience that are stored there. All people are different, and this
diversity needs to be recognized and viewed as a valuable asset to organizations.
The idea of individual differences comes originally from psychology. From the day of
birth, each person is unique (the impact of nature), and individual experiences after birth tend to
make people even more different (the influence of nurture). Individual differences mean that
management can motivate employees best by treating them differently. If it were not for
individual differences, some standard, across-the-board way of dealing with employees could be
adopted, and minimum judgement would be required thereafter. Individual differences require
that a manager’s approach to employees be individual, not statistical. This belief that each person
is different from all other is typically called the law of individual differences.
Perception: People look at the world and see things differently. Even when presented
with the same object, two people may view it in two different ways. Their view of their
objective environment is filtered by perception, which is the unique way in which each
person sees, organizes, and interprets things. People use an organized framework that
they have built out of a lifetime of experience and accumulated values. Having unique
views is another way in which people act like human beings rather than rational
machines.
Employees see their work worlds differently for a variety of reasons. They may differ in
their personalities, needs demographic factors and past experiences, or they may find
themselves in different physical settings, time periods social surroundings. Whatever the
reasons, they tend to act on the basis of their perceptions. Essentially, each person seems
to be saying, “I react not to an objective world, but to a world judged in terms of my own
beliefs, values, and expectations”
A Whole Person: Although some organizations may wish they could employ only a
person’s skill or brain, they actually employ a whole person rather than certain
characteristics. Different human traits may be studied separately, but in the final analysis
they are all part of one system making up a whole person. Skill does not exist apart from
background or knowledge. Home life is not totally separable from work life, and
emotional conditions are not separate from physical conditions. People function as total
human beings
For example, a supervisor wanted to hire a new telemarketer named Bonna.She was
talented, experienced, and willing to work the second shift. However, When Bonna was
offered the job, she responded by saying that he would need to start a half hour late on
Wednesdays because her childcare service was not available until then. Also, since she
had a minor handicap, her workstation required a substantial adjustment in height. So, her
supervisor had to consider her needs as a whole person, not just as a worker.
