Behaviour in The Workplace
"The ability of a person to perform a certain function reflects their training, education and experience. Their willingness, desire and suitability to perform that function consistently over a period of time, reflects their behavioural preferences."
Every person has combinations of 'Behaviours' with certain characteristics of those behaviours dominating and influencing the way we act. For example, some people are very dominant, others timid; some like the big picture challenge, others are task focused; some like change, others don't; some are very cautious and considered, others are highly reactive; some are exroverts, some are introverts; some are very decisive, others overly cautious; some enjoy the challenge of confrontation in what ever form i.e. sales or negotiation, others fear it etc. Clearly therefore these behaviours dictate how we react on a day to day basis across the many dimensions of business, the way we go about making decisions, the way we react to others etc.
Introduction: Each person has a unique set of patterns or overtly visual behavioural preferences which we are able to identify. These innate behavioural preferences indicate how the person will prefer to approach any given situation and with what degree of comfort. In a work sense whilst behaviour is critical in terms of performance, it is only one consideration and does not diminish the importance of education, training and experience or that of understanding company culture and 'team makeup' and the individuals ambitions and value systems. A persons success is driven by personal ambition and supported by innate behaviours.
Applications: People prefer to approach roles / tasks in their own personal way, using their preferred style. There is no such thing as a person having a bad behavioural profile. Research shows however, that people with certain combinations of characteristics feel more comfortable with roles that require and / or allow for a specific type of behavioural approach. These people therefore prefer roles which give them behavioural 'comfort' or 'fit'. This level of 'fit' has a direct bearing upon morale, productivity and staff turnover etc. By identifying what behavioural strengths and limitations a person brings to the job we are able to avoid placing 'square pegs in round holes' and can use the information constructively to manage change, in team structuring, role and functional allocation, organisational reviews, training and development, recruitment, team analysis, team development, performance appraisal and career planning.
Personal Awareness & Management Development: Two of the most important areas where behavioural information is used are in selection and in the development of individuals in management. If we acknowledge that as individuals we have preferred, but different behaviour patterns to other people, then quite clearly this will impact upon the way we respond to and approach a particular job, the way we communicate, our confidence levels, our level of drive, our career choices, the way we react to and manage other people, our response to change etc. By creating self awareness we learn to understand ourselves and the impact we have upon others both positively and negatively. When we understand ourselves we are in a better position to understand others. In team or management situations if we understand our colleagues and subordinates as individuals in terms of the way they prefer to work, receive communication, and are managed, then this will greatly improve relationships and enhance motivation, team interaction, communication and productivity. It also facilitates a willingness to voluntarily input to problem solving and positively respond to the requirements of change.
Person And Position Matching: Whilst it is important to know what skills and experience are required for a particular position it is as important to fully understand what type of person from a behavioural point of view is required. Where a vacancy exists a 'behavioural profile' of the position is developed to act as a guideline against which short listed candidates can be compared. On an internal basis where an individual may have performed well in a line management / profit center role it is often wrongly perceived that they have the capability to manage or strategise for other situations which in effect may require entirely different behavioural competencies, let alone skills and experience. Behavioural assessment allows us to evaluate individual preferences against the required behaviours of the position. Whilst individuals can modify behaviour, if the modification is too stringent or the individual does not possess the skills required to support the modification then this can lead to stress and can significantly effect performance.
Appraisal: An individual's behavioural preferences provides useful insight into successful role fit as well as performance discrepancies. A person, despite having specific skills and experience may be struggling to perform in a given role. Training is most often not the solution. By comparing the behavioural requirements of the position against those the individual brings to the job, we may well find there is person / job incompatibility. In such instances there are a number of alternative solutions which can be applied but in all such cases a thorough analysis is required.
Background: Observations and research into behaviour and temperament has been ongoing for centuries. Some of the more notable and influential theorists and researchers in recent times have been Freud, Jung, Kretschmer, Spranger, Keirsey, William Marston, K Briggs, I Briggs Myers amongst others. There are many different systems and processes in use around the world. The value of any one particular process largely depends on the competency and ethics of the user and how well it meets the needs of the situation. The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Marstons Profile Analysis Theory (DISC) are two of the most widely utilised processes for determining behavioural type and are applied across a broad range of management functions. Both processes have well over 50 years research behind them, are used in over 40 countries and have been translated into many languages. Katherine Briggs (MBTI) began her studies of individual behavioural differences in 1915. Between 1923 and 1941 she and her daughter Isobel studied Carl Jung's theories and carried out their own observations. In 1941, to meet a need identified by World War II to match skills, desires and career opportunities it was decided to develop the 'type indicator'. MBTI provides a framework to describe characteristics as they relate to an individual's preferences. Underpinning the process is the theory which postulates that behaviour is innate and predictable, and whilst each person has unique preferences they will change or adapt depending on the circumstances. The original research on the DISC Behavioural Analysis process was conducted by Dr. William Marston and much of the background, his thoughts, theories and findings are contained in his book ' Emotions of Normal People' published by Thomas Lyster Ltd. Marstons work was later refined by, most notably, John Geier, William Clever, Tom Hendrikson and Bill Bonnstetter, amongst others. Marstons theory recognises that people's innate preferences are predictable but that they can readily adapt their behaviour as the situation demands. This implies that this adaptation is not always comfortable or productive.
NOTE: Psychometric 'Testing' and Behavioural Analysis are processes used for gathering information about a person's inherently preferred behaviours. They are not 'psychological tests' and should not be used as a substitute for such testing. They are not designed for and do not measure a persons intellect, verbal or numerical reasoning ability etc., nor will they tell you how well a person is performing in their current role. There are a number of Behavioural Analysis, Psychometric and Psychological instruments available for business use. The value of the information they provide primarily relates to three things: the relevance of conducting the assessment / test in the first place, the competence and practical experience of the consultant administering the process and how the information is practically used.