Definition and Meaning of Human Behaviour at workplace

Human Behaviour at workplace means the way people act, react, and interact with each other
while working in an organisation.

Meaning:

In a workplace, every employee comes from different backgrounds, has different thoughts, feelings,
and ways of doing things. Human Behaviour is how they:

• Communicate with others (managers, co-workers)

• Do their job tasks

• Handle stress or conflict

• Show motivation or attitude

• Work in a team or alone

Example:

If an employee is always on time, works with a positive attitude, and helps others — this shows good behaviour. If
another employee is rude or careless, it reflects poor behaviour. Both affect the work atmosphere.

• Human Behaviour Process

The Human Behaviour Process is the sequence of steps that explains how people behave — from
when they notice something to when they take action.

🔹 1. Stimulus (Cause or Trigger)

This is anything that affects a person and makes them respond.

• Can be internal (like hunger, emotions) or external (like a boss giving an order).

• Example: Your manager asks you to finish a report by 5 PM.

🔹 2. Perception (Understanding the Situation)

Perception means how a person sees, interprets, and understands the stimulus.

• Everyone sees things differently based on past experiences, personality, or mood.

• Example: One employee sees the task as easy and feels confident; another sees it as pressure.

🔹 3. Thinking & Feeling (Mental Process)

After perception, a person thinks and feels based on the situation.

• Thoughts and emotions guide how they prepare to act.

• Example: "If I do this fast, I’ll impress my manager." OR "This is unfair, I already have too
much work."
🔹 4. Motivation (Willingness to Act)

Motivation is the inner push or reason behind the action.

• Can be positive (to get rewards or praise) or negative (to avoid punishment).

• Example: You feel motivated to do the report quickly to avoid scolding or to get appreciation.

🔹 5. Behaviour (Action Taken)

This is the actual behaviour or response — what the person does.

• Example: You start working on the report seriously and try to finish it before 5 PM.

🔹 6. Outcome or Feedback (Result of Behaviour)

This is the result or effect of your action. It may be:

• Positive (praise, reward, good results)

• Negative (complaint, failure, punishment)

• The result will affect how you behave in future situations.

• Example: If your boss appreciates you, you will feel more motivated next time.

• Foundations of Individual Behaviour

• Biographical Characteristics : Age, gender, experience, family structure, etc

Biographical characteristics are personal details or background information about a person.

These are basic facts that influence how a person behaves at the workplace.

They are usually unchangeable or fixed and help in understanding employee behaviour,
performance, and motivation.

🔹 Main Biographical Characteristics:

1. Age

• Age affects experience level, physical ability, energy, and work attitude.

• Younger employees may be more energetic and open to change.

• Older employees are usually more experienced, loyal, and careful.

🟩 Example: A 25-year-old might adapt quickly to new technology, while a 50-year-old may use
experience to solve problems better.

2. Gender

• Gender refers to whether the employee is male, female, or identifies otherwise.

• Most studies show no big difference in job performance based on gender.

• But sometimes, society’s expectations or roles may affect behaviour or job roles.

🟩 Example: In some workplaces, women may still face challenges in leadership roles due to
gender bias.

3. Work Experience

• Employees with more experience:

o Know how to handle stress

o Understand company culture better

o May prefer stability

• Freshers or less experienced workers:

o Bring new ideas, enthusiasm, and fresh perspectives

🟩 Example: An experienced salesperson knows how to handle a difficult customer better than a
new joiner.

4. Family Structure

• Family structure affects an employee's emotional support, responsibilities, and time

availability.

• A person from a joint family may have more support, while one from a nuclear family may
have more pressure.

• Married employees may have more family responsibilities.

🟩 Example: A working parent may need flexible hours due to child care duties.

• Abilities : Intellectual, Physical and Ability-Job Fit

Abilities are a person’s natural talents or skills — what a person can do physically or mentally.

In the workplace, knowing an employee’s ability helps to assign the right job to the right person.

🔸 1. Intellectual Abilities

These are mental abilities related to thinking, reasoning, learning, and decision-making.

Examples of Intellectual Abilities:

• Verbal ability – Understanding and using language (important in sales, teaching)

• Numerical ability – Working with numbers (important in accounting, finance)

• Logical reasoning – Solving problems and making decisions (important in management,

engineering)

• Memory – Remembering instructions or facts

• Perceptual speed – Quickly noticing details and differences

🟩 Example: A data analyst needs strong numerical and logical abilities.

🔸 2. Physical Abilities

These are abilities related to the body’s strength, movement, and stamina.

Types of Physical Abilities:

• Strength – Lifting or carrying heavy things

• Stamina – Ability to work for long hours without getting tired

• Flexibility – Bending, moving quickly

• Coordination – Smooth body control

🟩 Example: A factory worker or delivery person needs good physical strength and stamina.

🔸 3. Ability–Job Fit

This means matching the person’s abilities to the job requirements.

Why Ability–Job Fit is important:

• Helps in better performance

• Reduces stress and errors

• Increases job satisfaction

• Leads to higher productivity

🟩 Example:

• A person with strong communication skills is a good fit for a customer service job.

• A person with physical strength is suitable for warehouse or field work.

• Personalities within a person : Determinants of Personality,

Personality is the unique set of traits, behaviours, and attitudes that make a person different
from others.

In a workplace, personality affects how a person:

• Works

• Communicates

• Handles stress

• Behaves with others

What Are Determinants of Personality?

Determinants are the factors that shape and influence a person’s personality.
There are five major determinants:

1. Heredity (Genetics)

• Traits passed from parents to children through genes.

• Includes physical appearance, intelligence, temperament (calm, active, shy), etc.

• This is natural and fixed from birth.

Example: A person may be naturally confident or quiet due to family traits.

2. Environment

• The surroundings in which a person grows up — home, school, friends, workplace, etc.

• Values, culture, and experiences shape beliefs and behaviour.

• Environment plays a big role in shaping personality over time.

Example: A child raised in a strict family may become more disciplined.

3. Situation

• A person’s behaviour may change based on different situations.

• Temporary factors like stress, work pressure, or celebration can affect how one behaves.

Example: A normally calm person may become angry under too much work pressure.

4. Culture

• Refers to the values, traditions, and customs of the society or community a person belongs
to.

• Culture shapes how people view right and wrong, relationships, and communication styles.

Example: In some cultures, being direct is good; in others, being polite and quiet is valued more.

5. Family and Social Groups

• The way a person is raised in the family, and their interaction with friends, teachers, and
colleagues also affects personality.

• Family gives early lessons in behavior and social groups influence habits and opinions.

Example: A supportive family can build a confident personality; a negative peer group may
lead to poor habits.
• Personality Traits

What Are Personality Traits?

Personality traits are the specific characteristics or qualities that describe how a person usually
thinks, feels, and behaves.

These traits are relatively stable — meaning they don’t change quickly and help define a person’s
nature.

Example: Some people are always friendly, some are always serious — these are their
personality traits.

Most Common Personality Trait Model: “The Big Five Personality Traits”

This is the most popular and widely accepted model used to understand personality:

1. Openness to Experience

• Describes if a person is creative, curious, and open to new ideas.

• High openness = likes to try new things, imaginative

• Low openness = prefers routine, traditional thinking

Example: An artist or designer usually has high openness.

2. Conscientiousness

• Describes if a person is organized, responsible, and hardworking.

• High conscientiousness = careful, disciplined, goal-oriented

• Low conscientiousness = careless, lazy, disorganized

Example: A manager who plans well and finishes tasks on time.

3. Extraversion

• Describes if a person is outgoing, social, and talkative.

• High extraversion = enjoys group work, likes attention

• Low extraversion = shy, quiet, prefers working alone (introvert)

Example: A salesperson needs high extraversion.

4. Agreeableness

• Describes if a person is kind, cooperative, and helpful.

• High agreeableness = polite, trusting, friendly

• Low agreeableness = rude, selfish, competitive

Example: A team player who helps colleagues is high in agreeableness.

5. Emotional Stability (Neuroticism – opposite)

• Describes if a person can handle stress and stay calm.

• High emotional stability = relaxed, confident, secure

• Low emotional stability (high neuroticism) = anxious, moody, easily upset

Example: A doctor must be emotionally stable to handle emergency situations.

• Learning and shaping behaviours

What is Learning (in Human Behaviour)?

Learning means a permanent change in behaviour that happens due to experience, training, or
observation.

In organisations, people learn:

• How to do their job

• How to behave with others

• How to follow rules or achieve goals

Example: A new employee learns how to use a computer system by watching a senior.

What is Shaping Behaviour?

Shaping behaviour means guiding a person step by step to learn or improve a behaviour —
usually using rewards or punishments.

It helps people to:

• Improve performance

• Follow rules

• Show the right attitude at work

Shaping Behaviour Techniques (Step-by-Step)

To shape or improve employee behaviour, managers can use:

1. Positive Reinforcement

• Giving rewards for good behaviour.

• Example: Giving a bonus for completing targets.

2. Negative Reinforcement

• Removing something unpleasant after good behaviour.

• Example: Removing extra supervision once an employee starts performing well.

3. Punishment

• Giving a penalty to stop bad behaviour.

• Example: Warning an employee for being rude to a customer.

4. Extinction

• Ignoring bad behaviour so it slowly disappears.

• Example: Not reacting to an employee's jokes during work time so they stop doing it.

• Ego States of a person : Parent, Adult and Child ,

What Are Ego States?

Ego states are different parts or modes of our personality that influence how we think, feel, and
behave at different times.

According to psychologist Eric Berne (Transactional Analysis theory), every person has three ego
states:

1. Parent Ego State

• This part acts like the parent or authority figure inside us.

• It guides us with rules, values, and judgments we learned from our own parents or authority
figures.

• Can be nurturing (caring, supportive) or critical (strict, controlling).

Example: When you tell yourself, “You should finish your work on time” — that’s your Parent
ego state talking.

2. Adult Ego State

• The logical and rational part of our personality.

• Thinks based on facts and reality, not emotions or past experiences.

• Helps us make decisions, solve problems, and act reasonably.

Example: When you calmly plan your day or analyze information before acting.

3. Child Ego State

• This is the part that feels emotions, desires, and spontaneous reactions.

• Can be free and playful (happy, creative) or adapted and rebellious (angry, upset).

• Represents how we felt and behaved as a child.

Example: Feeling excited like a child when you get praise or feeling angry when something is
unfair.

• Life Positions

What Are Life Positions?

Life Positions are the beliefs we hold about ourselves and others.
They show how we see ourselves and how we see other people in relationships and
communication.

These positions are usually formed early in life and affect our:

• Attitude

• Communication style

• Workplace behaviour

• Self-confidence

There Are 4 Main Life Positions:

Each life position is a combination of how I feel about myself and how I feel about others:

1. I’m OK – You’re OK

• This is the healthy and positive life position.

• The person feels good about themselves and also respects others.

• Leads to confident, fair, and mature communication.

• Best for teamwork and leadership.

Example: "I respect myself and I also respect your views. Let’s work together."

2. I’m OK – You’re NOT OK

• The person feels good about themselves but sees others as wrong or less important.

• May become bossy, rude, or disrespectful.

• Can lead to conflicts in workplace relationships.

Example: "I do everything right, others always make mistakes."

3. I’m NOT OK – You’re OK

• The person has low self-esteem and thinks others are better.

• May become shy, nervous, or avoid responsibility.

• May follow others blindly and lack confidence.

Example: "I’m not smart enough, I’ll just do whatever others say."

4. I’m NOT OK – You’re NOT OK

• The most negative position.

• The person has lost hope and believes no one is good.

• Leads to depression, anger, or giving up easily.

• Harmful in work and personal life.

Example: "Nothing works. I’m useless, and people are also bad."

• Perception : Factors influencing

What is Perception?

Perception means the way a person understands and interprets things around them using their
senses (sight, sound, touch, etc.).

example: Two employees may watch the same manager speak, but one thinks he is strict, and
the other thinks he is fair. This difference is due to perception.

Factors Influencing Perception

Perceiver (You – the person who sees)

• Attitude – Your beliefs or thinking

• Experience – Past good or bad events

• Mood/Emotion – Happy or angry mood changes what you see

• Interest – You notice things you care about

• Expectation – You expect something, so you see it that way

Example: If you like someone, you may ignore their small mistakes.

Target (The person or thing you are observing)

• Appearance – Looks, clothes, body language

• Behaviour – Actions or the way someone talks

• Loudness or Movement – Moving or loud people get more attention

• Uniqueness – Different or special people are noticed quickly

Example: A well-dressed person may seem more confident.

Situation (The place and time)

• Time – Morning or night, busy or relaxed time

• Place – Office, home, or party

• Environment – Light, noise, crowd, etc.

Example: You may behave formally in an office, but casually at home.