BEHAVIOURAL FACTORS IN HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING

BEHAVIOURAL FACTORS IN HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING

BEHAVIOURAL FACTORS IN HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNINGA well defined job will make the job interesting and satisfying for the employee. The result is increased performance and productivity. If a job fails to appear compelling or interesting and leads to employee dissatisfaction, it means the job has to be redesigned based upon the feedback from the employees.Broadly speaking the various factors that affect a job design can classified under three heads. They are:

BEHAVIOURAL FACTORS IN HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNINGOrganizational Factors Environmental Factors Behavioural Factors

Organizational FactorsOrganizational factors that affect job design can be work nature or characteristics, work flow, organizational practices and ergonomics.Work Nature: There are various elements of a job and job design is required to classify various tasks into a job or a coherent set of jobs. The various tasks may be planning, executing, monitoring, controlling etc and all these are to be taken into consideration while designing a job. Ergonomics: Ergonomics aims at designing jobs in such a way that the physical abilities and individual traits of employees are taken into consideration so as to ensure efficiency and productivity.

Organizational FactorsWorkflow: Product and service type often determines the sequence of work flow. A balance is required between various product or service processes and a job design must ensure this.

Environmental FactorsEnvironmental factors affect the job design to a considerable extent. These factors include both the internal as well as external factors. They include factors like employee skills and abilities, their availability, and their socio economic and cultural prospects.Employee availability and abilities: Employee skills, abilities and time of availability play a crucial role while designing of the jobs. The above mentioned factors of employees who will actually perform the job are taken into consideration. Designing a job that is more demanding and above their skill set will lead to decreased productivity and employee satisfaction.

Environmental FactorsSocio economic and cultural expectations: Jobs are nowadays becoming more employee centred rather than process centred. They are therefore designed keeping the employees into consideration. In addition the literacy level among the employees is also on the rise. They now demand jobs that are to their liking and competency and which they can perform the best.

Environmental Factors Culture: Organizational culture determines the way tasks are carried out at the work places. Practices are methods or standards laid out for carrying out a certain task. These practices often affect the job design especially when the practices are not aligned to the interests of the unions.

Behavioural Factors

Human Resource Planning must strive to understand that there are behavioral differences in the employees.Human resource planning is concerned with the hiring, training and retention ofemployees to satisfy the company's strategic objectives. But in order to hire, train and retain quality employees and prepare future workforce requirements, human resourceplanning must strive to understand certain behavioural differences. These differences relate to an employee's situation and his personality. An employees personality is reflective of his values ,attitudes and perception.

Behavioural Factors

A persons behaviour is the product of two things: His situation and His personality

Behavioural Factors

PersonalityAttitudesValuesPerception are all very important in order to understand Human Behavior.

PERSONALITYEvery man is in certain respects like all other men, like some other men, like no other man Kluckhohn & Murray

PERSONALITYIt is defined as those characteristics of a person that account for his consistentpattern of behaviour.It identifies the causes of behaviour that stems from individual psychology.Personality is the Dynamic Equilibrium between the individuals of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to the environment.

PERSONALITYAn employee's personality can be described as the characteristics that comprise his normal or consistent behaviour. These characteristics relate to the employee's psychology and manifest themselves in several ways. A person's extroversion/introversion ,conscientiousness, emotionality and overall agreeableness are related to her personality. When considering the organization's staff, human resources must consider personality differences when hiring, transferring and promoting. Choosing a personality that works to the benefit of an organization can be a difficult task. Many organizations use tools such as personality tests to screen and match job-candidate personalities.

DIMENSIONSExtroversionIntroversionType AType BOpennessAgreeablenessConscientiousness

PERSONALITYExtraverts (also spelled extroverts) tend to be gregarious, assertive, and interested in seeking out external stimulus. Introverts, in contrast, tend to be introspective, quiet and less sociable. They are not necessarily loners but they tend to have fewer numbers of friends. Introversion does not describe social discomfort but rather social preference: an introvert may not be shy but may merely prefer fewer social activities. Ambiversion is a balance of extrovert and introvert characteristics. Most people (about 68% of the population) are considered to be ambiverts, while extraverts and introverts represent the extremes on the scale, with about 16% representation for each

PERSONALITYType A individual are ambitious, aggressive, business-like, controlling, highly competitive, impatient, preoccupied with his or her status, time-conscious. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving "workaholics" who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence.

PERSONALITYType B individuals are perfect contrast to those with Type A personalities. People with Type B personalities are generally patient, relaxed, easy-going, and at times lacking an overriding sense of urgency.

EMOTIONSHR managers frequently deal with employee emotions. Employee emotional theory involves broad effects, which you can narrow into values, emotions and moods. Emotions are intense feelings triggered by a person or object, and directed at that object or another, unrelated person or object. Moods are subtler blankets of emotions that may or may not have a trigger. HR representatives can use emotional theory to help employees through negative emotions, avoid negative triggers and bolster positive emotions and moods.

ATTITUDESAttitudes are particularly enduring sets formed by past experiences. -Solomon E. Asch

ATTITUDESAttitudes can be considered synonymous with opinions. They are often the result of past experiences. An individual may view a particular person or situation based on previous occurrences. Attitudes are particularly difficult to change because they have evolved as a result of a person's environment and past situation. Negative attitudes can take form as criticism, anger, dislike or disdain. While human resource planning cannot alter an individual's previous experience, it can affect future attitudes. This is accomplished through hiring, training and retention efforts that focus on employee satisfaction.

COMMUNICATIONCommunication is an important factor for preserving employee relations. It can be spoken or unspoken in the way employees are treated. Orientations, training programs and recognition programs such as rewards, promotions and raises focus on experiences that keep employee attitudes positive.

COMMUNICATIONCommunication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of the senderCOMMUNICATIONCommunicating with your employees is central to managing your workforce. Poor communication can result in misunderstandings and mistrust. Introducing proper procedures for informing and consulting with your employees can take time and money but you will benefit from improved products, productivity and competitiveness.

VALUESThe term values refer to interests, pleasures, duties, moral obligations, desires, wants, needs, aversions[dislikes]and attractions and many other modalities of selective orientation.A value is a belief, a mission, or a philosophy that is meaningful. Whether we are consciously aware of them or not, every individual has a core set of personal values. Values can range from the commonplace, such as the belief in hard work andpunctuality, to the more psychological, such as self-reliance, concern for others, and harmony of purpose.

VALUESValues may be good or bad.Values are used by economists, psychologists and sociologists in different ways.Values are subjective and learned.

VALUESThey comprise what matters most to the employees. Values are often learned and can be subjective(good or bad). Human resource planners must workwith managers to consider what values employees have and how they align with the organization's own values. By pairing employee values to that of the organization, strategic objectives are better achieved. Employees are also more likely to find satisfaction in the workplace.

PERCEPTIONPerception is defined as the process of receiving information through different senses which is interpreted and organized into a meaningful pattern on the basis of his past experience.

PERCEPTIONPerceivers characteristics:NeedsExperiencesSet (expectations)

PERCEPTIONSEmployee perception relates to attitude in that it is the result of past experience. Perception takes information from various senses and combines it with a person's needs,past experience and expectations. The result is how an individual or employee perceives or sees his external environment. Employee perception is vital to human resource planning. If ajob candidate perceives an organization in a negative way, she is probably less inclined to work for that company.

PERCEPTIONRetaining employees becomes difficult if their view of the company has changed. Human resource planning must continue to attract and retain workers by keeping an affirmativeperception. This is most easily achieved if the organization's actions take into consideration employee needs and expectations. This shows the organization values its employees. Employee safety training, rewards, company-sponsored activities and recognition efforts such as raises, promotions and announcements can display this value and keep employee perceptions of the Organisation high.

MotivationAbraham Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs to illustrate his theory that peoples behaviors are guided by a sequence of needs.Maslow argued that humans possess unique qualities that enable them to make independent choices, thus giving them control of their destiny.

MOTIVATION THEORIES AND COMPENSATIONIn competitive markets of the present age, managers and policy makers need effective policies to keep their employees motivated in order to maximize output. Motivating workers is a complex issue, and, unsurprisingly, numerous theories regarding this aspect of human behaviour exist.

Maslows Hierarchy of Needs

Intrinsic Motivation TheoryMichael M. Harris argues that intrinsic motivators work better than extrinsic motivators. Extrinsic factors include controlling employees, setting expectations, and rewarding people whereas work relationships can be classified as intrinsic motivators. Relationships with co workers determine worker satisfaction; therefore, managers should create an environment where relationships between employees grant them satisfaction and relieve them of the tedium of work.

36Herzbergs Motivational and Hygiene Factorsmotivational factors: achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, advancement, and growth, which produce job satisfactionhygiene factors: cause dissatisfaction if not present, but do not motivate workers to do more. Examples include larger salaries, more supervision, and a more attractive work environment

McGregors Theory X and Theory YTheory X: assumes workers dislike and avoid work, so managers must use coercion, threats, and various control schemes to get workers to meet objectives.Theory Y: assumes individuals consider work as natural as play or rest and enjoy the satisfaction of esteem and self-actualization needs.Theory Z: introduced in 1981 by William Ouchi and is based on the Japanese approach to motivating workers, emphasizing trust, quality, collective decision making, and cultural values.

McClellands Acquired-Needs TheorySpecific needs are acquired or learned over time and shaped by life experiences, including:Achievement (nAch): Achievers like challenging projects with achievable goals and lots of feedbackAffiliation (nAff): People with high nAff desire harmonious relationships and need to feel accepted by others, so managers should try to create a cooperative work environment for themPower: (nPow): People with a need for power desire either personal power (not good) or institutional power (good for the organization). Provide institutional power seekers with management opportunities

Vrooms Expectancy TheoryAccording to Vrooms Expectancy Theory, an employee should know that he will be rewarded for hard work. This theory of motivation comprises three main factors: expectancy, instrumentality, and valence. Employees must be informed clearly about what they must do and grasp a companys method of measuring performance. Instrumentality means the degree to which the desired performance will lead to desired rewards. The employee must be able to trust the people evaluating his performance for him to be motivated. Valence constitutes the value an employee places on rewards offered by an organization. For example, if an employee values monetary compensation, he would not be motivated enough by the provision of extra time off from his job.

Adams Equity TheoryEmployees strive for equity between themselves and other employees. If an employee feels she is not being adequately rewarded for her effort, she will become unmotivated. Therefore, the measurement tools used to evaluate performances should be standardized.

Personal StyleManagers should consider the different types of people who constitute their workforce and design their policies accordingly.People can be divided into four different categories according to their personality traits: driver, expressive, amiable, and analytical. Drivers want speedy action, expressive types want to involve others and disallow isolation, amiable types favor association, and analytical people need time to reflect before taking an action.People on opposite corners (drivers and amiables, analyticals and expressives) may have difficulties getting along

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Figure 9-9. Social Styles

Keys to Managing PeoplePsychologists and management theorists have devoted much research and thought to the field of managing people at work

JOB DESIGNAn employee who fits the job will usually deliver optimum motivation and performance. Human resource professionals can create this through an organizational behavioural theory called "job design." Under job design, the HR representative considers a person's values, emotional states and perceptions, and designs a job to fit that employees series of behaviours. Another approach to job design considers the behavioural requirements for an existing position and finds a member within the organization or an outside candidate who meets those requirements.

CONCLUSIONPeople are the building blocks of every organization. Each person has his own unique behaviour. It is important o understand their behaviour so that a manager can analyze an individuals personality and his situation.

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