This document discusses how individual behavior in organizations is influenced by biographical characteristics and abilities. It provides details on the effects of age, gender, marital status, and tenure on employee turnover, absenteeism, productivity, and job satisfaction. Intellectual abilities that influence job performance are also examined. The document then explores theories of learning, including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning theory. Finally, it discusses methods organizations can use to shape employee behavior, such as positive and negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction.

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2. Submitted to
Dr. Khondoker Bazlul Hoque
Professor
Department of International Business
Faculty of Business Studies
University of Dhaka
Submitted By
Md. Rakibul Islam
Roll No: 19
Session: 2008-2009
Department of International Business
Faculty of Business Studies
University of Dhaka
Course title: Organizational Behavior
Course code: 309
Date of Submission: July 08, 2012.
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3. To
Prof. Dr. Khondoker Bazlul Hoque
Department of International Business
Faculty of Business Studies
University of Dhaka.
Subject: Submission of Term Paper.
Dear Sir,
With due respect, I would like to inform you that I have prepared my
term paper according to your guidelines. For preparing my term paper I
have taken help from text book, Journals and internet. I am delighted for
getting such an opportunity. Now I would like to submit it for your kind
consideration. I have tried my best to make it accurate and pragmatic.
But there may have some unexpected mistakes where I expect your kind
consideration.
Yours Obediently
Md. Rakibul Islam
Roll: 19
BBA(IB-2nd) 15th batch, session: 2008-09
Department of International Business
University of Dhaka
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4. Table of contents
Topics Pages
Introduction 5
Meaning of individual behavior 5
Meaning of Biographical Characteristics 5
Effects of biographical characteristics 6-8
Meaning of ability 9
Meaning of intellectual abilities 9
Dimensions of intellectual abilities 10
Nine basic physical abilities 11-12
Meaning of learning 12
Various theories of learning 13-15
Methods of shaping behavior 15-16
Some specific applications of learning 16
theory in organizations
Conclusion 16
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5. Introduction
People are one of the two most fundamental concepts of organizational behavior.
Thus people which mean individual just as an individual or individual as a member
of a group is critical element in the study of organizational behavior. Individuals
are important because intelligence is but one thing that people bring with them
when they join an organization and this intelligence is a function of certain
biographical characteristics of people and their ability. Intelligence in its turn
affects employee performance and job satisfaction.
In this term paper I would show meaning of individual behavior, various
biographical characteristics such as (gender and age) and ability (both physical and
intellectual) affect employee performance and satisfaction. Then I show how
people learn behaviors and what management can do to shape those behaviors.
Meaning of individual behavior
Individual behavior refers to how individual behaves at work place; his behavior is
influenced by his attitude, personality, perception, learning and motivation. This
also refers to the combination of responses to internal and external stimuli.
Meaning of Biographical Characteristics
Biographical characteristics mean characteristics such as age, gender, marital status
and tenure that are objective and easily obtained from personnel records.
In organization, biographical characteristics have tremendous effects bon turnover,
absenteeism, productivity and job satisfaction.
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6. Effects of biographical characteristics on turnover,
absenteeism, productivity and job satisfaction
Age
Biographical
Tenure Gender
characteristics
Marital
status
Biographical characteristics such as age, gender, marital status and tenure have a
important impact on employee turnover, absenteeism, productivity and job
performance in the organization. These are described in the following:
1. Effect of age:
 Job performance:
The relationship between age and job performance is likely to be an issue of
increasing importance during the next decade for at least thee reasons. First, there
is a widespread belief that job performance declines with increasing age. Second is
that the workforce is aging. The third reason is U.S. legislation that, for all intents
and purposes, outlaws mandatory retirement.
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7.  Turnover:
The older you get, the less likely you are to quite your job. That conclusion is
based on studies of the age-turnover relationship. Of course, this shouldn’t be too
surprising. In addition, older workers are less likely to resign than are younger
workers because their long tenure tends to provide paid vacations, and more
attractive pension benefits.
 Absenteeism:
It’s tempting to assume that age is also inversely related to absenteeism. After all,
if older workers are less likely to quit won’t they also demonstrate higher stability
by coming to work more regularly. In general, older employees have lower rates of
avoidable absence than do younger employees.
 Productivity:
There is a widespread belief that productivity declines with age. It is often assumed
that an individual’s skills- particularly speed, agility, strength and coordination
decay over time and that prolonged job boredom and lack of intellectual
stimulation contribute to reduced productivity.
 Job satisfaction:
Our final concern is the relationship between age and job satisfaction. On this
issue, the evidence is mixed. Most studies indicate a positive association, at least
up to age 60.
2. Effects of gender:
Few issues initiate more debates, misconceptions and unsupported opinions than
whether women perform as well on jobs as men do.
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8.  Job performance:
There are no consistent male-female differences in problem-solving ability,
analytical skills, competitive drive, motivation, sociability or learning ability.
Psychological studies have found that women are more willing to confirm
authority and that man are more aggressive and more likely than women to have
expectations of success, but those differences are minor. There is no significant
difference in job productivity between men and women.
 Absenteeism and turnover:
Women’s quit rates are similar to those for men. The research on absence,
however, consistently indicates that women have higher rates of absenteeism than
men do.
3. Effects of marital status:
There are not enough studies to draw any conclusions about the effect of marital
status on productivity. But whatever research has been done that consistently
indicates that married employees have fewer absences, under go fewer turnovers
and are more satisfied with their jobs than are their unmarried co-workers.
4. Effects on tenure:
Research findings demonstrate a positive relationship between seniority and job
productivity. Studies consistently demonstrate seniority to be negatively related to
absenteeism. Tenure is also a potent variable in explaining turnover. The longer a
person is in a job, the less likely he or she is to quit. Further, evidence indicates
that tenure and satisfaction are positively related.
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9. Meaning of ability
Ability is the individual’s capacity to perform the various tasks in a job. An
individual’s overall abilities are essentially made up of two sets of factors
intellectual and physical abilities.
Intellectual abilities are those needed to perform mental activities, while physical
abilities are those needed to do tasks demanding stamina, dexterity, strength or
similar talents.
Ability=Knowledge×Skill
Meaning of intellectual abilities
Intellectual abilities are abilities needed to perform mental activities- for thinking,
reasoning, and problem solving. People in most societies place a high value of
intelligence, and for good reason. Compared to others, smart people generally earn
more money and attain higher levels of education. Smart people are also more
likely to emerge as leaders of groups. Intelligence quotient (IQ) tests, for example,
are designed to ascertain a person’s intellectual abilities.
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10. Dimensions of intellectual abilities
Dimension Description Job example
Number aptitude Ability to do speedy and accurate Accountant: computing
arithmetic the sales tax on a set of
items.
Verbal Ability to understand what is read Plant manager: Following
comprehension or heard and the relationship of corporate policies.
words to each other.
Perceptual speed Ability to identify visual Fire investigator:
similarities and differences quickly Identifying clues to
and accurately. support a charge of arson.
Inductive Ability to identify a logical Market researcher:
reasoning sequence in a problem and then Forecasting demand for a
solve the problem. product in the next time
period.
Deductive Ability to use logic and assess the Supervisor: Choosing
reasoning Implications of an argument. between two different
suggestions offered by
employees.
Special Ability to imagine how an object Interior decorator:
visualization would look if its position in space Redecorating an office.
were changed.
Memory Ability to return and recall past Salesperson:
experiences. Remembering the names
of customers.
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11. Nine basic physical abilities
1.Strength factors 2.Flexibility factors 3.Other factors
1. Dynamic factors 7. Body
5. Extent flexibility coordination
2. Trunk strength
8. Balance
3. Static strength
6. Dynamic
flexibility 9. Stamina
4. Explosive factors
Physical ability is the capacity to do tasks that demand stamina, dexterity, strength,
and similar characteristics. Though the changing nature of work suggests that
intellectual abilities are becoming increasing important for many jobs, physical
abilities have been and will remain important for successfully doing certain jobs.
Research on the requirements needed in hundreds of jobs has identified nine basic
abilities involved in the performance of physical tasks. These are described as
following:
1. Strength factors:
1. Dynamic Ability to exert muscular force repeatedly or
factors continuously over time.
2. Trunk Ability to exert muscular strength using the trunk
strength (particularly abdominal) muscles.
3. Static Ability to exert force against external objects.
strength
4. Explosive Ability to expand a maximum of energy in one or a 11
factors series of explosive acts.

12. 2. Flexibility factors:
5.Extent Ability to move the trunk and back muscles as far
flexibility as possible.
6. Dynamic Ability to make rapid, repeated flexing
flexibility movements.
3. Other factors:
7.Body Ability to coordinate the simultaneous actions of
coordination different parts of the body.
8. Balance Ability to maintain equilibrium despite forces
pulling off balance.
9. Stamina Ability to continue maximum effort requiring
prolonged effort over time.
Meaning of learning
Any relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience
is known as learning. It is to be noted that learning has taken place to a person,
only when an individual behaves, reacts, responds as a result of experience in a
manner different from the way he formerly behaved. Thus learning has few
components, and these are:
Learning involves change. The change must be relatively permanent. The changed
must be reflected in the behavior i.e. it must be reflected in actions. Learning must
be the outcome of some experiences.
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13. Various theories of learning
1. Classical conditioning theory
2. Operant conditioningn theory
3. Social learning theory
1. Classical conditioning theory:
Classical conditioning theory is a type of conditioning in which an individual
responds to some stimulus that would not ordinarily produce such a response.
Classical conditioning theory is passive. It is elicited in response to a specific
identifiable event. Classical conditioning grew out of experiments to teach dogs to
salivate in response to the ringing of a bell conducted at the turn of the twentieth
century by a Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov. Initially the dog salivate with
ringing and presenting a piece of meat. But afterwards the dog salivate with
ringing, even without meat.
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14. 2. Operant conditioning theory:
Operant conditioning theory argues that behavior is a function of its consequences.
People learn to behave to get something they want or to avoid something they
don’t want. Operant behavior means voluntary or learned behavior in contrast to
reflexive or unlearned behavior. The tendency to repeat such behavior is
influenced by the reinforcement or lack of reinforcement brought about by the
consequences of the behavior. Therefore, reinforcement strengthens a behavior and
increases the likelihood that it will be repeated.
3. Social learning theory:
Social learning theory is an extension of operant conditioning that is, it assumes
that behavior is a function of consequences-it also acknowledges the existences of
observational learning and the importance of perception in learning. People
responds to how they consequences, not to the objective consequences themselves.
The influence of models is central to the social learning viewpoint. Four processes
have been found to determine the influence that a model will have on an
individual.
i. Attention processes: People learn a model only when they recognize
and pay attention to its critical features. We tend to be most influenced
by models that are attractive, repeatedly available, important to us, or
similar to us in our estimation.
ii. Retention processes: A model’s influence depends on how well the
individual remembers the model’s action after the model is no longer
readily available.
iii. Motor reproduction processes: After a person has seen a new behavior
by observing the model, the watching must be converted to doing. This
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15. process then demonstrates that the individual can perform the modeled
activities.
iv. Reinforcement processes: Individuals are motivated to exhibit the
modeled behavior if positive incentives or rewards are provided.
Behaviors that are positively reinforced are given more attention,
learned better, and performed more often.
Methods of shaping behavior
2. Negative
3. Punishment
reinforcement
1. Positive
4. Extinction
reinforcement
Methods
of shaping
behavior
There are four ways to shape behavior: through positive reinforcement, negative
reinforcement, punishment, and extinction.
1. Positive reinforcement:
Following a response with something pleasant is called positive reinforcement. For
example, praising an employee by the boss for a job well done.
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16. 2. Negative reinforcement:
Following a response by the termination or withdrawal of something unpleasant is
called negative reinforcement.
3. Punishment:
To punish is to cause suffering for an offence. Punishment is causing an unpleasant
condition in an attempt to eliminate an undesirable behavior. Giving an employee a
2 days suspension from work without pay for showing up drunk is an example of
punishment.
4. Extinction:
Extinction refers to elimination. College instructor who wishes to discourage
students from asking questions in class can eliminate this behavior in their students
by ignoring those who raise their hands to ask questions.
Some specific applications of learning theory in
organizations
1. Using lotteries to reduce absenteeism.
2. Well pay vs. sick pay.
3. Discipline problem employees.
4. Developing training programs.
5. Creating mentoring program.
6. Self management.
Conclusion
Individual behavior affects the behavior of an organization. Organizations can
shape their employer’s behavior by different ways. Organizational success depends
largely on individual behavior.
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