Understanding Basic Human Behaviors at Work:

What Drives You?

© 2004 Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., CBC

One of the earliest studies of human behavior at work was done at AT&T's Western Electric Hawthorne Plant from 1927 to 1932 by Harvard's Elton Mayo. Their principle findings are still relevant today: when workers have an opportunity to contribute their thinking and learning to workplace issues, their job performance improves.

"The success of your organization doesn't depend on your understanding of economics, or organizational development, or marketing. It depends, quite simply, on your understanding of human psychology: how each individual employee connects with your company and how each individual employee connects with your customers." Curt Coffman and Gabriela Gonzalez-Molina, Ph.D. in Follow This Path: How the World's Greatest Organizations Drive Growth by Unleashing Human Potential, Warner 2002.

Subsequent research in the seventy years that have passed since the Hawthorne study continues to reveal much the same thing: in order to tap into the potential of human capital, executives and leaders must pay attention to their employees, on a level that respects their basic human nature and individual differences.

 

Yet a growing number of executives intuitively know what research by the Gallup Organization reveals: most organizations are running at about one third of their human potential. Successful organizations don't expect that employee incentives will guarantee better job performance. Instead they pay attention to human nature.

 

During the Enlightenment (1762), Rousseau observed that institutions can only flourish if they are founded on a social contract that enables human beings to pursue their individual and collective interests to the fullest extent possible. This French philosopher knew then what we emphasize in successful organizations today:

 

The modern enterprise flourishes when there is attention to and respect for the human beings that contribute their work efforts.

Important concepts covered in the full 2,000 word article:

Theories of basic human behaviors
Personality styles and their assessments
The Big 5 Personality Factors
Jung (MBTI)
Marsten (DISC)
Spranger (PIAV)
Maslow and Hierarchy of Needs
McClelland and 3 drives
Herzberg and Hygiene Factors
The Hawthorne Studies
New Drive Theory from Paul R. Lawrence and Nitin Nohria
A List of Resources

Here is the order link to purchase the full article with reprint rights, $69, click HERE.

If you want to have a custom-designed PDF or HTML newsletter with your company name, logo, photo, marketing message, and quality content, please email Patsi Krakoff, Psy.D. - and visit our newsletter formats page to see samples. Learn how we can take care of your newsletter tasks for you, saving time, money and your energy.

---

If you haven't signed up for the new Newsletter Nuggets on the home page, do so now. You will get weekly tips for writing and publishing a better newsletter. And, for every two new subscribers, a dollar and a book is donated to a child through the I AM Foundation.

Free teleseminar series, Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET, Conversations with Experts, How to Build your Business off and online...

Questions? Email or call.

Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., CBC

858-523-9833

P.S. Don't forget to sign up for these bonuses-

Free Ezines & Blogs-

7 Lessons from Experts on How to Do an Ezine (free).

Coach Ezines Blog: Tips and tools for creating better ezines

BizBook Nuggets Blog: Notes and Quotes for busy folks.