[00:42.86]TUTOR:Well，you’ve both been looking at different styles of managing individuals in companies and the workplace.
[00:52.24]How's the research going, Philip?
[00:54.30]PHILIP:Well, I’ve been looking at why individualism, I mean individual differences, are such an important area of management studies.
[01:03.26]When you think about any organization, be it a family business or a multinational company, they are all fundamentally a group of people working together.
[01:13.73]But it's what these individuals contribute to their places of work that makes you realize how important they are.
[01:19.12]Of course they bring different ideas, but it’s also their attitudes and their experiences of learning.
[01:25.46]Diversity is important in these areas too.
[01:28.44]TUTOR:So why do people behave so differently from one another at work?
[01:33.23]PHILIP:There are lots of reasons but research has shown a lot of it comes down to personality.
[01:39.64]And the other factor is gender.
[01:42.17]It's a well known fact that men and women do lots of things in different ways, and the workplace is no different.
[01:48.91]TUTOR:Did you look at the effects of this variation on companies.
[01:52.39]PHILIP:Yes, I did.
[01:53.52]On the positive side, exposure to such diversity helps encourage creativity which is generally an asset to a company.
[02:01.82]But unfortunately individual differences are also the root of conflict between staff and they can lead to difficulties for management, which can sometimes be serious.
[03:13.83]TUTOR:Thanks, Philip.
[03:16.24]So now I guess the two main things to remember here are to identify individual talent and then to utilize it.
[03:24.81]So Janice, you were looking at identifying different talents in workers.
[03:29.94]Do you think this is easy for managers to do?
[03:32.94]JANICE:Well, currently teamwork is in fashion in the workplace and in my opinion the importance of the individual is generally neglected.
[03:42.75]What managers should be targeting is those employees who can take the lead in a situation and are not afraid to accept the idea of responsibility.
[03:52.60]TUTOR:That's true Janice but unfortunately many managers think the entire notion of encouraging individuality amongst their staff is far too hard.
[04:02.73]JANICE:Yes, that may be true but I think one of the most important tasks of managers is to consider the needs of the individual on one hand and group co-operation and conformity on the other.
[04:15.57]It requires creative thinking on the part of management to avoid tension.
[04:19.99]TUTOR:So Janice, what kind of people do you think companies should be looking for?
[04:24.98]JANICE:Well, it has to start from the very beginning when companies are looking for new employees.
[04:31.37]When the personnel department is choosing between applicants they need to look for someone who's broken the mould and can think for themselves.
[04:40.21]Instead, people making these decisions often use a range of psychological tests to see if a person is a problem solver, or will do as they're told.
[04:51.72]I'm not convinced these qualities are actually the most important.
[04:55.85]TUTOR:So do you think being a good team player is overrated?
[04:59.71]JANICE:No, it's not overrated.
[05:02.60]You do need to learn the rules and learn them fast.
[05:05.99]No individual can get around this if you're working in an organization.
[05:10.20]TUTOR:So how should managers deal with this?
[05:12.98]JANICE:Rewards.
[05:14.48]When an individual demonstrates the behaviour the organisation expects, some kind of incentive can be given.
[05:22.45]What’s important here is that this happens right at the beginning so new recruits learn the rules of the system immediately.
[05:29.88]Also the incentive should be something the individual actually wants, and this isn't always just money.
[05:37.20]TUTOR:To come back to you, Philip.
[05:40.49]You were saying that recognition of good performers is essential.
[05:44.14]What else should managers be looking for?
[05:46.77]PHILIP:Well, managing people means you not only have an understanding of your employees, but you also recognise the culture of the organization.
[05:56.95]In fact, for some organizations creativity and individuality may be the last thing they want to see during working hours!
[06:04.51]TUTOR:Very true.
[06:05.64]PHILIP:Yes, but managing people isn't as easy as it looks.
[06:09.16]For example, change in the workplace can be quite tricky, especially if there's a need to increase profit.
[06:16.24]And at times like these managers may have to give priority to profit rather than individual staff needs.
[06:24.17]TUTOR:Yes, and that creates difficult situations for people.
[06:27.98]PHILIP:Yes but what's important is that managers are able to deal with quite high levels of personal stress.
[06:34.90]During times of change they should be thinking not only about the strain on their staff but take time out to think of themselves.
[06:42.98]TUTOR:Absolutely.
[06:44.90]So what are the implications of that for...
