Handling different types of personalities 

Working in an organization, we will have to work with various types of people. People behave differently and many a time conflict arises due to lack of understanding in dealing with the different types of personalities. When a person differs in opinion or methods of handling a situation, who is right and who is wrong? When we do not understand how the other party works, we put ourselves in a lot of pain and unnecessary stress. This will affect the overall performance of the team and causes strive.

One way to cater this problem is to understand that every person has a unique personality and have a different approach to matters. There are several personality test out there; the most basic being the DISC (dominance, influence, stability, compliance) and the ‘traditional’ CSPM (choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic) and the ‘modern’ type like the Carl Jung test or the Myers-Briggs personality test. These tests are developed to determine what are the people common characteristics and behavioral patterns; how they react to different situations/ scenarios. The main test described in this thesis is the CSPM test and the Myers-Briggs Type indicator.

CPSM 

The traditional method CSPM are based on four “humors,” or body fluids, were outlined by Hippocrates, the father of medicine in fifth century B.C. Greece and are still popularly accepted as explanations of personality building blocks. A test with simple to elaborate questions is given to the target and by answering the questions; referring to statistical data, his/ her personality can be determined. (This is also the classification used in determining the thesis students’ behavior.)

Personality Types:

Choleric people are powerful, decisive, type-A, go-getters, goal setters, risk-takers and self-starters, who will let you down by being self-righteous, verbally abusive, egotistical and way too intense.

Sanguine people are popular, hopeful, forgiving, upbeat, colorful, motivated and they love people, but they will get under your skin for being late, shallow, uncommitted, procrastinating and for making light of crises, said Gallagher.

Phlegmatic people are peaceful, serene, flexible, quiet, unassuming and they tend to think the best of people. On the down side, they’re unemotional, hard to motivate, aren’t honest with their feelings and don’t give feedback well.

Melancholic types are perfectionists, delegators, warm, loyal and care giving, but they can bug you with their inflexibility, hypersensitivity, inner chaos and by caring too much what others think.

Approach methods to the 4 different types of personalities:

With cholerics, to bring out their best, ask their advice, understand their ethics, allow them to take responsibilities, be honest and stick with the subject. Avoid being overly emotional, procrastinating or forcing them to verbalize their feelings.

With melancholics, keep your word, listen to their feelings and finish projects you said you’d finish. Avoid bringing up their failures, squashing their creativity, changing their routine or breaking their confidence.

With phlegmatics, be informal, reduce conflicts, accept what’s unique about them and give them time to process through their frustrations. Avoid forcing them to resolve conflicts, expecting them to be quick on their feet, putting them in the spotlight or expecting them to be decision makers.

With sanguines, make projects playful and positive, give them variety, trust them to come through eventually and give them lots of praise and affection. Avoid criticizing their character, making them work alone, expecting detailed future plans or staying distant and unforgiving.

This CSPM classification is equivalent to the DISC test. Although similar to the other modern tests, the modern test divides these personalities into 16 subgroups; each giving a more accurate evaluation of a person.

One person does not necessarily possess only one personality trait. He/ she may possess more than one trait; usually one of it is higher than the other although other possibilities occur. The combination of personalities is what makes the pool of people we work with dynamic and always evolving. Many debates exist about whether one is born with a particular type of temperament or is being picked up from the environment. Whatever is the case, I believe that when a person identifies his/her personality, he should observe his strength and weakness. From that, he can improve himself and avoid doing certain habits/ approach that may cause loss/conflict. People have the power to change the way they behave. Excel at what they are good at while constantly improve their weaknesses.

Knowing how a particular temperament behaves helps us understand what we are dealing with. Referring to the above approaches, we can avoid unnecessary conflicts. For example when dealing with a choleric, one must show respect and be direct when communicating a message. They do not like people who ‘beat around the bush’.

Knowing your teammates personality traits also allows you to have more efficient communication with them. You would know what to avoid or what to say that would gain their interest and motivates them. This allows for better instruction /order flow to the team members to complete a given task/ objective.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator 

The other personality classification we are going to look here is Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). You will find it has similarities in context with CSPM. The MTBI system of personality assessment is based on four basic aspects of human personality:

•         Extrovert vs. Introvert: This category is about how we use our energy to interact with people. Extroverts focus their energy and attention on the world outside themselves, enjoying going out and mixing with people. Introverts focus their energy within themselves, frequently choose time to be alone and involved with heavy thinking.

Here we classify the four groups in relative to management and how they can be related in work environment.

We can relate on how to manage different people based on their classifications according to MBTI. We also can see the connection between CSPM and MBTI. Cholerics for example are extrovert, sensing thinking judging (ESTJ). However MBIT allows in general 16 different types of combination. Whichever tests we use, the key is to handle the individual according to his/her strengths and weaknesses.

Negotiation is an important skill, a subset of communication. Many managers and engineers do not realize how negotiation can affect their work. Negotiation is the process of communication used by people who seek to change the nature of a relationship. Negotiation can take place in business activities such as with employers, unions, governments, pressure groups, major suppliers and even in the area of international relations. It involves a great deal of complexity, applying many communication talents in order for a negotiation to go well.

According to a leading U.S. negotiator Gerard I. Nierenberg in his book The Art of Negotiating page 109, he says:

“Needs and their satisfaction are the common denominator in negotiation. If people had no unsatisfied needs, they would never negotiate. Negotiation presupposes that both the negotiator and his opposer want something… It requires two parties, motivated by needs, to start a negotiation.”

This shows that in negotiation, there is always a need to be fulfilled or an unsatisfied scenario has occurred in the transaction. In negotiating, there would be at least one other person which you would be negotiating with. It could also be a group of people. In such cases we have to identify the needs of the individual and as a group.

A skillful negotiator can balance between a number of negotiation options:

- Collaboration

- Compromise

- Competition

- Accommodation

- Withdrawal or avoidance

These options are used based on a given scenario. However, are there better ways in which a manager can practice in negotiation?

Value Based Negotiation

In negotiation we always favor the win-win situation. But what is a winning situation? Is it when both parties have something to gain or when everyone’s desires are fulfill? A winning situation is when both parties are satisfied at the end of the process.

Let’s take an example:

Two sisters are fighting for an orange. The younger one is very hungry and wants to eat the orange. The elder sister needs the orange for a dessert recipe. Both of them are not willing to give up the orange and want the whole orange. They argued about which is being more important.

The best way commonly thought is to split the orange in half. In such, both get to enjoy the orange. But is this the best way?

During negotiation, the negotiator should focus on the value/ interest of the parties involved and not just settle for something less. When a negotiation focuses on value/interest, both parties can actually benefit fully from the deal. Let’s take a look at the above example again. If the sisters find out what exactly they are after, the problem can be easily resolved. When asked on what is the actual interest, the elder sister needs the whole orange because she needs the peel of the fruit to be used in the desert. The younger sister is hungry and would like to eat the fruit. The solution is simple! The elder sister can take the peel while the younger sister still gets to eat the whole fruit. In such a case, both parties can a 100% of the deal. No one looses out.

Many times we think that in negotiation, the best alternative is to have an equal share which is not true. The negotiator should always find out what the intrinsic value seek by the other party. As engineers, we will face negotiation problems when we are discussing about our job description in a project, dealing with a supplier or customer and even when discussing with our superiors. A worker would not be happy if they could not achieve what they want in their career even if the salary is high; which will affect their performance and a client not satisfied could cause the company to loose an important deal. When we put the interest of the parties involved a priority, we will be able to see a clearer picture and work out a solution. Never target the person involved, only the issue.

Let’s take another example:

Egypt and Israel face a problem with their security and military issues at their border in the late 70s. Israel wanted a troop of their army to be placed within the border and make it under their supervision to avoid any security issues that may arise form the neighboring country’s troops.
Egypt insisted that their army should be the only one patrolling the zone and would not want foreigners to be in their country. This incident causes the two countries to be on a tension cord and many negotiations has been done and failed. Both countries do not want to remove their troops and the situation went into a deadlock. Then when the negotiators took a turn to target on their interest/ value-base, they found out the actual situation. Israel is worried about the attacks and invasion from the neighboring country while Egypt’s main concern is its sovereign as a nation. The Egyptians do not want foreigners to be in their land. Then quickly a solution is reached. Both party agreed to pull out their troops from the border and make it into a military-free zone. By doing this, Israel will not need to worry about invasion issues from the border and do not need to place their troops there.

Egypt on the other hand gets to maintain its sovereignty as the Israelites are no longer in their border. Again this is the demonstration on how value-based negotiation takes place. In cross cultural negotiation, the same principal applies. As an engineer, we are prone to deal with international clients. Different people have different cultural backgrounds and this will lead to different dynamics during a negotiation.

One other example:

Recently our Malaysian company did a sales collaboration with a Singaporean Chinese company. We are providing services and products to another client and the Singaporean company receives a cut of the profit due to initial business ventures. In the proposal we stated out the profit sharing percentage. The person in charge demands for an increase of percentage but we are reluctant to budge from the proposed percentage because of the job description and work to profit ratio. We have calculated our profit to be an X amount in order to cover our costs and investors’ interest. Initially, we offered to increase the payout through other means as long as the percentage remains but they do not like the idea. In this situation, we can force our way through as they do not need to contribute anything more and should accept whatever we offer. As long as they accept they would make a profit.

On a normal view point this is a win – win situation as both parties would still receive something. Even if the opposer has only 1% share they will still make profit. But the scenario states otherwise. They would rather loose the profit if the percentage does not increase. This comes to a question, why do they not accept if they can still make profit rather than loosing the chance to make any profit at all?

After the negotiation takes place, we realize that they want an increase in percentage because it signifies how important they are in the collaboration and not about the profit. Therefore, as a result we increase the percentage but reduce the overall profit they receive by channeling the extra profits to our company by other means. In this case, they get their percentage increase while we remain our profit margin!

What one sees as a benefit, the other might not. This is true as seen in the above context. Even though we are both of the same race, but due to different working environment and cultural differences of both countries, we both see different value as beneficial. One may focus on profit while the other on the relationship importance. Managers should understand this concept well as when dealing with clients. Different races, gender, culture or even countries will hold a different set of values. To deal appropriately in such scenario is to recognize the value/ interest of the parties involved. Looking for a common ground may not be the best solution in most cases.

Honing good negotiation skills help in the sustainability of the business. Of course there is more to negotiation than discussed here but these are some pointers that will help in negotiation. This applies not just with clients or business interest but with the team that the manager manages. Some people may request for an increase in salary or more responsibility. How the manager applies his negotiation skills in the given scenario will help reduce conflict and create a better working environment which in turn increases the company’s productivity.

- Intrapersonal – within yourself, internally

- Interpersonal – face to face, two ways such as oral, discussion, group

- Mediated – not face to face, such as through means of written, phone, or any other telecommunication media

- Person to person – one way, face to face, such as public speech

- Mass – one way, not face to face, such as prints, television

With current technologies, communication effort has been made so much easier. History shows that productivity/ advancement increases when communication speed is. With the pace we are in now, engineers have to keep up with the latest technology and how to put them into good use. Hand phones, 3G broadband, internet, etc. can be used as a means of communication and help improve productivity and obtain good results. Meetings can be schedule easily, logistics can be handled more efficiently, finances can be managed, etc. Managers should apply better way of communication within the organization so to improve the standard of work.

One important aspect of communication is listening. Listening to the receiver’s point of view or message is crucial for a manager. The manager cannot just direct, tell or describe to his team without gathering their opinion. This is an important factor as seen in people management and leadership skills. Listening and understanding the other viewpoint can help save a lot of unnecessary time wasted and error made.

Then there is the non verbal communication. Noticing the non verbal actions or gestures are beneficial in a communication. The folding of an arm to tapping of the finger on the table could bring significant meaning to the message being sent across. A good manager uses these psychological traits to aid them in communicating the message effectively.

Some example of non verbal signs:

- Folded arms, ankles crossed and hands clasped can indicate nervousness or defensiveness. The manager may need to ease the situation and create a more conducive atmosphere so that information can be sent across. One way is to have a table in between the sender and the receiver as this will reduce the ‘guard’ of the other party.

- Tapping fingers on a desk, playing with stationeries, constant foot movement means that the point is getting boring and the manager should move on to a new point.

- If the person looks at his watch more than once or sits with body posture facing the door, it shows that the time may be long overdue or the person may want to leave the meeting. Manager then should know how to manage time and deliver the points appropriately or the person will not be concentrating anymore.

- Touching the nose can be an indication of uncertainty or doubt/ deceive.

Another aspect of communication is how a question is asked. Managers should know how to ask appropriate question to get appropriate answers. The way people are asked can determine the answer we get.

Here is an analogy. Two men are still working in an office trying to finish their job to meet the deadline even though is already passed break time. The junior worker asked the senior worker, “How come you are allowed to eat while you are working in the office?” The senior replied “I asked the manger and he allowed me to do so.” The shocked junior answered “I asked the manager too some time ago, ‘Can I eat while I am working?’ and he said no! Not till I finish my job. This is not fair. How did you do it?” “It is the way you asked him. I ask him in a different manner. I asked ‘Can I work while I am eating?’ and he says you can certainly do so and praise me for being hardworking.” replied the senior.

In asking questions, as well as in all other aspects of communication, it’s not what you say that counts, but how you say it. This is important for manager to get his/her worker to do a certain task or influencing them; by using the right words and how he phrases it.

Communication skills are used in all different kind of situation:

1. Giving praise that portrays sincerity and generates motivation
2. Delivering building criticism without creating conflict
3. Conducting or participating in an effective interview for a new job or promotion
4. Making an apology that touches the heart
5. Asking effective questions to probe for facts and provoke for ideas
6. Arguing without offending; targeting the issue not the person
7. Communicating to build rapport and create trust
8. To resolve conflict and reach a peaceful agreement

a) Time. What is time and how much do you really have?

- Understand the importance of time and choose to make a better use of it.

- Realize making full use of time can improve a manager’s and personal staff’s performance.

- Adjust how you think about time, improve your awareness of how you use time, and make change for peak performance. Notice that when we are aware of what we do, we are able to control it.

- Knowing that by thinking you can “catch up” if you work longer vs. focus in doing what you are doing now.

Working longer does not guarantee results but focusing on the very task that you are doing. Focus is the key point here. When we focus, we are not distracted by the surrounding and actually achieve more. We would not loose unnecessary time and by doing more now, we can avoid working ‘longer’ later.

b) Planning

- Making a plan that helps you accomplish your goals; objectives based (i.e. not just listing down tasks needed to be completed but the goal needed to be accomplished, driven to succeed).

- Knowing what you have to do: the concepts of importance and urgency

Things that are urgent may have to be completed first and if two tasks is urgent, the one that is more important take the pie.

- Notice that planning ultimately motivates you to finish your tasks, allowing you to get more of your 24 hours with more time to relax

- Schedule is not your prison but as a guidance

- Planning ahead; knowing the direction you are heading will help a manager achieves his goal faster. When there is more time, one can perform more, have more rest and ultimately be a happier person. This helps increase productivity as a whole.

c) How to say NO! (to get work done and rest)

- Learn when to say NO with grace and ease to defend your calendar

- Staying focused, avoid distraction and prioritize

- The misfortune of multitasking; every now and then managers have to multitask but often we got distracted and do not achieve as much. The key point is focus!

- Knowing that you NEED rest and sleep.

- Helps you to concentrate better and achieve more

d) Handling Interruption

Interruptions in one’s day are perfectly normal and a common thing. As a good manager, one has to be able to handle such interferences appropriately. It is in the dynamics of management that one have to face various issues that may arise suddenly each day; our superior can ask for something urgent when we are in the midst of finishing a dateline, we need to attend to an unexpected meeting from a client or guest, chatting over the phone or simply loosing focus and doing something else.

You can however handle interruptions wisely and some interruptions can be avoided.

To successfully manage interruptions:

- Setting a time limit for any unplanned or unexpected meetings and conversations

- Using appropriate and polite body language to sign that the meeting time is over or way too long without saying it out

- Always bring a discussion back to the main point if the meeting agenda is diverting

- Being able to say no

- Do not take on other people’s problem

- If possible, politely inform the other party on your current task

To successfully avoid interruptions:

- Remove yourself to another place where there are less distractions

- List outgoing calls and try to limit each call to say, three minutes; speaking only important points

- Establish a ‘no interruptions hour’ in the day.

- Allow your team members/ staffs know that you need to meet a dateline or finish a current task and put other tasks in the pipeline

- Plan and arrange your meeting at a venue that you can control your meeting and leaving time

- If you are comfortable working with a buddy/ partner, use this to your advantage as when more people are doing the same tasks, it is easier to focus and rule out the distractions

e) Handling Procrastination

Procrastination is something that many people have to face and overcome in order to have proper time management. Everyone procrastinate to some degree but how can we minimize it? Procrastinators usually have to work just as long as other people or longer but they lack productivity because the time is invested in the wrong tasks. It is important to understand the difference between urgent and important as mentioned earlier. Often people do things that seemed urgent but not important without considering the outcome. Another common cause of procrastination is feeling overwhelmed by the task. We may not know when to begin or think we do not have the resources we need. So we end up doing something in our comfort zone and not completing what’s important.

You can overcome procrastination by:

- Identify when it happen and recognize the cause of it

- Understand how it happen and take immediate action against it

- Try to overcome the source of the problem (level of difficulty, resources, etc.) by working together with someone

- Ask someone to check on your progress, peer pressure works

- Reward yourself every time you complete to a certain stage

- Notice the negative consequences of not being able to deliver on time

- Setting a tighter personal deadline to push yourself into doing the given tasks

- Break bigger projects into smaller and manageable tasks; complete the easier ones first

- Having the proper mindset and know that you can overcome the given problem; pushing it away in your mind would not solve the problem

The key to controlling and ultimately combating this destructive habit is to recognize when you start procrastinating, understand why it happens and take active steps to better manage your time and outcomes.

f) Thinking and Behavior

- Breaking free from old habits; which causes time and money/ profit loss

- Do not engage in activities that are destructive, it only causes you to loose time that cannot be won back

- Do worth while activities that help you to grow

- Laziness, procrastination and delay, how to overcome them?

- Fears and phobias, internal conflicts, old hurt, failures; how they siphon you from your extra time

- Handling stress and facing tests

 g) Time Tracking

- Time Awareness and Time Tracking

- Unexpected scenarios can happen…

Some questions to help you track your time spent:

1. Did you accomplish your most important priority?

2. What trends do you notice about the way you spent your time?

3. What was the most productive part of your day? Why?

4. What was the least production part of your day? Why?

5. What or who caused the majority of interruptions?

6. What could you do to control these interruptions?

7. What were your three biggest time wasters?

h) Taking a journal

 You can time track by using a journal or an activity log. One get to see how he/she spend their time on daily activities. You would (surprisingly) realize that a lot of your time is spent doing unnecessary tasks especially during your work time. By taking the activity log you can start omitting consciously tasks that wastes your time. This will allow you to be more productive and effective. According to the Pareto Analysis, we only spend 20% of our time doing up to 80% of our work. This shows that if we are to focus, better results can be achieved each day.

By analyzing your activity log you will also be able to identify and eliminate time-wasting or low-yield jobs. You will also know the times of day at which you are most effective, so that you can carry out your most important tasks during these times.

 i) Taking Control

 - Taking control of your time and work/ study space and pace

- Organizing your desk to be effective! ( Think of what to and not to put on your desk; some things can be a great distraction)

- The goal as a motivation, without motivation you will feel lack of control and tired

- Making decisions…quickly and appropriately (Decisions worth making and worth forsaking)

Marketing is the study of exchange and the facilitation of exchange between two or more parties. The role of marketing is to “facilitate the achievement of the organization’s objectives” (Gabbott, 2004 p.4)

It does this by:

Building and managing the connection between the market and the organization

-> Understanding customers and stakeholders needs and wants

->Creating dialogue with customers and other stakeholders

The four P’s of marketing

Scientific Management

Classical Administration

Human Relation