Dr. Atasi Mohanty Asst.

Professor Centre For Educational Technology, IIT Kharagpur

atasim@cet.iitkgp.ernet.in atasi0@gmail.com

Personal Effectiveness

Personality Carl Rogers definition

Personality is an organized, consistent pattern of perception of the I around which the individual interacts and has experiences.

Personality Measurement- Cattell in his theory had isolated 171 traits

out of which he extracted 16 primary personality traits through factor analysis. This tool is called 16 P-F the primary traits are1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Outgoing Vs. reserved More Intelligent Vs. Less Intelligent Emotionally Stable Vs. Unstable Assertive Vs. Humble Happy-go-Lucky Vs. Sober

6.
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Conscientious Vs. Expedient

Venturesome Vs. Timid Tough-mined Vs. Sensitive Suspicious Vs. Trusting Imaginative Vs. Practical Shrewd Vs. Forthright Apprehensive Vs. Self- assured Experimental Vs. Conservative Self-sufficient Vs. Group-dependent Controlled Vs. Casual

16.

Relaxed Vs. Tense

With further factor analysis, five basic factors were extracted by Digman (1990) which is called Big Five, or five-factor theory of personality. These are-

Extraversion - ( Refers to ones comfort level with relationship,

i.e., assertive, sociable, outgoing)

Agreeableness- ( Refers to ones inclination to defer to others, i.e., cooperative, caring, trusting)

Conscientiousness- (Refers to ones reliability regarding

responsibility i.e., self-disciplined, hard-working, dependable etc.)

Emotional Stability- (Refers to ones ability to withstand stress

i.e., calm, happy to secured) Openness to Experience- (Refers to ones range of interest i.e., creative, imaginative, intellectual, artistically sensitive etc.)

 Personal Efficacy
The self is at the centre of a persons competence. Related terms-

Self-esteem- The trait reflecting an individuals characteristics, effective evaluation of the self (feeling of self-worth ), (Gist & Mitchell,1992). Self-efficacy- Refers to beliefs in ones capacities to mobilize the motivation, cognitive resources and courses of action to meet given situational demands" (wood & Bandura,1989).

Important Aspects(1) Judgment of ones perceived capability to perform a specific task; (2) This judgment is not static and can change with new information; (3) Involves a mobilization componentdifferential

Personal efficacy is the general sense of adequacy which is likely to contribute to a persons effectiveness in working for a task related goal. Four sets of factors contribute to personal efficacyAchievement Motivation (1) Motivation Power Motivation Extensive Motivation

(2) Self-Awareness
Internal locus of control (3) Proactivity Attitude towards a problem Utilizing available resources

(4) Action-Orientation

Self-discipline
Planning orientation Functional Linkages

Future-orientation

 Personal Effectiveness
One precondition for personal effectiveness is better self awareness. But only understanding ones self does not make a person effective. Johari window model of self-awareness (Luft,1973)

Johari Window
Known to Self Not known to self

Known to others

Not known to others

Arena (A) Blind (B) Public Self Closed Dark (D) (C)

(A) Arena (Public Self)- That part of individuals behavior known both to himself and to those with whom he interacts-i.e..; Name, Age, Affiliation etc. (B) Blind Area- The persons behavior / style that others know but the person himself does not know about, i.e., mannerisms. (C) Closed Area- Which is known to the person but not revealed to others, i.e., personal secrets. (D) Dark Area- Inaccessible to both the self and others. Arena- Open space Openness is critical for personal- effectiveness
Use of feedback

Self disclosure Perceptiveness /sensitivity to

others feeling

Openness in combination with perceptiveness and communication makes a person a much more effective.

Should be strategic openness ( not destructive ). Should be appropriate in terms of sharing with others. Should not negatively affect others. Receiving Feedback:
Self-disclosure The extent to which one shares ideas, feelings, experiences, impressions, perceptions and other personal data with others shows ones degree of openness, which is an important quality and contributes a great deal to a persons effectiveness.

Receiving Feedback:- Feedback on those aspects of a person about

which others are aware but the person is not, may be positive or negative.

Positive Feedback:- Boost the self-image.

Negative feedback:- Creates a dissonance with the self-image and

threatens the ego. When the individual gets negative feedback either he will confront this or else will try to defend his ego through defensive behavior. Defensive behavior may reduce the anxiety for the time-being but excessive use of this will result in a conflicted self . Where as confronting behavior may not give us instant relief from anxiety and tension but if dealt with strategically will gradually reduce the conflict ,anxiety etc. and improve the individuals Self Efficacy and Personal Effectiveness.

Defensive and Confronting Behavior in dealing with Feedback

Defensive Behavior
Denial Rationalization Projection Displacement Quick acceptance Withdrawal Aggression Humour Competition with authority Cynicism Intellectualization Generalization Pairing Results in a Conflicted self

Confronting Behavior
Owning up Self- analysis Empathy Exploration Data Collection Expressing feelings Help seeking Concern Listening Positive Critical attitude Sharing of concern Experimenting Related to the group Results is an integrated

self

Source:- Udai Pareek, Indian Ingtitute of Health Management Research, Jaipur

Perceptiveness- The ability to pick up verbal and non-verbal cues from others indicates perceptiveness. Perceptiveness and openness reinforce each other and, if used effectively, are likely to increase personal effectiveness. Like openness, perceptiveness should be used appropriately;

Should not be too conscious of others feelings and inhibi interactions;

Should not be too conscious of ones own limitations and avoiding to take risk; Effective perceptiveness can others reactions to what is said. be increased by

checking

Combining all the aspects of personal effectiveness we get 8 categories in the continum from Most effective to Ineffective.

S.L No.

Category

Self Disclosure

Openness to Feedback

Perceptiveness

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Effective Insensitive Egocentric Dogmatic Secretive TaskObsessed LonelyEmpathic Ineffective

High High High High Low Low Low Low

High High Low Low High High Low Low

High Low Low High High Low High Low

Sou rce:

Udai Pareek

2002, Indian Institute

Of Heath Management

&Research, Jaipur

Developing Personal Effectiveness

Personal effectiveness must be viewed across three dimensionsOpenness Perceptiveness Communications , all significant to interpersonal relationships, and must be worked on combination of all three. By becoming more open a person reduces his/her closed area, the blind area is reduced by increasing perceptiveness. Personal Effectiveness can be increased by moving towards appropriate perceptiveness, openness and utilization of feedback. Personal effectiveness can be improved by increasing the Personal Authenticity( credibility).

2. Personal Authenticity

Affective

Cognitive

Literacy

Authenticity

Values

Actions

Moral

Personal

Spiritual Interpersonal

2. Personal Authenticity 1.
Literacy: the development of a personal language that is rooted in a rich vocabulary that allows for the full expression of both the affective (the emotions) and the cognitive (the intellectual). Effective people (and leaders) are equally comfortable in engaging with the emotional and intellectual and have the skills to communicate to achieve understanding and influence. Central to this is the notion of dialogue, the ability to hold meaningful conversations with self and others.

2. Values: the translation of moral and spiritual dimensions into a coherent and meaningful set of personal constructs that inform language and action.
3. Action: the ability to use language based on values to inform personal choices and engagement with others. Equally the intrapersonal informs and enhances language and ensures that values are informing personal and social action.