Interpersonal Behaviour & Importance (Management-1 26March 2021)

Interpersonal Behaviour

Interpersonal behaviour is the interaction between two or more persons. It is imperative to building and maintaining any type of relationship in our social world. However, when looking at interpersonal behaviour in the workplace, things become a little more complicated. People spend a large portion of their time in an organisation interacting with others. These interactions provide the connective tissues that help to hold the subparts of the organisation together. While there are exceptions, in general, these interactions paired Relationships, that is, they are two person contacts-with superior, subordinate, co-worker, or outsider. This dyadic relationship involves an interaction in which both may behave in a particular way which may be either cooperative or conflicting. Thus, there may be either cooperative interpersonal behaviour conflicting interpersonal behaviour. Reasons for such behaviour can be attributed to personality differences, different value system, and conflict of interest and last but not the least role ambiguity between the two individuals.

The individual dimensions of organisational behaviour viz., personality, perception, learning, attitudes, values, emotional intelligence, and motivation, shape an individual's behaviour. These dimensions are changed to a certain degree when the individual comes in contact with others in the organisation where he interacts:

(i) on one-to-one basis.

(ii) on one to group basis,

(iii) on group to one basis,

(iv) on group-to-group basis.

In each basis of interaction, the individual faces different types of situations. Therefore, how he affects the behaviour of other's and how his behaviour is affected by others differ.

Interpersonal behaviour may include both verbal communication and nonverbal communications, such as body language or facial expressions. Verbal interpersonal behaviour consists of joking, relating to one another via the art of storytelling, and taking or following orders.

Some examples of interpersonal skills include:

Active listening

Teamwork

Responsibility

Dependability

Leadership

Motivation

Flexibility

Patience

Empathy

 

Importance of interpersonal relationship at workplace.

1. An individual spends around eight to nine hours in his organization and it is practically not possible for him to work all alone.

Human beings are not machines who can work at a stretch. We need people to talk to and share our feelings. Imagine yourself working in an organization with no friends around. We are social animals and we need friends around. An individual working in isolation is more prone to stress and anxiety. They hardly enjoy their work and attend office just for the sake of it. Individuals working alone find their job monotonous. It is essential to have trustworthy fellow workers around with whom one can share all his secrets without the fear of them getting leaked. We must have friends at the workplace who can give us honest feedback.

2. A single brain alone can’t take all decisions alone.

We need people to discuss various issues, evaluate pros and cons and reach to solutions benefiting not only the employees but also the organization on the whole. Employees can brainstorm together and reach to better ideas and strategies. Strategies must be discussed on an open platform where every individual has the liberty to express his/her views. Employees must be called for meetings at least once in a week to promote open communication. Interaction on a regular basis is important for healthy relationship.

3. Interpersonal relationship has a direct effect on the organization culture.

Misunderstandings and confusions lead to negativity at the workplace. Conflicts lead you nowhere and in turn spoil the work environment.

4. We need people around who can appreciate our hard work and motivate us from time to time.

It is essential to have some trustworthy co-workers at the workplace who not only appreciate us when we do some good work but also tell us our mistakes. A pat on the back goes a long way in extracting the best out of individuals. One needs to have people at the workplace who are more like mentors than mere colleagues.

5. It always pays to have individuals around who really care for us.

We need colleagues to fall back on at the times of crisis. If you do not talk to anyone at the workplace, no one would come to your help when you actually need them.

6. An individual needs to get along with fellow workers to complete assignments within the stipulated time frame.

An Individual working all alone is overburdened and never finishes tasks within deadlines. Support of fellow workers is important. You just can’t do everything on your own. Roles and responsibilities must be delegated as per specialization, educational qualification and interests of employees. An individual needs help of his fellow workers to complete assignments on time and for better results.