Individual Differences, Mental Ability, and Personality

According to Jane Goodall, " Every individual matters. Every individual has a role
to play. Every individual makes a difference ". People show substantial individual
differences or variation in how they deal with the same situation based on their own
characteristics. It deals with the idea that an individual has the capacity to relate to other
people despite the differences. In an organization, knowing each people's differences
allows them to understand not only what makes humans similar to one another, but also
what makes them different. By considering the different variations that happen from one
person to another, we can integrate better solutions and actions to the full range of
human behavior.

As I listen and learn about this topic, I could comprehend that the key sources of
individual differences are personality, mental ability, values and emotional intelligence.
The ability to relate and interact with other people would be less difficult if we are able to
understand these concepts and how they relate to individual differences in an
organization. Also, every person has distinctive characteristics on how they behave
individually in social situations. It made them unique to be able to understand the
differences of people and their behavior towards that situation. The ability to act in
accordance with the factors in the environment would be easily understood if one was
able to identify the personality, mental ability, values and emotional intelligence of a
person.

Moreover, personality paired by emotional intelligence is a good combination in

managing people’s differences. Emotional intelligence which is in terms of
self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills, and self-awareness are much more
important when compared to the cognitive skills that a person holds. It follows that when
we are aware of our feelings at any time then we are able to recognize our strengths
and weaknesses. In this way, we are able to recognize the areas that are either strong
or weak in.

To conclude that, individual differences, mental ability, and personality as we

have seen is very vital in every work place. Even when faced with the same situation,
no two people will ever have the same thoughts and sensations since each person's
experience and personal characteristics are unique. Thus, it all depends on how we
perceive it.