Unexpected Behaviour
Unexpected Behaviour is a very interesting and paying field of study. This area deserves a special attention from executives in personnel, administration, and HRD departments in particular and from anybody handling human ingredients in general.
We say, Unexpected Behaviour is a departure from reciprocity in interaction between two equals or from high to low. If your boss turns down a polite appeal for an early departure to watch a football match, it is hardly an unexpected behaviour. Your boss may not equally return your exuberance, enthusiasm, or smile, because bosses are made that way. It is a time-tested way of keeping one out of the reach of subordinates. When, however your colleague does not respond to your ‘‘hello’’ or simply talks rubbish about you for no fault of your own, how do you see that. What do you do if your subordinate refuses to obey? If your friend whom you helped in getting his job, calls you arrogant or highhanded for nothing, how do you react?
In the first place, such intriguing questions can be better answered, if we say that Unexpected Behaviour is not totally unexpected. Human reactions, at the outset, are not as methodical as chemical reactions. Emphasis here is on the words ‘at the outset’. When we remove ‘at the outset’ and go deep, we see there are innumerable, unnoticed, and unfathomable variables producing an unexpected behaviour. In other words, after removing the words ‘at the outset’, we may rephrase the definition and say that human reactions are as methodical as chemical reactions.
Such variables are too many. Let us broadly divide these into two groups – (a) outside variables and (b) within variables. We admit that these two sets of variables are often very much interactive. Still, we may term external influences like financial status, social position of the individual, his family life, and the likes as outside variables. Similarly, the within variables like education and temperament of a person fall in the category of inner faculty of the individual.
If your colleague is plunged deep into a financial crisis and is, always searching for a way out, you may find his reactions erratic. Any obsession for matters like money, power, and social position brings about abrupt change in the individual and brings inconsistency in his approach. This aspect gives birth to complexes of being superior or inferior to fellow mortals. Other factors like health and family also deeply influences a person’s expressions and dealings.
. Within variables like education are very important. Education, both academic and practical, brushes away the stains of unexpected reactions largely. Education teaches the individual to be polite and practical. Workplace education largely relieves the tension of the individual. Work becomes a habit for him, and the tension for accomplishment becomes less. His interactions with others are, hence, more or less patterned and smooth.
While analysing unexpected behaviour of the individual, other within variables like temperament may be placed at the highest position of importance. Obviously enough, temperament of the individual is the culmination point of all other variables mentioned so far. The complex alchemy of temperament or human psyche is as important as it is unpredictable. One needs to know every minute details of the individual to arrive at an assessment of the person. It is a difficult and next to impossible task. A long margin of error should be allowed while dealing with individuals. Experiences about a person might help, but not always. We have seen a person braving his way very easily through the rushing cars on the city street, but fumbling and frightened at the sight of a bicycle. The childhood memory of a bicycle knocking him down might have been still alive in his mind.
A third factor also contributes well in shaping unexpected behaviour of an individual. This factor or variable remains mostly unseen and undetected. This is the role of outside-the-arena players. A and B are perfectly harmonious in their relationship with each other. C has an old score to settle with A. C influences B to start a conflict with A. Hence, the perfectly harmonious relationship turns bitter and a chain reaction of unexpected behaviours may set in.
Hence, we would say that inputs or rather feedback of unexpected behaviour should be subsumed with all humility and need not be immediately or necessarily translated into outputs. Instantaneous manifestation of reaction to your subordinate’s arrogance or colleague’s non-co-operation never brings good results, even if such unexpected behaviour takes the shape of misconduct.
There is always a reason for everything. There is always a motive behind every human action. Expectations, self-imposed images and complexes give birth to such motives. So find the reason and plan the action.
Thumb rule is know, know and know. There is nothing like knowledge.
Our purpose is to introduce a concept of flexibility while reading a person and his motives in order to get the best out of him. Here we highlight the importance of bridging the communication gap. Each and every individual in any organisation should be allowed at least some opportunity somewhere to express himself. He must be given the opportunity to explain his problems. In order to cultivate his sense of belonging together, an organisation should provide a mechanism where the individual can express his views to wards better functioning of the organisation.
Such attempts should be directed towards eliciting response from a workplace colleague who is considered to be an introvert. Any subordinate who merely works and never speaks may not be an ideal tool for a reflection of things happening around. If a person is made to express and release the pent up emotions, if a workable method of catharsis is developed, the area of Unexpected Behaviour around the person is bound to reduce.
Indranil Sengupta
Unexpected Behaviour is a very interesting and paying field of study. This area deserves a special attention from executives in personnel, administration, and HRD departments in particular and from anybody handling human ingredients in general.
We say, Unexpected Behaviour is a departure from reciprocity in interaction between two equals or from high to low. If your boss turns down a polite appeal for an early departure to watch a football match, it is hardly an unexpected behaviour. Your boss may not equally return your exuberance, enthusiasm, or smile, because bosses are made that way. It is a time-tested way of keeping one out of the reach of subordinates. When, however your colleague does not respond to your ‘‘hello’’ or simply talks rubbish about you for no fault of your own, how do you see that. What do you do if your subordinate refuses to obey? If your friend whom you helped in getting his job, calls you arrogant or highhanded for nothing, how do you react?
In the first place, such intriguing questions can be better answered, if we say that Unexpected Behaviour is not totally unexpected. Human reactions, at the outset, are not as methodical as chemical reactions. Emphasis here is on the words ‘at the outset’. When we remove ‘at the outset’ and go deep, we see there are innumerable, unnoticed, and unfathomable variables producing an unexpected behaviour. In other words, after removing the words ‘at the outset’, we may rephrase the definition and say that human reactions are as methodical as chemical reactions.
Such variables are too many. Let us broadly divide these into two groups – (a) outside variables and (b) within variables. We admit that these two sets of variables are often very much interactive. Still, we may term external influences like financial status, social position of the individual, his family life, and the likes as outside variables. Similarly, the within variables like education and temperament of a person fall in the category of inner faculty of the individual.
If your colleague is plunged deep into a financial crisis and is, always searching for a way out, you may find his reactions erratic. Any obsession for matters like money, power, and social position brings about abrupt change in the individual and brings inconsistency in his approach. This aspect gives birth to complexes of being superior or inferior to fellow mortals. Other factors like health and family also deeply influences a person’s expressions and dealings.
. Within variables like education are very important. Education, both academic and practical, brushes away the stains of unexpected reactions largely. Education teaches the individual to be polite and practical. Workplace education largely relieves the tension of the individual. Work becomes a habit for him, and the tension for accomplishment becomes less. His interactions with others are, hence, more or less patterned and smooth.
While analysing unexpected behaviour of the individual, other within variables like temperament may be placed at the highest position of importance. Obviously enough, temperament of the individual is the culmination point of all other variables mentioned so far. The complex alchemy of temperament or human psyche is as important as it is unpredictable. One needs to know every minute details of the individual to arrive at an assessment of the person. It is a difficult and next to impossible task. A long margin of error should be allowed while dealing with individuals. Experiences about a person might help, but not always. We have seen a person braving his way very easily through the rushing cars on the city street, but fumbling and frightened at the sight of a bicycle. The childhood memory of a bicycle knocking him down might have been still alive in his mind.
A third factor also contributes well in shaping unexpected behaviour of an individual. This factor or variable remains mostly unseen and undetected. This is the role of outside-the-arena players. A and B are perfectly harmonious in their relationship with each other. C has an old score to settle with A. C influences B to start a conflict with A. Hence, the perfectly harmonious relationship turns bitter and a chain reaction of unexpected behaviours may set in.
Hence, we would say that inputs or rather feedback of unexpected behaviour should be subsumed with all humility and need not be immediately or necessarily translated into outputs. Instantaneous manifestation of reaction to your subordinate’s arrogance or colleague’s non-co-operation never brings good results, even if such unexpected behaviour takes the shape of misconduct.
There is always a reason for everything. There is always a motive behind every human action. Expectations, self-imposed images and complexes give birth to such motives. So find the reason and plan the action.
Thumb rule is know, know and know. There is nothing like knowledge.
Our purpose is to introduce a concept of flexibility while reading a person and his motives in order to get the best out of him. Here we highlight the importance of bridging the communication gap. Each and every individual in any organisation should be allowed at least some opportunity somewhere to express himself. He must be given the opportunity to explain his problems. In order to cultivate his sense of belonging together, an organisation should provide a mechanism where the individual can express his views to wards better functioning of the organisation.
Such attempts should be directed towards eliciting response from a workplace colleague who is considered to be an introvert. Any subordinate who merely works and never speaks may not be an ideal tool for a reflection of things happening around. If a person is made to express and release the pent up emotions, if a workable method of catharsis is developed, the area of Unexpected Behaviour around the person is bound to reduce.
Indranil Sengupta
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