Essay Guidance
The foundations of the Psychology of Work and Organizations present a huge range of evidence about people’s behaviour and performance at work. Theories and models of individual differences, attitudes and emotions at work, social influences, and motivation all help us to better understand why people “do the things they do” at work.
In this essay, you are asked to think about the extent to which individual differences influence behaviour at work.
Now, you might argue that individual differences are the main driver of behaviour at work.
Conversely, you might argue that there are much more important factors, such as social context, job design and so forth.
There is no right answer. What I want to see in your essay is how you argue your case with evidence. That evidence should come from research, theory, and practical reflection.
The assignment is designed to tap into the essence of Work and Organizational Psychology: strong academic evidence, applied practically.
Your essay should therefore include two distinct sections:
Section 1. Your academic arguments (approx. 2000-2200 words).
This section should review relevant theory and research concisely and critically and arrive at a conclusion about the extent to which individual differences influence behaviour at work.
You can use whichever models and theories you like from the foundations section of the module (Chapters 2-5 in Woods and West), provided they are relevant to your answer. And you’ll gain extra marks for wider reading and critical analysis of evidence.
Section 2. Your practical reflections of work (800-1000 words).
As part of the assignment, you will fill out some questionnaires about your personality traits and learning styles, and receive some feedback reports.
In this section of the assignment, you should review the feedback reports, and reflect on if, how, and in what ways they help you to understand your own experiences of work. Are you able to see your personality traits or learning styles expressed in your behaviour? Is this the whole picture, or are there other factors: social context, your job tasks, the team you work in?
Importantly, does your reflection support your conclusion from Section 1 (your academic arguments)?
Use the order calculator below and get started! Contact our live support team for any assistance or inquiry.
[order_calculator]