Introduction:
In the present globalized scenario where every business has to be on their edge for survival in the long term the human resources play a vital role in archiving it. As of 2008 seventy percent of world trade was controlled by just 500 of the largest industrial corporations[1]. With the growth of MNC the diversity of workforce in an organization has also increased. This account to the major diversification in terms of different personality in the work force. The personality of an individual is influenced by culture, nationality, values and other factors. In this paper the researcher has examined two major classification of personalities, Lone wolf and Team player.
Objectives of the study:
- To identify the nature of lone wolf personalities
- To identify the reasons for being a lone wolf
- To understand how to efficiently handle a lone wolf personality
Chapter 1: Nature of lone wolf personalities and team players
Lone wolf personalities are the personalities who prefer to be alone rather than in a group they are like a wolf that does not desire to be a part of the pack but is drawn to the pack by nature. The nature of these personalities cannot be generalize or stereotypical as ever person who is a lone wolf is different to a significant extent to another person who is also a lone wolf. Lone wolf personalities do not feel the need for acceptance among there peer group or colleagues this nature provokes them to be reckless and insensitive to the people around them. The major personality traits of lone wolfs are as below.
They are good listeners: They do not involve themselves in a conversation before listening. They make mental notes before indulging in any social situation and this helps them to make their views clear and talk with stumbling or carrying any element of doubt in what they say.
They are self sufficient: They are not dependent on the people around for their materialistic needs. They consider it to be a disappointment to depend on someone for their materialistic needs. This trait makes naturally develops them to be a rational decision makers. This nature also makes them feel empowered, as they know they can manage most of the situation ahead of them.
They are super focused and a power house at work: They are keen at observing even the smallest of changes and are keep their minds open for any non verbal cues. This nature also helps them understand the situation or their colleague better. It also turns them to be a power house at work, with their supreme level of concentration they are able to be stay focused on their goals and tasks which makes them very efficient and not easily distracted.
They are easy to satisfy and please: The lone wolf personalities do not generally expect a big party or having the lime light to appreciate them. As they are very self sufficient and are better off by being away from the pack they would be happy if their privacy is appreciated by their colleagues and peers.
They are self loving: As they have handled their situations and challenges all by themselves. This also makes them optimistic in their thoughts which leads to continues improvement in their skills and work. Of all the personalities this quality stands out and makes the individual unique.
They are in touch with their feelings: They have a strong emotional balance as they are keen in observing they also try to understand the caused that trigger the negative thoughts and emotions in them. This helps them to become more confident about themselves helps them break through the limits they have set for themselves which also makes them very challenging and competitive.
They set clear boundaries: As they are noted to be people who respect privacy they are good in setting boundaries. They are able to understand themselves and have a strong value system in practice. They are respect the boundaries of others and might turn a bit reckless if their boundaries are crossed. This nature of poss a great challenge to the management in handling these personalities as the boundaries vary from individual to individual. This character also limits the lone wolf from actively participating in a team.
They are thought provoking: Lone wolf are fans of long and meaning full conversation. They are not much inclined towards shallow and trivial conversations. They are passionate individuals and open up when questioned on topics of their interest.
Chapter 2: To identify the reasons for being a lone wolf
The individual could develop themselves to be a lone wolf as a result of various personality they possess and their real life situations that that have come across in their past. Few major personalities which could cause an individual to be a lone wolf are discussed below. One or more of the below personalities can have an influence in evolution of an individual as a lone wolf.
Introversion: Individuals who are introverts tend to put themselves together in solitude and are easily exhausted when they are admits of a crowd. This personality tends to keep the individual away from engaging them selves much with groups. This does not mean that lone wolf individuals are anti-social, they do not require much affiliation with other individuals.
Creative: Individuals who are referred as loners are often found to be creative and tend to be good in arts like painting, writing, poetry, music etc. Most of these arts require high level of concentration and requires practice in solitude. Lone wolf individuals tend to be withdrawn and during this phase the then to be keen on observing their surroundings and notice things which are generally over looked by others.
Insecurity: Individuals who feel insured of being judged by their peers and colleagues. Loners tend to avoid social gathering and appear to be reserved to their self and avoid working in groups.
Privacy: Loners tend to give a great deal of importance to their privacy. They tend to stay away from the lime light as they find it exhausting to be a part of any crowd. This leads them to develop self reliance and self love this can also make the individual set clear boundaries around them.
Chapter 3: Ways to effectively manage lone wolf employees
Managing a lone wolf employee could be challenging in a team, the performance of the entire team suffers if one person is not chipping in. It is not effective to involve a lone wolf to participate in the team by insisting on team work and portraying the importance of team.
Avoiding prejudice: As lone wolves are more focused and less distracted they tend to be more efficient in their deliverable. Hence, it will not be advisable to the leader or the manager to be carry a prejudice that individuals who separate themselves are less interesting in accomplishing team goals because that person could be a major contributor or who accepts takes responsibility for their quality of work.
Avoid being biased: The management should focus on work capability and not on work preferences. The management should understand that a loner is not incapable of collaborating with the team or leading a task or a project. The work and opportunities should be allocated based on the skill and track record of the employees and not based on this personality trait alone.
Micromanagement is not the key: Loners are high spirited individuals are are highly motivated and focused on accomplish their tasks. Management should understand this trait and should allow the employees to work in their own space and not having constant follow up as this act of micro management might back fire the management.
This does not mean that the loners should not be questioned the management should organize periodic review of the task allocated to them and it is not encouraged to chase them on a day to day basis.
Forced collaboration is not effective: One cannot deny the importance collaboration in this present times especially with respect to MNCs. Lone employees might not find comfortable to attend meetings and gathering which do not offer any real value. The management should scrutinize the collaborations in work place and try to cut down on unnecessary collaboration which do not provide any positive outcome to the organization. It can be observed that if loners are forced to collaborate they generally tend to be willing to step back behind their team.
Actions to be based on the whole picture: It can be identified that if the loner is not falling in accordance with the team the whole team might suffer or go through a disturbance. At this moment the management should handle the situation based on the bigger picture of the entire team and not be carried away by the acts of the loner. The management can seek the inputs from all the team members and get to implement a strategy by taking into the perspective of the team as a whole in order to restore the balance in the team.
Nurture of collaboration: Interacting with fellow colleagues is the minimum requirement for any job. As loners find it difficult to get along a group they should be assisted to develop the skill of collaboration at least to an extent to manage the collaborate when the situation demands it. The management can alter the reward policies to promote the loner to be more collaborative. They can have training, mentor ship program to aid the loner to be more active in a team. More to all this the loner should be appreciated for stepping out of their comfort zone as that will encourage them to become more of a team player.
Set limits for freedom: At times it is acceptable for the management to blame an employee for their lone wolf behavior. The management should draw a line to restrict the misuse of the freedom given to the lone wolf. As it is the nature if the lone wolf employees to be reckless and tend to break the organization’s code of conduct, in such instances the management can warn the employees of their acts and take disciplinary actions and can even fire them if required.
Conclusion:
All individuals in an organization should accept that there is a bit of aggression in every individual and there is also a touch of gentleness in every person. There is need for a bit of aggression at times to keep the project or the team in track. Every employee should understand the combination of aggression and gentleness in their peer employees for better collaboration of the team. Ever loners should try to develop an open mind to accept their peers as it is not always possible to play as a loner when the situation demands a team effort. Management should assist the lone wolf employees to develop their collaborative skills at to an extent to which it benefits the organization.
It is better for an employee to be a team player and lone wolf as it helps them to be more flexible and work more efficiently and have high morale.
References:
[1] Multinational corporations: an overview – STWR- 19 May 2008 https://www.sharing.org/information-centre/articles/multinational-corporations-overview
https://www.yourtango.com/2017307184/17-signs-youre-loner-which-actually-good-thing
Lone wolf personality types – 02/11/2016/in Careers /by Joseph Chris
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lone_wolf_(trait)
http://indianfolk.com/lone-wolf-vs-team-player/
http://www.mikepagan.com/lone-wolf-or-team-player/
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