TUTOR: Thanks,Philip.So now I guess the two mainthings to remember here are to identify individualtalent and then to utilize it.So janice,you werelooking at identifying different talents in workers.Doyou think this is easy for managers to do?
JANICE: Well,currently teamwork is in fashinon inthe workplace and in my opinion the importance ofthe individual is generally neglected.What managersshould be targeting is those employees who can takethe lead in a situation and are not afraid to acceptthe idea of responsibility.
TUTOR: That's true Janice but unfortunately many managers think the entire notion ofencouraging individuality amongst their staff is far too hard.
JANICE: Yes,that may be true but I think one of the most important tasks of managers is toconsider the needs of the individual on one hand and group co-operation and conformity onthe other.It requires creative thinking on the part of management to avoid tension.
TUTOR: So Janice,what kind of people do you think companies should be looking for?
JANICE: Well,it has to start from the very beginning when companies are looking for newemployees.When the personnel department is choosing between applicants they need to lookfor someone who's broken the mould and can think for themselves.Instead,people makingthese decisions often use a range of psychological tests to see if a person is a problemsolver,or will do as they're told.I'm not convinced these qualities are actually the mostimportant.