The MARS Individual Behavior Model is a model that seeks to develop individual behavior as a result of a combination of internal and external factors or influences. The name itself is an abbreviation of personal motivation, abilities, role perception, and situational factors. Motivation can be described as internal forces that influence the direction, intensity, and endurance of a person’s voluntary choice of behavior. It consists of:
- Direction – goal-orientation;
- Intensity – the amount of effort applied;
- Persistence – the amount of time spent on any actions.
Abilities are a natural tendency and acquired skills necessary for the successful completion of a task. It consists of four different parts, namely:
- Aptitude is a natural talent that helps people learn more efficiently and work more efficiently;
- Learned capabilities are the acquired skills and knowledge;
- Competencies are the abilities, individual values, personal qualities, and other characteristics of people that lead to excellent results;
- Person-job fit – there are three ways to pick up people for work:
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- selection of qualified people
- development of employees’ abilities through training
- restructuring of work following existing experiences
Role perceptions are beliefs about what behavior is necessary to achieve the desired results and verify that each employee understands their role and place in the company. Situational factors are environmental conditions such as a set deadline, team members, budget, and working conditions that limit or facilitate behavior. Factors that are beyond human control in the short term.
How Companies Can Utilize MARS Model
Based on the four vital predictive elements, the MARS Model correctly examines the causes behind the sorts of behaviors displayed by individuals and the performances produced by them. This model also shows how each of these elements is critical and vital in determining behavior and performance, with the absence of any one of them crippling performance despite the existence of other ones. Thus, using this model, companies can analyze the performance of their employees’ performance to change their behavior in the right direction. Taking into account all factors will allow managers to identify problems among employees that affect production.
The Most Important Component in Performance
Motivation is one of the most important and challenging to change factors that should be considered when hiring and subsequently building a situational management system. Motives, needs, and values are individual for each person. They are not identical for a separate social group or all employees of the organization, so it is essential to identify and use the personal motives and needs of an actual or future employee. During life, motives can change both under the influence of external, objective factors and in connection with the development and change of personality. This means that motivation diagnostics must be periodically carried out anew. Motivators are factors that increase the efficiency of a person’s work and their satisfaction due to what corresponds to the internal needs and motives, which are currently partially or completely unsatisfied and require satisfaction.
How Does Personality Type Relate to Performance?
Different types of personality require various conditions, which the management must take into account for the employee’s productivity to be at a high level. For introverts, working conditions and environment are essential. Working in a huge room, where there are many employees in the same room next to them, frequent conversations are heard that distract, and the noise will interfere with concentration and tune in to a favorable work. Unlike introverts, extroverts need background noise to complete tasks successfully. Extroverts like to take on many tasks, but it is essential not to forget about the opportunities and provide time for rest. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the type of personality of the employee to understand which environment is most suitable for productive work.