Key learning point: Perception Essay

Perception refers to how a person connects to their environment. In order to respond appropriately, people interpret messages and events in their environment as they perceive them. However complexity of the environment may sometimes bring about perceptual errors as the individual tries to take short cuts to process all the information. Reason for Selection: Errors in perception may sabotage a great business prospect especially if the misconception is personal. Perceptual areas include stereotyping where an individual assigns to a person certain attributes just because he belongs to a particular class or group of people. A phenomenon called halo effect may also result from errors in perception. It involves generalizing a variety of individuals characteristics based on only knowledge of one attribute. An individual may also single out information that supports a particular belief while ignoring any contrasting information. This is referred to as selective perception. Other times one may find the need to protect their own self concept and assign to others characteristics or feelings they possess themselves. Application to a business or personal situation: While working in Kenya for a pharmaceutical company whose manufacturing plant is in India, I had to pick the Senior International Brands manager at the airport. Being his first time in Kenya his perception was Kenyans being Africans don’t have enough resources to own motor vehicles for personal transit and openly said so to a taxi driver, the driver stopped the car threw out our luggage and sped of angrily mumbling to himself and since it was raining and we were already a few kilometers off the airport we had to stay at the road for hours to get another cab. Action or steps taken to improve: Asking my clients in a friendly way how they do particular things appreciate and point out how wonderful it is to have diversity in our business world. Try to come up with ways you can make use of particular attributes that you possess in a positive way or try and change yourself. Whenever you are in doubt about any particular fact about your client to kindly ask for explanation from the client. References Squidoo (2010). A goldmine of journal Writing Prompts. Retrieved on 25th July, 2010, from http://www. squidoo. com/journalwritingprompts