Human Relations Case Study Essay

1. Personality is a relatively stable set of traits that aids in explaining and predicting individual behavior. What are some of Mark Cuban’s traits that can explain his behavior during Maverick games? You have to excuse me for sounding naive but I had no idea who Mark Cuban was! After reading about him, I’m not sure I like him. I find his behavior ridiculous and childish from the outside looking in. Only when I began to read about his business savvy did I find Mr. Cuban tolerable. I find that he is a fan/owner but still an owner and he must be a hard worker because you don’t just fall into a position of that caliber. I think he poses a very driven and determined personality and Mark was quoted on Forbes.com as saying the key personality trait that lead to his success is â€Å"I worked hard and smarter than most people in the business I have been in†. To me this sound arrogant but it works for him! Therefore, because Mark Cuban believes in himself he can act out as a eccentric fan because he doesn’t seem to mind the money or the respect it costs him. 2. Would you describe Mark Cuban as a Type A or Type B personality type? I would say that Mark Cuban is 100% type A. Some of the key characteristics that lead me to believe this is that most type A’s have a exaggerated sense of time making everything they do feel very urgent. I can see this in Mr. Cuban and it makes more sense when he’s jumping around and screaming because the event that he loves is a timed sport. Also, type A personalities tend to be very competitive, and see everything as a challenge which Mark shows at every game! 3. Why is Mark Cuban described as someone with an internal locus of control? Someone with an internal locus of control believes that outcomes are determined by their performance, they like to control every aspect of their life. I can see where a self motivated and well educated person such as Mark may be described as a â€Å"control freak†. 4. The Big Five Model of Personality categorizes traits into the dimensions of surgency, agreeableness, adjustment, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. Which of these dimensions are strongest or clearly evident in Mark Cuban’s personality? I would say that the strongest traits that I was able to decipher would be conscientiousness because I think that any business man of Mark Cubans caliber would have to be both efficient and organized in order to be successful. Another trait would be surgency, Any You Tube video of a Mavericks game will show Mark jumping out of his seat for the whole game leading me to believe that he is both outgoing and obviously far more energetic than myself! 5. Is Mark Cuban projecting a positive or negative image with his eccentric behavior during Maverick games? I instantly thought Mark Cuban was a over the top jerk and he gave me a negative feeling. Being a type A personality I can see where someone may assume that he wouldn’t be my type of people, however I feel that it’s deeper than that. I tend to shy away from look at me people and I feel that he is intentionally putting on a â€Å"show†. There is a part of me that has to respect a hard working business man like Cuban but the way he displays his emotions is atrocious. I can also see how this behavior is a unique business move, making fans either die hard lovers or completely hate the Mavericks. 6. Mark Cuban has had a lot of disagreements with the NBA Commissioner that have resulted in fines totaling almost a million dollars. Each incident brings a lot of publicity to the team and Cuban himself; most of it negative. Chapter 1 discusses three alternatives for resolving human relations problems – change the other person, change the situation or change yourself. Which approach or combination of approaches will you recommend for Mark Cuban and why? I think that in most situations a combination approach works well and I would tell Mark that in order to avoid all these fines, and turn them into fans you need to change yourself. I would say that he’s going to have to acknowledge the way he’s behaving and want to change for himself. If Mr. Cuban can’t control his out-burst then maybe it’s time he admits he has a problem and can no longer attend the games therefore changing the situation.