Foundations Of Individual BehaviorChapter 2

Aim of this chapterTo explain the relationship between

ability and job performanceContrast three components of attitudeDiscuss similarities and diffreneces

between job satisfaction and job attributes

Discuss the causes and consequences of job satisfaction

Understand how to shape behavior of others

Foundations of Behavior

AbilityAttitudeLearning

AbilityIndividuals capacity to perform

various tasks In a job.Managers are interested in

knowing how the people differ in abilities

Managers use this knowledge to increase the likelihood that an employee perform his job well.

Intellectual AbilityEncompasses mental activity – thinking,

reasoning and problem solving(most imp predicators)

Intelligent people are more creative and good performers.

Smart people learn jobs quickly and are more adaptable to changing circumstances.

They invent solutions to improve performance.

Correlation between intelligence and job satisfaction is zero.

Ability and Job FitEmployee performance is

enhanced when an employee and position are well matched.This is ability to fit into the job.

Employee Performance – interaction between job requirements and employee’s abilities.

Case 1: lack required abilityCase 2: match the abilityCase 3: ability exceeds job

requirement

When Fit is Poor ?Lacking required abilities result in

failure of employees.When employee has more ability

than job requirement – Employee frustrated by limitations of job.

Pay depends on employee’s skills.So if highly skilled the organization will be paying more for less work

ATTITUDESAttitudes are evaluative statement –

either favourable or unfavourable – related to objects,people and events.

They reflect how one feels about something

Understand attitudes : Questions to be considered …..

What are the main components of attitude ? How consistent are attitudes ? Does behavior follow from attitudes ? What are the major job attitudes ?

What are the main components of attitude ?Three components of attitude

Cognition – cognitive component Affect – affective component Behavior – behavioral component

Eg : “I hate john because he discriminates minorities “

Example : An employee did not get the

promotion instead a co-worker got it.

Cognition – employee thought that he deserved the promotion

Affect – the employee dislikes the supervisor

Behavior – looking for another job

How consistent are attitudes ? Individuals reconcile divergent

attitudes and align their attitudes to their behavior – so that they appear rational and consistent.

When there is a inconsistency the individual changes the behavior or attitude.

Theory of Cognitive Dissonance1950’s Leon Festinger proposed the theory

of cognitive dissonance- linkage between attitude and behavior

Cognitive dissonance refers to any inconsistency that an individual might perceive between two or more attitudes or between behavior and attitude

Festinger argued that any form of inconsistency is uncomfortable and the individuals attempt to reduce the dissonance

Impossible to avoid dissonance.

(not included) Attributes of DissonanceImportance of elements.Degree of influence – influence

indiv has over elementsrewards

Does Behavior always follow from Attitudes ? In 1960 research – low degree of

relationship between attitudes and behavior.

Recent research – attitudes predict future behavior.

Relationship can be enhanced by taking moderating variable into account.

How do people cope with resonance?Reduce dissonance with three attributes : Importance of elements creating

dissonance – If element less important then ignored

The degree of influence the individuals believes he or she has over the elements will affect how they react to dissonance.

The rewards involved in dissonance – Rewards influence to what extent the employee is motivated to reduce dissonance

Moderating Variables : Importance of attitude – Important attribute reflect

fundamental values,self interest and identification with individuals and groups that a person values.Important attitude show strong relationship to behavior.

Its specificity – More specific attitude ,more specific behavior the stronger link between the two.

Accessibility – Attitudes that are remembered are the ones likely to predict behavior.

The existence of social power – Discrepancies between attitude and behavior are more likely to occur when there is a social pressure to behave in a certain way

Cont…A person’s direct experience with

attitude: The attitude behavior relationship is likely to be much stronger if attitude refers to something with which the individual has direct experience.

Self perception Theory – Looking at whether behavior influences attitude.

Job AttitudesJob SatisfactionJob InvolvementOrganizational CommitmentJob Satisfaction :It is defined as a positive feeling about

one’s job resulting from evaluation of its characteristics.

A person with high level of job satisfaction holds positive feeling about the job

Dissatisfied person - negative attitude towards job

Job InvolvementThe degree to which people

identify psychologically with their job and consider perceived performance level important to self worth.

Employee with high job involvement – strongly identify and care for the work they do.

Pyschological empowermentThe degree to which they affect

their work environment, their competence ,meaningfulness of their jobs and autonomy of work.

Good managers Empower their employees

By involving them in decision Making them feel their work is important Giving them discretion to do their own

thing

Organizational commitmentThe state in which an employee

identifies with a particular organization and its goals and wishes to maintain membership in the organization is referred to as organizational commitment.

High job involvement – identifying with one’s specific job.

High organizational commitment – identifying with one’s employee organization.

Dimensions of Organizational CommitmentAffective commitment – An

emotional attachment to the organization and belief in values.

Continuance commitment – Perceived economic value of staying with an organization compared to leaving it.

Normative commitment – An obligation to stay with an organization for moral and ethical reasons.

In a nutshellOrganizational commitment related to

job productivity.Negative relationship between

organizational commitment and absenteeism.

Affective commitment is more strongly related to organizational outcomes.

Affective commitment was a significant predicator of various outcomes.

Continuance commitment is not a strong commitment.

Perceived organizational supportPeople perceive organization as

supportive when the following is true……….◦Rewards are deemed fair◦Employees have voice in decision◦The supervisors are supportive

Employee engagementIndividuals involvement with

satisfaction with and enthusiasm for the work they do.

Factors that assess employee engagement :◦The availability of resources and

opportunities to learn new skills◦Whether they feel their work is important

and meaningful◦Whether their interactions with their

coworkers and supervisors were rewarding

Engagement relates to job satisfaction,organizational commitment,job involvement, or intrinsic motivation