Organizational Behavior Course ModelOB Outcomes: Attitudes and BehaviorsEffortJob SatisfactionAbsenteeismTurnoverStressWorkplace ViolenceOrganizational Citizenship Behavior and CommitmentEmployee TheftSafety and AccidentsSexual HarassmentGrievances

Influenced by Managers UsingApplication of Individual DifferencesPerceptionsAttributionsAttitude changeValuesPersonalityGroup DynamicsReward SystemsJob DesignLeadership

Individual DifferencesPerceptionsAttributions (special case) perceptions about what causes anothers behaviorAttitudesValuesPersonality

Appreciating Individual DifferencesCornerstone of selection & placementAvoid the error of extrapolating from yourselfDefinition of perception: How individuals notice and interpret a situation; how they organize and make sense of their environmentHow attractive is this person?Would you hire this person?

Perceptual Variability Depends on many things as prior two examples showed-optical illusions that are related to our sense organs-interpretations also depend on prior experiencesCrime Scene Simulation

Factors Affecting PerceptionsHighly variable across & within people because of:-source of information-emotional factors-stereotyping-situation (order, non-verbal cues, timing, location in hierarchy)-other perceptual barriers (e.g., halo effect, projection)

Asked of SupervisorsAsked of EmployeesHow often do you How often does your give? Supervisor give?

Gives:% who said very often % who said very often1.) Privileges2.) More responsibility3.) Pat on the back4.) Sincere praise5.) Training for better job 6.) More interesting work

Source: Likert, New Patterns of Management

Attribution TheoryRefers to what we perceive causes an another persons behavior (success or failure), and affects our future orientation toward that personInternal causes or explanations are perceived to be under the control of the person (e.g., ability , effort)External causes or explanations are perceived to be determined by the situation (e.g., luck, task difficulty)

Attributions Affect Future Behavior:Student Misses Team Meeting Is this anInternal (I) or External (E)Reason Perceived Cause of Failure ? OutcomeJust did not care

Flat tire

Forgot meeting location

Attribution PrinciplesOnce we identify a suitable explanation for behavior, we stop seeking alternatives.2. Ego defensive or self-serving bias:We tend to accept credit for our successesand blame our failures on the environment.Overcome in appraisals by the sandwich technique

The tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors (i.e., chance, task difficulty, the environment) and overestimate the influence of internal factors (i.e., ability, effort, personal factors) when making judgments about others

Listen to subordinates perceptual attributions and then try to be objective (e.g., is F due to lack of effort (internal factor) or inadequate training (external factor)? 3. Fundamental Attribution Error

Summary: Importance of Perceptions and Attributions for Managers

1. Be aware of how perceptual and attributional errors can bias your decision making 2. Remember perceived reality is more important than objective reality. 3. Managers have a responsibility and an opportunity to manage perceptions and attributions--theirs and their subordinates!

Individual DifferencesPerceptionsAttributions (special case)Attitudes mental states of readiness, predispositions to react in certain waysValuesPersonality

Examples of Changeable Work-related Attitudes1.Job Involvement: The degree to which a person psychologically identifies with his/her work.2.Organizational Commitment: The extent to which a person identifies with an organization. It is regarded as a multidimensional attitude (One with parts): a. a strong belief and acceptance of an organizations goals and values. b. a willingness to exert effort on behalf of the organization (e.g., overtime, United Way) c. a strong desire to remain a member of the organization 3.Others: Professionalism, union commitment, perceived justice, perceived organizational support

Individual DifferencesPerceptionsAttributions (special case)AttitudesValues more fundamental beliefs about conduct or existence. Heavily influenced by culture or historical era.Personality

EXAMPLES OF VALUES:* The importance of the individual vs. the collective* Democracy or freedom - existence* Fair-play -conduct* Hard work* Open mindedness* Self-reliance* Equality* Family* Comfortable life* Hospitality (gift exchanges, alcohol)

MYSTERY VALUE EXERCISE

Response Options:SDDNASA 1 2 3 4 5

1. Hard work makes a man or woman a better person2. Wasting time is as bad as wasting money.3. A good indication of a persons worth is how well he or she does the job.4. If all other things are equal, it is better to have a job with a lot of responsibility than one with little responsibility.

PersonalityEnduring aspects of a person which emerge from physiological, psychological, and socialization factors. Data from identical twins reared apart and together suggest that most variance in personality is due to heredity:50% Heredity/genes (physiological)20-35%Environment15-30%Transient states and measurement error Uses (understanding, fit, selection), MMPI

Personality Measure1 = strongly disagree5 = slightly agree2 = disagree6 = agree3 = slightly disagree7 = strongly agree4 = neither disagree nor agree

When I get what I want its usually because I worked hard for it.

2. When I make plans I am almost certain to make them work.

3. I prefer games involving some luck over games requiring pure skill.

4. I can learn almost anything if I set my mind to it.

5. My major accomplishments are entirely due to my hard work and ability.

6. I usually dont set goals, because I have a hard time following through on them.

7. Competition discourages excellence.

8. Often people get ahead just by being lucky.

On any sort of exam or competition, I like to know how well I do relative to everyone else.

10. Its pointless to keep working on something thats too difficult for me.

Scoring for X Personality Trait* Reverse score items 3, 6, 7, 8, and 101 = 74 = 4 7 = 12 = 65 = 33 = 56 = 2* Add the scores for all 10 items

* High scores = internal locus of control Low scores = external locus of control

Locus of control refers to whether one believes life is more under personal control or environmental control.Internals are more satisfied/involved with their jobs, absent less, perform better when they can exert control, adjust to international assignments wellExternals prefer directive styles of supervision; they value friendly coworkers & considerate supervision

The Future: The "Big Five" Personality Model * Extraversion * Agreeableness * Conscientiousness * Emotional Stability * Openness to Experience

SUMMARY STRATEGY FOR HANDLING INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCESLess Permanent, More PermanentMore Situational, Take as a given andSubject to managerial influence deal with

PerceptionsAttributions Attitudes Values Personality Changeable Deep-Seated Highly variable Influenced byHas biologicalwithin andWork Groups, Peers component.across individuals Socialization.