Lesson 2

HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN THE ORGANIZATION (HBO)

SOCIAL SYSTEM

Basic ideas:

 Experienced as a significant influence on many parts of the job

 It determined the attitude and values surrounding the job
 Influenced the way people interact with each other

CONCEPTUALIZING THE SOCIAL SYSTEM

 A complex set of human values and relationship mutually interacting in an infinite number of
ways.
 Each small group is a sub system within larger groups that subsystems of even larger groups
until the world is included.
 Within a single organization, the social system is all the people in it, as they relate to each other
and to the outside world.
 Just like when you see elastic bands tied together with objects, a change/movement in one part
of the system affects all other parts.
 There is mutual interdependence

DEFINING EQUILIBRIUM

 Basically, equilibrium is a state of balance.

 A system is said to be a social equilibrium when there is a dynamic working harmony among
interdependent parts of the system.
 The system is like an ocean, wherein there is continuous movement, but the basic character of
the sea changes very little.
 When there are minor changes that occur, they are absorbed by adjustments, afterwhich the
equilibrium is retained.
 When there are major changes or series of rapid changes, the organization may be thrown out
of equilibrium, seriously reducing its vigor and productivity, until it reaches again another
equilibrium.

DISEQUILIBRIUM
 When the parts of the organizations are working against one another instead of in harmony with
each other.
 Groups are working at cross-paths or directions

FUNCTIONAL to the System

 When an intervention or move improves the system, it is said to be functional.
DYSFUNCTIONAL to the System
 When an intervention, a move, a change weakens the system instead of strengthening it.
 (There are situations when one part of the system accepts a change, therefore it is
functional in some parts and may not in other parts of the system. WHY? Because what
is desirable for the whole may not be desirable for all parts of the whole.
There are decisions tends to be imperfect. What makes it imperfect is our inability to
understand the whole system and its future. . . one thing, we cannot please everybody
in the organization…)

ADJUSTMENTS of INDIVIDUALS
 Adjustment is important – it is the employees’ state of harmony with the social system.
 People who have difficulty in adjusting, or who adjust in a way not approved by the society is
said to be MALADJUSTED .

RESULTS OF MALADJUSTMENT IN WORK

1. High rate of Labor/Employee turnover
2. Labor Agitation
3. Insubordination
4. Absenteeism
5. Theft… among others

PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT
 Unwritten Psychological Contract do not recognize at a conscious level that a contract has been
made.
 Defines the conditions of each employees’ psychological involvement with the system.

ECONOMIC CONTRACT
 Spells out wages/salaries and working conditions
 Employees agree to give a certain amount of work and loyalty, but in return they demand more
than economic rewards from the system (i.e. security, treatment as human beings, rewarding
relationship with people, support in fulfilling expectations , etc.)
 If the company only concentrates on the economic rewards and not also on the unwritten
psychological contract, employees will lose interests in their jobs.
 Psychological contract is governed by exchange theory which states that in order for people to
join and remain in the organizations, the benefits must be more than the costs.
 Unless employees feel that the exchange relationship is rewarding, they will tend to withdraw
from it.
 If jobs are rewarding enough, employees stay.

EQUITY THEORY
 Concerned with each person’s feelings of fairness about the rewards received from
organizations (psychological, social, economic)
 Inputs vs. outcomes

COGNITIVE DISONANCE
 Employees’ feelings of equity do not agree with the actual rewards received.
(When outcomes are low in relation to employee perceptions of equity, employees will
be dissatisfied and will tend to reduce inputs to nearly match outcomes.
Many people want to feel that they should be properly rewarded for their outputs. )
  People want to deserve what they receive because in this way, they preserve their self-esteem.

CULTURE
 It is a way of life
 People act in accordance with expectations of others
 It is the conventionalized behavior of society and it influence actions.
 What you do everyday, in the organization that you are in, and other human-created items are
evidence of culture.
 Culture changes slowly and in so doing provides stability to society.
 Culture may interfere with work by requiring actions unnecessary or unrealistic from a rational
point of view (e.g. rites, practices, traditions, superstition, beliefs…)

BASIC CULTURE AFFECTING WORK

 Aspects of life that have significant influence upon behavior, therefore understanding is
important.
 Basic values are well ingrained that they are difficult to change.
 Culture affects the job and affects job performance

MOTIVATIONAL PATTERNS
 Develop especially from a person’s family background and education, national culture, among
others.

FOUR MOTIVATIONAL PATTERNS IDENTIFIED

1. ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION – desire to overcome challenges, advance and grow.

 Achievement motivation leads to higher levels of aspirations, people work harder and make
more progress.
 Achievement-motivated persons are the best source of competent leadership in a nation’s
organizations.
 These people are not strongly money-hungry, although they acquire wealth because of their
struggles.
 They work because this is challenge to them
 Monetary rewards are more a lure to people with low in achievement motivation
 Those with inner drives and sense of responsibility
 Others do not have the same drive and feels no compulsion to brave blizzard conditions in order
to get to work.

2. AFFILIATION MOTIVATION – drive to relate to people

 Work better when they are complimented for favorable attitude and cooperation.
 Achievement Motivation selects assistants who are competent, regardless of personal
feelings about them, while AFFILIATION Motivated people select friends to surround them.

3. COMPETENCE MOTIVATION

 Drive to do quality work

 Often are so interested in technical aspects and are blind to the human factor at work
 They seek job mastery and professional growth
 4. POWER MOTIVATION
 Drive to be in control
 Risk takers than others
 Use power constructively in building successful institutions, but they may also use power
destructively in relation to people and institutions.
 Autonomy, security and status are additional motivational patterns (A person may have two or
more patterns of motivation, but one or two patterns tend to predominate.

*Knowledge of motivational patterns helps management recognize those employees who are
self-motivated.
*Management can deal with employees differently according to Motivational patterns
manifested.

WORK ETHIC
 Has its origin in both religious and secular values
Religious:
- Holds that work is a moral good in itself
- Individuals become better persons by the act of working
- Helps build better societies to help fulfill God’s plan
- Human talent is a gift from God so being good in every work one do become moral
obligations.
Secular
- People had to work to stay alive, and therefore they found reason to glorify work
- Only possible path to improvement of standard of living.
- It is a desired idea by which each generation could contribute something to generations that
followed

According to researches: - Work Ethic may be deeply embedded in the drive to control one’s
environment.
-Rewards are received because of hard work
-Work is an important means to ends; a central life interest to many persons.
ROLE
 Idea of role comes from sociology and the pattern of actions expected of a person in
activities involving others.
 A person has roles both on the job and away from it.
 An employee has more than one role
 Role is the most complexly organized response pattern of which human being is applicable.

ROLE PERCEPTIONS – how they think they are supposed to act in a given situation

The manager’s role is so many that he must be highly adoptive to be able to shift quickly from one to the
other.

ROLE SET – The entire configuration of surrounding roles as they affect a particular role

ROLE EXPECTATIONS - concerning the way in which the supervisor should act.
  When there is a variance between a manager’s role perception of the job and
employee’s role expectations, then there is a tendency to be poorly motivated and
inefficient.

e.g. When the managers believe that is best to portray “autocratic manager”, but employees
expect a participative person, then there is a variance.

 When expectations of a role are materially different or opposite, a person tends to be in

a ROLE CONFLICT because there is no way to meet expectations without rejecting the
other.
 ROLE CONFLICT is particularly difficult for employees who were required to interact
outside of the organization, because external expectations often differ considerably
from internal expectations.
 ROLE AMBIGUITY – exists when role expectations are inadequately defined or are
substantially unknown.
 Those with role ambiguity and conflict often have less job satisfaction.
 Employees generally are more satisfied with their jobs when expectations for
performance are clearly defined and fully understood.

STATUS

 The Social Rank of a person in comparison with others in a social system.

 Status may be formal or informal
 FORMAL STATUS refers to the rank of people as designated by the authority structure of an
organization.
 INFORMAL STATUS refers to the social rank accorded to people because of feelings toward
them.
 STATUS RELATIONSHIPS require ranking and comparison, so two or more persons are required
to make a status relationship.
 Individuals are bound together by status systems or status hierarchies.
 LOSS OF STATUS is tantamount to losing face
 When people become seriously upset over their status and their inability to change it is called
STATUS ANXIETY
 Since STATUS is important to people, they will work hard to achieve it.
 STATUS tends to be important only in a particular social group where status is accorded.

STATUS RELATIONSHIPS

 Generally high status persons in a group have more power and influence than those with low
status. They also receive more privileges from their group as a result of status.
 Status provides a system by which people can relate to each other in group work

OCCUPATIONAL PRESTIGE
  Related to education required and income received.
 Education generally gives people more job autonomy, ability to interpret and control their
environment
 Usually gives them jobs with better working conditions (pleasant surroundings and less physical
labor)
 Occupational prestige is significant to human behavior in several ways; 1. it often helps a
counselor diagnose status problems and conflicts; 2. It influences the kinds of promotions and
transfers an employee will take; 3. It helps determine who will be informal leader of a group
composed of different occupations; 4. It definitely serves as a motivation to those seeking to
advance in the organization.
 Some people are status seekers, wanting a job of high status regardless of its other conditions.

SYMBOLS OF STATUS

 Observable evidence; visible external trappings that are attached to a person or workplace;
 Serve as evidence of social rank
 Examples: pictures on the wall, size and type of desks, type of waste basket, rugs, bookcase,
curtains, gadgets use, equipment, furniture, etc.
 At times status symbols pose a great problem, they endanger job satisfaction, it leads to conflict
among people, and affects company budget
 Usually, the rule is that persons of equal rank should receive approximately equal status
symbols.

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Reference: Human Behavior at Work

By Keith Davis

CASE 1 - Liberty Construction Company

 Liberty Construction Company is a small construction company in Palawan. Over half of its
revenue is derived from the installation of underground water and power lines, so much so of its work is
seasonal, and there is high turnover among its employees.

Michael Cruz, a college student, had been employed by Liberty as a backhoe operator for the
last three summers. On his return to work for the fourth summer, Federico was assigned the second
newest of the company’s five backhoes. The owner reasoned that Federico had nine months of work,
seniority , so according to strict seniority , he should have the second backhoe. This action required the
present operator of the backhoe.

Pedro Alba, a regular employee who had been with the company seven months, to be assigned
to an older machine. Alba was strongly dissatisfied with being assigned with an older machine , because
he felt that as a regular employee, he should have retained the newer machine, instead of giving the
same to a newer employee.

The situation brought the employees to two factions, one supporting Cruz and the other
supporting Alba. Job conflicts arose, and each side seemed to delight in putting work impediments in
the way of the other side. In less than a month, Alba left the company.

QUESTION:

1. Discuss this case in terms of the social system, equilibrium, the psychological contract,
equity theory, role, status, and status symbols.

CASE 2 - JAMES YAP

James Yap, an office clerk, has asked you, his supervisor, to issue a purchase order for a water
dispenser for his desk. He claims that his injured leg makes it difficult for him to get to the office water
fountain about fifty (50) feet away. You know that Yap does have a slight limp from a basketball injury
ten (10) years ago, but he moves about the office satisfactorily and has been going to the water
fountain without complaint for five (5) years. You know that Yap frequently seeks status symbols, and
you judge that he really wants the water bottle to give his desk a more executive look than the desks of
the other clerks.

QUESTION:

1. Yap is waiting for your response. What will you do?