PERCEPTION & JOB ATTITUDES

CHAPTER 3
 PERCEPTION

Perception ••People’s
People’sbehavior
behaviorisis
based
basedon ontheir
their
A process by which
perception
perceptionofofwhatwhat
individuals organize and reality
realityis,
is,not
notonon
interpret their sensory reality
realityitself.
itself.
impressions in order to ••The
give meaning to their Theworld
worldas asititisis
perceived
perceivedisisthetheworld
world
environment. that
thatisisbehaviorally
behaviorally
important.
important.
FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTION

Perceiver
Situation
•Time Attitudes
•Work setting Motives
Interests
•Social setting
Experience Target
Expectations

Novelty
Motion
Sounds
Perception Size
Background
Proximity
Similarity

3
PERSON PERCEPTION: MAKING
JUDGMENTS ABOUT OTHERS

Attribution Theory
When individuals observe behavior, they
attempt to determine whether it is
internally or externally caused.

Distinctiveness:
Distinctiveness:shows
showsdifferent
differentbehaviors
behaviorsinindifferent
differentsituations.
situations.
Consensus:
Consensus:response
responseisisthe
thesame
sameasasothers
otherstotosame
samesituation.
situation.
Consistency:
Consistency:responds
respondsininthe
thesame
sameway
wayover
overtime.
time.
ATTRIBUTION THEORY
ERRORS & BIASES IN ATTRIBUTIONS

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to underestimate the influence of
external factors and overestimate the influence
of internal factors when making judgments
about the behavior of others.
ERRORS & BIASES IN ATTRIBUTIONS

Self-Serving Bias
The tendency for individuals to attribute
their own successes to internal factors while
putting the blame for failures on external
factors.
FREQUENTLY USED SHORTCUTS IN
JUDGING OTHERS

Selective Perception
People selectively interpret what they see
on the basis of their interests, background,
experience, and attitudes.
 FREQUENTLY USED SHORTCUTS IN
JUDGING OTHERS

Halo Effect
Drawing a general impression about an individual on the basis
of a single characteristic

Contrast Effects
Evaluation of a person’s characteristics that are affected by
comparisons with other people recently encountered who rank
higher or lower on the same characteristics.
FREQUENTLY USED SHORTCUTS IN
JUDGING OTHERS

Projection
Attributing one’s own characteristics to other
people.

Stereotyping
Judging someone on the basis of one’s perception
of the group to which that person belongs.
 SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS IN
ORGANIZATIONS

• Employment Interview
• Perceptual biases of raters affect the accuracy of interviewers’
judgments of applicants.
• Performance Expectations
• Self-fulfilling prophecy (pygmalion effect): The lower or higher
performance of employees reflects preconceived leader expectations
about employee capabilities.
• Ethnic Profiling
• A form of stereotyping in which a group of individuals is singled out—
typically on the basis of race or ethnicity—for intensive inquiry,
scrutinizing, or investigation.
 SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS IN
ORGANIZATIONS (CONT’D)

• Performance Evaluations
• Appraisals are often the subjective (judgmental) perceptions of
appraisers of another employee’s job performance.
• Employee Effort
• Assessment of individual effort is a subjective judgment subject to
perceptual distortion and bias.
THE LINK BETWEEN PERCEPTIONS &
INDIVIDUAL DECISION MAKING

Problem
A perceived discrepancy between the
current state of affairs and a desired Perception
Perceptionofof
the
thedecision
decision
state.
maker
maker
Decisions
Choices made from among
alternatives developed from data
perceived as relevant.

Outcomes
 VALUES

Values
Basic convictions that a specific mode of conduct or end-
state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an
opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state of
existence.

Value System
A hierarchy based on a ranking of an individual’s values in
terms of their intensity.
 IMPORTANCE OF VALUES

• Provide understanding of the attitudes, motivation, and

behaviors of individuals and cultures.
• Influence our perception of the world around us.
• Represent interpretations of “right” and “wrong.”
• Imply that some behaviors or outcomes are preferred
over others.
TYPES OF VALUES – ROKEACH VALUE
SURVEY

Terminal Values
Desirable end-states of existence; the goals that a person
would like to achieve during his or her lifetime.

Instrumental Values
Preferable modes of behavior or means of achieving
one’s terminal values.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF VALUE

• Individual values are often stable and resistant to

change.
• Values are shaped by experiences, family, education
from school, friends, and other influences.
• Values vary significantly among different cultures
(Hofstede’s Framework)

17
 PERSON – ORGANIZATION FIT

• People are drawn to organizations that align with their

values and tend to leave those that don't match their
personalities.
• Employees’ performance and satisfaction are likely to
be higher if their values fit well with the organization.
• A person valuing imagination, independence, and
freedom may not fit well in an organization that
prioritizes conformity.

18
 ATTITUDES

Attitudes Cognitive component

The opinion or belief segment
Evaluative of an attitude.
statements or
judgments Affective Component
concerning The emotional or feeling segment
objects, of an attitude.
people, or
events. Behavioral Component
An intention to behave in a certain
way toward someone or something.
 TYPES OF ATTITUDES

Job Satisfaction
A collection of positive and/or negative feelings that
an individual holds toward his or her job.

Job Involvement
Identifying with the job, actively participating in it,
and considering performance important to self-
worth.

Organizational Commitment
Identifying with a particular organization and its
goals, and wishing to maintain membership in the
organization.
THE THEORY OF COGNITIVE
DISSONANCE

Cognitive Dissonance
Any incompatibility between two or more attitudes
or between behavior and attitudes.

Desire
Desiretotoreduce
reducedissonance
dissonance
• •Importance of elements creating dissonance
Importance of elements creating dissonance
• •Degree of individual influence over elements
Degree of individual influence over elements
• •Rewards involved in dissonance
Rewards involved in dissonance
 JOB SATISFACTION

• Measuring Job Satisfaction

• Single global rating
• Summation score
• How Satisfied Are People in Their Jobs?
• Job satisfaction declined to 50.4% in 2002
• Decline attributed to:
• Pressures to increase productivity and meet tighter
deadlines
• Less control over work
THE EFFECT OF JOB SATISFACTION
ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
• Satisfaction and Productivity
• Satisfied workers aren’t necessarily more productive.
• Worker productivity is higher in organizations with more
satisfied workers.
• Satisfaction and Absenteeism
• Satisfied employees have fewer avoidable absences.
• Satisfaction and Turnover
• Satisfied employees are less likely to quit.
• Organizations take actions to retain high performers and to
weed out lower performers.
HOW EMPLOYEES CAN EXPRESS
DISSATISFACTION

Exit Voice
Behavior directed toward Active and constructive
leaving the organization. attempts to improve
conditions.

Loyalty Neglect
Passively waiting for Allowing conditions to
conditions to improve. worsen.
 JOB SATISFACTION AND OCB

• Satisfaction and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

(OCB)
• Satisfied employees who feel fairly treated by and
are trusting of the organization are more willing to
engage in behaviors that go beyond the normal
expectations of their job.
 JOB SATISFACTION AND CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION
• Satisfied employees increase customer satisfaction because:
• They are more friendly, upbeat, and responsive.
• They are less likely to turnover which helps build long-term customer
relationships.
• They are experienced.
• Dissatisfied customers increase employee job dissatisfaction.

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