PERCEPTION, VALUES, ATTITUDE
& INDIVIDUAL DECISION MAKING
& INDIVIDUAL DECISION MAKING
PERCEPTION is the process of understanding things on the basis of our knowledge, beliefs, observations, and experiences. Our social circle, culture, and environment also influence our perceptions about various elements. How individuals perceive about the nature of their job, pay, the organizational processes and functions, the co-workers, and the top management leave a significant impact on their behavior. For example, if people at shell positively perceive their jobs, pay, organizational processes and functions, co-workers, and top management, it might enhance their interest in work and help improve their capacity and performance.
PERSONAL PERCEPTION: MAKING JUDGMENTS ABOUT OTHERS
How people judge others? Some salient theories and methods are delineated below:
1. ATTRIBUTION THEORY: When individuals observe others’ behavior, they attempt to determine whether it has happened from internal causes or external causes (reasons). Internally caused behaviors are believed to be under the control of an individual and externally caused behaviors are believed to be under the control of external forces or events. For instance, if your supervisor is late at work, you might believe, he is lazy, i.e. internal attribution. But if you know that he is late because of a major automobile accident that tied up traffic, you might ignore the situation, i.e. external attribution. Fundamental attribution error is the tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors when making judgments about behavior of others. For instance, if a sales manager only attributes declining sales to a sales rep’s performance but ignores noticing launch of innovative brands by rivals will be a fundamental attribution error. Another error is self-serving bias, which is the tendency to attribute our own success to internal factors while blaming external factors for failures. Many arrogant managers exhibit this kind of perception.
2. SELECTIVE PERCEPTION: People selectively interpret what they see based on their interests, backgrounds, experiences, and attitudes. This is the way managers and workers see each others.
3. HALO EFFECT: It is drawing a general impression about an individual based on a single characteristic, such as dressing, physical look/ appearance, sociability, or intelligence. However, first impression should not be the last impression.
4. CONTRAST EFFECT: It is evaluation of a person’s characteristics by comparing them
with that of other people on the similar rank/ position. In performance evaluation during interviews or work assignments, contrast effect is used.
5. PROJECTION: Projection is attributing one’s own characteristics in others. If the boss is honest and trust worthy, she believes every one is honest and trust worthy.
6. STEREOTYPING: Stereotyping is judging the people on the basis of the groups to which they belong. For instance, if Sara is a member of an elite club, a royal family, or a rich friend circle, she is considered to be rich or a moneyed woman. Stereotyping is often used in recruitment and assigning new responsibilities to people. If a sales manager wishes to fill a sales position, she might hire someone who is young because she stereotypes that young people tend to be ambitious, hard-working, needy, and skilled. In organizational settings, we often comment that represent our stereotypes about age, sex, over weight, and nationality. Examples include, old-aged people can’t learn new skills; women workers won’t relocate or get transfers to other branches; over-weight people lack discipline; and Bangladeshi labor is truly hard-working.
VALUES
Values are a set of principals, beliefs, or pre-established opinions about various things. For example, some employees have values to work honestly because honesty is the best policy. Some workers exhibit loyalty with their employers, respect their seniors, and try to be indispensable ingredient for their organization. On the other hand, there are people that value money and self interests above all other things. Interviewers at recruitment and managers try to explore the values of individuals to find their work related interests.
VALUES AT WORKPLACE, LOYALTY, AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR
Values at workplace reflect the disciplinary principles set by the management. Ideally, employees’ values and ethics expressed from their behavior should be loyal to work and the organization, which must not be harmful and contrasting to the ethical principles, set by the organization and society.
ATTITUDES
“Attitude is the way we think and believe. Or attitude is the judgment or evaluation of people, objects, events and states.” Our attitude influences our behavior on the basis of our thinking and beliefs. Our attitude on many issues or as a whole can be positive or negative from the judgments or attitudes of others. But we should respect the positive values of society when forming our attitudes. The three types of attitude include:
1. Cognitive component of attitude: It is the opinion or belief segment of attitude.
2. Affective component of attitude: It is the emotional or sentimental segment of attitude.
3. Behavioral component of attitude: It is the behavioral segment of attitude.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Leon Festinger presented this theory in late 1950s, which explains the linkage between attitude and behavior. Dissonance means inconsistency. “Cognitive dissonance refers to any incompatibility between an individual’s attitude and behavior”. The distance leads to disturbance or an internal discomfort, which need to be removed. For instance, an industry’s waste is dumping in a nearby lake. Manager Cena seems worried and feels an internal discomfort because his attitude does not favor this act leading to polluting the environment. But he can’t do any thing because management wants to save resources that would be spent on scientifically disposing the waste. Cena now has some choices: 1) to raise his voice calmly or peacefully; 2) to protest in front of top management; 3) to resign from his job; or 4) to ignore this issue and reduce his dissonance by thinking that the better quality products offset the dangers to the environment.
MEASUREMENT OF BEHAVIORS OF INDIVIDUALS
The behaviors of individuals during work can be measured in a number of ways, such as through surveys that include interviews and questionnaires and other research techniques like projective techniques and mechanical instruments to evaluate and understand the perceptions, values, attitudes, and behaviors of employees with the ultimate aim of enhancing their performance.
DECISION MAKING
People make different decisions in different situations based on their perceptions, values, attitudes, and environmental forces or pressures. The decision making process includes five major steps:
i. Identify and select a problem or opportunity;
ii. develop alternatives;
iii. choose the best alternatives;
iv. implement the alternate;
v. evaluate and modify if necessary.
JOB SATISFACTION
Job satisfaction is the state of being content or happy at a job. It is generalized that job satisfaction leads to greater performance, efficiency, and effectiveness. Other benefits/ advantages of job satisfaction include: increased productivity, motivation, complying disciplinary policies, loyalty, decreased absenteeism and turnover. The dis-benefits/ disadvantages of job satisfaction include: decreased productivity, non-compliance/ neglecting disciplinary policies, disloyalty, and increased absenteeism and turnover or exit from jobs.
ENHANCING JOB SATISFACTION: Job satisfaction can be enhanced in numerous ways.
1. ATTRACTIVE PACKAGES/ REWARDS: In furtherance of the fact that ‘money is the main motivator’, the research explores pay/ package as the number one factor determining job satisfaction. The contemporary packages include salary, house rent, automobile allowance, and many other perks/ fringe benefits including paid leave, paid vacations, elite club memberships, etc.
2. ENVIRONMENT & IMAGE OF THE ORGANIZATION: The image or corporate goodwill and its internal environment, such as decor and staff behavior pave the way for job satisfaction.
3. GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Chances to receive promotions, availing training and development opportunities also greatly influence job satisfaction.
4. MENTALLY CHALLENGING WORK: Very simple and repetitive tasks without a variety create boredom, frustration, and limits one’s skills and abilities. But a variety in tasks, job rotation, and reasonably challenging work generate pleasure and satisfaction.
5. EQUITABLE REWARDS (WITHOUT ANY DISCRIMINATION), SUPPORTIVE COLLEAGUES, AND SUPPORTIVE WORKING CONDITIONS: These three elements also tend to be great satisfiers. Supportive working conditions include providing adequate equipments and tools, clean environment, controlled temperature, noise and pollution free environment, and modern facilities.
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