ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

INDRANILMUTSUDDI

Attitudes
Attitudes

Types
Types of
of Attitudes
Attitudes

Nature of Attitudes

Attitudes are understood as the beliefs,

feelings and action tendencies of an
individual or group of individuals towards
objects, ideas and people.

Attitudes can be described as mental states

of readiness, learned and organized
through experience, exerting a specific
influence on a persons response to people,
objects and situations with which it is
related.

About Attitudes.

Attitudes are learned.

Attitudes refer to feelings & beliefs of
individuals or group of people.
These feelings & beliefs define ones
predispositions towards given aspects of
the world.
Attitudes can fall anywhere.
Attitudes are organized & are core to an
individual.

Components of Attitude

Cognitive

Affective
Attitude

Behavioral
Tendency

Components of Attitude

Cognitive Component: It refers to what

we know or we think that we know about
an object, situation or an individual.
Affective Component: It consists of the
feelings a person has towards an object,
situation or an individual.
Behavioral Tendency Component: It is
the way an individual is inclined towards an
object, situation or an individual.

Attitude & Behavior Relationship

Affective
Component

Cognitive
Component

Behavioral
Tendency
Component

Attitude

Behavior towards
object, situation,
person

The Attitude Behavior Cognition

(ABC) Model of Attitude
Stimuli
Work Related Factors

Managerial Style
Technology
Noise
Peers
Reward System
Career opportunities
My supervisor is unfair

Cognition

Beliefs & values

Affecting
Stage

Feelings & emotions

I dont like my supervisor

Behavior

Intended Behavior

I am going to request for

a transfer

Having a fair supervisor

Is important to me

Attitude Formation
Experience with
The object
Mass
Communication

Classical
Conditioning
Attitudes

Economic
Status

Neighborhood

Operant
Conditioning

Family &
Peer Groups

Social Learning

Functions of Attitudes

Ego
Defensive

Adjustment

Attitudes

Knowledge

Value
Expression

Difficulties in Changing Attitudes

Escalation of Commitment
Cognitive Dissonance
Insufficient Information

Escalation of Commitment

It refers to the prior commitment of people

to a particular cause & their unwillingness
to change.

Extension of groupthink could lead to

escalation of commitment.

The
The Theory
Theory of
of Cognitive
Cognitive Dissonance
Dissonance

Desire
Desireto
toreduce
reducedissonance
dissonance
Importance
Importanceof
ofelements
elementscreating
creatingdissonance
dissonance
Degree
Degreeof
ofindividual
individualinfluence
influenceover
overelements
elements
Rewards
Rewardsinvolved
involvedinindissonance
dissonance

Cognitive Dissonance

The discomfort experienced by

people feeling cognitive dissonance
leads to efforts to reduce the tension
by:
Changing the attitudes
Changing the behavior
Rationalizing the inconsistency

Measuring the A-B Relationship

Recent research indicates that the

attitudes (A) significantly predict
behaviors (B) when moderating variables
are taken into account.
Moderating
ModeratingVariables
Variables
Importance
Importanceof
ofthe
theattitude
attitude
Specificity
Specificityof
ofthe
theattitude
attitude
Accessibility
Accessibilityof
ofthe
theattitude
attitude
Social
Socialpressures
pressureson
onthe
theindividual
individual
Direct
Directexperience
experiencewith
withthe
theattitude
attitude

Ways of Changing Attitudes

Changing attitudes of the self:

Be aware of ones own attitudes

Think for self
Realize that there are few, if any, benefits from
harboring negative attitudes
Keep an open mind
Get into continuous education & development
programs
Build a positive self-esteem
Stay away from negative influences.

Ways of Changing Attitudes

Changing attitudes of the Employees:

Give feedback on a regular basis.

Accentuate positive attitude.
Be the role model
Provide new information
Use fear & coercion
Use rewards
Influence of friends/peers
Applying co-opting approaches

Work Related Attitudes

Job Satisfaction
Organizational Commitment
Involvement & Participation
Psychological Ownership

Self-Perception
Self-Perception Theory
Theory

An
An Application:
Application: Attitude
Attitude Surveys
Surveys

Sample
Sample Attitude
Attitude Survey
Survey

Job Satisfaction

It refers to the general attitude of the

employees towards their jobs & the
organization.

Job Satisfaction

Measuring Job Satisfaction

Single global rating

Summation score

How Satisfied Are People in Their Jobs?

Job satisfaction declined to 50.7% in 2000

Decline attributed to:
Pressures to increase productivity
Less control over work

A Model of Job Satisfaction

Low
Turnover

Organizational
Factors

Outcomes
Expected/valued

Job
Satisfaction

Low
Absenteeism

Group Factors

Individual
Factors

Outcomes
Received

Job
Dissatisfaction

High
Turnover

High
Absenteeism

The Effect of Job Satisfaction on Employee

Performance

Satisfaction and Productivity

Satisfaction and Absenteeism

Satisfied workers arent necessarily more productive.

Worker productivity is higher in organizations with
more satisfied workers.
Satisfied employees have fewer avoidable absences.

Satisfaction and Turnover

Satisfied employees are less likely to quit.

Organizations take actions to cultivate high
performers and to weed out lower performers.

Causes of Job Satisfaction

Organizational factors:

Wages
Promotions
Nature of Work (work content, challenges,
skill variety, task identity etc)
Organizational policies & procedures
Working Conditions

Causes of Job Satisfaction

Group factors:

Size
Supervision

Individual factors:

Personality variables
Expectations
Interests
General life satisfaction

Performance & Job Satisfaction

Perceived
Equity of rewards

Extrinsic
Rewards
Job
Satisfaction

Performance

Intrinsic
Rewards

Lawler-Porter Model of Performance & Job Satisfaction

Responses to Job Dissatisfaction

How Employees Can Express

Dissatisfaction

Organizational Commitment

It is the relative strength of an individuals

identification with and involvement in a
particular organization.
Components

Affective
Component

Normative
Component

Continuance
Component

Emotional
Attachment to the
organization

It is based on the
Belief that
Commitment is
the right thing
to do

It is based on the
Costs an employee
Associates with
Leaving the orgn.

Causes of Organizational Commitment

Employability

Personal
Traits

Job/Role
Expectations

Organizational
Commitment
Propensity

Organizational
Commitment
Experienced
meaningfulness

Job Choice
factors

Initial Work
Experience

Experienced
responsibility
Psychological
Ownership

Psychological Ownership

It is the state in which an individual feels as

though the target of ownership (or a piece
of ownership) is their own.

It develops through empowerment, selfmanagement opportunities, expanded

roles, and participation in organizational
problem solving.

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.

Causes & Consequences of Psychological

Ownership
Antecedent Conditions

Involvement
Opportunities

Information
(intimate
Knowledge)

Consequent Conditions
Organizational
Citizenship
Behavior
Psychological
Ownership

Assumption of
Responsibility

Influence

Satisfaction

Investing of
Oneself

Organizational
Commitment
Assumption of
Personal Risk for
The target of
Ownership

Management of Employee Attitudes

Organizational Structure
Organizational Climate
Organizational Culture
Working Conditions
Job Design
Impact of Technology
Security
Organizational Policies
Pay & Rewards
Co-workers

Employee attitudes,
beliefs, feelings &
intentions

Financial Impact of Attitudes (tools)

HR Accounting
Behavioral Accounting

Procedure for assessing Financial

Impact of Attitudes

Identifying & measuring relevant attitudes

Identifying & measuring relevant Cost
Items
Pricing behavioral Cost Items
Identifying the relationship b/w Attitudes &
Behavioral cost items
Estimating the Financial Impact of Attitude
Changes

Values

Types of Values - Rokeach Value Survey

Values in
the
Rokeach
Survey

Values in
the
Rokeach
Survey
(contd)

Mean Value
Rankings of
Executives, Union
Members, and
Activists

Dominant Work Values in Todays

Workforce

Values, Loyalty, and Ethical

Behavior
Ethical Values and
Behaviors of
Leaders

Ethical
Ethical Climate
Climate in
in
the
the Organization
Organization