Personality, Perception, and Attribution Personality, Perception, and Attribution Chapter 3 Organizational Behavior Nelson & Quick, 6th edition

Individual Differences Individual Differences - the way in which factors such as skills, abilities, personalities, perceptions, attitudes, values, and ethics differ from one individual to another

Variables Influencing Individual Behavior The environment Organization Work group Job Personal life The person Skills & abilities Personality Perceptions Attitudes Values Ethics Behavior 5 4 4 4

Interactional Psychology Interactional psychology - a psychological approach that says in order to understand human behavior, we must know something about the person and about the situation B = f(P,E)

Propositions of Interactional Psychology Behavior is a function of a continuous, multi-directional interaction between person and situation Person is active in process Changed by situations Changes situations People vary in many characteristics Two situational interpretations The objective situation Person’s subjective view of the situation

Definition of Personality Personality - A relatively stable set of characteristics that influences an individual’s behavior Photos courtesy of Clips Online ©2008 Microsoft Corporation 6 6 6 6

Personality Theories Trait Theory - understand individuals by breaking down behavior patterns into a series of observable traits Integrative Approach - describes personality as a composite of an individual’s psychological processes 7 7 7 7

Big Five Personality Traits Big Five Personality Traits SOURCES: P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae, The NEO-PI Personality Inventory (Odessa, Fla.: Psychological Assessment Resources, 1992); J. F. Salgado, “The Five Factor Model of Personality and Job Performance in the European Community,” Journal of Applied Psychology 82 (1997): 30-43. 8 8 8

Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits Locus of Control Internal External I control what happens to me! People and circumstances control my fate! Photos courtesy of Clips Online ©2008 Microsoft Corporation 8 9 9 9

Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits Self-Efficacy - beliefs and expectations about one’s ability to accomplish a specific task effectively Sources of self-efficacy Prior experiences and prior success Behavior models (observing success) Persuasion Assessment of current physical & emotional capabilities 9 10 10 10

Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits Self-Esteem Feelings of Self-Worth Success tends to increase self-esteem Failure tends to decrease self-esteem 10 11 11 11

Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits Self-Monitoring Behavior based on cues from others & situations High self monitors flexible: adjust behavior according to the situation and the behavior of others can appear unpredictable & inconsistent Low self monitors act from internal states rather than from situational cues show consistency less likely to respond to work group norms or supervisory feedback 11 12 12 12

Make a job-related geographic move Who Is Most Likely to . . . Low-self monitors High-self monitors Get promoted  Accomplish tasks, meet other’s expectations, seek out central positions in social networks Change employers  Self-promote Make a job-related geographic move  Demonstrate higher levels of managerial self-awareness; base behavior on other’s cues and the situation

Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits Positive Affect - an individual’s tendency to accentuate the positive aspects of oneself, other people, and the world in general Negative Affect - an individual’s tendency to accentuate the negative aspects of oneself, other people, and the world in general 12 13 13 13

Personality Characteristics in Organizations Personality Characteristics in Organizations A strong situation can overwhelm the effects of individual personalities by providing strong cues for appropriate behavior Photos courtesy of Clips Online ©2008 Microsoft Corporation 13 14 14 14

Personality Characteristics in Organizations Strong personalities will dominate in a weak situation Photos courtesy of Clips Online ©2008 Microsoft Corporation 14 15 15 15

Four Measures of Personality Four Measures of Personality Projective Test - elicits an individual’s response to abstract stimuli Behavioral Measures - personality assessments that involve observing an individual’s behavior in a controlled situation 16 16 16

Four Measures of Personality Four Measures of Personality Self-Report Questionnaire - assessment involving an individual’s responses to questions Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - instrument measuring Jung’s theory of individual differences. 16 16 16

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Based on Carl Jung’s theories People are fundamentally different People are fundamentally alike People have preference combinations for extraversion/introversion, perception, judgment 17 17 17

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Based on Carl Jung’s theories Human similarities/differences understood by combining preferences Ways of doing things Extraversion or introversion No preferences better than others Understand, celebrate, and appreciate differences

Myers Briggs Type Indicator Myers Briggs Type Indicator Briggs & Myers developed the MBTI to understand individual differences by analyzing the combinations of preferences

MBTI Preferences 18 18

MBTI Scales ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ ISTP ISFP INFP INTP ESTP ESFP ENFP ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ ISTP ISFP INFP INTP ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP ESTJ ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ Introverts Extroverts Sensing Types Intuitive Types SOURCE: Modified and reproduced by special permission of the Publisher. CPP, Inc. Palo Alto, CA 94303 from Introduction to Type, Sixth Edition by Isabel Briggs Myers. Copyright 1998 by CPP, Inc. All rights reserved. Further reproduction is prohibited without the publisher’s written consent.

Uses of MBTI Identify learning and teaching styles Identify learning and teaching styles Decide on careers (Example: many managers are ESTJs) Determine decision making style Determine management style Build teams

Social Perception Model Perceiver Characteristics Familiarity with target Attitudes/Mood Self-Concept Cognitive structure Target Characteristics Physical appearance Verbal communication Nonverbal cues Intentions Barriers Selective perception Stereotyping First-impression error Projection Self-fulfilling prophecies Social Perception Social Perception Model Situational Characteristics Interaction context Strength of situational cues 22 22

Impression Management Impression Management - process by which individuals try to control the impression others have of them Name dropping Appearance Self-description Flattery Favors Agreement with opinion Photos courtesy of Clips Online ©2008 Microsoft Corporation 24 24

Attribution Theory Attribution theory - explains how individuals pinpoint the causes of their own behavior or that of others Internal attribution - attributing success to ability or effort External attribution - attributing success to sources beyond your control 25 25

Attribution Biases Fundamental Attribution Error - tendency to make attributions to internal causes when focusing on someone else’s behavior Self-serving Bias - tendency to attribute one’s own successes to internal causes and one’s failures to external causes 25 25

The Breakfast Club Video Clip Chapter 3: Reflect & Discuss The Breakfast Club Video Clip What to Watch for and Ask Yourself Which Big-Five personality dimensions describe each character in this scene? Which characters show positive affect? Which show negative affect? Refer to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) section in this chapter. Which of the 16 types shown in Table 3.3 best describes each character? Why? The Breakfast Club John Hughes’s careful look at teenage culture in a suburban Chicago high school focuses on a group of teenagers from the school’s different subcultures. They start their Saturday detention with nothing in common, but over the course of a day, they learn each other’s innermost secrets. The highly memorable characters—the Jock, the Princess, the Criminal, the Kook, and the Brain—leave lasting impressions. If you have seen the film, try to recall which actor or actress played each character. The scene from The Breakfast Club is an edited version of the “Lunchtime” sequence that appears in the first third of the film. Carefully study each character’s behavior to answer the questions below. The rest of the film shows the growing relationships among the detainees as they try to understand each other’s personality. What to Watch for and Ask Yourself Which Big-Five personality dimensions describe each character in this scene? Which characters show positive affect? Which show negative affect? Are any of these characters Type A personalities or Type B personalities? If so, which ones?