Leadership & Management Reading for Lesson 12: The Power of Perception

Lesson 12 Reading Objectives 1. The student will comprehend the effect of the following on leadership situations:   a.  Perception b. Perceptual biases c. Errors

Lesson 12 Reading Objectives 2. The student will comprehend and apply the following concepts:   a.  Attributions b.  Fundamental attribution error c.  Perceptual set d.  Self-serving bias e.  Actor/observer difference f.  Self-fulfilling prophecy.

Lesson 12 Discussion Objectives 1. The student will comprehend the effect of the following on leadership situations:   a.  Perception b. Perceptual biases c. Errors

Lesson 12 Discussion Objectives 2. The student will comprehend and apply the following concepts:   a.  Attributions b.  Fundamental attribution error c.  Perceptual set d.  Self-serving bias e.  Actor/observer difference f.  Self-fulfilling prophecy.

Perception The process individuals use to make sense out of the environment by selecting, organizing, and interpreting information from the environment Perceptions vary because individuals differ in what they perceive and how they organize and interpret it Superiors, peers and subordinates judge a leader’s performance primarily by perceptions of intentions and effectiveness

Perceptual Biases Perceptions are based on limited observation and incomplete information Individuals do not see and hear everything that happens in a particular leadership situation They are selective in what they attend to and what they, in turn, perceive This selectivity leads to the tendency or bias to perceive one thing and not another

Errors Errors in perceptual judgment arise from inaccuracies in any part of the perception process

Perception and Leadership The effect of perception, perceptual biases and errors on leadership situations: We tend to see our own success due to intelligence, personality or physical abilities, while we view others’ success as more attributable to situational factors or luck

Aspects of Perception Attributions: Fundamental Attribution Error: Explanations we develop in our own minds for the behaviors or actions we attend to Fundamental Attribution Error: Tendency to overestimate the dispositional causes of behavior and underestimate the environmental causes

Aspects of Perception Perceptual Set: Self-Serving Bias Tendency or bias to perceive one thing and not another Self-Serving Bias Tendency to make external attributions (i.e., blame the situation) for one’s own failures, yet make internal attributions (i.e., take credit) for one’s successes

Aspects of Perception Actor/Observer Difference: People who are observing an action are much more likely than the actor to make the fundamental attribution error Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Occurs when expectations or predictions play a causal role in bringing about the events we predict