Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Personality, Perception, and Attribution Chapter 3 Organizational Behavior Nelson & Quick, 6 th edition

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Individual Differences Individual Differences - the Individual Differences - the way in which factors such as skills, abilities, personalities, perceptions, attitudes, values, and ethics differ from one individual to another

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Variables Influencing Individual Behavior The person Skills & abilities Personality Perceptions Attitudes Values Ethics The environment Organization Work group Job Personal life Behavior

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved B = f(P,E) 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

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved 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

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Definition of Personality Personality - A relatively stable set of characteristics that influences an individual’s behavior Photos courtesy of Clips Online ©2008 Microsoft Corporation

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Personality Theories Trait Theory - Trait Theory - understand individuals by breaking down behavior patterns into a series of observable traits Integrative Approach - Integrative Approach - describes personality as a composite of an individual’s psychological processes

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved 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):

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits Locus of Control InternalExternal I control what happens to me! People and circumstances control my fate! Photos courtesy of Clips Online ©2008 Microsoft Corporation

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits Self-Efficacy - 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

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Self-Esteem Feelings of Self-Worth Success tends to increase self-esteem Failure tends to decrease self-esteem Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved 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 Self-Monitoring Behavior based on cues from others & situations Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Who Is Most Likely to... Low-self monitors High-self monitors Get promoted Change employers Make a job-related geographic move Accomplish tasks, meet other’s expectations, seek out central positions in social networks Self-promote Demonstrate higher levels of managerial self-awareness; base behavior on other’s cues and the situation

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Positive Affect - Positive Affect - an individual’s tendency to accentuate the positive aspects of oneself, other people, and the world in general Negative Affect - Negative Affect - an individual’s tendency to accentuate the negative aspects of oneself, other people, and the world in general Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved 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

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Strong personalities will dominate in a weak situation Personality Characteristics in Organizations Photos courtesy of Clips Online ©2008 Microsoft Corporation

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Four Measures of Personality Projective Test - Projective Test - elicits an individual’s response to abstract stimuli Behavioral Measures - Behavioral Measures - personality assessments that involve observing an individual’s behavior in a controlled situation

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Four Measures of Personality Self-Report Questionnaire - Self-Report Questionnaire - assessment involving an individual’s responses to questions Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - instrument measuring Jung’s theory of individual differences.

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved 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

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved 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

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Myers Briggs Type Indicator Briggs & Myers developed the MBTI to understand individual differences by analyzing the combinations of preferences

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved MBTI Preferences

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved MBTI Scales ISTJISFJINFJINTJ ISTPISFPINFPINTP ESTPESFPENFPENTP ESTJESFJENFJENTJ Introverts Extroverts Sensing TypesIntuitive Types SOURCE: Modified and reproduced by special permission of the Publisher. CPP, Inc. Palo Alto, CA 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.

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Uses of MBTI Identify learning and teaching styles Decide on careers (Example: many managers are ESTJs) Determine decision making style Determine management style Build teams

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Social Perception Model Social Perception Target Characteristics Physical appearance Verbal communication Nonverbal cues Intentions Perceiver Characteristics Familiarity with target Attitudes/Mood Self-Concept Cognitive structure Situational Characteristics Interaction context Strength of situational cues Barriers Selective perception Stereotyping First-impression error Projection Self-fulfilling prophecies

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Impression Management 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

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Attribution Theory Attribution theory - Attribution theory - explains how individuals pinpoint the causes of their own behavior or that of others Internal attribution - Internal attribution - attributing success to ability or effort External attribution - External attribution - attributing success to sources beyond your control

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Attribution Biases Fundamental Attribution Error - Fundamental Attribution Error - tendency to make attributions to internal causes when focusing on someone else’s behavior Self-serving Bias - Self-serving Bias - tendency to attribute one’s own successes to internal causes and one’s failures to external causes

Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved 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?