Commerce 2BA3 Organizational Behaviour Class 3 Values, Attitudes & Work Behaviour Dr. Christa Wilkin

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Last Class Intelligence is very, very important, but it is not the only factor that will affect performance There are different tools available to influence other people’s behaviour Being aware of perceptual errors is important for recruitment and retention efforts THIS CLASS Values, Attitudes & Work Behaviour

Agenda Different kinds of values A closer look at job attitudes such as satisfaction Behaviours such as performance and commitment

CH 4: values, attitudes, and work behaviours

What Are Values? A broad tendency to prefer certain states of affairs over others. Values have to do with what we consider good and bad. Values are motivational and very general.

Occupational Differences in Values Members of different occupational groups hold different values. E.g., profs value equal opportunity more than avg person E.g., salespeople rank social values lower (peace, equality) Differences can cause conflict between organizations and within organizations A good “fit” between the values of employees and their supervisors and organization enhances job attitudes and behaviours

Question Would you continue working if you won a large amount of money in a lottery?

Work Centrality Work is valued differently across cultures. There are cross-national differences in the extent to which people perceive work as a central life interest. More central interest in work Work more hours

Values across Cultures: Hofstede’s Study Geert Hofstede questioned over 116,000 IBM employees in 40 countries about work-related values. Five basic dimensions along which work-related values differed across cultures: Power distance Uncertainty avoidance Masculinity/femininity Individualism/collectivism Long-term or short-term orientation

Power Distance The extent to which an unequal distribution of power is accepted by society members. In small power distance cultures, inequality is minimized, superiors are accessible, and power differences are downplayed. In large power distance cultures, inequality is accepted as natural, superiors are inaccessible, and power differences are highlighted. e.g., movie theatre versus lumber company

Uncertainty Avoidance The extent to which people are uncomfortable with uncertain and ambiguous situations. Strong uncertainty avoidance cultures stress rules and regulations, hard work, conformity, and security. Cultures with weak uncertainty avoidance are less concerned with rules, conformity, and security; risk taking is valued. Canada is well below average (exhibits weak uncertainty avoidance) Question: Advantages? Disadvantages?

Masculinity/Femininity Masculine cultures clearly differentiate gender roles, support the dominance of men, and stress economic performance. Feminine cultures accept fluid gender roles, stress sexual equality, and stress quality of life. Canada ranked about mid-pack

Individualism/Collectivism Individualistic societies stress independence, individual initiative, and privacy. Collective cultures favour interdependence and loyalty to family or clan. Question: Any guesses where Canada falls?

Long-term/Short-term Orientation Cultures with a long-term orientation stress persistence, perseverance, thrift, and close attention to status differences. Cultures with a short-term orientation stress personal steadiness and stability, face-saving, and social niceties. China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea tend to be characterized by a long-term orientaion. Canada and the United States are more short-term oriented.

What Are Attitudes? A fairly stable tendency to respond consistency to some specific object, situation, person, or category of people. They involve evaluations directed toward specific targets. They are relatively stable. Belief + Value = Attitude  Behaviour

What Is Job Satisfaction? A collection of attitudes that workers have about their jobs. Two aspects of satisfaction. Facet satisfaction refers to the tendency for an employee to be more or less satisfied with various facets of the job: The work itself Compensation Career opportunities

Overall Job Satisfaction Overall satisfaction is an average or total of the attitudes individuals hold toward various facets of the job. My research: Comparison of job satisfaction between permanent and contingent workers Contingent workers experience lower job satisfaction Certain types of workers (e.g., agency workers) experience more unfavorable psychological outcomes than other contingent workers (e.g., direct-hire workers, self-employed workers)

What Determines Job Satisfaction? A person’s job satisfaction is determined by a number of factors: Discrepancy Fairness Disposition Mood and emotion

Discrepancy Theory A theory that job satisfaction stems from the discrepancy between the job outcomes wanted and the outcomes that are perceived to be obtained. There is strong evidence that satisfaction with one’s pay is high when there is a small gap between the pay received and the perception of how much pay should be received.

Fairness There are three basic kinds of fairness: Distributive fairness (the outcomes we receive) Procedural fairness (the process that led to those outcomes) Interactional fairness (how these matters were communicated to us) Some people think that interactional fairness is really comprised of two types of fairness Interpersonal and Informational

Distributive Fairness Fairness that occurs when people receive what they think they deserve from their jobs. It involves the distribution of work rewards and resources. Individuals want “what’s fair.” Equity theory provides a way of understanding how people determine what is fair.

Equity Theory A theory that job satisfaction stems from a comparison of the inputs one invests in a job and the outcomes one receives in comparison to the inputs and outcomes of another person or group. My outcomes = Other’s outcomes My inputs Other’s inputs Question: You and I do the same job but I get paid $10 more an hour than you. Is this fair?

Procedural Fairness Fairness that occurs when the process used to determine work outcomes is seen as reasonable. It is concerned with how outcomes are decided and allocated. It is particularly relevant to outcomes such as performance evaluations, pay raises, promotions, layoffs, and work assignments.

Procedural Fairness In allocating outcomes, the following factors contribute to perceptions of procedural fairness. The allocator: Follows consistent procedures over time and across people. Uses accurate information and appears unbiased. Allows two-way communication during the allocation process. Welcomes appeals of the procedure or allocation.

Interactional Fairness Fairness that occurs when people feel that they have received respectful and informative communication about an outcome. Interactional fairness is important because it is possible for absolutely fair outcomes or procedures to be perceived as unfair when they are inadequately or uncaringly explained.

Individual Exercise Read case incident “How much do you get paid?” Answer the following two questions: According to equity theory, how will these incidents influence Joan’s job satisfaction and behaviour? What should Joan do in response to her situation? What should her organization do? Be prepared to report back to the class

Disposition Could your personality contribute to your feelings of job satisfaction? People who are extraverted and conscientious tend to be more satisfied with their jobs. Those high in neuroticism are less satisfied. People who are high in self-esteem and internal locus of control are more satisfied. People who are optimistic and proactive report higher job satisfaction.

Mood and Emotion Emotions are intense, often short-lived feelings caused by a particular event such as a bad performance appraisal. E.g., I’m so mad at my boss for giving me a lousy annual performance review because I made that big mistake last week. (Question: What type of perceptual error is this?) Moods are less intense, longer-lived, and more diffuse feelings. E.g., I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

Affective Events Theory How do emotions and moods affect job satisfaction? Organizational events and happenings can provoke emotions and influence moods depending on how they are appraised. Emotions and moods can in turn influence job satisfaction. Emotions and Moods e.g., happy Job Satisfaction Work Event e.g., promotion

Emotional Contagion Mood and emotion can also influence job satisfaction through emotional contagion. Emotional contagion is the tendency for moods and emotions to spread between people or throughout a group. E.g., Debbie Downer clip from SNL

Emotional Regulation Mood and emotion can also influence job satisfaction through emotional regulation. Emotional regulation is the requirement for people to conform to certain “display rules” This is often referred to as “emotional labour.” E.g., in customer service jobs may need to smile and be pleasant despite customers’ behaviour

Emotional Regulation In some jobs, employees must exaggerate positive emotions while in others they must suppress negative emotions. The frequent need to suppress negative emotions can lower job satisfaction and increase stress. Some research suggests that the need to express positive emotions improves job satisfaction.

Consequences of Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction has a number of consequences: Absence from work Turnover Performance Organizational citizenship behaviour Customer satisfaction and profit

Absenteeism Less satisfied employees are more likely to be absent. E.g., may call in sick when not really sick Satisfaction with the content of the work is the best predictor of absenteeism. The absence-satisfaction connection is not very strong.

Turnover Turnover refers to resignation from an organization and it can be very expensive. Research indicates a moderately strong connection between job satisfaction and turnover. Less-satisfied workers are more likely to quit. Question: What type of commitment could explain why some dissatisfied people stay in their jobs?

Question Are happy employees productive employees?

Performance Research has found that job satisfaction is associated with higher job performance. BUT, satisfied workers will not be necessarily more productive and productive workers are not necessarily satisfied The most important facet for predicting performance is the content of the work itself. When good performance is followed by rewards, employees are more likely to be satisfied. Job Satisfaction Job Performance

Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) Voluntary, informal behaviour that contributes to organizational effectiveness. Job satisfaction is strongly related to OCB. The different forms of OCB: Helping behaviour and offering assistance. Conscientiousness to the details of work. Being a good sport. Courtesy and cooperation.

Customer Satisfaction and Profit How does employee satisfaction translate into customer satisfaction? Reduced absenteeism and turnover contribute to the seamless delivery of service (continuity of service) OCBs stimulate good teamwork Good mood among employees can be contagious for customers

Individual Exercise Think about someone you know who worked at an organization for a very long time. WHY do you think they stayed for so long? How long did they stay?

Work Commitment Organizational commitment is an attitude that reflects the strength of the linkage between an employee and an organization. There are three different types of organizational commitment: Affective commitment Continuance commitment Normative commitment

Affective Commitment Commitment based on a person’s identification and involvement with an organization. People with high affective commitment stay with an organization because they want to. I feel like part of the family at this company Working here has a great deal of personal meaning I would be very happy to spend the rest of my career here Question: Advantages? Disadvantages?

Continuance Commitment Commitment based on the costs that would be incurred in leaving an organization. People with high continuance commitment stay with an organization because they have to. Pay, pensions, benefits, etc. It would be hard for me to leave, even if I wanted to One disadvantage of leaving this firm is the scarcity of available job alternatives Question: Advantages? Disadvantages?

Quiz Question What factor would be most likely to boost continuance commitment? A) A generous pension fund B) Organizational ideology C) Interesting work D) Moving to a new community E) Friendly supervision

Normative Commitment Commitment based on ideology or a feeling of obligation to an organization. People with high normative commitment stay with an organization because they think they should do so. I owe a great deal to my company I would feel guilty if I quit this firm I feel a sense of obligation to this firm Question: Advantages? Disadvantages?

Group Activity Divide into groups of 5 - 6 people Refer back to everyone’s paragraph that was written. As a group, discuss what forms of organizational commitment are evident in each person’s paragraph. Pick one example to report back to the class

Questions?

Summary A good “fit” between the values of employees and their supervisors and organization enhances job attitudes and behaviours. Job Satisfaction Affects many behaviors that are not directly related to performance (e.g., absenteeism, OCBs) Fostering commitment is important Continuance commitment lower performance, while affective commitment increases performance

For Next Class Read chapters 5 and 6 on motivation

Form Groups Let’s now form the groups for the movie assignment Pick your movie or TV show Within your groups, talk about the expectations that you have of each other Exchange contact information