Chapter 2 Foundations of Individual Behavior Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 9/e Stephen P. Robbins/Timothy A. Judge Chapter 2 Foundations of Individual Behavior

After studying this chapter, you should be able to: Explain the relationship between ability and job performance. Contrast the three components of an attitude. Discuss similarities and differences between job satisfaction and the other job attitudes discussed. Discuss the causes and consequences of job satisfaction. Understand how to shape the behavior of others. Distinguish among the four schedules of reinforcement.

Ability Refers to an individual’s capacity to perform the various tasks in a job Is a current assessment of what one can do Intellectual ability is one of the best predictors of performance The correlation between intelligence and job satisfaction is about zero Employee performance is enhanced when there is a high ability-job fit

Attitudes Evaluative statements – either favorable or unfavorable – concerning objects, people or events Attitudes reflect how one feels about something

Major Components of Attitude Cognition – an opinion or belief Affect – the emotional or feeling segment Behavior – the intention to behave in a certain way

Consistency of Attitudes People seek consistency among their attitudes and between their attitudes and their behavior When there is an inconsistency, the individual may alter either the attitudes or behavior, or develop a rationalization for the discrepancy

Major Job Attitudes Job satisfaction Job involvement Psychological empowerment Organizational commitment Affective commitment Continuance commitment Normative commitment Perceived organizational support Employee engagement

What causes job satisfaction? Work itself – the strongest correlation with overall satisfaction Pay – not correlated after individual reaches a level of comfortable living Advancement opportunities Supervision Coworkers A person’s personality

Effects of Satisfied and Dissatisfied Employees Job performance – strong correlation OCB – modest relationship but more related to conceptions of fair outcomes, treatment and procedures Customer Satisfaction – strong correlation Absenteeism – moderate to weak negative correlation Turnover – moderate negative correlation Workplace deviance – strong correlation

Learning Any relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience. Learning involves change The change must become ingrained Some form of experience is necessary for learning

Methods of Shaping Behavior Positive reinforcement Negative reinforcement Punishment Extinction

Schedules of reinforcement Continuous – reinforces behavior each and every time it is demonstrated Intermittent Fixed or variable ratio Fixed or variable interval

Schedules of Reinforcement

Implications for Managers Ability Effective selection process improves fit Promotion and transfer based on abilities Fine-tune job to better match abilities Attitudes – raise satisfaction by focusing on making work challenging and interesting Learning – Use reinforcement instead of punishment

Summary Explained the relationship between ability and job performance. Contrasted the three components of an attitude. Discussed similarities and differences between job satisfaction and the other job attitudes. Discussed the causes and consequences of job satisfaction. Understand how to shape the behavior of others. Distinguished among the four schedules of reinforcement.