3 C H A P T E R Individual Differences and Work Behavior IDENTIFY the major individual variables that influence work behavior. DESCRIBE how attributions influence our behavior. DISTINGUISH between stereotyping and prejudice. EXPLAIN what an attitude is, and identify its three components. DISCUSS the relationship between job satisfaction and performance. DESCRIBE the major forces influencing personality. IDENTIFY the Big Five personality dimensions. DISCUSS several important personality factors. C H A P T E R

Individual Differences The ASA Framework Attraction Selection Organizational Behavior Attrition

Understanding Work Behavior Personal Environment Heredity Manager’s Role Includes: Observing and recognizing the differences Studying relationships between variables that influence individual behavior Discovering and predicting relationships

Understanding Work Behavior Individual Variables Affecting Behavior Heredity Factors Abilities and Skills Perception Attitudes Personality

Understanding Work Behavior Abilities A person’s talent to perform a mental or physical task Generally stable over time Skills A learned talent that a person has acquired to perform a task Change over time as one’s training and experiences change

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Emotional Intelligence Involves: The ability to understand individuals to act wisely in human relations EQ abilities in five areas: Self-awareness Managing emotions Motivating oneself Empathy Handling relationships

Perception Perception is the cognitive process by which an individual selects, organizes, and gives meaning to environmental stimuli. People generally perceive stimuli that satisfy: Needs Emotions Attitudes Self-concept See Exhibit 3.2

Similar-to-me perception error Misperception Misperception is the cognitive process by which an individual selects and organizes, but misinterprets, environmental stimuli. Similar-to-me perception error Interviewers rate candidates who are similar in appearance, background, and interests higher than candidates who are dissimilar.

Stereotyping Stereotyping is a useful, even essential, way of categorizing individuals (or events, organizations, etc.) on the basis of limited information or observation. Prejudice Perceptual inaccuracies Negative consequences Social injustices Usefulness Makes sense out of our environment Increases efficiency Stereotyping

Understanding Work Behavior The Manager’s Characteristics Knowing oneself makes it easier to see others accurately One’s own characteristics affect the characteristics identified in others Persons who accept themselves are more likely to see favorable aspects of other people

Perception and Behavior Distinctiveness The degree to which a person behaves similarly in different situations Consistency The degree to which a person engages in the same behaviors at different times Consensus The degree to which other people are engaging in the same behavior Attribution Theory suggests that it is the perceived cause of events, not the actual ones, that influence people’s behavior.

Systematic Errors or Biases Fundamental Attribution Error Self-Serving Bias is a tendency for people to take credit for successful work and deny responsibility for poor work. is a tendency to underestimate the importance of external factors and overestimate the importance of internal factors.

Management Implications Attitudes An Attitude is a mental state of readiness learned and organized through experience, exerting a specific influence on a person’s response to people, objects, and situations with which it is related. Management Implications Attitudes are learned Attitudes define one’s predisposition toward given aspects of the world Attitudes provide the basis of one’s interpersonal relations and identification with others Attitudes are organized and are close to the core of personality

Components of Attitudes Cognitive A person’s perceptions, opinions, and beliefs. Behavior The tendency for a person to act in a certain way toward someone or something. Attitudes Affect The emotional component and often learned.

Understanding Attitudes and Behavior Cognitive Dissonance Describes the discrepancy between attitudes and behaviors. An attitude held might suggest behavior different from or even opposed to actual behavior engaged in by the individual. The inconsistency between beliefs and behavior. Solving the discrepancy means changing attitudes or behaviors.

Attitudes and Job Satisfaction Factors Associated with Job Satisfaction Pay Work itself Promotion opportunities Supervision Coworkers Working conditions Job security

Job Satisfaction and Performance THREE VIEWS Job satisfaction causes job performance Job performance causes job satisfaction The job satisfaction-job performance relationship is moderated by other variables such as rewards RESEARCH RESULTS First two views show mixed, but generally weak results The third view suggests that they are related only under certain conditions

Personality Personality refers to a relatively stable set of feelings and behaviors that have been significantly formed by genetic and environmental factors. Personality is a product of Nature and Nurture Nature Hereditary forces Nurture Pattern of life experiences

Extroversion Emotional Stability Agreeableness Conscientiousness The Big Five Personality Model (Five factors central to describing personality) Extroversion Emotional Stability Agreeableness Conscientiousness Openness

Personality and Behavior Selected Personality Traits Locus of control determines the degree to which people believe their behaviors influence what happens to them Internals Externals Self-efficacy relates to personal beliefs regarding competencies and abilities Magnitude Strength Generality Creativity involves the ability to break away from habit-bound thinking and produce novel and useful ideas