1. Foundations of Individual Behavior
Chapter 3
Foundations of Individual Behavior

2. Chapter Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter you should be able to:
Explain the nature of the individual-organization relationship.
Define personality and describe personality attributes that affect behavior in organizations.
Discuss individual attitudes in organizations and how they affect behavior.
Describe basic perceptual processes and the role of attributions in organizations.
Explain how workplace behaviors can directly or indirectly influence organizational effectiveness.
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

3. People in Organizations
Psychological Contract
A person’s overall set of expectations regarding what he or she will contribute to the organization and what the organization, in return, will provide to the individual
Individuals contribute effort, skills, ability, time, loyalty
Organizations provide inducements in the form of tangible/intangible rewards
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

4. Figure 3.1 The Psychological Contract
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

5. People in Organizations
Person-Job Fit
The extent to which the contributions made by the individual match the inducements offered by the organization
Individual Differences
Personal attributes that vary from one person to another
JOB
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

6. Personality and Organizations
The “Big Five” Personality Traits
A set of fundamental traits that are especially relevant to organizations
Agreeableness
The ability to get along with others
Conscientiousness
The number of goals on which a person focuses
Negative emotionality
Characteristics are moodiness/insecurity
Extraversion
The quality of being comfortable with relationships
Openness
The capacity to entertain new ideas and to change as a result of new information
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

7. Figure 3.2 The “Big Five” Personality Framework
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

8. Personality and Organizations (cont’d)
The Myers-Briggs Framework
Differentiation across four general dimensions
Sensing
Intuiting
Judging
Perceiving
Sixteen personality classifications result from the higher and lower positions of the general dimensions
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a popular questionnaire used to assess personality types
Communications styles
Interaction preferences
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

9. Personality and Organizations (cont’d)
Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
The extent to which people are self-aware, can manage their emotions, can motivate themselves, express empathy for others, and possess social skills
Dimensions of EQ
Self-awareness
Managing emotions
Motivating oneself
Empathy
Social skills
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
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10. Other Personality Traits at Work
Locus of Control
The extent to which a person believes his/her circumstances are a function of either his/her own actions or of external factors beyond his/her control
Self-Efficacy
A person’s beliefs about his/her capabilities to perform a task
Authoritarianism
The belief that power and status differences are appropriate within hierarchical social systems such as organizations
Machiavellianism
Behavior directed at gaining power and control of others
Self-Esteem
The extent to which a person believes he or she is a worthwhile/deserving individual
Risk Propensity
The degree to which a person is willing to take chances and make risky decisions
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

11. Attitudes in Organizations
A person’s complexes of beliefs and feelings about specific ideas, situations, other people
Structural Components of Attitudes
Affect: a person’s feelings toward something
Cognitions: the knowledge a person presumes to have about something
Intention: a component of an attitude that guides a person’s behavior
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

12. Attitudes in Organizations (cont’d)
Cognitive Dissonance
The anxiety a person experiences when he/she simultaneously possesses two sets of knowledge or perceptions that are contradictory or incongruent
Why Attitudes Change
Availability of new information
Changes in the object of the attitude
Object of the attitude becomes less important
To reduce cognitive dissonance
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

13. Attitudes in Organizations
Key Work-Related Attitudes
Job satisfaction
The extent to which a person is gratified or fulfilled by his or her work
Organizational commitment (job commitment)
A person’s identification with and attachment to an organization
Affect and Mood in Organizations
Positive affectivity
Upbeat and optimistic, overall sense of well-being, seeing things in a positive light
Negative affectivity
Downbeat and pessimistic, seeing things in a negative way, seeming to be in a bad mood
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

14. Perception in Organizations
The set of processes by which an individual becomes aware of and interprets information about the environment
Selective perception
Stereotyping
Attribution Theory
We attribute causes to behavior based on our observations of certain characteristics of that behavior
Consensus
Consistency
Distinctiveness
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

15. Figure 3.3 Basic Perceptual Processes
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

16. Figure 3.4 The Attribution Process
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

17. Types of Workplace Behavior
A pattern of action by the members of an organization that directly or indirectly influences organizational effectiveness
Performance Behaviors
All of the total set of work-related behaviors that the organization expects the individual to display
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

18. Types of Workplace Behavior (cont’d)
Dysfunctional Behaviors
Behaviors that detract from organizational performance
Absenteeism: when an individual does not show up for work
Turnover: when people quit their jobs
Organizational Citizenship
The extent to which a person’s behavior makes a positive overall contribution to the organization
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© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning

19. Organizational Behavior in Action
After reading the chapter:
What specifically would convince you that an organization would be likely to honor its psychological contract with you?
What actions could you personally take to increase the person-job fit for your first job after graduation?
Which of the “Big Five” personality traits would be the easiest to fake in an interview? Which would be the hardest?
© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning