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

2. 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.

3. 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

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

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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. Methods of Shaping Behavior
Positive reinforcement
Negative reinforcement
Punishment
Extinction

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

13. Schedules of Reinforcement

14. 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

15. 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.