Influencing Attitudes and Changing Behaviours in the Work Place

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Emeka Anazia, ACIPM,MITD, MATD, MHRD

Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority Workshop

Attitude: manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person

or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind

Behaviour: observable activity in a human or animal. the aggregate of responses to internal and external

stimuli.

“Attitude is everything”?

Do you agree? What’s your take?

Attitude might not really be “everything’’

In many situations, it is the single most significant determining

factor of success.

Though innate/implicit and enduring predispositions,

Attitudes are learnt

…..and influenced by a number of factors

Faith/Belief

Learning – diverse avenues

External environment, etc

It is a key element in producing a quality product or service

it is greatly influenced by management

Attitude produces behaviour

Repeated behaviours form habits

Employee attitude about the product, about the work, their manager

and about the company will determine the quality of the work

Do we really need to be concerned about employee attitudes and behaviours?

Is it possible to influence/change people’s attitudes and behaviours?

How can we achieve this in the workplace?

the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the

actions, behaviour, opinions, etc., of others

the action or process of producing effects on the

actions, behaviour, opinions, etc., of another or others

to make the form, nature, content, future

course, etc., of (something) different from

what it is or from what it would be if left alone

to transform or convert into

People are rational Information processing

Can be motivated to listen to a communication, learn it and

incorporate it into their repertoire of responses

…….When this learning is rewarded

People are social beings

Need and use other people as a basis of self-knowledge

Regulate their behaviours in accordance to the group norms and

demands of the surrounding environment.

List 5 behaviours in your organization that are

helpful

List 5 other that hurt the organization

What efforts have been used to address them?

Were they effective? Why?

Things to Think of When Influencing Change in Attitudes

1. What an audience thinks of the communicator

2. The more extreme the opinion change that the communicator asks for, the more actual

change s/he is likely to get. 3. The audience's attention to the communication and

comprehension of the arguments, examples and appeals are crucial to help changing attitudes.

Things to Think of When Influencing Change in Attitudes

4. The audience's initial position at the star

5. The greater the discrepancy between the message and the recipient's initial position, the greater the attitude

change

6. With extreme discrepancy (and low credibility sources) there is a falling off in attitude change.

3 major theories of behaviour change

Key variables of behaviour

change models

Link between behaviour

change and attitude.

The Key elements of Behaviour Change

Ways to maximize on

these variables

Theories of Behaviour Change

People are driven not by inner forces, but by external factors

An interaction between behaviour, personal and environmental factors

Environmental - Situational influences

Environment in which behaviour is preformed while

Personal - Instincts, drives, traits, and other individual motivational forces

Social Cognitive theory

These variables may also intervene in the process of behaviour change

Self-efficacy — A judgment of one’s ability to perform the behaviour

Outcome Expectations — A judgment of the likely consequences a behaviour will produce

Self-Control — the ability of an individual to control their behaviours

Reinforcements — something that increases or decreases the likelihood a behaviour will continue

Social Cognitive theory

Emotional Coping

the ability of an individual to cope with emotional stimuli

Observational Learning

the acquisition of behaviours by observing actions and

outcomes of others’ behaviour

Social Cognitive Theory

To increase levels of self-efficacy it may be important to provide resources and support to raise individual confidence

To raise self-efficacy behaviour change should be

approached as a series of small steps

Application to Practice

Even with a strong sense of efficacy, people may not perform the behaviour if they have no incentive.

If we are interested in getting others to enact behaviour

change, it may be important to

provide incentives and rewards for the behaviours

Application to Practice

Shaping the environment may encourage behaviour change.

this may include providing opportunities for behavioural change, assisting with those

changes, and offering support

Recognize environmental constraints that might

deter behaviour change.

Application to Practice

Behaviour is dependent on one’s intention to

perform the behaviour

Intention is determined by an individual’s attitude (beliefs and values about the outcome of the

behaviour) and subjective norms (beliefs about what other people think the person should do

….and individual’s perceived behavioural control

Theory of Planned Behaviour

Behaviours are often linked with one’s personal motivation

This suggests that it may be important to present information to help shape positive attitudes towards the behaviour

Stress subjective norms or opinions that support the behaviour

For perceived behavioural control to influence behaviour change, a person must perceive that they have the ability to perform the behaviour

Perceived control over opportunities, resources, and skills needed is an important part of the change process.

Attitude

Application to Practice

Change as a process of six stages

Precontemplation

stage in which people are not intending to make a change in

the near future [usually 6 months]

Stages of Change Model

Contemplation

people intend to change (within the next 6 months)

People in this stage are aware of the pros of

changing but also can identify the cons

Stages of Change Model

Preparation

people have a plan of action and intend to take action in

the immediate future (within a month)

Action

people make the behaviour change

Stages of Change Model

Maintenance

people work to prevent relapse

Termination

individuals have 100 percent efficacy and will maintain their behavior

Maintenance State is the most difficult to sustain, so many people

remain a lifetime in maintenance

Stages of Change Model

it is essential to match behavior change

interventions to people’s stages

For example, if an individual is in the

Precontemplation stage it is important

to raise their awareness about a behavior in order for them to

contemplate making a behavior change

Application to Practice

Without a planned intervention, people will remain stuck in the early stages due to a lack of

motivation to move through the stages

Series of activities that have received empirical support,

which help individuals progress through the stages

Application to Practice

Consciousness

Raising

increasing awareness of the causes (providing educational materials, confrontation, media

campaigns, feedback, etc.)

Dramatic Relief

producing an emotional experience which is

followed by a reduced affect if some action can

be taken (personal testimonies, media campaigns, drama)

Self-reevaluation

inviting individuals to make cognitive and

emotional assessments of their self image (clarify values, provide healthy models, using imagery)

environmental re-evaluation

assessments of how the presence or absence of a

behavior might impact one’s social environment (documentaries, personal

stories, family interventions)

Application to Practice

Communicator characteristics are very important

You are more likely to succeed if you have high credibility (i.e.

expertise, trustworthiness).

Think about what tactic to use.

Sometimes emotional appeals works, sometimes factual or sometimes even

fear appeals! (There is a positive relationship between fear arousal and

attitude change.)

Tips to Effectively Influencing Change in

Attitudes

Audience will be more influenced if the communicator

first acknowledges the audience's initial position

Think of your order of arguments - argument

presented last is the most effective.

Tips to Effectively Influencing Change in

Attitudes

Concluding Remarks

Questions

Comments

THANK YOU

emeka.anazia@gmail.com

08023146630

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