Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Personality, Perception, and Attribution Chapter 3 Organizational Behavior

Copyright ©2009South-Western, a division

of Cengage Learning All rights reserved

Personality, Perception,

and Attribution

Chapter 3 Organizational

BehaviorNelson & Quick, 6th edition



Individual Differences

Individual Differences - the way in which factors such as skills, abilities, personalities, perceptions, attitudes, values, and ethics differ from one individual to another



Variables Influencing Individual Behavior

The person Skills & abilities Personality Perceptions Attitudes Values Ethics

The environment Organization Work group Job Personal life

BehaviorBehavior



B = f(P,E)

Interactional Psychology

Interactional psychology - a psychological approach that says in order to understand human behavior, we must know something about the person and about the situation



Propositions of Interactional Psychology

• Behavior is a function of a continuous, multi-directional interaction between person and situation

• Person is active in process– Changed by situations – Changes situations

• People vary in many characteristics• Two situational interpretations

– The objective situation– Person’s subjective view of the situation



Definition of Personality

Personality -

A relatively stable set of characteristics that influences an individual’s behavior

Photos courtesy of Clips Online ©2008 Microsoft Corporation



Personality Theories

Trait Theory - understand individuals by breaking down behavior patterns into a series of observable traits

Integrative Approach - describes personality as a composite of an individual’s psychological processes



Big Five Personality Traits

Extraversion Gregarious, assertive, sociable

Agreeableness Cooperative, warm, agreeable

Conscientiousness Hardworking, organized, dependable

Emotional stability Calm, self-confident, cool

Openness to experience

Creative, curious, cultured

SOURCES: P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae, The NEO-PI Personality Inventory (Odessa, Fla.: Psychological Assessment Resources, 1992); J. F. Salgado, “The Five Factor Model of Personality and Job Performance in the European Community,” Journal of Applied Psychology 82 (1997): 30-43.



Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits Locus of Control

Internal External

I control what happens to me!

People and circumstances control my fate!




Core Self-Evaluation (CSE) Traits

Self-Efficacy - beliefs and expectations about one’s ability to accomplish a specific task effectively

Sources of self-efficacyPrior experiences and prior successBehavior models (observing success)PersuasionAssessment of current physical & emotional capabilities



Self-EsteemFeelings of Self-Worth

Success tendsto increaseself-esteem

Failure tendsto decreaseself-esteem




High self monitors– flexible: adjust

behavior according to the situation and the behavior of others

– can appear unpredictable & inconsistent

Low self monitors– act from internal states

rather than from situational cues

– show consistency– less likely to respond to

work group norms or supervisory feedback

Self-MonitoringBehavior based on cues from others & situations




Who Is Most Likely to . . .Low-self monitors

High-self monitors

Get promoted

Change employers

Make a job-related geographic move

Accomplish tasks, meet other’s expectations, seek out central

positions in social networks

Self-promote

Demonstrate higher levels of managerial self-awareness;

base behavior on other’s cues and the situation



Positive Affect - an individual’s tendency to accentuate the positive aspects of oneself, other people, and the world in general

Negative Affect - an individual’s tendency to accentuate the negative aspects of oneself, other people, and the world in general




Personality Characteristics in Organizations

A strong situation can overwhelm the effectsof individual personalitiesby providing strong cuesfor appropriate behavior




Strong personalitieswill dominatein a weaksituation

Personality Characteristics in Organizations




Four Measures of Personality

Projective Test - elicits an individual’s response to abstract stimuli

Behavioral Measures - personality assessments that involve observing an individual’s behavior in a controlled situation



Four Measures of Personality

Self-Report Questionnaire - assessment involving an individual’s responses to questions

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - instrument measuring Jung’s theory of individual differences.



Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Based on Carl Jung’s theories– People are fundamentally different– People are fundamentally alike– People have preference combinations

for extraversion/introversion, perception, judgment



Based on Carl Jung’s theories– Human similarities/differences

understood by combining preferences• Ways of doing things• Extraversion or introversion

– No preferences better than others– Understand, celebrate, and

appreciate differences

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator



Myers Briggs Type Indicator

Briggs & Myers developed the MBTI to understand individual differences by analyzing the combinations of preferences



MBTI Preferences

Preferences Represents

Extraversion Introversion How one

re-energizes

Sensing INtuiting How one gathers

information

Thinking Feeling How one makes decisions

Judging Perceiving How one orients to the

outer world



MBTI Scales

ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ

ISTP ISFP INFP INTP

ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP

ESTJ ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ

Introverts

Extroverts

Sensing Types Intuitive TypesSOURCE: Modified and reproduced by special permission of the Publisher. CPP, Inc. Palo Alto, CA 94303 from Introduction to Type, Sixth Edition by Isabel Briggs Myers. Copyright 1998 by CPP, Inc. All rights reserved. Further reproduction is prohibited without the publisher’s written consent.



Uses of MBTI

• Identify learning and teaching styles• Decide on careers (Example: many

managers are ESTJs)• Determine decision making style• Determine management style• Build teams



Social Perception

Model

Social Perception

Target Characteristics• Physical appearance• Verbal communication• Nonverbal cues• Intentions

Perceiver Characteristics• Familiarity with target• Attitudes/Mood • Self-Concept• Cognitive structure

Situational Characteristics• Interaction context• Strength of situational cues

Barriers • Selective perception• Stereotyping• First-impression error• Projection• Self-fulfilling prophecies



Impression ManagementImpression Management -

process by which individuals try to control the impression others have of them– Name dropping– Appearance– Self-description– Flattery– Favors– Agreement with opinion




Attribution Theory

Attribution theory - explains how individuals pinpoint the causes of their own behavior or that of others

Internal attribution - attributing success to ability or effort

External attribution - attributing success to sources beyond your control



Attribution Biases

Fundamental Attribution Error - tendency to make attributions to internal causes when focusing on someone else’s behavior

Self-serving Bias - tendency to attribute one’s own successes to internal causes and one’s failures to external causes



Chapter 3: Reflect & DiscussThe Breakfast Club Video Clip

What to Watch for and Ask Yourself• Which Big-Five personality dimensions describe

each character in this scene?• Which characters show positive affect? Which

show negative affect?• Refer to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

section in this chapter. Which of the 16 types shown in Table 3.3 best describes each character? Why?

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Copyright ©2009 South-Western, a division of Cengage Learning All rights reserved Personality, Perception, and Attribution Chapter 3 Organizational Behavior