Griffin Chap 15

7/31/2019 Griffin Chap 15

1/38

Slide content created by Charlie Cook, The University of West Alabama

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Chapter Fifteen

Basic Elements ofIndividual Behavior in

Organizations


2/38

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 152

Learning Objectives

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:1. Explain the nature of the individual-organization

relationship.

2. Define personality and describe personality attributesthat affect behavior in organizations.

3. Discuss individual attitudes in organizations and howthey affect behavior.

4. Describe basic perceptual processes and the role ofattributions in organizations.

5. Discuss the causes and consequences of stress anddescribe how it can be managed.

6. Describe creativity and its role in organizations.

7. Explain how workplace behaviors can directly orindirectly influence organizational effectiveness.


3/38


Understanding Individuals inOrganizations

The Psychological Contract

The overall set of expectations held by anindividual with respect to what he or she

will contribute to the organization and whatthe organization will provide in return.


4/38


Figure 15.1: ThePsychological Contract


5/38


Understanding Individuals inOrganizations (contd)

The Person-Job Fit Reasons for poor person-job fit:

Organizational selection procedures are imperfect.

Both people and organizations change over time.

Adopting new technologies changes the skills needed byemployees.

Each individual is unique and each job is unique.

Individual Differences

Personal attributes that vary from one person toanother. Physical, psychological, or emotional.


6/38


Personality andIndividual Behavior

Personality

The relatively stable set of psychological andbehavioral attributes that distinguish one person fromanother.

The Big Five Personality Traits

Agreeablenessa persons ability to get along withothers.

Conscientiousnessthe number of goals on which aperson focuses.

Negative emotionalitythe extent to which a person iscalm, resilient, and secure.

Extraversiona persons comfort level withrelationships.

Opennessa persons rigidity of beliefs and range of

interests.


7/38


8/38Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 158

The Myers-Briggs Framework

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) A popular questionnaire that some organizations

use to assess personality types. Is a useful method for determining communication styles

and interaction preferences. Has questionable validity and reliability.

Personality Types Extraversion (E) versus Introversion (I)

Sensing (S) versus Intuition (N) Thinking (T) versus Feeling (F)

Judging (J) versus Perceiving (P)



Other PersonalityTraits at Work

Locus of Control The extent to which people believe that their

behavior has a real effect on what happens tothem.

Internal locus of controlindividuals who believe theyare in control of their lives.

External locus of controlindividuals believe thatexternal forces dictate what happen to them.

Self-Efficacy A persons belief about his or her capabilities to

perform a task. High self-efficacy individualsbelieve they can perform well while low self-efficacy individuals doubt their ability to perform.



Other PersonalityTraits at Work (contd)

Authoritarianism

The extent to which an individual believesthat power and status differences are

appropriate within hierarchical socialorganizations.

Machiavellianism

Behavior directed at gaining power andcontrolling the behavior of others.



Other PersonalityTraits at Work (contd)

Self-Esteem

The extent to which a person believesshe/he is a worthwhile individual.

Risk Propensity The degree to which an individual is willing

to take chances and make risky decisions.



Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence, or 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 emotion

Motivating oneself Empathy

Social skill



Attitudes andIndividual Behavior

Attitudes Complexes of beliefs and feelings that people

have about specific ideas, situations, or otherpeople.

Attitudinal Components Affective component

Feelings and emotions toward a situation (i.e., how wefeel).

Cognitive component Perceived knowledge (i.e., why we feel the way we feel).

Intentional component Expected behavior in a given situation (i.e., what we

intend do about the situation).



Attitudes andIndividual Behavior

Cognitive Dissonance

The conflict individuals experienceamong their own attitudes.

The affective and cognitive componentsof the individuals attitude are in conflict

with intended behavior.



Work-Related Attitudes

Job Satisfaction or Dissatisfaction An attitude that reflects the extent to which anindividual is gratified or fulfilled by his or her work.

Job Satisfaction and Work Behaviors

Job satisfaction is influenced by personal, group,and organizational factors.

Satisfied employees are absent less often, makepositive contributions, and stay with theorganization.

Dissatisfied employees are absent more often,may experience stress which disrupts coworkers,and may be continually looking for another job.

High levels of job satisfaction do not necessarilylead to high job performance.


16/38


Work-RelatedAttitudes (contd)

Organizational Commitment

An attitude that reflects an individualsidentification with and attachment to anorganization.

Organizational Commitment and WorkBehaviors

Employee commitment strengthens with anindividuals age, years with the organization,sense of job security, and participation in decisionmaking.

Committed employees have highly reliable habits,plan a longer tenure with the organization, and

muster more effort in performance.


17/38


18/38


19/38


Figure 15.3: PerceptualProcesses


20/38


Perception andIndividual Behavior

Stereotyping

The process of categorizing or labelingpeople on the basis of a single attribute

(e.g., gender and race). Stereotyping may cost the organization

valuable talent, violate federal anti-biaslaws, and is likely unethical.


21/38


Perception and Attribution

Attribution

A mechanism through which we observebehavior and attribute a cause to it.

Ways in Which Attributions Are Formed: Consensus

Consistency

Distinctiveness


22/38


Stress and Individual Behavior

Stress A persons response to a strong stimulus

(i.e., a stressor).

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) The general cycle of the stress process.

Stage 1 Alarm

Stage 2 Resistance

Stage 3 Exhaustion


23/38


Stress and Individual Behavior(contd)

Personality Types Type A personality

Extremely competitive (aggressive), devoted to work,have a strong sense of time urgency (impatient).

Have a lot of drive and want to accomplish as much aspossible as quickly as possible.

Type B personality Less competitive, less devoted to work, have a weaker

sense of time urgency.

Less likely to experience personal stress or to come intoconflict with other people.

More likely to have a balanced, relaxed approach to life.


24/38


Figure 15.4: The GeneralAdaptation Syndrome


25/38


Figure 15.5: Causesof Work Stress


26/38


Causes and Consequences ofStress (contd)

Consequences of Stress Negative personal consequences

Behavioral

Psychological

Medical Negative work-related consequences

Poor quality work output and lower productivity.

Job dissatisfaction, low morale, and a lack ofcommitment.

Withdrawal through indifference and absenteeism.

Burnout A feeling of exhaustion that may develop when someone

experiences too much stress for an extended period oftime.


27/38


28/38


Managing Stress (contd)

Stress Management Strategies forOrganizations

Organizations are partly responsible for stress.

Organizations also bear the costs of stress-relatedclaims.

Organizational wellness/stress managementprograms can be used to promote healthful

employee activities and derive the benefits ofincreased organizational productivity.


29/38


Creativity in Organizations

Creativity The ability of an individual to generate new ideas

or to conceive of new perspectives in existingideas.

The Creative Individual Background experiences and creativity

Many creative individuals were reared in creativeenvironments.

Personal traits and creativity Creative persons have personal traits of openness, anattraction to complexity, high levels of energy,independence, autonomy, strong self-confidence, and astrong belief in their own creativity.


30/38


Creativity in Organizations

The Creative Individual

Cognitive abilities and creativity

Most creative people are highly intelligent.

They are both divergent and convergentthinkers, a skill they use to see differences andsimilarities in situations, phenomena, andevents.


31/38


The Creative Process

Preparation Formal education and training is used to get up to

speed.

Experiences on the job provide additional

knowledge and ideas. Incubation

A period of less intense conscious concentrationduring which knowledge and ideas acquired,

during reparation,mature and develop.

Incubation can be helped by pauses in rationalthought.


32/38


The Creative Process (contd)

Insight A spontaneous breakthrough in which the creative

person achieves a new understanding of someproblem or situation.

Patterns of thought coalesce into a newunderstanding.

Verification Determines the validity or truthfulness of the

insight. Tests are conducted and prototypes are built to

see if the insight leads to the expected results.


33/38


The Creative Process (contd)

Enhancing Creativity in Organizations

Make creativity part of the organizations

culture.

Set goals for revenues from creative productsand services.

Reward creativity; refrain from punishingcreative failures.

Some ideas work out as expected, others dont

work out as intended.


34/38


Types of Workplace Behavior

Workplace Behavior

A pattern of action by the members of anorganization that directly or indirectly

influences organizational effectiveness. Performance Behaviors

The total set of work-related behaviors an

organization expects an individual todisplay.


35/38


Types of Workplace Behavior

Withdrawal Behaviors

Absenteeism occurs when an individualdoes not show up for work when expected

for legitimate or feigned reasons. Absenteeism may be a symptom of other

work-related problems.

Turnover occurs when individuals quit theirjobs for work-related or personal reasons.


36/38


Types of Workplace Behavior(contd)

Organizational Citizenship The behavior of individuals that makes a positive

overall contribution to the organization.

The determinants of organizational citizenship is acomplex mosaic of individual, social, andorganizational variables.

The personality, attitudes, and needs of the individual.

The social context, or work group, in which the individual

works. An organization (and its culture) capable of rewarding

citizenship behaviors.


37/38


Key Terms

contributions psychological contract

inducements

individual differences

personality openness

conscientiousness

negative emotionality

extraversion Big Five personality

traits

locus of control self-efficacy

authoritarianism

Machiavellianism

self-esteem risk propensity

attitudes

cognitive dissonance

emotional intelligence(EQ)

job satisfaction ordissatisfaction


38/38

Key Terms

organizationalcommitment

negative affectivity

perception

selective perception stereotyping

attribution

stress

Type B Type A

General AdaptationSyndrome (GAS)

burnout

creativity

workplace behavior absenteeism

turnover

organizational

citizenship dysfunctional behaviors

Documents

Griffin Chap 15