Lecture 2 Employee Behavior

Department of Business and Management

Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Influences on Employee Behavior



A Major Purpose of Human Resource Development

• To change employee behavior through training and other incentives



Model of Employee Behavior• Forces that influence behavior:

– External to the employee:• External environment (economic conditions, laws and

regulations, etc.)• Work environment (supervision, organization, coworkers,

outcomes of performance)

– Within the employee:• Motivation, attitudes, knowledge/skills/abilities (KSAs)



The External Environment



Factors in the External Environment

• Economic conditions• Technological changes• Labor market conditions• Laws and regulations• Labor unions

Source: Heneman, Schwab, Fossum & Dyer (1989)



Factors in the Work Environment

• Outcomes• Supervision and leadership• Organization• Coworkers



Influences on Employee Behavior

Factor IssuesOutcomes Types Effect on Motivation

Supervision Leadership Performance Expectations

Organization Reward Structure Organizational Culture Job Design

Coworkers Norms Group Dynamics Teamwork Control of Outcomes



Outcomes Can Influence Employee Behavior

• Personal outcomes• Organizational outcomes

– Both expectancy theory and equity theory predict that employee perceptions of the outcomes they receive (or hope to receive) influences their performance of that behavior.



Supervisor Characteristics• Leadership• Performance expectations (Pygmalion

effect)• Evaluation of efforts



Organizational Influences• Reward structure• Organizational culture• Job design



Coworker Influence• Norms• Group dynamics• Teamwork• Control over outcomes



Motivation• Psychological processes that cause

the arousal, direction, and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal-directed



Motivation Characteristics• Pertains to voluntary behavior• Focuses on processes affecting

behavior such as:– Energizing of effort– Direction of effort– Persistence of effort

• An individual phenomenon



Energizing Effort

• The generation or mobilization of effort



Direction of Effort• Applying effort to one behavior over

another



Persistence• Continuing (or ceasing) to perform a

behavior



Explanations of Work Motivation

• Need-based• Cognitive-based• Noncognitive-based



Need-Based Theories• Underlying needs,

such as needs for survival, safety, power, etc., are what drives motivation

Theories:• Maslow’s hierarchy

of needs theory• Alderfer’s

existence, relatedness, and growth (ERG) theory

• Herzberg’s two-factor theory



Need Activation-Need Satisfaction Process



Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Self-Actualization Needs

Esteem Needs

Belonging & Love NeedsSafety Needs

Survival Needs



Cognitive Theories• Expectancy theory• Goal-setting theory• Social learning theory• Equity theory



Expectancy Theory• Motivation is viewed as a conscious choice• People put their efforts into actions they

can perform to achieve desired outcomes• Three key elements:

– Expectancy – expect effort to result in success– Instrumentality – performance results in reward– Valence – value individual puts on outcome



Expectancy Theory



In Other Words…• You believe you can do it• You believe your performance is linked to

the results• You believe that the results are worth the

effort• You won’t do it if you don’t believe it’s

worth the effort



Goal Setting Theory• Specific, difficult, and understood goals

generally lead to higher performance• Keys to success are the level of difficulty

and the clearness of goals



Social Learning Theory• Self-efficacy – judgment of what you

think you can do with the skills you have

• Major prediction of the theory is that expectations determine:– Whether a behavior will be performed– How much effort will be expended– How long you will perform the behavior



Self-Efficacy and Effort



Equity TheoryMajor assumptions:• If you are treated fairly, you will keep

working well• If you think you are being treated unfairly,

you will change your behavior in order to be treated fairly



Equity Theory



A Noncognitive Theory• Reinforcement theory

– e.g., behavior modification



Complexity of Behavior



Behavior ModificationPrinciples for controlling employee behavior:• Positive Reinforcement• Negative Reinforcement• Extinction – decrease occurrences by

eliminating reinforcement that causes the behavior

• Punishment – introduce an adverse consequence immediately after behavior



A Specific Example• Sleeping in Class:• 1. Warning• 2. Leave class and explain to the Assistant

Dean why you were asked to leave• Too often – you are dropped from the class • Question: Is this positive or negative

reinforcement, and why?



Other Internal Factors That Influence Employee Behavior

• Motivation• Attitudes• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)



Wagner-Hollenbeck Model of Motivation and Performance

By permission: Wagner III and Hollenbeck, 1995



Attitudes• A person’s general feelings of favor or

disfavor towards something• Feelings towards a person, place, thing,

event, or idea• Tend to be VERY stable and hard to change• Attitudes are important in training – e.g.,

does the trainee intend to use the training or ignore it?



Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

• Abilities – general capacities related to the performance of specific tasks

• Skills – combines abilities and capacities, generally the result of training

• Knowledge – understanding of the factors or principles related to a specific subject

• HRD programs mostly focus on changing skills and knowledge



Bloom’s TaxonomyBloom

• Cognitive• Psychomotor• Affective

HRD• Knowledge• Skills/Abilities• Attitudes



Summary• HRD generally seeks to change human

behavior (some efforts to change attitudes)• Behavior is influenced by both external and

internal factors• Worker motivation is the key• We can work on knowledge, skills and

abilities• Attitudes are often where the problem lies

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Lecture 2 Employee Behavior