Work-Related Attitudes: Prejudice, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment Chapter Five

Work-Related Attitudes: Prejudice, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment

Chapter Five

© Copyright Prentice-Hall 20042

Three Good Reasons Why You Should Care About . . . Work-Related AttitudesWork-Related Attitudes

1. We are all potential victims of prejudice and discrimination on the job; nobody is immune

2. The more people are satisfied with their jobs and committed to their organizations, the less likely they are to be absent and voluntarily resign

3. Changing attitudes is not impossible. There are specific things that practicing managers and their organizations can do to enhance the work-related attitudes of employees (attitudes are learned)


Job Attitudes (Morale)Work-related attitudes are the thoughts and feelings people have about everything related to their jobs, whether it’s the work itself, superiors, coworkers, subordinates, or even the food in the company cafeteriaFour major targets to consider: Prejudice: attitudes toward others Job satisfaction: attitudes toward the job as a whole; pay,

supervision, etc. (measures cognitive component) Organizational commitment: attitudes toward the organization Job involvement: job activities are the specific target


Anatomy of PrejudiceStereotypes are beliefs that people who belong to certain groups possess certain characteristicsPrejudice may be defined as negative feelings about people belonging to certain groupsDiscrimination is a form of negative behavior associated with a given stereotype


Prejudice versus DiscriminationPrejudice is an attitude consisting of negative beliefs (known as stereotypes), negative feelings about those beliefs, and negative predispositions toward people described by those stereotypes. These attitudes sometimes (but not always) lead to behavior

consistent with that attitude – that is, discrimination


Bases for Prejudice

Age Physical Condition Gender (being female) Sexual Orientation Race and National Origin Religion


Women at the Top


Managing a Diverse WorkforceAffirmative Action Plans generally involve efforts to give employment opportunities to qualified individuals belonging to groups that traditionally have been disadvantagedDiversity Management Programs are efforts to celebrate diversity by creating supportive, not just neutral, work environments. They can also be used to train people to embrace individual differences


Affirmative Action


Diversity Management Practices


Theories of Job Satisfaction

Two-factory theory (Herzberg’s motivational theory)

Value theory (Expectancy) Social information processing

model Disposition model


Two-Factor Theory

A theory that conceives of satisfaction and dissatisfaction as separate variables, rather than conceiving of job satisfaction as falling along a single continuum


Value Theory

A theory that focuses on discrepancies between what people want from a job and what they actually receive from the job, particularly in terms of outcomes that they value highly (e.g., pay, learning opportunities)

Satisfaction is a function of unmet expectations.


Social Information Processing Model

The idea that people’s attitudes toward their jobs are based on information they get from other people

Attitudes can be learned by observing others on the job (Schein’s: Organizational Socialization-’learn the ropes’.


Dispositional Model

The conceptualization proposing that job satisfaction is a relatively stable disposition of an individual – that is, a characteristic that stays with people across situations


Consequences of Job DissatisfactionEmployee WithdrawalEmployee Withdrawal: Actions such as chronic absenteeism and voluntary turnover (i.e., quitting one’s job) that enable employees to escape from adverse organization situationsJob Performance: Job Performance: no relationship, one reason no relationship, one reason since people don’t control their job activities since people don’t control their job activities directlydirectly Organizational Citizenship BehaviorsOrganizational Citizenship Behaviors: Activities that enhance social relationships and cooperation with the organization but go beyond formal job requirements


Do Attitudes Predict Behavior (not always)

If strongly held and no outside influencesIf strongly held and no outside influencesSpecific attitude predicts specific behavior: Specific attitude predicts specific behavior: specific attitude against littering leads to specific specific attitude against littering leads to specific behavior of no litteringbehavior of no littering General attitude does not predict behaviorGeneral attitude does not predict behavior: General attitude towards the environment does not predict specific behavior of littering.


Job Satisfaction and Absence


Turnover Unfolding model of voluntary turnoverUnfolding model of voluntary turnover: A

conceptualization that explains the cognitive processes through which people make decisions about quitting or staying on their jobs

Decision depends on: Shock to the systemShock to the system: An attention-getting event that gets

employees to think about their jobs (e.g., merger with another company)

Decision framesDecision frames: A set of internalized rules and images regarding how to interpret something that has occurred (e.g., based on what I know from the past, is there an obvious response?)


Promoting Job Satisfaction

Pay people fairly (intrinsic rewards) Improve the quality of supervision Decentralize organizational power Match people to jobs that fit their

interests Job enrichment


Lawler-Porter ModelPerformance leads to Job Satisfaction (JS)

Performance leads to: Intrinsic rewardsIntrinsic rewards: Higher order

motivators such as feeling good about a job well done. (strong relationship to JS)

Extrinsic rewardsExtrinsic rewards: (weak relationship)

Rewards lead to satisfaction moderated by perceived equity of the reward


Organizational Commitment The extent to which an individual identifies and is involved

with his or her organization and/or is unwilling to leave it Continuance CommitmentContinuance Commitment: The strength of a person’s

desire to continue working for an organization because he or she needs to do so and cannot afford to leave

Affective CommitmentAffective Commitment: The strength of a person’s desire to work for an organization because he or she agrees with its underlying goals and values

Normative CommitmentNormative Commitment: The strength of a person’s desire to continue working for an organization because he or she feels obligations from others to remain there


Organizational Commitment


Why Commitment Matters

Committed employees are less likely to withdraw

Committed employees are willing to make sacrifices for the organization


Developing Commitment

Enrich jobs Align the interests of the

company with those of the employees

Recruit and select new employees whose values closely match those of the organization


Changing Attitudes

CommunicatorCommunicator: Prestige and TrustMessage: logical argument, fear, repetitionMedium: face-to-face

ProcessProcess: Elaboration Likelihood ModelCentral processing: cognitivePeripheral processing: expert source


Other Theories (changing attitudes) Cognitive Dissonance (Festinger)Cognitive Dissonance (Festinger): After choosing one of

two job offers, the accepted job is viewed more positively and the job not accepted is viewed more negatively.

Self-perception theory (Bem)Self-perception theory (Bem): Behavior determines attitude, ‘if I keep talking to this person I must like this person’.

Reactance Theory (Brehm)Reactance Theory (Brehm): People cherish their freedom, and when they lose control they fight to regain their freedom. If told you can’t have something you like it even more and increase your drive to attain it.

Balance Theory (Heider)Balance Theory (Heider): People like to have their beliefs consistent with the beliefs of people they like.

Documents

Work-Related Attitudes: Prejudice, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment Chapter Five