You and the Organisation

KM, 2015, IIMIDR

ANCHORS OF OB

KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Two fundamental assumptions: 1. dynamic nature of organisation as a open

system, 2. and there is NO one best approach

Anchors

Systematic research OB should study organizations using

anchor
systematic research methods
Multidisciplinary
anchor

OB should import knowledge from other

disciplines, not just create its own
knowledge

Contingency anchor OB theory should recognize that the

effects of actions often vary with the
situation
Multiple level of
analysis anchor

OB events should be understood from

three levels of analysis: individual, team,
organisations
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Types of Study Variables

Independent (X)
n

Dependent (Y)

The presumed cause of the

change in the dependent
variable (Y).
This is the variable that OB
researchers manipulate to
observe the changes in Y.

n
n

This is the response to X

(the independent variable).
It is what the OB
researchers want to predict
or explain.
The interesting variable!

Predictive Ability

Eg, Hawthorne studies

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What managers do?

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Management Functions
n Planning
n Organising
n Coordinating
n Controlling

Fayol

KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Management Roles
n
n
n

Interpersonal
Informational
Decisional

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Management Skills
n Technical Skills
n

The ability to apply specialized knowledge or

expertise

n Human Skills
n

The ability to work with, understand, and

motivate other people, both individually and in
groups

n Conceptual Skills
n

The mental ability to analyze and diagnose

complex situations
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Effective vs Successful Managerial

Activities
n Four types of managerial activity:
n

Traditional Management
n

Communication
n

Exchanging routine information and processing

paperwork

Human Resource Management

n

Decision making, planning, and controlling

Motivating, disciplining, managing conflict,

staffing, and training

Networking
n

Socializing, politicking,
and interacting with others
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Successful vs. Effective Allocation

by Time

Managers who got promoted faster (were successful) did different things
than did effective managers (those who did their jobs well)

KM, 2015, IIMIDR

VALUES, ATTITUDES AND

BEHAVIOR
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Values
Basic convictions on how to conduct yourself or how
to live a life that is personally or socially preferable
How To live life properly.
Viewed as a conception, explicit or implicit, of what
an individual or a group regards as desirable, and in
terms of which he or they select, from among
alternative available modes, the means and ends of
action. Judgemental Element
Beliefs: what is known about the world (eg, life
after death, walking under ladder brings ill luck)
Values: what
should be and what is desirable
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Some issues.
n Stable
n Enduring
n Significant portion is established in early

years through socialisation

n Some research says that values may be
partly determined by our genetically
transmitted traits.

KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Values
nAttributes of Values:
n
n

Content Attribute: says that a mode of conduct or endstate of existence is important

Intensity Attribute: just how important that content is

nValue System
n
n

A persons values rank ordered by intensity

Tends to be relatively constant and consistent
Eg, freedom, pleasure, self respect, honesty, obedience,
equality
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Importance of Values
n Provide understanding of attitudes, motivation, and

behaviors
n

Eg, you view that pay should be based on performance, but in

your orgn, it is based on seniority disappointment, less
output.

n Influence our perception of the world around us

n

Eg, tit for tat is the best

n Represent interpretations of right and wrong

n Imply that some behaviors or outcomes are preferred

over others
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Classifying Values Rokeach

Value Survey
n Terminal Values (18 items)
n

Desirable end-states of existence; the goals that a person

would like to achieve during his or her lifetime
n

Eg, true friendship, a comfortable life

n Instrumental Values (18 items)

n

Preferable modes of behavior or means of achieving ones

terminal values
n

Eg, responsible, ambitious

n People in same occupations/categories tend to hold similar values

n
n

But values vary between groups

Value differences make it difficult for groups to negotiate and
2015, IIMIDR
may createKM,conflict

Attitudes
Evaluative statements or judgments concerning
objects, people, or events
I dont like lazy people
Three components of an attitude:
Affective
Cognitive

The opinion or
belief segment of
an attitude
(evaluating)

The emotional or
feeling segment of
an attitude
(feeling)

Behavioral

I believe that my boss is lazy

Attitude
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

An intention to behave
in a certain way toward
someone or something
(action)
I try to avoid boss when I can

Does Behavior Always Follow from

Attitudes?
n Leon Festinger No, the reverse is sometimes true!
n Cognitive Dissonance: Any incompatibility between two or more

attitudes or between behavior and attitudes people who will change what
they say so it doesnt contradict their behavior.
n

Individuals seek to reduce this uncomfortable gap, or dissonance,

to reach stability and consistency

Consistency is achieved by changing the attitudes, modifying the

behaviors , or through rationalization (deny any linkage of smoking
and health or brainwash about benefit of smoking or rationalise benefits)

Desire to reduce dissonance depends on:

Importance of elements creating it (eg bribe taking)
Degree of individual influence in the situation (eg, it is institutionalised)
Rewards involved
in dissonance (eg, reward here is great)
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PERCEPTION

KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Environment is complex
Construct simplified models that extract the

essential features
Essential features may not capture all the
complexity

KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Environment is complex
The simplified model is likely to be:
Categorical thinking organising people or objects
in pre-conceived categories stored in long term
memory to achieve closure, eg, ex-servicemen are
disciplined
Mental models: broad world views or theories-inuse that people rely on, eg, how to behave in a
organisation
Selective Attention: Filtering information received
by our senses; perceivers expectations and innate
drives also adds to it, eg, footsteps of boss.
Application hearing customer voice.
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Source: McShane & Glinow 2007: 45-46

Perceptions and Emotions

Perception - Process through which we

assign meaning to the world around us

Nothing but simplified models that we
construct to deal with environment complexity
We decide what to notice, how to categorise
this information, and how to interpret within the
framework of our existing knowledge
The world as it is perceived is the world that is
behaviorally important.

.
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Factors That Influence Perception

Perceiver:
- Attitudes
- Motives
Oragnisation
- Interests
and arrangement - Experience
Situational Factors:
- Expectations
of stimuli
- Time
- Work setting: Role
Perception
- Social setting
Perceived:
- Novelty
Pattern
- Background
- Proximity
Stimuli
Selection of
- Similarity
from the
stimuli:
Logic and meaning
- Size
environment Screening or to the individual
- Reputation

filtering

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of behavior

Attribution
Attribution The process through which

individuals attempt to determine (that is,

judge) the causes behind their own and
others behavior
Correspondent Inferences - based on one

evidence. Judging disposition based on

behavior:
n

I have seen an action (aankhon dekhi) and

come to judgement about his disposition, traits
and characteristics (remember Laage Raho
Munnabhai)
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Competency Mapping & Assessment Process, Performance Appraisal,

Interview process

Attribution

Causal Attribution: Asking the question

why?

Internal causes of behavior: explanations based on

actions for which the individual is responsible
External causes of behavior: explanation based on
situations over which the individual has no control

To know if the action is caused due to internal or

external factors :
Consensus: others behave in same manner
Consistency: does he behave in same fashion in
other such situations
Distinctiveness: does he behave in same fashion
KM, 2015, IIMIDR
in other contexts

Systematic Biases in attribution

Self serving bias: Tendency to attribute external causes for

our failures and internal causes for success. It is our success

but their failure.
Fundamental attribution error: Tendency to attribute internal
causes when focusing on someone elses behavior. We blame
people first, not the situation. This is so because it is easier to
explain others action in terms of traits/disposition rather than
complex pattern of situational factors that may have impacted
their actions.

KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Perceptual biases: predispositions that

people have to misperceive others in various ways:
SHORTCUTS IN JUDGING OTHERS!!!
Selective perception: Selectively interpret what they see
based on their own interests, background, experience and
attitudes. The tendency to focus on some aspects of the
environment while ignoring others. We tend to be selective as
it narrows down our perceptual field. We select based on our
interests, background, experience, and attitudes

Which department contributes the most..

Eye of the Beholder

Similar-to-me effect: perceive people positively who are

believed to be similar to the perceiver. This applies with

several dimensions of similarity work values and habits,
belief about the way things should be done, similarity to
demographic variables, etc.

Empathize with people and

relate better who are similar to us
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Systematic Biases in attribution

Halo / Horn effect:
Drawing a general impression about a person based on a

single characteristic like appearance, sociability, etc.

Tendency for our overall impressions of others to affect
objective evaluations of their specific traits; perceiving high
correlations between characteristics that may be unrelated.
Link certain traits

Multiple reviewers
Evidence of team halo effect: when performance is good, entire
team is seen to be responsible; when it was bad, individual team
members are held accountable.

Self fulfilling prophecy (Pygmalino/Golem effect):

Perception effect reality. When our expectations about

another person cause that person to act in a way that is
KM, 2015, IIMIDR
consistent with those expectations.

Eg, peptalk by the CEO.creation of +ve organisational behavior.

Systematic Biases in attribution

Contrast effect: evaluations of a persons characteristics

that are affected by comparisions with other people

recently encountered who rank higher or lower on the
same characteristics.
Sequencing during interview
Stereotyping: Judging someone based on ones
perception of the group to which that person belongs.

KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Systematic Biases in attribution

First Impression error: The tendency to base our

judgement of others on our initial impressions of them.

Research tells us that first impression tend to be lasting, at
least in short run!
Projection: attributing ones own characteristics to

other people.

Project ones own undesirable personal characteristics

on others: Eg, a lazy supervisor may presume other is
also lazy and complaint that manager did not work
hard enough to get him resources
Project ones own feelings on others: Frightened
manager during organisation change finds various
KM, 2015, IIMIDR
policy decisions more frightening than they are

Emotions and U
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Emotional Labor
An employees expression of organizationally desired
emotions during interpersonal transactions at work.
nEmotional Dissonance:

Employees have to project one emotion while

simultaneously feeling another
n Can be very damaging and lead to burnout
nTypes of Emotions:
n Felt: the individuals actual emotions
n Displayed: required or appropriate emotions
n Surface Acting: displaying appropriately but not
feeling those emotions internally: DISPLAYED
EMOTIONS
n Deep Acting: changing internal feelings to match
display rules - very stressful: FELT EMOTIONS
n

Affective Events Theory (AET)

You experience a very +ve reaction to this Pat

Task demand
Role demand
Good Job

Boss gave a pat on the back

Mood congruence

Many enjoyable
encounters with
others in course
of a work day
High degree of +ve affect
& ingood mood
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Circumplex Model of Affect

n All emotions generate a global evaluation (core affect) that

something good or bad, helpful or harmful, to be

approached or to be avoided ie, all emotions
communicate that perceived object/event (context) is
either +ve or ve.
n All emotions produce some level of activation (energy or
motivational force)
n Theory of emotional behavior based on:
n
n

degree to which emotions are pleasant or unpleasant, and

degree to which it makes one feel alert and engaged
(activation)

n Combination of these decide AFFECT positive or

negative, activated or unactivated

KM, 2015, IIMIDR
n Presented in a two dimensional circular space

Vertical axis: arousal;

Horizontal axis: valence (intrinsic attractiveness/aversiveness of a event/object, etc)
Emotions within each grouping are similar to one another.
Those across from one another are considered opposite emotions
Activated (High Energy)

Low-Pleasantness

High-Pleasantness

Low -ve affect

Low +ve affect

KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Un-Activated (Low Energy)

The ability to detect and to manage emotional cues and information

Definition
n EI refers to the ability to monitor ones own and

others feelings and emotions, to discriminate

among them and to use this information to guide
ones thinking and actions. (Salovey & Mayer: 1990: 189)
n Five dimensions:
n
n
n
n
n

Self awareness: aware of what you are feeling

Self management: to manage emotions & impulses
Self motivation: persist in the face of setbacks & failures
Empathy: to sense how others are feeling
Social skills: to handle emotions of others

The capacities to create optimal results in your

relationships with others EI
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

The Five Dimensions

- Empathy
- Emotional Self
- Listener
Awareness
Self
Empathy
- Attuned to
Awareness - Accurate Self
feelings
Assessment
Feeling for others
Introspection
- Coaching
- Self Confidence
- Service
Orientation
EI
- Self Control
- Mood Maker
- Consciousness
- Inspirational
Social
- Transparency
leadership
Skills
Self
- Trustworthiness
- Influence
Ability to make friends
Management - Initiative
- Change catalyst
- Optimism
Delay of gratification
- Achievement
- Conflict Management
- Performance
Decisive life skill Orientation
Orientation
Motivation
- Adaptability
- Perseverance
anger, anxiety,
Persistence

KM, 2015, IIMIDR

sadness

Personality and U
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Dynamic organisation within the individual of those psychophysical systems

that determine his unique adjustments to his environment

Personality

Enduring characteristics that influence an

individuals behavior (personality traits)

Sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and

interacts with others (observable patterns of
behavior)
Generally, it is considered to be stable and consistent.
Usually described in terms of the measurable traits a
person exhibits.
Dynamic concept describing the growth and
development of a persons whole psychological system;
it looks at some aggregate whole that is greater than
the sum of the parts. KM, 2015, IIMIDR

How it develops?
n Heredity
n Brain : evolutionary psychologists (hardwired from

distant past to behave)

n Socialisation process

Environment: Eg, in USA, themes of industriousness,

success, competition, independence and protestant work ethic,
leads their citizens to be ambitious and aggressive.

n Person-situation interaction
n Self Esteem: a persons self-perceived competence

and self image

n Sort of a global, relatively fixed trait
Personality becomes more stable over time is that we form a
clearer and more rigid self concept as we get older. Who I am
serves as an anchor for our behaviour brain tries to keep our
behaviour consistent with our self-concept

Interactionist perspective = effect of traits are likely to be strongest in relatively

weak situations, and vice versa. Organisation settings tend to be strong
situations as they have rules and regulations that define acceptable behavior and
punish deviant behavior, and informal norms that dictate appropriate behavior
Behavior in army

Behavior is function of continuous, multidirectional

interaction between person and the situation

The person is active in this process and is changed
by situations and changes situations.
People vary in many characteristics, including
cognitive, affective, motivational, and ability factors.

The Person:
Skills and abilities
Personality
Perception
Attribution
Attitudes
Values Ethics

The Environment:
Organisation
Work Group
Job
Personal life
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Personality Studies: two approaches

Nomothetic:

Collection of group data to identify, measure and compare

Trait theory: Breaks down behavior pattern into series of
observable traits: enduring characteristics that describe an
individual behavior
Tend to view environmental and social influences as
minimal, personality as consistent, largely inherited and
resistant to change
What this means for a manager?
Power of trait to predict behavior:
The more consistent the characteristic, the more
frequently it occurs, the more important it is.
Can help in employee
selection,
job fit, and career
KM, 2015,
IIMIDR
development.

Personality Studies: two approaches

Idiographic:

Self unique interaction with the world

Personality development is open to change

What this means for a manager?

So, for a manager, this provides an opportunity to create
situation that mould the personality for enabling behavior
Coaching, mentoring can have impact

KM, 2015, IIMIDR

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

n Participants are classified on four axes to determine one of 16

possible personality types, such as ENTJ.

Sociable,
Quiet, Shy,
Interactive,
Concentrating,
Assertive,
Reflective,
Source of
Outgoing,
Thinks, and
Extroverted
Introverted
(E)
(I)
energy
Speaks &
then speaks
then thinks
Unconscious
Practical and
Processes, look at big
Sensing
Intuitive
Orderly, prefer
picture, General
Gathering,
(S)
(N)
routine, Details,
possibilities,
Processing
Concrete,
Theoretical, Abstract
information
Thinking
Feeling
Specific
Uses Values & Emotions,
(T)
(F)
Use
Reason
Evaluate &
Heart, Subjective,
and Logic to handle
Making
Circumstances, Mercy
problems,
Rules,
decisions
Judging
Perceiving Flexible and
Justice
(J)
(P)
Spontaneous, openEngaging
Want Order
ended, exploring,
with outer
& Structure, Time oriented,
opportunity focused
world
Organized, Decisive

The Types and Their Uses

n Each of the sixteen possible combinations has a name,

for instance:
n
n

Visionaries (INTJ): original, stubborn, and driven

Organizers (ESTJ): realistic, logical, analytical, and businesslike: most
of 7463 managers studied were ESTJ.
Conceptualizers (ENTP): entrepreneurial, innovative, individualistic,
and resourceful

n High reliability and validity for identifying types, and its

linkage to learning style, teaching style and choice of

occupation.
n Great tool for self-awareness and counseling.

n Should not be used as a selection test for job

candidates.KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Nomothetic: The Big Five Model;

Taps into five basic dimensions
Trait

What it means

Conscientiousness

The person is responsible, hardworking, organised,

persistent and dependable, goal-focused, thorough,
methodical: RELIABILITY

Agreeableness

The person is cooperative, warm, and agreeable,

trusting, helpful, good-natured, considerate, generous,
flexible: PROPENSITY TO DEFER TO OTHERS

Neuroticism
Emotional
stability

Anxious, insecure, self-conscious, depressed,

temperamental, hostility, self-consicousness
The person is calm, self-confident, and cool: ABILITY TO
WITHSTAND STRESS

Openness
to
experience

The person is creative, curious, cultured, imaginative,

unconventional, perceptive, autonomous : FASCINATION
WITH NOVELTY, RANGE OF INTERETS

Extraversio
n
Exercise

The person is gregarious, assertive, and sociable,

KM, 2015, IIMIDR
talkative, energetic,
outgoing: COMFORT LEVEL WITH
RELATIONSHIPS

Personality and workplace (situational factors

and characteristics of those in setting have an impact)
n Traits reflects an individuals behavioural tendencies

.predicting some workplace behaviour & outcomes

n Cluster around the broad characteristics of:
n CAlowN = getting along
n OEClowN = getting ahead
n C and lowN = best predicts individual performance in almost
every job group energize a willingness to fulfil work obligation
(C) with established rules and to allocate resources to
accomplish those tasks (lowN)
(Caveat= less than 10% of performance is due to personality trait of C.
Generally speaking, C=> on performance, job satisfaction, motivation)
n More specific types of employee behaviour:
n E = sales and management jobs
n A = team based, customer relations, conflict handling situations
n O = creative and adaptable to change

Big Five Traits

n What happens if you donot like your personality trait?
n Put your best foot forward. Personality is not
synonymous with behavior
n Find an organization that suits you. Not all organizational
cultures are for everyone. Big corporations tend to be tilted
toward extraverts..
n Time is on your side. As people age, their scores
on conscientiousness and agreeableness increase rather
dramatically, and neuroticism decreases (emotional stability
increases) substantially.
n Realize that all traits have upsides and downsides.
Extraverted people are more impulsive and more likely to be
absent. Conscientious individuals adjust less well to change.
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IIMIDR
Open people are more likely
have accidents. Agreeable
people are less successful in their careers

Psychometric tests
n They make decisions about people:
n
n

More systematic
More precise

n They predict future performance and reduce

uncertainty
n They provide more accurate descriptions of
people and their behavior
n But,
n

Tests should be seen as an additional source of

information only
Practice may have effect on test results
KM, 2015, IIMIDR

Core Self Evaluation: best dispositional

predictor of job satisfaction and performances
A persons fundamental evaluation of themselves. The degree to which
a person likes or dislikes himself, whether he sees himself as capable
and effective, whether he feels he has control over environment.
In assessing who we are, people rely on four aspects of personality:
n Self Esteem: Overall value one places on oneself as a person. Self
perceived competence (welcome challenging tasks) and self image.
Sort of a global, relatively fixed trait
n Generalised self efficacy: A persons beliefs about his capacity to
perform specific tasks successfully (confidence that they can do well
whatever they do. Associate work with success so tend to be
satisfied with job). Situational and context specific
n Locus of control: The extent to which a person feel that they are
able to control things in a manner that affects them
n Emotional stability: The tendency to see oneself as confident,
KM, 2015, IIMIDR
secure, steady