Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
mobile phone to
SILENT mode
during class
session
Thank you for
your cooperation
Chapter
Foundations
of
Individual
Behavior
OBJECTIVES
LEARNING
Biographical Characteristics
Biographical Characteristics
Personal characteristicssuch as age, gender,
marital status, race and tenure (length of
service with an organization) that are
objective and easily obtained from personnel
records.
Biographical Characteristics
1. Age
Three reasons that the relation of age and job performance
likely to be an issue of increasing importance:
1. There is a widespread belief that job performance declines
with age. Not always true
2. Aging workforce (workers 55 and older are currently the
fastest-growing sector of the labor force).
3. U.S. legislation outlaws mandatory retirement (today the
workers no longer have to retire at the age of 70).
Biographical Characteristics
Number of qualities that older workers bring to their jobs:
Positive:
Specifically
Experience
Judgment
Strong work ethic
Commitment to quality
Less likely to quit the job
Negative:
Perceived as lacking flexibility
Resistant to new technology
Fewer alternative job opportunities
Biographical Characteristics
2. Gender
No consistent gender differences in problem-solving ability,
analytical skills, competitive drive, motivation, sociability or
learning ability.
No significant gender differences in job productivity and
affect job satisfaction.
Women are more willing to conform to authority
Women have higher rates of absenteeism
Men are more aggressive and more likely to have
expectations of success.
Biographical Characteristics
3.
Marital Status
Married employees have fewer absence.
Undergo less turnover.
More satisfied with their jobs.
Marriage imposes increased responsibilities that may
make a steady job more valuable and important.
4. Tenure
The longer a person is in a job, the less likely he or she is
to quit.
Tenure on an employees previous job is a powerful
predictor of that employees future turnover.
Tenure and job satisfaction are positively related.
Tenure and absence is quite straightforward.
Number
Numberaptitude
aptitude
Verbal
Verbalcomprehension
comprehension
Perceptual
Perceptualspeed
speed
Inductive
Inductivereasoning
reasoning
Deductive
Deductivereasoning
reasoning
Spatial
Spatialvisualization
visualization
Memory
Memory
E X H I B I T 21
E X H I B I T 21
a. Number of Aptitude
Ability to do speedy and accurate arithmetic.
ex: Accountant: computing the sales tax on a set of items.
b. Verbal Comprehension
Ability to understand what is read or heard and the
relationship of words to each other.
ex: Plant Manager: following corporate policies.
Physical Abilities
Physical Abilities
The capacity to do tasks
demanding stamina, dexterity,
strength, and similar
characteristics.
Other
OtherFactors
Factors
7.7.Body
Bodycoordination
coordination
8.8.Balance
Balance
9.9.Stamina
Stamina
Flexibility
FlexibilityFactors
Factors
5.5.Extent
Extentflexibility
flexibility
6.6.Dynamic
Dynamicflexibility
flexibility
E X H I B I T 22
E X H I B I T 22
Employees
Abilities
Ability-Job
Fit
Jobs Ability
Requirements
Learning
Learning
Any relatively permanent change in behavior
that occurs as a result of experience.
Learning
Learning
Involves
Involveschange
change
Is
Isrelatively
relativelypermanent
permanent
Is
Isacquired
acquiredthrough
throughexperience
experience
Learning
Several components that clarify learning:
1. Learning involves change (good or bad)
2. The change must be relatively permanent.
3. Learning concern with change in behavior.
4. Some form of experience is necessary for learning.
Three Theories of Learning:
1. Classical Conditioning
2. Operant Conditioning
3. Social Learning
Theories of Learning
Classical Conditioning
A type of conditioning in which an individual
responds to some stimulus that would not
ordinarily produce such a response.
Key
KeyConcepts
Concepts
Unconditioned
Unconditionedstimulus
stimulus
Unconditioned
Unconditionedresponse
response
Conditioned
Conditionedstimulus
stimulus
Conditioned
Conditionedresponse
response
Key
KeyConcepts
Concepts
Reflexive
Reflexive(unlearned)
(unlearned)behavior
behavior
Conditioned
Conditioned(learned)
(learned)behavior
behavior
Reinforcement
Reinforcement
ex:
Instructor says that if you want a high grade in the course,
you must supply correct answers on the test.
A commissioned salesperson wanting to earn a sizable
income finds that doing so is depend on generating high
sales in his territory.
E X H I B I T 23
E X H I B I T 23
Types of Reinforcement
Four Methods of Shaping Behavior
1. Positive Reinforcement
Following a response with something pleasant.
ex: The boss who praises an employee for a job well
done.
2. Negative Reinforcement
Following a response by the termination or withdrawal
of something unpleasant.
ex: If your college instructor ask a question and you
dont know the answer, looking through your
lecture notes is likely to preclude your being called
on.
Types of Reinforcement
3. Punishment
Causing an unpleasant condition in an attempt to
eliminate an undesirable behavior.
ex: Giving an employee a two-day suspension from
work without pay for showing up drunk is an
example of punishment.
4. Extinction
Eliminating any reinforcement that is maintaining a
behavior (when the behavior is not reinforced, it tends
to be gradually extinguished.
ex: College instructors who wish to discourage
students from asking questions in class can
eliminate this behavior in their students by
ignoring those who raise their hands to ask
questions.
Types of Reinforcement
A review of research findings on the impact of reinforcement
upon behavior in organizations concluded that:
1. Some type of reinforcement is necessary to produce a
change in behavior.
2. Some types of rewards are more effective than others for
use in organizations.
3. The speed with which learning takes place and the
permanence of its effect will be determined by the timing
of reinforcement.
Two major types of reinforcement schedules:
1. Continuous Reinforcement
2. Intermittent Reinforcement
Schedules of Reinforcement
Continuous Reinforcement
A desired behavior is reinforced
each time it is demonstrated.
Intermittent Reinforcement
A desired behavior is reinforced
often enough to make the
behavior worth repeating but not
every time it is demonstrated.
Variable-Interval Schedule
Rewards are initiated after a
fixed or constant number of
responses.
Fixed-ratio
E X H I B I T 24
E X H I B I T 24
E X H I B I T 25
E X H I B I T 25
E X H I B I T 25 (contd)
E X H I B I T 25 (contd)
Behavior Modification
OB Mod
The application of reinforcement concepts
to individuals in the work setting.
Five
FiveStep
StepProblem-Solving
Problem-SolvingModel
Model
1.
1. Identify
Identifycritical
criticalbehaviors
behaviors
2.
2. Develop
Developbaseline
baselinedata
data
3.
3. Identify
Identifybehavioral
behavioralconsequences
consequences
4.
4. Develop
Developand
andapply
applyintervention
intervention
5.
5. Evaluate
Evaluateperformance
performanceimprovement
improvement
Behavior Modification
1. Identify Critical Behaviors
The behaviors that make a significant impact on
the employees job performance. These are
those 5 to 10 percent of behaviors that may
account for up to 70 or 80 percent of each
employees performance
Behavior Modification
4. Develop and Apply Intervention
Once the functional analysis is complete, the
manager is ready to develop and implement
an intervention strategy to strengthen
desirable performance behaviors and weaken
undesirable behaviors. Such strategy is
performance-reward linkage
Behavior Modification
OB Mod has been used by a number of
organizations:
1. To improve productivity.
2. To improve friendliness toward customers.
3. To reduce errors.
4. To reduce absenteeism.
5. To reduce tardiness.
6. To reduce accident rates.
Behavior Modification
Some Specific Organizational Applications
1. Substituting well pay for sick pay
2. Disciplining problem employees
produces an immediate change in the employees behavior.
3. Developing effective employee training programs
Offer a model to grab the trainees attention, provide
motivational properties, help the trainee to file away what he
learned for later use, provide opportunities to practice new
behaviors, offer positive rewards for accomplishment, allow the
trainee some opportunity to transfer what he has learned to the
job.
4. Applying learning theory to self-management
Learning techniques that allow individuals to manage their
own behavior so that less external management control is
necessary.
Importance of Education
Most advanced societies invest heavily in the education
of their young
Job Training
For individuals who dont go on to college, most will
pursue job-training programs to develop specific workrelated skills
Manipulating of Rewards
Complex compensation programs are designed by
organizations to reward employees fairly for their work
performance
Risk Avoidance
Ancient hunter-gatherers who survived werent
big risk takers. They were cautious. When
were comfortable with the status quo, we
typically see any change as risky and, thus,
tend to resist it
Male Competitiveness
Males in early human societies frequently had to
engage in games or battles in which there were clear
winners and losers. Winners attained high status, were
viewed as more attractive mates, and were more likely
to reproduce