CHAPTER 14

Foundations of Individual Behavior

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Individual Behavior
Individual behavior refers to how individual behaves at

work place , to how his behavior is influenced by his attitude, personality, perception, learning and motivation.
This also refers to the combination of responses to

internal and external stimuli.

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 Is it really necessary to know about individual behavior

when working in an organization?

What will be the outcome if managers have thorough

knowledge in reading and dealing with different individual behaviors of employees in the workplace

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Study Questions
How do perceptions influence individual behavior? 2. What should we know about personalities in the workplace? 3. How do attitudes influence individual behavior? 4. What are the dynamics of emotions, moods, and stress?
1.

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Work and Workplace

Work can be both satisfying and dissatisfying Workplace with satisfied employees presents a positive

environment which more likely leads the organization to success

Workplace with dissatisfied employees is seen to have an

unpleasing environment which mostly causes the organizations miscarriage

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Ambition
Desire to achieve or to accomplish something Shows through personality as a sense of competitiveness

and a desire to be the best at something

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Ambition, according to Ram Charan

Separates those people who perform from those who

dont Propels individual leaders and their companies to strive to reach their potential Leaders need a healthy dose of it to push themselves and others

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Personal Differentiators
Ambition Drive Tenacity Confidence Openness To achieve To solve To persevere To act To Experience

Realism
Learning Integrity

To accept
To grow To fulfill

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HOW DO PERCEPTIONS INFLUENCE INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR?

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Perception

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Perception
The process through which people receive, organize and

interpret information from the environment Yourself Other people Daily life experiences
People have different perception over things and situations Culture, values, gender, age, People behave according to these perceptions

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Perception
Example

Fisherman VS Surfer

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Psychological Contracts
Psychological contracts are sets

of promises or expectations that are exchanged between the parties in an employment relationship.

The Psychological Contract

represents, in a basic sense, the obligations, rights, rewards, etc., that an employee believes he/she is 'owed' by his/her employer, in return for the employee's work and loyalty.

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Contributions

Inducements

Contributions

Inducements

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 Diagram A shows an unbalanced scale with more load on

the contribution side.

In this situation, the employee benefits less in the relationship

because his contribution is not given equivalent inducements Example: An employee on overtime is paid with the compensation amount for a regular shift

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 Diagram B shows an unbalanced scale with more load on

the inducements side.

In this situation, the employer benefits less in the relationship

because the inducements are not given equivalent work contributions. Example: An employer gave his employees their salary equivalent for a week. At the end of the week, the employees turned out to produce work equivalent for 4 days.

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Ideal Situation
In this situation, the
Contributions Inducements

employee and the employer benefit fairly in the relationship.

This situation

promotes positive aura, harmony, coordination and cooperation in the workplace.

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Perception and Attribution

Attribution the process of developing explanations for events influenced by ones own perception

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Fundamental Attribution Errors

In this situation, an observer perceive

another persons/groups performance problems as due more to internal failures of the person/group than external factors relating to the environment.
Example: When a student fails to turn in a homework assignment, a teacher is too ready to assume that the student was too lazy to finish the homework, without sufficiently taking into account the situation that the student was in.

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Self-serving Bias

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Self-serving Bias
Explain personal success by internal causes and personal

failures by external causes.

In this attribution, the situation and reasons are always

favorable to the ones self.

It seems to show that you dont have the capability of

committing mistakes

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 Example: You fail to meet the deadline

for your paper and complain that you were not given enough time to finish it. But the truth is, you just spent those times allotted for completing that paper playing dota.

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 Example: Bragging out to all your

friends that you pass the exam even without reviewing because you are born and innately intelligent.

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Perceptual Tendencies and Distortions

Stereotypes are generalizations about a group of people whereby we attribute a defined set of characteristics to this group.
These classifications can be positive or

negative.
Common stereotypes
Gender Racial and ethnic Ability Age

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Halo Effect
It occurs when one attribute is used

to develop an overall impression of a person or situation.

Example:

A sales professional is proficient at

bringing in new accounts and generating revenue, so he is promoted to the position of vice president of sales. Unfortunately, he does not know the first thing about being a company executive.

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Selective Perception
Refers to the tendency to single out for attention those

aspects of a situation or person that reinforce ones existing beliefs, values, or needs. Tendency to define problems from ones own point of view.

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Projection
It is the assignment of personal

attributes to other individuals.

Example: An HR officer interviews an

applicant. Upon the interview, the interviewer knew that they share the same interests in books. By knowing this, the HR officer accepted the applicant, assuming that the applicant is as equally effective as he is.

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Impression Management

Impression Management

Impression management is the act of slightly bending the truth so as to ensure that others are not harmed or insulted by your statements as well as to make yourself appear in the best possible light. The systematic attempt to influence how others perceive us
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Impression Management Techniques

Dressing Formally and

Maintaining Personal Appearance

Avoiding Negative Issues Slightly Exaggerating Positive

Points
Downplaying Negative Factors
Controlling Body Language

WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT PERSONALITIES IN THE WORKPLACE?

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Personality
Refers to the profile of the

characteristics making a person unique from others. It is the particular combination of emotional, attitudinal, and behavioral response patterns of an individual. Refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving.

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BIG FIVE Personality Dimensions

Extraversion Degree to which someone is outgoing, sociable, and assertive. Agreeableness Degree to which someone is good-natured, cooperative, and trusting. Conscientiousness Degree to which someone is responsible, and careful. Emotional Stability Degree to which someone is relaxed, secure, and unworried Openness to experience Degree to which someone is curious, open to new ideas, and imaginative.

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Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

It is a sophisticated questionnaire that probes into how

people act or feel in various situations.

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Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Extravert vs Introvert Sensing vs Intuitive Thinking vs Feeling (Decision Making) Judging vs Perceiving (Work Style)

(Social (Gathering Interaction) Data)

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 Personal Conception Trait Describing how people, by personality, tend to relate with the environment Emotional Adjustment Trait Describing how people are inclined toward handling stress and uncomfortable situations

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Additional Personality Traits

Openness Locus of control

Emotional Stability

Authoritarianism

Conscientiousness

Type A Orientation

Agreeableness

Machiavellianism

Extroversion

Individual Personality Variations

Self-monitoring

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 Locus of Control Is the extent to which one believes that what happens is within ones control
Internals are more self-confident and accept responsibility for their own

actions Externals are more prone to blame others and outside forces for what happens to them

Authoritarianism Is the degree to which a person tends to defer to authority and accepts status differences

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 Machiavellianism Describes the extent to which someone is emotionally detached and manipulative
High-Mach personality is viewed as exploitive and unconcerned to

others Low-Mach personality is differential in allowing others to exert power over him or her

Self-monitoring Is the degree to which someone is able to adjust behavior in response to external factors

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 Type A Personality Is a person oriented toward extreme achievement, impatience, and perfectionism
Patterns of Behavior in Type A Personality
Always moving, walking, and eating rapidly Acting impatient, hurrying others, put off by waiting Doing, or trying to do, several things at once Feeling guilty when relaxing Hurrying or interrupting the speech of others Trying to schedule more in less time Using nervous gestures such as tapping fingers or clenching fist

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HOW DO ATTITUDES INFLUENCE INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR?

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Attitude
It is a predisposition to act in a certain way toward people

and things in our environment

Three components of an Attitude
Cognitive components- reflects a belief or an opinion

Affective or Emotional component- reflects a specific feeling

Behavioral component- reflects an intention to behave in a manner

consistent with the beliefs and feeling

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 Cognitive dissonance Describes the discomfort felt when ones attitude and behavior are consistent Job Satisfaction Is the degree to which an individual feels positive or negative about various aspects of work

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Satisfaction Facets
Work itself Does the job offer responsibility, interest, challenge? Quality of supervision Is task help and social support available? Co-workers How much harmony, respect , friendliness exists? Opportunities Are there avenues for promotion, learning, growth? Pay is compensation, actual and perceived, fair and substantial?

Work Conditions Do conditions offer comfort, safety, support?

Security Is the job and employment secure?

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 Withdrawal Behavior Occur as temporary absenteeism and actual job turnover

Absenteeism- workers who are more satisfied with their jobs are absent

less often than those who are dissatisfied Turnover- satisfied workers are more likely to stay and dissatisfied workers are more likely to quit their job

Employee engagement Is willingness to help others do extra, and feeling positive about the organization

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 Job Involvement The extent to which an individual is dedicated to a job Organizational Citizenship Is a willingness to go beyond the call of duty or go the extra mile in ones work

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WHAT ARE THE DYNAMICS OF EMOTIONS, MOODS, AND STRESS?

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Emotions, Moods, and Stress

Emotions Are strong feelings directed toward someone or something Emotional Intelligence Is an important human skill for managers and an essential leadership capability Ability to understand emotions and manage relationships

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Mood
Moods Are more generalized positive and negative feelings or states of mind that may persist for some time Mood Contagion The spill over effects of ones mood onto others

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Stress
Stress A state of tension caused by extraordinary demands, constraints or opportunities Stressors Things that cause stress

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Outcomes of Stress
Constructive Stress Also called eustress Acts in a positive way to increase effort, stimulate creativity, and encourage diligence in ones work Destructive Stress Also called distress Is dysfunctional and impairs the performance of an individual

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 Job Burnout Physical and mental exhaustion that can be personally incapacitating Workplace rage Aggressive behavior toward co-workers and the work setting in general

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Stress Management
Is the systematic way of dealing with stress in order to

maintain a good performance in work and promote healthy living

Personal Wellness The pursuit of ones full potential through a personal health promotion program

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