Margie Parikh & Rajen Gupta

Chapter 5

Shaping Attitudes at
Work

Learning Objectives

Discover what are work related attitudes

Explain the meaning of Job Satisfaction,

Commitment and Organisational Citizenship
Behaviour

Discuss the influence of work related attitudes for

organisations on organisations priorities

Present what measures can organisations adopt

in order to shape favorable attitudes at work

What are Attitudes?

Reflect an individuals persistent tendency to think, feel and behave towards
an object in a particular way involving favor or disfavor.

Always towards
something or
someone

Do not change
without effort
and willingness

Tendency
suggests a
default
response to a
given trigger

Western Perspective
Indian Perspective
Attitudes such as Satisfaction, Commitment and Citizenship Behaviour can influence
performance and organisational effectiveness significantly

In the highly individualistic and low

Power distant cultures such as USA, the
strong need for achievement fosters
reward systems based on individual
performance in relation to demanding
and specific goals. These, in turn, might
inhibit OCB, unless countermeasures
were taken to ensure that employees
perceive the organisation as both
procedurally and distributively fair, or
unless the organisation provides other
means by which to strengthen
organisational commitment.

Collectivism suggests a tight social

framework in which people distinguish
between in-groups and out-groups; they
expect their in-group to look after them,
and in exchange for that, they feel they
owe absolute loyalty to it. Further,
traditionally high Power Distance
suggests that employees are less likely to
challenge their leader. Individuals may
do exactly as they are told, thus limiting
OCB. In one culture, employees may
view participative management
positively, while in another, employees
may see it as managerial incompetence.

Organisational Commitment is an
important precondition to voluntary
helping behaviours, OCB.

Expectation of commitment to
organisation itself is little lower because
of the norm that ones primary and
strongest commitment could be to ones
family and community.

Understanding Attitudes Can Help

Understand reasons for employee turnover,

absenteeism, lateness, job search

Improve job performance, increase voluntary

helping behaviour

Manage effectively Job Satisfaction and other

psychological constructs

Better manage employee job and role

characteristics, and

The importance of personal characteristics of the

employee

Job satisfaction and

Organisational Commitment
The two most researched Work Attitudes
Job satisfaction is an emotional state generated by
evaluation or appraisal of ones job experiences
An employee who is satisfied with his/her job is said to
derive happiness or pleasure from his/her job or experience
at the job
It is also a psychological state represented by thoughts
and feelings as its indicators

Organisational Commitment
Organisational commitment has been found to be a
more direct measure of turnover intentions than
satisfaction as it reflects the extent to which an
employee shares the organisational values and goals,
wanting to continue membership of the organisation
and willing to work hard for it.

Components of Commitment

Affective
Involvement
Normative
Continuance

Affective

Describes employees integral attachment to the

organisation
-

He/she identifies with it and has common goals and

objectives, thinks and acts from organisations
perspective and acts on behalf of it.

Involvement

Employee identifies with the job, where work

occupies central position in life.

11

Normative

Denotes extent to which employees values and

beliefs lead him/her to feel that he/she should
stay with the organisation.

Employee could feel so in wake of the investment

that the organisation has made on behalf of
him/her.

Continuance
Employee considers the cost associated with
leaving the organisation. When these are too high,
employee stays back. The costs are determined by
interdependence between the organisation and the
employee, the locational factors and so on.

Organisational Citizenship
Behaviour
Individual behaviour that is discretionary, not
directly or explicitly recognized by the formal
reward system, and in the aggregate promotes the
efficient
and
effective
functioning
of
the
organisation

Providing Organisational Context to

Create Positive Work Attitudes

Encouraging Citizenship Behaviour

Dimensions of OCB: Sportsmanship, Organisational

Loyalty, Individual Initiative, Civic virtue and Self

Development

Two work attitudes relevant to India: Karmayoga

and Work Dedication
Karmayoga means a tendency to discharge ones duties

without lusting for the outcomes

Work Dedication is the disposition of the employee to

voluntarily engage in affectively unpleasant, nonrewarding organisationally relevant behaviours. It is a

more relevant concept in India.

Choosing the suitable form of

Yoga according to ones
temperament, walk of life and
goals

Overcoming
inaction,
passivity and
procrastination

Karma
Yoga

Overcoming
desperate chase
to achieve ends
even if by
employing
inappropriate
means

Yoga as a fundamental
approach towards
balance

Yoga: A Key to appropriately balance diverse phenomena, often involving

inevitable and unavoidable contrasts and Karmayoga,
a proficiency in balancing blind chase and inaction

A sense of duty or obligation towards others

arising out of ones feeling connected to ones
surroundings coupled with striving to live a life
for the benefit of society

Spontaneous action leading to absence of craving

for material gratification

Equanimity [between contrasting factors that

represents appropriate balance without
disregarding what is necessary and without
overemphasis on anything]

This notion derives from another concept of duty:

doing those tasks about which one has positive
beliefs (good to do, should do) but negative affect
(disliked).

A design engineer stayed back in the after-hours for

many days after his resignation teaching his
replacement all the required things. This was in spite
of his dislike for his company who had shortchanged
him.

some employees reported to work during a strike

against unfair practices of their organisation, knowing
that they faced negative consequences.

A customs officer did not allow machinery to be

imported by vested interests against rules in spite of
pressure from Members of Parliament.

Job Attitudes
Task Variables

OCB

Leadership
Behaviour
Helping co-workers
Personality and
motives
Satisfaction with job
Commitment to
Organisation
Intrinsically satisfying
Tasks
Supportive,
Inspirational Leaders

Sportsmanship,
individual interest
subordinated to that
of organisation
Loyalty to organisation
Compliance and
courtesy
Initiative to exceed
standards of work
Civic virtue
Self-development

Organisational
Effectiveness
and
performance
through better
interpersonal
and group
dynamics such
as trust and
cohesiveness.

Sportsmanship

Organisational Loyalty

Individual initiative

Civic Virtue

Self Development

Describes employees' willingness to endure

impositions and inconveniences on the job, to
maintain a positive attitude even when things do
not go their way, and to subordinate their
personal interests for the benefit of the
organisation

Describes employees' commitment to and

promotion of the organisation (e.g., protecting
and defending the organisation against outside
threats). Organisational compliance describes
individuals' willingness to accept and abide by
the organisation's rules, regulations, and
procedures

Describes employee conscientiousness, which

exceeds required work standards (e.g.,
volunteering to take on an extra assignment
or working late to finish a project)

Describes employees' active participation and

involvement in company affairs (e.g., keeping
up with organisational issues or attending
non-mandatory meetings)

Describes voluntary behaviours undertaken

by individuals in order to enhance their
knowledge, skills, and abilities (e.g., pursuing
additional training or staying abreast of new
developments in the field)

The Redesigning of Jobs

Identifies employee attitudes regarding:

Specific job characteristics needing enrichment
The readiness of employees to respond positively to

improved jobs

Employees know how well are they performing

on a task (Feedback: the knowledge of results)

Employees feel accountable and responsible

(experienced responsibility that matches
autonomy)

For an outcome which is meaningful (when

employees know they perform work which is
significant, is distinct and requires employment
of wide range of skills)

Reinforcement: Anything that increases the

frequency or intensity of a desired behaviour

Punishment : Aimed at mainly to stop or reduce

the frequency of undesirable activities

Individual Incentive Systems

Usually in the form of money
They can strengthen goal commitment

Gain sharing or Group Incentive

When incentives are spread at group level, the best

results are found when employees participate

decision-making and later share group incentive

Goal Setting, Feedback and Bonus

Pay Dispersion and Equity

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOPs)

The

in

employee-owners are more committed to the

success of the enterprise because business success is
transferred directly into personal wealth. Incentive Stock
Options (ISOs) allow ownership of stock contingent upon
meeting specific performance criteria