Presented By:

Saba Firdous
Matti Ur Rehman
MSEM-2
Course : HRM & OB in Engineering Firms
What
What is
is Perception?
Perception?
Perception is a process by which individuals organize and
interpret their sensory impressions in order to give
meaning to their environment.

People will use their perceptions of reality, not reality

itself, to decide how to behave.
For example all employees in a firm may view it as a great
place to work. i.e. interesting job assignment, good pay ,
responsible management but in reality it is very unusual to
find such agreement.
 Organizational Behavior /
3 Perception
Factors
Factors that
that Influence
Influence Perception
Perception
Different factors influence our perception
When we look at a target and try to interpret what we
see, Our interpretation is heavily influenced by our
personal characteristics.
Factors
Factors that
that Influence
Influence Perception
Perception
Contd.
Contd.
Characteristics of the target also affects what we
perceive
For example loud people are more likely to be noticed
in a group as compared to quiet ones.

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Factors
Factors that
that Influence
Influence Perception
Perception
Contd.
Contd.
Context matters too in influencing our perception

We perceive differently at different situations

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Frequently
Frequently Used
Used Shortcuts
Shortcuts in
in
Judging
Judging Others
Others
Relying on these shortcuts can lead to misperceiving
the situation.
Selective Perception
People selectively interpret what they see on the basis of
their interests, background, experience, and attitudes
Halo Effect
Drawing a general impression about an individual on the
basis of a single characteristic
Contrast Effects
Evaluation of a persons characteristics that are affected by
comparisons with other people recently encountered who
rank higher or lower on the same characteristics
Another
Another Shortcut:
Shortcut: Stereotyping
Stereotyping
Stereotyping is a typical shortcut we utilize in the
perception process.

It is making generalizations about an individual based

on the group to which that person belongs.

This generalization can be useful in making decisions,

however, it can also be inaccurate and cause us to
mistakenly develop a perception about an individual
that is not representative of who they are.

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Stereotyping
Stereotyping contd.
contd.
Profiling
A form of stereotyping in which members of a group are
selected for intense analysis based on a single, often racial,
trait.
 Attribution
Attribution Theory
Theory
Person
Person Perception:
Perception: Making
Making Judgments
Judgments About
About
Others
Others

The attribution theory helps us to understand our

perceptions about others.
Research has shown that our perceptions about others
are based upon the assumptions we make about them.
The attribution theory says that when we observe
behavior we try to determine if it is internally or
externally driven.
If it is internally driven it is under the persons control
whereas external causes are not under the individuals
control.

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 Internal
Internal and
and External
External Causes
Causes
Internal Causes:
cause of behavior to some internal characteristic, rather than to outside
forces. When we explain the behavior of others we look for enduring
internal attributions, such as personality traits. For example, we
attribute the behavior of a person to their personality, motives or
beliefs

External Causes:
cause of behaviour to some situation or event outside a person's
control rather than to some internal characteristic. When we try to
explain our own behavior we tend to make external attributions, such
as situational or environment features.
Attribution
Attribution Theory:
Theory: Judging
Judging Others
Others
Contd.
Contd.
We can use three factors to help us decide if behavior is
internally or externally controlled:
Distinctiveness:
Distinctiveness shows different behaviors in different
situations.
For example:
If Alison only smokes when she is out with friends, her
behaviour is high in distinctiveness.

If she smokes at any time or place then distinctiveness is low

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Attribution
Attribution Theory:
Theory: Judging
Judging Others
Others
Contd.
Contd.
Consensus:
The extent to which other people behave in the same way in
a similar situation.
For example:
If Alison smokes a cigarette when she is out with friends, if
her friend also smokes then her behavior is high in consensus .
If only Alison smokes then it is low

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Attribution
Attribution Theory:
Theory: Judging
Judging Others
Others
Contd.
Contd.
consistency
The extent to which the person behaves like this every time
the situation occurs
For example:
If Alison only smokes when she is out with friends, her
behavior is high in consistency.

If she only smokes on one special occasion then consistency is

low

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Elements
Elements of
of Attribution
Attribution Theory
Theory
Errors
Errors and
and Biases
Biases in
in Attributions
Attributions
There are errors and biases in the attributions we
make.
First, we often tend to:
underestimate the influence of external factors and
overestimate the influence of internal factors.
This is called the fundamental attribution error.
We blame people first, not the situation

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Errors
Errors and
and Biases
Biases in
in Attributions
Attributions
contd.
contd.
The next common error is the self-serving bias.

The tendency for individuals to attribute :

their own successes to internal factors
while putting the blame for failures on external factors

It is our success but their failure

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