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Chapter 5

Chapter 5. What is Perception and Why is it Important?. Perception is a process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.

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Chapter 5

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  1. Chapter 5

  2. What is Perception and Why is it Important? • Perception is a process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment. • It’s important because people’s behavior is based on their perception of what reality is, not on reality itself.

  3. Factors • The Perceiver – attitudes, motives, interests, experiences, expectations • The Target – novelty, motions, sounds, size, background, proximity, similarity • The Situation – time, work setting, social situation

  4. Attribution Theory Fundamental Attribution Error • The tendency to… • Underestimate the influence of external factors (outside of a person’s control) • Overestimate the influence of internal (what you can control) factors When making judgments about the behavior of others.

  5. Attributions Self-Serving Bias • The tendency for individuals to attribute their own successes to internal factors while putting the blame for failures on external factors.

  6. Sample “Shortcuts” Selective Perception • People selectively interpret what they see on the basis of their interest, background, experience, and attitudes. Halo Effect • Drawing a general impression about an individual on the basis of a single characteristic. Contrast Effects • Comparisons with other people recently encountered who rank higher or lower on the same characteristics. Projection • Attributing one’s own characteristics to other people

  7. Specific Applications in Organizations • Employment Interview • Perceptual biases affect the accuracy of interviewers’ judgments of applicants. • Performance Expectations • Self-fulfilling prophecy (pygmalion effect): The lower or higher performance of employees reflects preconceived expectations about employee capabilities. • Performance Evaluations • Appraisals are subjective perceptions of performance. • Employee Effort • Assessment of individual effort is a subjective judgment subject to perceptual distortion and bias.

  8. Assumptions of the Rational Decision-Making Model • Problem clarity • Known options • Clear preferences • Constant preferences • No time or cost constraints • Maximum payoff

  9. So, how are decisions actually made in organizations? • Bounded Rationality Individuals make decisions by constructing simplified models that extract the essential features from problems without capturing all their complexity. • Intuitive Decision Making Intuition = an unconscious process created out of distilled experience.

  10. “Problems? What Problems?” • How and why are some problems identified? • Visibility over importance of problem • Attention-catching, high profile problems • Desire to “solve problems” • Self-interest (if problem concerns decision maker!) • Alternative Development • “Good enough”: seeking the first alternative that solves problem.

  11. Organizational Constraints on Decision Makers • Performance Evaluation • Evaluation criteria influence the choice of actions. • Reward Systems • Decision makers make action choices that are favored by the organization. • Formal Regulations • Organizational rules and policies limit the alternative choices of decision makers. • System-imposed Time Constraints • Organizations require decisions by specific deadlines. • Historical Precedents • Past decisions influence current decisions.

  12. Summary and Implications for Managers • Perception - Individuals behave based on what they see or believe reality to be. - Evidence suggests that what individuals perceive from their work situation will influence their productivity more than will the situation itself. - Absenteeism, turnover, and job satisfaction are also reactions to the individual’s perceptions.

  13. Summary (continued) • Individual Decision Making - Individuals think and reason before they act. - Under some decision situations, people follow the rational decision- making model. However, this doesn’t happen very often… So, what can managers do to improve their decision making? - Analyze the situation. - Be aware of biases. - Combine rational analysis with intuition. - Don’t assume that your specific decision style is appropriate for every job. - Use creativity-stimulation techniques when possible.

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