Exploring Personality and Attitudes in Organizational Behavior

2. Learning Objectives • Define the overall meaning of personality. • Identify the “Big Five” personality traits and the Myers-Briggs types. • Describe the meaning of attitudes and their emotional, informational, and behavioral components. • Explain the antecedents of work-related attitudes, the functions they perform, and how they are changed. • Examine the major sources and outcomes of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and prosocial, organizational citizenship behaviors.

3. Introduction • Analysis of personality and attitudes is vital to the study of organizational behavior • A better understanding of cognitive, personal variables of personality and attitudes

4. Meaning of Personality • How people affect others • How they understand and view themselves • Pattern of inner and outer measurable traits • Person-situation interaction

5. Role of Heredity and the Brain • Major inroads are being made in the role that genetics and the brain play both in human behavior and personality • Self-esteem • People’s self-perceived competence and self-image • Person-situation interaction • Understanding the human personality

6. Role of Heredity and the Brain Continued • Socialization process • Continuous impact from the social environment • Successful organizational socialization: • Provide a challenging first job • Provide relevant training • Provide timely and consistent feedback • Select a good first supervisor to be in charge of socialization • Design a relaxed orientation program • Place new recruits in work groups with high morale

7. Role of Heredity and the Brain Continued • The “Big Five” personality traits • Positive impact of conscientiousness • Impact of the other traits

8. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

9. Nature and Dimensions of Attitudes • Characteristics of attitudes • Tend to persist unless changed • Fall along a continuum: favorable to unfavorable • Directed toward some object • Components of attitudes • Emotional • Informational • Behavioral

10. Nature and Dimensions of Attitudes • Functions of attitudes • Adjustment function – people to work environment • Ego-defensive function – defend self-image • Value-expressive function – basic expression of values • Knowledge function – supply standards and frames of reference

11. Nature and Dimensions of Attitudes Continued • Changing attitudes • Barriers to changing attitudes • Prior commitments • Insufficient information • Providing new information • Overcome barriers and changes attitudes • Use of Fear • Instill fear to overcome barriers

12. Nature and Dimensions of Attitudes Continued • Changing attitudes (continued) • Resolving discrepancies • Between attitudes and behaviors • Influence of friends or peers • Use of persuasion • Matter of personal interest • Co-opting approach • Involving people to work towards changing dissatisfaction to satisfaction

13. Nature and Dimensions of Attitudes Continued • Antecedents of work-related attitudes: • Attention given to affective dispositions • Positive affectivity • Negative affectivity • Attention give to job satisfaction and organizational commitment

14. Job Satisfaction • Meaning of job satisfaction - Locke • Involving cognitive, affective, and evaluative reactions or attitudes • A pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience

15. Job Satisfaction Continued • Influences on job satisfaction • The work itself • Pay • Promotions • Supervision • Work group • Working conditions

16. Job Satisfaction Continued • Outcomes of job satisfaction • Satisfaction and performance • A positive relationship exists • Satisfaction and turnover • Unemployment rates do directly affect turnover • Satisfaction and absenteeism • A weak negative relationship

17. Job Satisfaction Continued • Outcomes of job satisfaction (continued) • Other effects and ways to enhance satisfaction • Make jobs more fun • Have fair pay, benefits, and promotion opportunities • Match people with jobs that fit their interest and skills • Design jobs to make them exciting and satisfying

18. Organizational Commitment • Meaning of organizational commitment • Strong desire to remain a member • Willingness to exert high levels of effort • Definite belief in, and acceptance of, the values and goals • Three-component model proposed by Meyer and Allen: • Affective commitment • Continuance commitment • Normative commitment

19. Organizational Commitment Continued • Outcomes of organizational commitment • Deserve management attention • Guidelines to enhance organizational commitment • Commit to people-first values • Clarify and communicate your mission • Guarantee organizational justice • Create a sense of community • Support employee development

20. Organizational Commitment Continued • Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) • Major OCBs include: • Altruism • Conscientiousness • Civic virtue • Sportsmanship • Courtesy

21. Questions ?