Organizational Behavior: Key Concepts, Personality, and Ethics
An Organization is a consciously coordinated social unit, made up of a group of people who work together on common goals on a relatively continuous basis.
Key Factors Influencing Organizational Behavior
Individual Differences
People enter groups and organizations with certain characteristics that influence behavior. These include: Perception, Values, and Attitudes.
Job Satisfaction
(See definition under Key Job Attitudes)
Motivation
(See definitions under Types of Motivation)
Empowerment
Empowerment means putting employees in charge of what they do – giving them responsibility.
Behaving Ethically
Understanding Perception
Perception is the process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.
Factors Influencing Perception
The Perceiver
When you look at a target and attempt to interpret what you see, your interpretation is influenced by your own attitudes, personality, motives, interests, past experiences, and expectations.
The Target
The target’s characteristics can affect what we perceive, such as: Novelty, motion, sound, size, background, and proximity.
The Situation
The context in which you see objects or events is important, including: time, work setting, and social setting.
Perceptual Shortcuts and Biases
Attribution Theory
Attribution Theory explains how we judge people differently, depending on whether we attribute their behavior to internal or external causes.
- Internal Cause: The individual is responsible for the behavior (they choose to do it).
- External Cause: Something outside the individual caused the behavior (they have no control over their actions – they were forced into the behavior).
Selective Perception
People selectively interpret what they see based on their interests, background, experience, and attitudes.
Halo Effect
Drawing a general impression about an individual based on a single characteristic, such as intelligence, likeability, or appearance.
Contrast Effects
A person’s evaluation is affected by comparisons with other individuals recently encountered.
Projection
Attributing one’s own characteristics to other people. Sometimes called the “similar-to-me” effect.
Stereotyping
Judging someone on the basis of your perception of the group to which that person belongs. This is one of the judgment shortcuts used in decision making.
Prejudice: An unfounded dislike of a person or group based on their belonging to a particular stereotyped group.
The Five-Factor Personality Model
Extraversion
A personality factor that describes the degree to which someone is sociable, talkative, and assertive.
Agreeableness
A personality factor that describes the degree to which someone is good-natured, cooperative, warm, and trusting.
Conscientiousness
A personality factor that describes the degree to which someone is responsible, dependable, persistent, and achievement-oriented.
Emotional Stability
A personality dimension that characterizes someone as calm, self-confident, and secure (positive) versus nervous, depressed, and insecure (negative).
Openness to Experience
A personality factor that describes the degree to which someone is imaginative, artistically sensitive, and curious.
Affect, Emotions, and Moods Defined
These three concepts represent different levels of feeling:
Affect
A generic term that covers a broad range of feelings people experience, including emotions and moods.
Emotions
Intense feelings that are directed at someone or something.
Moods
Feelings that tend to be less intense than emotions and that lack a contextual stimulus.
Seven Core Moral Principles
Dignity of Human Life
The lives of people are to be respected.
Autonomy
All persons are intrinsically valuable and have the right to self-determination.
Honesty
The truth should be told to those who have a right to know it.
Loyalty
Promises, contracts, and commitments should be honored.
Fairness
People should be treated justly.
Humaneness
Our actions ought to accomplish good, and we should avoid doing evil.
The Common Good
Actions should accomplish the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
Key Job Attitudes
Job Satisfaction
A positive feeling about a job resulting from an evaluation of its characteristics.
Organizational Commitment
A state in which an employee identifies with a particular organization and its goals, and wishes to maintain membership in the organization.
- Affective Commitment: An individual’s emotional attachment to and identification with an organization, and a belief in its values.
- Normative Commitment: The obligation an individual feels to stay with an organization.
Types of Motivation
Intrinsic Motivators
A person’s internal desire to do something due to interest, challenge, and personal satisfaction.
Extrinsic Motivators
Motivation that comes from outside the person, including pay, bonuses, and other tangible rewards.