ATTITUDE PART 1

•    ATTITUDE

•    ORGANIZATION BEHAVIOR

•    DR. SHASHI AGGARWAL

•    MEANING

1.       ATTITUDE ARE EVALUATIVE STATEMENTS. EITHER FAVOURABLE OR UNFAVOURABLE.THESE ARE FREQUENTLY USED IN DESCRIBING PEOPLE,OBJECTS AND EVENTS AND EXPLAINING PEOPLE’S BEHAVIOUR.

2.       LIKE SOMEBODY SAYS HER BOSS IS INHUMAN,

3.       GENERAL MANAGER OF XYZ LTD ORGANIZATION SHOWS CONCERN ABOUT THE EMPLOYEES. THESE STATEMENTS ARE EVALUATIVE OF EITHER FAVOURABLE OR UNFAVOURABLE OR GOOD OR BAD OF PEOPLE,OBJECT OR EVENT.

•    DEFINITION OF ATTITUDE

•    G.W ALLPORT,” ATTITUDE IS A MENTAL AND NEUTRAL STATE OF READINESS,ORGANIZED THROUGH EXPERIENCE,EXERTING A DIRECTIVE OR DYNAMIC INFLUENCE UPON THE INDIVIDUAL’S RESPONSE TO ALL OBJECTS AND SITUATIONS WITH WHICH IT IS RELATED.

•    AN ATTITUDE CAN BE DEFINED AS A PERSISTENT TENDENCY TO FEEL AND BEHAVE IN A PARTICULAR WAY TOWARD SOME OBJECT.

•    MAY ALSO BE DEFINED AS THE WAY A PERSON FEELS ABOUT SOMETHING – A PERSON,PLACE,A COMMODITY,A SITUATION OR AN IDEA

•    NATURE OF ATTITUDES

1.  REFERS TO FEELING AND BELIEFS OF INDIVIDUALS OR  GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALS
2.  THE FEELING’S AND BELIEFS ARE DIRECTED TOWARDS OTHER PEOPLE,OBJECTS OR IDEAS
3. AFFECT THE BEHAVIOUR OR ACTION OF THE PEOPLE
4. A PSYCHOLOGICAL PHENOMENON WHICH CAN NOT BE DIRECTLY MEASURED
5. ACQUIRED OVER A PERIOD OF TIME
6. EVALUATIVE STATEMENTS
7. MAY BE UNCONSCIOUSLY HELD

•    COMPONENT OF ATTITUDE

1.       COGNITIVE : COGNITIVE COMPONENT OF AN ATTITUDE IS THE OPINION OR BELIEF

2.       AFFECTIVE : EMOTIONAL OR FEELING

3.       BEHAVIOURAL : AN INTENTION TO BEHAVE IN CERTAIN WAY TOWARDS SOME ONE OR SOMETHING

•    COMPONENTS

•    INFORMATIONAL COMPONENT:-

1.       BELIEFS,VALUES,IDEAS AND OTHER INFORMATION A PERSON HAS ABOUT THE OBJECT.

2.       NO DIFFERENCE WHETHER IT IS TRUE OR FALSE

•    EMOTIONAL OR AFFECTIVE COMPONENT

1.       MORE CRITICAL PART OF AN ATTITUDE

2.       INVOLVE THE PERSON’S FEELING OR AFFECT POSITIVE,NEUTRAL OR NEGATIVE AN OBJECT

•    BEHAVIOURAL COMPONENT

•    TENDENCY OF A PERSON TO BEHAVE IN PARTICULAR MANNER TOWARDS AN OBJECT

•    ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOUR

1.       ATTITUDE DETERMINE THE BEHAVIOUR

2.       BEHAVIOUR OF PEOPLE IS BASED ON ATTITUDES

3.       EMPLOYEE FOLLOW THE ORDERS OF THEIR BOSS IF THEY HAVE POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THEIR BOSS

4.       ATTITUDE ARE MORE IMPORTANT AS THEY AFFECT AND DETERMINE THEIR JOB BEHAVIOUR

•    ABC MODEL OF ATTITUDE

1.       A STANDS FOR AFFECTIVE : PERSON FELLING AND EMOTIONS

2.       B : BEHAVIOUR : INTENDED BEHAVIOUR :POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE

3.       C : COGNITIVE :PERSON’S BELIEF,VALUES AND IDEAS

•    SOURCES OF ATTITUDES

•    ATTITUDE REFERS TO THE FEELING AND BELIEF OF INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALS. ATTITUDES ARE ACQUIRED BUT NOT INHERITED.

1.       DIRECT PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

2.       ASSOCIATION

3.       FAMILY AND PEER GROUP

4.       NEIGHBOURHOOD

5.       ECONOMIC STATUS AND OCCUPATION

6.       MASS COMMUNICATIONS

•    FORMATION/SOURCES OF ATTITUDE

•     DIRECT PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: A PERSON’S DIRECT EXPERIENCE WITH THE OBJECT DETERMINE HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS IT.  IT MAY BE FAVOURABLE OR UNFAVOURABLE WILL AFFECT THE ATTITUDE DEEPLY. ATTITUDE BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ARE DIFFICULT TO CHANGE.

•     ASSOCIATION : AN INDIVIDUAL COMES ACROSS A NEW ATTITUDE WHICH MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH AN OLD ATTITUDE OBJECT. IN SUCH A  CASE,THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE OLD ATTITUDE OBJECT MAY BE TRANSFERRED TOWARD NEW ATTITUDE

                                                               

•    FAMILY AND PEER GROUP:- ATTITUDES LIKE VALUES ARE ACQUIRED FROM PARENTS,TEACHERS AND PEER GROUP MEMBERS

•    NEIGHBOURHOOD :-THE NEIGHBOURHOOD IN WHICH WE LIVE HAS CERTAIN CULTURAL FACILITIES,RELIGIOUS GROUPING AND ETHNIC DIFFERENCES

•    ECONOMIC STATUS AND OCCUPATIONS : ECONOMIC STATUS AND OCCUPATIONAL POSITION OF INDIVIDUAL ALSO AFFECTS HIS ATTITUDE FORMATION

•    MASS COMMUNICATION :-GENERALLY LESS STABLE AS COMPARED TO VALUES.ADVERTISING ATTEMPT TO ALTER THE ATTITUDE OF THE PEOPLE TOWARDS A CERTAIN PRODUCTS OR SERVICE.

•    TYPES OF WORK RELATED ATTITUDES

•     JOB SATISFACTION:GENERAL ATTITUDE OR FEELING TOWARDS THE JOB. IF ONE WHO IS HIGHLY SATISFIED WITH HIS JOB,HE WILL HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE JOB AND VICE VERSA. THE PERSON WHO IS SATISFIED WITH HIS JOB WILL ALWAYS BE PUNCTUAL,ABSENTEEISM WILL BE MINIMUM AND PERFORMANCE WILL BE HIGH AND COOPERATIVE TOWARDS THEIR COWORKERS.

•     JOB INVOLVEMENT: MEASURES THE DEGREE TO WHICH A PERSON IDENTIFIES PSYCHOLOGICALLY WITH HIS OR HER JOB AND CONSIDERS HIS OR HER PERCEIVED PERFORMANCE LEVEL IMPORTANT TO SELF WORTH. EMPLOYEE WHO HAVE A HIGH LEVEL OF JOB INVOLVEMENT VERY STRONGLY IDENTIFY WITH THEIR JOBS AND REALLY CARE ABOUT THE KIND OF WORK THEY DO. HIGH DEGREE OF JOB INVOLVEMENT WILL INVOLVE LESS ABSENTEEISM AND LOWER RESIGNATION.

•    ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT:-STATE IN WHICH AN EMPLOYEE IDENTIFIES WITH A PARTICULAR ORGANIZATIONAL AND ITS GOALS AND WISHES TO MAINTAIN MEMBERSHIP IN THE ORGANIZATION. THE EMPLOYEES FEEL PROUD OF BEING EMPLOYEE OF A PARTICULAR ORGANIZATION. STUDIES HAS SHOWN THAT ORGANIZATION COMMITMENT IS BETTER INDICATOR OF TURNOVER THAN THE FAR MORE FREQUENTLY USED JOB SATISFACTION

•    IMPLICATIONS

1.       EMPLOYEE MAY BE INVOLVED IN HIS JOB BUT NOT COMMITTED.

2.       TURNOVER AND ABSENTEEISM  ARE LOW WHEN AN EMPLOYEE HAS ORGANIZATION COMMITMENT.

3.       ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IS BETTER INDICATOR OF TURNOVER.

4.       DISSATISFIED WITH JOB BUT NOT WITH THE ORGANIZATION OR VICE VERSA

•    FUNCTIONS OF ATTITUDES

•    THE STUDY OF ATTITUDE HELP IN PREDICTING EMPLOYEES BEHAVIOR AT WORK. LIKE RETRENCHMENT OF ONE EMPLOYEE LED TO RESIGNATION OF MANY EMPLOYEES

•    THE STUDY OF ATTITUDE IS SIGNIFICANT AS IT HELPS PEOPLE TO ADAPT TO THEIR WORK ENVIRONMENT

•    ACCORDING TO KATZ : ATTITUDE PERFORM FOUR IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS IN THIS PROCESS :

1.       ADJUSTMENT FUNCTION

2.       THE EGODEFENSIVE FUNCTION

3.       THE VALUE EXPRESSIVE FUNCTION

4.       THE KNOWLEDGE FUNCTION

•    FUNCTIONS OF ATTITUDES

•    THE ADJUSTMENT FUNCTION : EMPLOYEE FORM POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THEIR SUPERIORS WHEN THEIR EXPRESSED AND UNEXPRESSED PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED BY THE SUPERIORS. ATTITUDE OFTEN HELP PEOPLE ADJUST TO THEIR WORK ENVIRONMENT. WHEN EMPLOYEES ARE WELL TREATED THEY ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THEIR ORGANIZATION

•    THE EGO DEFENSIVE FUNCTION :ATTITUDE HELP THE PEOPLE IN DEFENDING THEIR SELF IMAGE AND SERVE IN JUSTIFYING THE ACTION AND DEFENDING THE EGO. IN COPING WITH FEELING OF GUILT OR THREAT

•    THE VALUE EXPRESSIVE FUNCTION : ATTITUDE PROVIDE PEOPLE WITH A BASIS FOR EXPRESSING  THEIR VALUE. OUR VALUE EXPRESSIVE ATTITUDES ARE CLOSELY RELATED TO OUR SELF CONCEPT. A PERSON WHOSE VALUE SYSTEM IS CENTRALIZED ON FREEDOM WILL HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS DECENTRALIZATION OF AUTHORITY.

•    THE KNOWLEDGE FUNCTION :-OFTEN SUBSTITUTED FOR KNOWLEDGE. SUPPLY STANDARDS AND FRAMES OF REFERENCES WHICH ALLOWS PEOPLE TO ORGANIZE AND EXPLAIN THE WORLD AROUND THEM. LIKE STEREOTYPING IS AN EXAMPLE. IN THE ABSENCE OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT A PERSON WE MAY USE A STEREOTYPED ATTITUDE FOR THE JUDGING THE PERSON.