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MGTO120s

Understanding Human Behavior

Jian Liang

MGTO, HKUST

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Where We Are

Management

Basic Concepts

(Ch1)

Context

(ch3,4,& 5)

Retrospect

(ch2)

Plan(ch6,

7,8,& 9)

Organize(Ch 10

Lead ControlBasic

Concepts(Ch1)

Context

(ch3,4,& 5)

Retrospect

(ch2)

Plan(ch6,

7,8,& 9)

Organize(Ch 10,

11,12,13) Lead Control

Basic Concepts

(Ch1)

Context

(ch3,4,& 5)

Retrospect

(ch2)

Plan(ch6,

7,8,& 9)

Organize(Ch10,11 & 13)

Lead Control

Foundation of Behavior(Ch14)

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Learning Objectives

o Why Look at Individual Behavior?• Describe the focus and the goals of

organizational behavior.• Explain why the concept of an organization as an

iceberg is important to understanding organizational behavior.

• Define the five important employee behaviors that managers want to explain, predict, and influence.

Attitudes• Describe the three components of an attitude.• Discuss three job-related attitudes.• Describe the impact of job satisfaction has on

employee behavior.

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Learning Objectives (cont’d)

Attitudes (cont’d)• Explain how individuals reconcile

inconsistencies between attitudes and behavior.

Personality• Understand the Big Five Model and MBTI of

personality.• Describe the five personality traits that have

proved to be most powerful in explaining individual behavior in organizations.

• Explain how emotions and emotional intelligence impact behavior.

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Learning Objectives (cont’d)

Perception• Explain how an understanding of perception

can help managers better understand individual behavior.

• Describe the key elements of attribution theory.

• Discuss how the fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias can distort attributions.

• Name three shortcuts used in judging others.

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Managing Employees’ Behavior

A manager’s success depend on To explain why employees engage in

some behaviors rather than others To predict how employees will respond to

various actions the manager might take To influence how employee behave

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The Organization as an Iceberg

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Important Employee Behaviors

Employee Productivity A performance measure of both efficiency

and effectivenessAbsenteeism

The failure to report to work when expectedTurnover

The voluntary and involuntary permanent withdrawal from an organization

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Important Employee Behaviors

Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) Discretionary behavior that is not a part of an

employee’s formal job requirements, but which promotes the effective functioning of the organization.

Help others, constructive involvement in organizational activity, volunteering for extended job activities.

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Psychological Factors Affecting Behavior

Attitudes

Personality

Perception

Learning

Attitudes

Personality

Perception

Learning

Employee Productivity

Absenteeism Turnover Organizational

Citizenship Job

Satisfaction

Employee Productivity

Absenteeism Turnover Organizational

Citizenship Job

Satisfaction

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Attitudes

Attitudes

Evaluative statements or judgments concerning objects, people, or events.

Affective ComponentThe emotional or feeling segment of an attitude.

Cognitive ComponentThe opinion or belief segment of an attitude.

Behavioral Intention An intention to behave in a certain way toward someone or something.

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Types of Attitudes

Job InvolvementIdentifying with the job, actively participating in it, and considering performance important to self-worth.

Organizational CommitmentIdentifying with a particular organization and its goals, and wishing to maintain membership in the organization.

Job SatisfactionA collection of positive and/or negative feelings that an individual holds toward his or her job.

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Job involvement Mean Score of the Work Centrality Index in Japan, USA

and Germany

Note: Adapted from MOW, 1987, p83.

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Measuring Job Satisfaction Global

Job in General Scale and others…

Facets Job Descriptive Index Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire and others…

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Why job satisfaction is important?

The good Samaritan study A pay telephone Psychologists randomly put coins in the coin

return slot, so that some of the people used the phone actually did discover money.

A young woman walks by the phone with her arms full of books. She pretended to stumble and drop them on the group.

People who found money were four times as likely to stop and help the woman pick up the books

When we feel good, we tend to do good!

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How Employees Can Express Dissatisfaction

Exit

Behavior directed toward leaving the organization.

Voice

Active and constructive attempts to improve conditions.

Neglect

Allowing conditions to worsen.

Loyalty

Passively waiting for conditions to improve.

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How about people’s job satisfaction in Hong Kong?

http://www6.cityu.edu.hk/puo/CityUMember/Story/Story.aspx?id=20060502095602

http://www6.cityu.edu.hk/puo/CityUMember/Story/Story.aspx?id=20050414121816

Small thinking: How can we explain the change of job satisfaction?

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Don’t Overestimate Job Satisfaction

Correlation analyses: satisfaction and performance are weakly related

Causal analysis suggests that performance is more likely to cause satisfaction than vice versa (a productive worker is a happy worker)

Happy workers may not be productive workers!

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Cognitive Dissonance

Any incompatibility or inconsistency between attitudes or between behavior and attitudes. Any form of inconsistency is uncomfortable and

individuals will try to reduce the dissonance. The intensity of the desire to reduce the

dissonance is influenced by: The importance of the factors creating the

dissonance. The degree to which an individual believes that the

factors causing the dissonance are controllable. Rewards available to compensate for the dissonance.

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An Example: Expatriates in China

Expatriates in China earn 20 to 50 times what the local Chinese earn (Leung, Smith, Wang, & Sun, 1996) and, in some cases, the housing allowance of a foreign employee is more than the salary of a local employee of similar rank (DeLisle & Chin, 1994:19).

Image a local HR manager, who provide such offering package to expatiates, will he has any dissonance? How to reduce it?

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An Application: Attitude Surveys

Attitude Surveys

Eliciting responses from employees through questionnaires about how they feel about their jobs, work groups, supervisors, and the organization.

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Sample Attitude Survey

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An Example Survey in a Hong Kong Firm

Chun Wo Holdings Limited

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Personality

The unique combination of psychological characteristics (measurable traits) that affect how a person reacts and interacts with others.

It affects how and why people behave the way they do

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The Big Five Model of Personality Model

ExtroversionSociable, gregarious, and assertive

AgreeablenessGood-natured, cooperative, and trusting.

ConscientiousnessResponsible, dependable, persistent, and organized.

Openness to ExperienceImaginativeness, artistic, sensitivity, and intellectualism.

Emotional StabilityCalm, self-confident, secure (positive) versus nervous, depressed, and insecure (negative).

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Myers Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI)

A personality type diagnostic instrument

IndicatesCommunication styleDecision-making styleAttitudes towards time, goals,

conflictSocial preferences

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Type Theory Preferences and Descriptors

EXTROVERSION - E INTROVERSION – I

OutgoingInteractingGregarious Publicly impressive Speaks, then thinks

Quiet ReservedConcentrating Reflective Thinks, then speaks

SENSING - S INTUITING – N

Practical SpecificFeet on the ground DetailsConcrete

General AbstractHead in the clouds PossibilitiesTheoretical

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Type Theory Preferences and Descriptors

THINKING – T FEELING - F

Analytical ClarityHead JusticeRules

Subjective HarmonyHeartMercyCircumstances

JUDGING - J PERCEIVING – P

Structured Time orientedDecisive OrganisedMakes Lists/uses them

Flexible Open endedExploring SpontaneousMakes lists/loses them

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Characteristics Frequently Associated with Each Type

ISTJ ISFJ INFJ INTJ

“ Doing what should be done”Organiser, compulsive, private, trustworthy, rules and regulations, practical

“ A high sense of duty” Amiable, works behind the scenes, ready to sacrifice, accountable, prefers “doing”

“ An inspiration to others”Reflective/introspective, quietly caring, creative, linguistically gifted, psychic

“ Everything has room for improvement”Theory based, skeptical, “my way,” high need for competency, sees world as a chessboard

Most reponsible Most loyal Most contemplative Most independent

ISTP ISFP INFP INTP

“ Ready to try anything once”Very observant, cool and aloof, hands on practicality, unpretentious, ready for what happens

“ Sees much but shares little”Warm and sensitive, unassuming, short-range planner, good team member, in touch with self and nature

“ Performing noble service to aid society”Strict personal values, seeks inner order/peace, creative, nondirective, reserved

“ A love of problem solving”Challenges others to think, absentminded professor, competency needs, socially cautious

Most pragmatic Most artistic Most idealistic Most conceptual

ESTP ESFP ENFP ENTP

“ The ultimate realist”Unconventional approach, fun, gregarious, lives for here and now, good at problem solving

“ You only go around once in life”Sociable, spontaneous, loves surprises, cuts red tape, juggles multiple projects/events, quip master

“ Giving life an extra squeeze”People oriented, creative, seeks harmony, life of party, more starts than finishes

“ One exciting challenge after another”Argues both sides of a point to learn, brinkmanship, tests the limits, enthusiastic, new ideas

Most spontaneous Most generous Most optimistic Most independent

ESTJ ESFJ ENFJ ENTJ

“ Life’s administrators” Order and structure, sociable, opinionated, results driven, producer, traditional

“ Hosts and hostesses of the world”Gracious, good interpersonal skills, thoughtful, appropriate, eager to please

“ Smooth-talking persuaders”Charismatic, compassionate, possibilities for people, ignores the unpleasant, idealistic

“ Life’s natural leaders”Visionary, gregarious, argumentative, systems planner, takes charge, low tolerance for incompetence

Most hard charging Most harmonising Most persuasive Most commanding

NOTE: I = introvert; E = extrovert; S = sensor; N = intuitor; T = thinker; F = feeler; J = judge; and P = perceiver

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Thinking vs. Judging

60 percent of the world’s leaders are T-Js Even in systems that are very feeling

oriented (clergy), T-Js managers rise to the top because most decisions must be handled

objectively in organizations TJ strengths: organized/carry through

and get the job done

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Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)

Thinking-Impersonal, objective, logical judgments-Rely on argumentation and objective criteria-60% of all men

Feeling-Subjective, personal judgments-Good at persuasion-60% of all women

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MBTI and Job Preferences

Certain types lend themselves to certain professions

INFJ Doctor ENFP Psychologist ESTP Police and detectives ISTP Engineers INTP Computer programmers ENTJ Managers, Scientists ENFJ Clergy, writers/artists ESFP Receptionist, salesperson, child care

workers INTJ University professors, Lawyers, Life

scientists

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Major Personality Attributes

Locus of control

Self-esteem

Self-monitoring

Risk taking

Type A personality

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Locus of Control

The degree to which people believe they are masters of their own fate.

InternalsIndividuals who believe that they control what happens to them.

ExternalsIndividuals who believe that what happens to them is controlled by outside forces such as luck or chance.

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Self-Esteem and Self-Monitoring

Self-Esteem (SE)

Individuals’ degree of liking or disliking themselves.

Self-Monitoring

A personality trait that measures an individuals ability to adjust his or her behavior to external, situational factors.

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Risk-Taking

High Risk-taking Managers Make quicker decisions Use less information to make decisions Operate in smaller and more entrepreneurial

organizations Low Risk-taking Managers

Are slower to make decisions Require more information before making decisions Exist in larger organizations with stable

environments Risk Propensity

Aligning managers’ risk-taking propensity to job requirements should be beneficial to organizations.

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Personality Types

Type A’s1. are always moving, walking, and eating rapidly;2. feel impatient with the rate at which most events take place;3. strive to think or do two or more things at once;4. cannot cope with leisure time;5. are obsessed with numbers, measuring their success in

terms of how many or how much of everything they acquire.

Type B’s1. never suffer from a sense of time urgency with its

accompanying impatience;2. feel no need to display or discuss either their achievements

or accomplishments;3. play for fun and relaxation, rather than to exhibit their

superiority at any cost;4. can relax without guilt.

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Personality-Job Fit Theory (Holland)

An employee’s job satisfaction and likelihood of turnover depends on the compatibility of the employee’s personality and occupation.

Key points of the theory: There are differences in personalities. There are different types of jobs. Job satisfaction and turnover are related

to the match between personality and job for an individual.

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Personality Types

• Realistic

• Investigative

• Social

• Conventional

• Enterprising

• Artistic

Personality Types

• Realistic

• Investigative

• Social

• Conventional

• Enterprising

• Artistic

Personality-Job Fit Theory (Holland)

Identifies six personality types and proposes that the fit between personality type and occupational environment determines satisfaction and turnover.

Achieving Person-Job Fit

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Holland’s Typology of PersonalityandCongruent Occupations

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Personality Assessment

Personality inventories Projective techniques The Rorschach techniques The TAT Physiological, perceptual and

cognitive measures

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Example Inkbot Figure

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A Small Test

Which kind of person are you?

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Human Perception Perception

A process by which individuals give meaning (reality) to their environment by organizing and interpreting their sensory impressions.

Factors influencing perception: The perceiver’s personal characteristics—

interests, biases and expectations The target’s characteristics—distinctiveness,

contrast, and similarity) The situation (context) factors—place, time,

location—draw attention or distract from the target

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Factors Influence Perception

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From Man to Woman

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A Small Test

What Do You See?

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How We Perceive People

Attribution Theory

When individuals observe behavior, they attempt to determine whether it is internally or externally caused.

• "The devil made me do it

• "I'm guilty, grant me forgiveness."

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Why attribution is important

Consider this chain of events. The world asks me, "Why?" I provide an attribution. If you get 65 percent, how to

interpret the result? What if 95 percent?

My future behavior depends on the type of attribution.

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How do individuals make attribution?

Consensus: do all or only a few people respond to the stimulus in the same way as the target person? Distinctiveness: does the target person respond in the same way to other stimuli as well? Consistency: does the target person always respond in the same way to this stimulus?

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Attribution theory

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How We Perceive People (cont’d)

Attribution Theory (cont’d) Fundamental attribution error

The tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and to overestimate the influence of internal or personal factors.

Self-serving bias The tendency of individuals to attribute

their successes to internal factors while blaming personal failures on external factors.

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Frequently Used Shortcuts

Selective Perception

People selectively interpret what they see on the basis of their interests, background, experience, and attitudes.Assumed Similarity

Assuming that others are more like us than they actually are.

Stereotyping

Judging someone on the basis of our perception of a group he or she is a part of.

Halo Effect

Forming a general impression of a person on the basis of a single characteristic of that person

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An Illustration

How are people biased at the workplace?

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Summary

Important working behavior The importance of job satisfaction

and its impacts on employees How to apply personality models to

achieve person-job fit How do people make attribution,

and why we usually make mistakes in our perception