perception and decision making in organizations

Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. McShane/ Von Glinow 2/e

Perception and Decision Perception and Decision Making in OrganizationsMaking in OrganizationsPerception and Decision Perception and Decision Making in OrganizationsMaking in Organizations


PerceptionPerception

Emotions andEmotions andBehaviorBehavior

Organization andOrganization andInterpretationInterpretation

Perceptual Process ModelPerceptual Process Model

Environmental StimuliEnvironmental Stimuli

Feeling Hearing Seeing Smelling TastingFeeling Hearing Seeing Smelling Tasting


PerceptionPerception

A process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.

The way in which individuals analyze and interpret incoming information and make sense of it.


Perceptual Organization/InterpretationPerceptual Organization/Interpretation

Factors in the perceiverAttitude, motives. interests, experience,

expectations

Factors in the situations Time, work setting, social setting

Factors in the target Novelty. Motion, Sound, Size,

Background, Proximity, Similarity


Social perception and social identitySocial perception and social identity

Social perception,

The process of combining integrating, and interpreting information about others to gain an accurate understanding of them.

Social Identity Who a person is, as define in term of

his or her membership in various social group.

Person identity

The characteristics that define a particular individual.

© AFP/Corbis


Social identity TheorySocial identity Theory

A conceptualization recognizing that the way we perceive others and ourselves is based on both our unique characteristics (personal identity) and our membership in various groups (social identity).

According to this theory the people compare themselves to other individuals and groups to help define who they are, both to themselves and others.


StereotypeStereotype

Judging someone on the basis of one’s perception of the group to which that person belongs.

We can also say that

Stereotype belief that members of specific groups tend to share similar traits and behaviors.


Managers areabsent-minded

Our instructoris a Manager

Our instructor isabsent-minded

The Stereotyping ProcessThe Stereotyping Process

Assign category’s traitsAssign category’s traitsto the personto the person

Assign person to categoryAssign person to categorybased on observable infobased on observable info

Develop categoriesDevelop categoriesand assign traitsand assign traits


How Accurate are Stereotypes?How Accurate are Stereotypes?

Some accuracy, but also distortion and errorTraits don’t describe everyone in the groupWe screen out inconsistent information

Stereotypes are less accurate when:Little interaction with people in that groupExperience conflict with members of that groupStereotypes enhance our own social identity


Attribution ProcessAttribution Process

Internal AttributionPerception that outcomes are due to

motivation/ability rather than situation or fate

External AttributionPerception that outcomes are due to situation or

fate rather than the person


Rules of AttributionRules of Attribution

External AttributionExternal Attribution

HighHigh

ConsistentConsistentwith pastwith past

LowLow

Internal AttributionInternal Attribution

LOWLOW

DistinctiveDistinctivefrom otherfrom othersituationssituations

HighHigh

LOWLOW

ConsensusConsensus(Other people(Other peopleare similar are similar

HighHigh


Attribution ErrorsAttribution Errors

Fundamental Attribution ErrorAttributing behavior of other people to internal

factors (their motivation/ability)

Self-Serving BiasAttributing our successes to internal factors and

our failures to external factors


Self-Fulfilling Prophecy CycleSelf-Fulfilling Prophecy Cycle

SupervisorSupervisorformsforms

expectationsexpectations

ExpectationsExpectationsaffect supervisor’saffect supervisor’s

behaviorbehavior

Supervisor’sSupervisor’sbehavior affectsbehavior affects

employeeemployee

Employee’sEmployee’sbehavior matchesbehavior matches

expectationsexpectations


Dealing with Self-Fulfilling ProphecyDealing with Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Awareness trainingLeaders learn effects of negative perceptions Problem is that awareness doesn’t prevent self-

fulfilling prophecy

Emerging three-prong strategySupport a learning orientationEngage in contingency leadership styles Increase employee self-efficacy


Other Perceptual ErrorsOther Perceptual Errors

PrimacyFirst impressions

RecencyMost recent information dominates perceptions

Halo EffectOne trait forms a general impression

ProjectionBelieving other people are similar to you


Selective Perception

The tendency to selectively interpret what one sees on the basis of one’s background, experience and attitude.


ImprovingImprovingPerceptualPerceptualAccuracyAccuracy

DiversityDiversityInitiativesInitiatives

EmpathizeEmpathizeWith OthersWith Others

PostponePostponeImpressionImpressionFormationFormation

KnowKnowYourselfYourself

CompareComparePerceptionsPerceptionsWith OthersWith Others

Improving Perceptual AccuracyImproving Perceptual Accuracy


Decision making Individual Differences Decision making Individual Differences

Personality

Gender


Individual Decision MakingIndividual Decision Making

We offer four suggestions to improve their decision making.

First analyze the situation.

Second, be aware of biases.

Third combine rational analysis with intuition

Finally, try to enhance your creativity.

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