OBCH2

Chapter 2: Perception, Personality, and Emotions

Introduction

• Organizational Behaviour: Concepts, Controversies, Applications, Ninth Canadian Edition

• Focus on understanding how perception, personality, and emotions influence behaviour in the workplace.

Chapter Outline

• Perception

  • Factors That Influence Perception

  • Perceptual Errors

  • Importance of Perception and Judgment

• Personality

  • Definition of Personality

  • Measuring Personality

  • Personality Determinants

  • Personality Traits

  • The Dark Triad

  • Other Personality Attributes Influencing Organizational Behaviour (OB)

• Emotions

  • Definition of Emotions and Moods

  • Emotional Labour

  • Significance of Emotions in the Workplace

Learning Outcomes

1. Define perception and explain influencing factors.

2. Explain attribution theory and its three determinants.

3. Describe personality, how it is measured, and factors that shape it.

4. Discuss the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) framework, including strengths and weaknesses.

5. Identify key traits in the Big Five Personality Model and its application in predicting workplace behaviour.

6. Differentiate between emotions and moods.

7. Explain the impact of emotional labour on employees.

8. Evaluate evidence for and against emotional intelligence.

9. Identify strategies for emotion regulation and expected effects.

Perception

• Definition: The process of organizing and interpreting impressions to give meaning to the environment.

• Importance: Behaviour is based on perception rather than reality; understanding perception is crucial for effective workplace interaction.

• Factors Influencing Perception:

  • The Perceiver

  • The Target

  • The Situation

• Perceptual Errors:

  • Attribution Theory

  • Selective Perception

  • Halo Effect

  • Contrast Effects

  • Stereotyping

• Attribution Theory:

  • Used to interpret atypical behaviour.

  • Based on three rules:

    1. Distinctiveness

    2. Consensus

    3. Consistency

Distinctiveness, Consensus, Consistency

• Distinctiveness: Determines if the individual behaves similarly across various situations.

• Consensus: Evaluates whether others react similarly in the same situation.

• Consistency: Assesses if the individual has behaved similarly over time.

Attribution Theory Exhibit

• Understanding how attributions are made based on distinctiveness, consensus, and consistency.

Errors in Attribution

• Fundamental Attribution Error: Underestimating external factors while overestimating internal factors in others' behaviours.

• Self-Serving Bias: Attributing successes to internal factors and failures to external factors.

• Perceptual Errors Specifics:

  • Selective Perception

  • Halo Effect

  • Contrast Effects

  • Stereotyping

  • Heuristics (judgment shortcuts in decision-making)

The Role of Perception and Judgment in the Workplace

• Self-fulfilling Prophecy: People behave in line with how they are perceived by others.

Personality

1. Definition: Personality encompasses patterns of behaviour and internal states that show how individuals interact and react with others.

2. Measuring Personality:

• Personality tests are common in hiring processes, predicting job fit.

• Self-report surveys and observer ratings are two methods of assessment.

3. Determinants of Personality: Includes heredity, environmental influences, and situational factors.

4. Personality Traits:

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): Classifies personalities into 16 types based on four dichotomies.

• Big Five Personality Model: These traits include Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness to Experience.

The Dark Triad

• Definition: Coined to define three negative personality traits: Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy.

• Machiavellianism: Pragmatic manipulation and emotional distance.

• Narcissism: Arrogance, grandiosity, and a sense of entitlement.

• Psychopathy: Lack of concern for others and moral anomalies.

Other Influential Personality Attributes

• Core Self-Evaluation: Individuals' views about their self-worth.

• Self-Monitoring: The ability to adjust behaviour to fit social situations.

• Proactive Personality: Individuals who actively seek opportunities and enact change.

Emotions and Moods

• Affect: Encompasses emotions and moods; emotions can be intense and directed, whereas moods are less intense and general.

• Emotional Labour: The process of managing feelings to fulfill the emotional requirements of a job.

Importance of Emotions

• Affective Events Theory: Suggests workplace events provoke emotional reactions, influencing behaviours and attitudes.

• Emotional Intelligence (EI): Represents the ability to identify, understand, and manage emotions in oneself and others.

Regulation of Emotions

• Strategies for managing emotions effectively can lead to better performance in tasks and interpersonal relationships. Acknowledging emotions rather than suppressing them is beneficial.

Cultural Variations in Perception, Personality, and Emotions

• Cross-cultural studies reveal varied perceptions, attributions, emotional experiences, and personality factors across different cultures.

Summary

1. Perception shapes our interactions and is critical in organizational behaviour.

2. Attribution theory helps understand different judgments on behaviours.

3. Personality impacts interpersonal relationships.

4. MBTI and the Big Five models categorize personality traits effectively for prediction.

5. Emotions play a significant role in workplace interactions, affecting behaviours and decisions.