Values & Attitudes Flashcards

Core Learning Objectives

• LO 2.1: Describe the role values play in influencing individual behavior.

• LO 2.2: Explain how personal attitudes affect workplace behavior and work-related outcomes.

• LO 2.3: Discuss the importance of four key workplace attitudes.

• LO 2.4: Discuss the five causes of job satisfaction.

• LO 2.5: Describe work-related outcomes associated with job satisfaction.

Foundational Concepts of Values

Definition of Values

Values are defined as abstract ideas that guide thinking and behavior across all situations.

Core foundational principles and concepts associated with values include:

• Principles, worthiness, motivation, responsibility, integrity, and honesty.

• Faith, equality, social truth, ethics, authenticity, morals, character, philosophy, and honor.

• Econventionalities, fairness, criteria, decency, respect, virtue, standards, purpose, and attitude.

• Acceptance, rules, innocence, treatment, respectability, etiquette, and conduct.

Importance of Values

Values serve several fundamental functions in human behavior and organizational dynamics:

• Predictive Stability: They provide a stable understanding of the attitudes, motivation, and behaviors of individuals.

• Perceptual Lens: They influence human perception of the world.

• Moral Benchmarks: They represent interpretations of what is "right" and "wrong."

• Behavioral Preferences: They imply that specific behaviors or outcomes are preferred over others.

• Organizational Alignment: They enable individuals to evaluate and find jobs and organizations that match their personal value systems.

Environmental and Situational Pressures on Values

Individual values and behaviors are frequently influenced by external factors, such as:

• Environmental pressures.

• Cognitive rationalizations.

• Specific situational characteristics.

Nature and Structural Components of Attitudes

Definition of Attitudes

Attitudes are evaluative statements or judgments concerning objects, people, or events.

The Three Components of Attitudes

An attitude is comprised of three distinct segments:

1. Affective Component: The emotional or feeling segment of an attitude.

   • Conceptual statement: "I feel."

2. Cognitive Component: The opinion or belief segment of an attitude.

   • Conceptual statement: "I believe."

3. Behavioral Component: An intention to behave in a specific way toward someone or something.

   • Conceptual statement: "I intend."

Predictive Model of Attitudes and Behavior

Attitudes predict behavior through a structured cognitive framework involving several precursor factors:

• Attitude Toward the Behavior

• Subjective Norm

• Perceived Behavioral Control

These three components collectively determine an individual's Intention, which directly drives the final Behavior.

Theory of Cognitive Dissonance

Dissonance Mechanisms

Behavior does not always follow directly from attitudes; in many instances, behavior influences attitudes.

Cognitive Dissonance represents the psychological discomfort a person experiences when simultaneously holding two or more conflicting attitudes and behaviors.

Dissonance Reduction Strategies

Individuals actively seek to reduce this uncomfortable gap, or dissonance, to reach psychological stability and consistency. Consistency is restored through:

1. Changing existing attitudes.

2. Modifying current behaviors.

3. Developing cognitive rationalizations.

Key Workplace Attitudes

While numerous job attitudes exist, four specific workplace attitudes exert an especially powerful influence on organizational behavior:

1. Organizational Commitment

2. Employee Engagement

3. Perceived Organizational Support

4. Job Satisfaction

Organizational Commitment and Psychological Contracts

Definition and Dimensions

Organizational Commitment reflects the extent to which an individual identifies with an organization and commits to its strategic goals. It consists of three dimensions:

1. Affective Commitment: Emotional attachment to the organization.

2. Continuance Commitment: The perceived economic value of staying with the organization.

3. Normative Commitment: A feeling of moral or ethical obligation to remain with the organization.

Psychological Contracts

A psychological contract represents an individual's perceptions regarding the reciprocal exchange between him- or herself and another party (such as the employer).

Managerial Strategies to Increase Organizational Commitment

Managers can systematically enhance organizational commitment through the following actions:

• Value Alignment: Hire individuals whose personal values align with the organization's culture and values.

• Contract Maintenance: Ensure that management does not breach psychological contracts.

• Fair Treatment and Trust: Treat employees fairly and actively foster trust between management and staff.

• Professional Growth: Provide robust opportunities for personal and professional development.

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is defined as the harnessing of organization members' selves to their work roles. In high engagement, individuals fully employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performance.

Job Satisfaction: Drivers, Models, and Economic Factors

Definition

Job satisfaction is an affective or emotional response toward various facets of one's job. It describes the overall extent to which an individual likes or dislikes his or her job.

Financial and Statistical Factors

• Income Saturation Point: Pay influences job satisfaction only up to a specific threshold. Beyond an annual earning level of approximately $70,000\,\text{USD}$, there is no statistical relationship between amount of pay and job satisfaction. Money primarily influences job satisfaction only until a comfortable living threshold is achieved.

• Satisfaction Trends: Currently, $49\%$ of Americans report being satisfied with their jobs, reflecting a decline from $58\%$ reported a decade prior. Key causes for this drop include a lack of adequate pay and limited promotion opportunities.

Five Causes and Models of Job Satisfaction

Work Outcomes Associated with Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction correlates with specific psychological attitudes and behavioral outcomes:

Attitudinal Outcomes

• Motivation: Positively correlated.

• Job Involvement: Positively correlated.

• Withdrawal Cognitions: Negatively correlated.

• Perceived Stress: Negatively correlated.

Behavioral Outcomes

• Job Performance: Positively correlated.

• Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB): Positively correlated.

• Counterproductive Work Behavior (CWB): Negatively correlated.

• Turnover: Negatively correlated.

Job Satisfaction and Job Performance Relationship

• Research indicates that job satisfaction and job performance are moderately related.

• Satisfaction and performance indirectly influence each other.

• The relationship between satisfaction and performance is more pronounced and better evaluated at the business unit level than at the individual level.

Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)

Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) consists of discretionary individual behaviors that are typically not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system, but in the aggregate promote the effective functioning of the organization.

Dual Benefits of OCB

Benefits for the Organization

• Higher overall productivity and efficiency.

• Lower operational costs.

• Improved customer satisfaction.

• Higher unit-level job satisfaction.

• Lower overall turnover.

Benefits for the Individual

• Improved personal job satisfaction.

• Improved formal performance ratings.

• Reduced personal intention to quit.

• Lower absenteeism rates.

• Lower actual turnover.

Counterproductive Work Behavior (CWB) and Employee Turnover

Counterproductive Work Behavior (CWB)

Counterproductive Work Behaviors represent actions that intentionally harm other employees, the organization as a whole, or organizational stakeholders such as customers and shareholders.

Managing Voluntary Turnover

Turnover is exceptionally harmful when high-performing employees voluntarily leave an organization.

To systematically reduce voluntary turnover, management must:

1. Culture Fit: Hire individuals who fit with the organization's existing culture.

2. Engagement: Dedicate resources toward actively fostering employee engagement.

3. Onboarding: Provide comprehensive and effective onboarding programs.

4. Recognition: Explicitly recognize and reward high-performing employees.

Appendix: Schwartz's Value Theory

Theory Structure

According to S.H. Schwartz's Theory of Basic Values, values are motivational forces that represent broad goals maintained over time.

• Bipolar Values: Values situated opposite each other on the continuum are incongruent and represent conflicting priorities.

• Adjacent Values: Values positioned next to each other are complementary and share motivational emphasis.

• Citation: Schwartz, S.H. (2012). An Overview of the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.116.

Strategic Implications of Schwartz's Theory

• Workplace Application: Managers can more effectively lead employees when they understand their foundational values and intrinsic motivators. Encouraging employees to pursue incongruent goals leads to internal friction and conflicting behaviors.

• Personal Application: Employees experience significantly greater meaning in their work when pursuing organizational goals that align directly with their personal values.

Organizational Behavior Toolbox: Professional Exit Strategies

When choosing to leave an organization, employees should maintain professional etiquette by adhering to seven guidelines:

1. Avoid quitting on an impulse.

2. Avoid quitting positions too frequently.

3. Inform your direct supervisor first when deciding to leave, maintaining a respectful demeanor.

4. Refrain from badmouth statements regarding your employer.

5. Protect and guard your professional reputation.

6. Complete all ongoing work obligations and avoid leaving team members in a difficult situation.

7. Never steal company property or intellectual assets.

Academic Resources and References

External Media & Lectures

• Dweck, C. The power of believing that you can improve. TED Talk. http://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve

• Gilbert, E. Your elusive creative genius. TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius

Core Literature & Text References

• Colvin, G. (2008). Talent is overrated: What really separates world-class performers from everybody else. Portfolio Hardcover.

• Dutton, J. E. (2003). Energize your workplace. Jossey-Bass.

• Grant, A. (2014). Give and take: Why helping others drives our success. Penguin Books.

• Hyter, M. C., Turnock, J. L., & Kilts, J. M. (2006). The power of inclusion: Unlock the potential and productivity of your workforce. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.

• Spector, P. E. (1997). Job satisfaction: Application, assessment, causes, and consequences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.