Perception, Attitude and Job Satisfaction || Organization Behaviour || by Anshika Vasandhani mam || U.I.E.T. kanpur ,CSJM University Kanpur || Unit 2nd
Definition of perception
Perception means perceiving, i.e., giving meaning to the environment around us. It can be defined as a process which involves seeing, receiving, selecting, organising, interpreting and giving meaning to the environment.Nature of perception
(1) Perception is the intellectual process.
(2) Perception is the basic cognitive or psychological process.
(3) Perception becomes a subjective process and different people may perceive the same event differently.
Perception and Sensation
There is a distinction between sensation and perception. Sensation is the response of a physical sensory organ. The physical senses are vision, hearing, tough, smell and taste. These senses are bombarded by stimuli and reactions in particular sense organ take place because of these, e.g., of sensation may be reaction of eye to colour, ear to sound and so on. Sensation percedes perception. Perception is much more than sensation. Perception depends upon the sensory raw data. The perceptual process adds to or/and subtracts from the sensory world. Perception is determined by both physiological and psychological characteristics, of the organism. However, sensation only activates the organs of the body and is not affected by such psychological factors as learning and motives. Activation of eyes to see an object is sensation and the inference what is being seen is perception. For managerial action, it is the latter which is important.
Perceptual Process
Perception is a process of receiving, selecting, organising, interpreting, checking and reacting to stimuli. This is like an input-through put-output process in which the stimuli can be considered as 'inputs' transformation of 'input' through selection, organization and interpretation as 'through puts' and the ultimate behaviour/action as 'output'. The whole perceptional process can be presented as follows : These are explained one by one
1. Receiving Stimuli : The first process in the perception is the presence of stimuli. The stimuli are received from the various sources. Through the five organs. It is a physiological aspect of perception process. Stimuli may be external to us (such as sound waves) and inside us (such as energy generation by muscles).
2. Selection of Stimuli : After receiving the stimuli or data, some are selected. Others are screened out. Two types of factors affect selection of stimuli for processing : external and internal factors. External factors relate to stimuli such as intensity of stimuli, its size, movement, repetition, etc. Internal factors, relate to the perceiver such as his/her age, learning, interest, etc. Normally, he will select the objects which interest him and will avoid that for which he is indifferent. This is also called 'selective perception'.
3. Organization of Stimuli: Organising the bits of information into a meaningful whole is called "organization". There are three ways by which the selected data, i.e., inputs are organised. These are :
(i) Grouping (ii) Closure and (iii) Simplification.
(i) Grouping: In grouping, the perceiver groups the various stimuli on the basis of their similarity or proximity. For example, all the workers coming from the same place may be perceived as similar on the basis of proximity.
(ii) Closure: When faced with incomplete information, people fill up the gaps themselves to make the information meaningful. This may be done on the basis of past experience, past data, or hunches. For example, in many advertisement, alphabets are written by putting electric bulbs indicating the shape of the concerned alphabets but broken lines. In such cases, people tend to fill up the gap among different bulbs to get meaning out of these.
(iii) Simplification: People identify main stimulus features and assesses how they are organized. He interprets a stimulus situation, the perceiver simples the information.
Importance of perception:
People in organisations are always assessing others. Managers must appraise their subordinate's performance, evaluate how co-workers are working. When a new person joins a department he or she is immediately assessed by the other persons. These have important effect on the organisation.Employment Interview: Interviewers make perceptual judgments that are often inaccurate. Different interviewers see different things in the same candidate and arrive at different conclusions about the applicant. Employment interview is an important input into the hiring decision, and perceptual factors influence who is hired and vis-à-vis the Quality of an organisation’s labour force.
Performance Appraisals: An employee's performance appraisal is very much dependent on the perceptual process. An employee's future is closely tied to his or her appraisal - promotions, increments and continuation of employment are among the common outcomes.
The performance appraisal represents an assessment of an employee's work. While this may be objective most jobs are evaluated in subjective terms. Subjective measures are judgmental. The evaluator forms a general impression of an employee's work, to the degree that managers use subjective measures in appraising employee's the evaluator perceives to be `good or bad' employee characteristics/behaviours will significantly influence the appraisal outcome.
Assessing Level of Effort: In many organisations, the level of an employee's effort is given high importance. Assessment of an individual's effort is a subjective judgment susceptible to perceptual distortions and bias.
Assessing Loyalty: Another important judgment that managers decide about employees is, whether they are loyal to the organisation?
Implications of Perception on Performance and Satisfaction Productivity:
What individuals perceive from their work situation will influence their productivity. More than the situation itself than whether a job is actually interesting or challenging is not relevant. How a manager successfully plans and organises the work of his subordinates and actually helps them in structuring their work is far less important than how his subordinates perceive his efforts. Therefore, to be able to influence productivity, it is necessary to assess how workers perceive their jobs.Absenteeism and Turnover: Absence and Turnover are some of the reactions to the individual’s perception. Managers must understand how each individual interprets his job and where there is a significant difference between what is seen and what exists and try to eliminate the distortions. Failure to deal with the differences when individuals perceive the job in negative terms will result in increased absenteeism and turnover.
Job Satisfaction: Job satisfaction is a highly subjective, and feeling of the benefits that derive from the job. Clearly his variable is critically linked to perception. If job satisfaction is to be improved, the worker's perception of the job characteristics, supervision and the organisation as a whole must be positive.
Understanding the process of perception is important because (1) It is unlikely that any person's definition of reality will be identical to an objective assessment of reality. (2) It is unlikely that two different person's definition of reality will be exactly the same. (3) Individual perceptions directly influences the behaviour exhibited in a given situation. The important fact is that people who work together often see things differently, and this difference can create problems in their ability to work together effectively.
Perceptual errors
The main sources of errors in perception include the following:
* Not collecting enough information about other people.
* Basing our judgements on information that is irrelevant or insignificant.
* Seeing what we expect to see and what we want to see and not investigating further.
* Allowing early information about someone to affect our judgement despite later and contradictory information.
* Accepting stereotypes uncritically.
* Allowing our own characteristics to affect what we see in others and how we judge them.
* Attempting to decode non-verbal behaviour outside the context in which it appears. Basing attributions on flimsy and potentially irrelevant evidence.
The process of making evaluations, judgements or ratings of the performance of employees is subject to a number of systematic perception errors. This is particularly problematic in a performance appraisal context. These are:
Central tendency: Appraising everyone at the middle of the rating scale.
Perception Contrast error: Basing an appraisal on comparison with other employees rather than on established performance criteria.
Strict rating: Being consistently harsh in appraising performance.
Halo effect: Appraising an employee undeservedly on one quality (performance, for example) because s/he is perceived highly by the appraiser on another quality (attractiveness).
Horn effect: The opposite of the halo effect. Giving someone a poor appraisal on one quality (attractiveness) influences poor rating on other qualities. (performance).
Initial impression: Basing an appraisal on first impressions rather than on how the person has behaved throughout the period to which appraisal relates.
Latest behaviour: Basing an appraisal on the person's recent behaviour.
Lenient or generous rating: Perhaps the most common error, being consistently generous in appraisal mostly to avoid conflict.
Performance dimension error: Giving someone a similar appraisal on two distinct but similar qualities, because they happen to follow each other on the appraisal form.
Same as me: Giving a good appraisal because the person has qualities or characteristics possessed by the appraiser.
Different from me: Giving a poor appraisal because the person has qualities or characteristics not possessed by the appraiser.
Spill over effect: Basing this appraisal, good or bad, on the results of the previous appraisal rather than on how the person has behaved during the appraisal period.
Status effect: Giving those in higher level positions consistently better appraisals than those in lower level jobs.
Managing the perception process:
In order to decrease the errors involved in perception, one has to keep in mind the way the perceptual process works. By understanding the process one can do a better job at minimizing their negative effect. Secondly, one can compare one's perception with other people, if they are representing different backgrounds, cultures or training. This may lead to agreements or otherwise, communications can help to sort out the differences. Thridly, one should understand other person's point of view, it may help to know when one is wrong. The point is that one should listen and understand the other person rather than try to convince him or her
that one is right. Fourthly, one should be willing to change, when one comes across new information. Finally, one should view the world in dynamic terms, because one's behaviour can alter the phenomenon that is the basis for one's perceptions, so, one must notice the impact of one's own behaviour.
Errors in perception can be overcome by:
* Taking more time and avoiding instant or `snap' judgements about others.
* Collecting and consciously using more information about other people.
* Developing self-awareness and an understanding of how our personal biases are preferences affect our perceptions and judgements of other people.
* Checking our attributions - particularly the links we make between aspects of personality and appearance on the one hand and behaviour on the other.
Therefore, it can be said that if we are to improve our understanding of others, we must first have a well-developed knowledge of ourselves -- our strengths, our preferences, our weaknesses and our biases. The development of self-knowledge can be an uncomfortable process. In organisational settings, we are often constrained in the expression of our feelings (positive and negative) about other people due to social or cultural norms and to the communication barriers erected by status and power differentials. This may in part explain the enduring emphasis in recent years on training courses in social and interpersonal skills, self-awareness and personal growth.
Attitude
It is a predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, object, person, or situation. Attitude influences an individual's choice of action, and responses to challenges, incentives, and rewards (together called stimuli). An attitude can be as a positive or negative evaluation of people, objects, events, activities, and ideas. It could be concrete, abstract or just about anything in your environment.
Every attitude has three components that are represented in what is called the ABC model of attitudes: A for affective, B for behavioral, and C for cognitive.
ABC Model of attitude formation
Affective Component
First, the affective component refers to the emotional reaction one has toward an attitude object. Think of someone - we'll name her Alice - who has ophidiophobia (a phobia of snakes). A snake is an attitude object. Whenever Alice is exposed to a snake - whether she sees one or thinks about one - she feels extreme anxiety and fear. This is only one component of this specific attitude, though; we will discuss the other two components a little later in this lesson.Now, an attitude that is stemmed from or originally created by an emotion is called an affectively-based attitude. Attitudes about hot-button issues - such as politics, sex, and
religion - tend to be affectively-based, as they usually come from a person's values. This type of attitude is used to express and validate our moral belief or value systems.
Behavioral Component
The next component of an attitude is the behavioural component, and it refers to the way one behaves when exposed to an attitude object. Think about Alice and her snake phobia again. We already identified the affective component of her attitude towards snakes - fear and anxiety. How do you think she behaves when it comes to snakes? Most likely, she avoids them whenever possible. If she does see one, she probably screams or cries. This behavior is the second component of that particular attitude.
Cognitive Component
The third and final component of an attitude is the cognitive component, and it refers to the thoughts and beliefs one has about an attitude object. We've already determined that Alice avoids snakes and is scared when she is exposed to them. But, what does she think about snakes? It's likely she believes that all snakes are dangerous and gross. Beyond the physical and emotional reactions of her phobia, there is also this cognitive component of her attitude.Job Satisfaction
Job satisfaction is the level of contentment a person feels regarding his or her job. This feeling is mainly based on an individual's perception of satisfaction. Job satisfaction can be influenced by a person's ability to complete required tasks, the level of communication in an organization, and the way management treats employees.Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction
An employee's overall satisfaction with his job is the result of a combination of factors -- and financial compensation is only one of them. Management's role in enhancing employees' job satisfaction is to make sure the work environment is positive, morale is high and employees have the resources they need to accomplish the tasks they have been assigned.
1. Working Conditions
Because employees spend so much time in their work environment each week, it's important for companies to try to optimize working conditions. Such things as providing spacious work areas rather than cramped ones, adequate lighting and comfortable work stations contribute to favorable work conditions. Providing productivity tools such as upgraded information technology to help employees accomplish tasks more efficiently contributes to job satisfaction as well.2. Opportunity for Advancement
Employees are more satisfied with their current job if they see a path available to move up the ranks in the company and be given more responsibility and along with it higher compensation. Many companies encourage employees to acquire more advanced skills that will lead to the chance of promotion. Companies often pay the cost of tuition for employees taking university courses, for example. During an employee's annual performance review, a supervisor should map out a path showing her what she needs to accomplish and what new skills she needs to develop in order to be on a track to advancement within the organization.3. Workload and Stress Level
Dealing with a workload that is far too heavy and deadlines that are impossible to reach can cause job satisfaction to erode for even the most dedicated employee. Falling short of deadlines results in conflict between employees and supervisors and raises the stress level of the workplace. Many times, this environment is caused by ineffective management and poor planning. The office operates in a crisis mode because supervisors don't allow enough time for employees to perform their assigned tasks effectively or because staff levels are inadequate.4. Respect from Co-Workers
Employees seek to be treated with respect by those they work with. A hostile work environment -- with rude or unpleasant co-workers -- is one that usually has lower job satisfaction. Managers need to step in and mediate conflicts before they escalate into more serious problems requiring disciplinary action. Employees may need to be reminded what behaviors are considered inappropriate when interacting with co-workers.5. Relationship with Supervisors
Effective managers know their employees need recognition and praise for their efforts and accomplishments. Employees also need to know their supervisor's door is always open for them to discuss any concerns they have that are affecting their ability to do their jobs effectively and impeding their satisfaction at the office.
6. Financial Rewards
Job satisfaction is impacted by an employee's views about the fairness of the company wage scale as well as the current compensation she may be receiving. Companies need to have a mechanism in place to evaluate employee performance and provide salary increases to top performers. Opportunities to earn special incentives, such as bonuses, extra paid time off or vacations, also bring excitement and higher job satisfaction to the workplace.
Therefore, the employer should tell employees early and often that it is the employees’ responsibility to recognize and pursue their own career contentment. Employers’ emphasis should be on matching employees with meaningful work. Employees who learn to take charge of their own happiness at work will be highly motivated. Satisfied employees will stay with the company for a relatively long period. Thus, they must concentrate on removing dissatisfies from the workplace to enable employees to get on with their own satisfaction in an environment. Managers must concentrate on employing the right people for the organization in order to maximize on the possibility that employees will be satisfied.
Importance of Job satisfaction
Job satisfaction is a matter of great significance for employers.
* Lower staff turnover
* Higher productivity
* Reduction in conflicts and complaints
* Punctuality (reduced lateness)
* Better worked morale
Job satisfaction and productivity
In the right conditions and settings, job satisfaction can to a great degree lead to higher productivity. If employees feel that their jobs are fun and interesting, they will be more willing to give extra effort at work for the benefit of the whole organization. Instead if employees have the feeling that their occupations are meaningless and boring, they will have a negative attitude which will definitely lead to a decline in productivity.
Job satisfaction helps to create a better working environment
When employees are enjoying a higher degree of job satisfaction they tend to be more helpful and friendly with their colleagues at work. This helps to promote teamwork where sharing of information and knowledge is enhanced. Moreover studies have shown that job satisfaction among employees may lead to a better and safer working environment with lesser negative conflicts which otherwise would impede the smooth running of the organization.
Job satisfaction and absenteeism and turnover
High rate of turnover has always been a great problem to many organizations. It obviously results in loss of potentials and talents and causes huge losses in terms of additional costs. According to Sattler and Mullen, generally, the more productive people are, the more satisfied they tend to be and when employees feel satisfied they are less likely to leave the organization.
Employee satisfaction can lead to customer satisfaction
When our staff is happy, our customers will be too. At the heart of these endeavors is a strong belief that today's employee satisfaction, loyalty and commitment influence tomorrow's customer satisfaction, loyalty and commitment-and, ultimately, the organization's profit and growth.
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