Robbins: Organizational Behavior Chapter Three

EXPANDED CHAPTER OUTLINE

Values
1. Values represent basic convictions that a specific mode of conduct or end-
state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or
converse mode of conduct or end-state of existence.
2. There is a judgmental element of hat is right! good! or desirable.
". Values have both content and intensity attributes.
a. The content attribute says that a mode of conduct or end-state of
existence is important.
b. The intensity attribute specifies ho important it is.
c. #an$ing an individual%s values in terms of their intensity e&uals
that person%s value system.
'. Values are not generally fluid and flexible. They tend to be relatively stable and
enduring.
a. ( significant portion of the values e hold is established in our
early years)from parents! teachers! friends! and others.
b. The process of &uestioning our values! of course! may result in a
change! but more often! our &uestioning acts to reinforce the
values e hold.
A. Importance of Values
1. Values lay the foundation for the understanding of attitudes and motivation
because they influence our perceptions.
2. *ndividuals enter organi+ations ith notions of hat is right and rong ith
hich they interpret behaviors or outcomes)at times this can cloud objectivity
and rationality.
". Values generally influence attitudes and behavior.
B. Types of Values
1. #o$each Value ,urvey !"hibit #$%&
a. *t consists of to sets of values! ith each set containing 1-
individual value items.
b. .ne set)terminal values)refers to desirable end-states of
existence! the goals that a person ould li$e to achieve during
his/her lifetime.
c. The other)instrumental values)refers to preferable modes of
behavior! or means of achieving the terminal values.
2. ,everal studies confirm that the #V, values vary among groups.
a. 0eople in the same occupations or categories tend to hold similar
values.
b. There are some significant differences as ell 12xhibit "-23
4ontemporary 5or$ 4ohorts
1. The uni&ue value of different cohorts is that the 6.,. or$force can be
segmented by the era they entered the or$force. 12xhibit "-"3
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Robbins: Organizational Behavior Chapter Three
2. Veterans)5or$ers ho entered the or$force from the early 17'8s through
the early 1798s
a. *nfluenced by the :reat ;epression and 5orld 5ar **
b. <elieve in hard or$
c. Tend to be loyal to their employer
d. Terminal values= 4omfortable life and family security
". <oomers)2mployees ho entered the or$force during the 1798s through the
mid-17-8s
a. *nfluenced heavily by >ohn ?. @ennedy! the civil rights and feminist
movements! the <eatles! the Vietnam 5ar! and baby-boom
competition
b. ;istrust authority! but have a high emphasis on achievement and
material success
c. .rgani+ations ho employ them are vehicles for their careers
d. Terminal values= sense of accomplishment and social recognition
'. Aers)began to enter the or$force from the mid-17-8s
a. ,haped by globali+ation! to-career parents! BTV! (*;,! and
computers
b. Value flexibility! life options! and achievement of job satisfaction
c. ?amily and relationships are important and enjoy team-oriented
or$
d. Boney is important! but ill trade off for increased leisure time
e. Cess illing to ma$e personal sacrifices for employers than
previous generations
f. .n the #V, D rate high true friendship! happiness! and pleasure
E. Fexters)most recent entrants into the or$force.
g. :re up in prosperous times! have high expectation! believe in
themselves! and confident in their ability to succeed
h. Fever-ending search for ideal jobG see nothing rong ith job-
hopping
i. ,ee$ financial success
j. 2njoy team or$! but are highly self-reliant
$. Terminal values= freedom and comfortable life
E. *ndividuals% values differ! but tend to reflect the societal values of the period in
hich they gre up. This can be a valuable aid in explaining and predicting
behavior. 2mployees in their 98s! for instance! are more li$ely to accept
authority than coor$ers 18 or 1E years younger.
H. 5or$ers in their "8%s are more li$ely than their parents to bal$ at having to or$
overtime or ee$ends! and are more prone to leave a job in mid-career to
pursue another that provides more leisure time.
A. Values' (oyalty' an) !thical Behavior
1. Bany people thin$ there has been a decline in business ethics since the late
17H8s. The four-stage model of or$ cohort values might explain this
perception. 12xhibit "-"3
2. Banagers consistently report the action of bosses as the most important factor
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Robbins: Organizational Behavior Chapter Three
influencing ethical and unethical behavior in the organi+ation.
". Through the mid-17H8s! the managerial ran$s ere dominated by Veterans
hose loyalty as to their employerG their decisions ere made in terms of
hat as best for the employer.
'. <oomers entered the or$force at this time and by the early 1778%s held a
large portion of the middle and top management positions. Coyalty as to their
careers. ,elf-centered values ould be consistent ith a decline in ethical
values. 4an this help explain the alleged decline in business ethics beginning
in the late 17H8%sI
E. #ecent entrants to the or$force)Aers)are no moving into middle
management. Coyalty is to relationshipsG therefore they may be more li$ely to
consider the ethical implications of their actions on others around them.
B. Values Across Cultures
1. Values differ across culturesG therefore! understanding these differences helps
to explain and to predict behavior of employees from different countries. .ne
of the most idely referenced approaches for analy+ing variations among
cultures has been done by :eert Jofstede.
2. Jofstede%s ( frameor$ for assessing culturesG five value dimensions of
national culture=
a. 0oer distance=
The degree to hich people in a country accept that poer in
institutions and organi+ations is distributed une&ually.
b. *ndividualism versus collectivism=
*ndividualism is the degree to hich people in a country prefer to act
as individuals rather than as members of groups.
4ollectivism e&uals lo individualism.
c. (chievement versus nurturing=
(chievement is the degree to hich values such as the ac&uisition of
money and material goods prevail.
Furturing is the degree to hich people value relationships and sho
sensitivity and concern for others.
d. 6ncertainty avoidance=
The degree to hich people in a country prefer structured over
unstructured situations.
e. Cong-term versus short-term orientation=
Cong-term orientations loo$ to the future and value thrift and
persistence.
,hort-term orientation values the past and present and emphasi+es
respect for tradition and fulfilling social obligations.
'. 4onclusions=
(sian countries ere more collectivist than individualistic. 6, ran$ed
highest on individualism. :erman and Jong @ong rated high on
achievementG #ussia and The Fetherlands ere lo. 4hina and Jong
@ong had a long-term orientationG ?rance and 6, had short-term.
E. Jofstede%s or$ is the basic frameor$ for assessing cultures. Joever! it is
nearly "8 years old. *n 177"! the :lobal Ceadership and .rgani+ational
<ehavior 2ffectiveness 1:C.<23 began updating this research ith date from
-2E organi+ations and 92 countries.
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Robbins: Organizational Behavior Chapter Three
a. :C.<2 ?rameor$ for (ssessing 4ultures 12xhibit "-'3=
Assertiveness= The extent to hich a society encourages people to be
tough! confrontational! assertive! and competitive versus modest and
tender
*uture Orientation= The extent to hich a society encourages and
reards future-oriented behaviors such as planning! investing in the
future and delaying gratification
+en)er )ifferentiation= The extent to hich a society maximi+ed
gender role differences
,ncertainly avoi)ance= ,ociety%s reliance on social norms and
procedures to alleviate the unpredictability of future events
-o.er )istance= The degree to hich members of a society expect
poer to be une&ually shared
In)ivi)ualism/Collectivism= The degree to hich individuals are
encouraged by societal institutions to be integrated into groups ithin
organi+ations and society
In$group collectivism= The extent to hich society%s members ta$e
pride in membership in small groups such as their families and circles
of close friends! and the organi+ations here they are employed
-erformance orientation= The degree to hich society encourages and
reards group members for performance improvement and excellence
0umane orientation= The degree to hich a society encourages and
reards individuals for being fair! altruistic! generous! caring! and $ind
to others
b. 4onclusion= The :C.<2 study had extended Jofstede%s or$ rather than
replaced it. *t confirms Jofstede%s five dimensions are still valid and
provides updated measures of here countries are on each dimension.
?or example! the 6.,. in the H8s led the orld in individualism)today! it is
in the mid-ran$s of countries.
C. Implications for OB
1. (mericans have developed organi+ational behavior ithin domestic contexts)
more than -8 percent of the articles published in journals ere by (mericans.
2. .< has become a global discipline. 4oncepts need to reflect the different
cultural values of people in different countries=
a. #ecent global research allos specification of here .< concepts
are universally applicable across countries and here they are not.
(ttitudes
1. (ttitudes are evaluative statements that are either favorable or unfavorable
concerning objects! people! or events.
2. (ttitudes are not the same as values! but the to are interrelated.
". Three components of an attitude=
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Robbins: Organizational Behavior Chapter Three
b. 4ognition
c. (ffect
d. <ehavior
'. The belief that discrimination is rong is a value statement and an example
of the cognitive component of an attitude.
E. Value statements set the stage for the more critical part of an attitude)its
affective component. Affect is the emotional or feeling segment of an attitude.
2xample= * don%t li$e >on because he discriminates again minorities.
9. The behavioral component of an attitude refers to an intention to behave in a
certain ay toard someone or something. 2xample= * chose to avoid >on
because he discriminates.
H. Vieing attitudes as made up of three components helps ith understanding of
the potential relationship beteen attitudes and behavior! hoever! hen e
refer to attitu)e essentially e mean the affect part of the three components.
-. *n contrast to values! your attitudes are less stable. (dvertisements are
directed at changing your attitudes and are often successful.
7. *n organi+ations! attitudes are important because they affect job behavior.
A. Types of Attitu)es
1. .< focuses our attention on a very limited number of job-related attitudes.
Bost of the research in .< has been concerned ith three attitudes= job
satisfaction! job involvement! and organi+ational commitment.
2. >ob satisfaction
a. Definition= refers to a collection of feelings that an individual
holds toard his or her job.
b. ( high level of job satisfaction e&uals positive attitudes toard the
job and vice versa.
c. 2mployee attitudes and job satisfaction are fre&uently used
interchangeably.
d. .ften hen people spea$ of employee attitudes they mean
employee job satisfaction.
". >ob involvement
a. ( or$able definition= the measure of the degree to hich a
person identifies psychologically ith his/her job and considers
his/her perceived performance level important to self-orth.
b. Jigh levels of job involvement are thought to result in feer
absences and loer resignation rates.
c. >ob involvement more consistently predicts turnover than
absenteeism.
'. .rgani+ational commitment
a. Definition= ( state in hich an employee identifies ith a
particular organi+ation and its goals!

A. Types of Attitu)es cont.&
a. #esearch evidence demonstrates negative relationships beteen
organi+ational commitment and both absenteeism and turnover.
b. (n individual%s level of organi+ational commitment is a better
indicator of turnover than the far more fre&uently used job
satisfaction predictor because it is a more global and enduring
response to the organi+ation as a hole than is job satisfaction.
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Robbins: Organizational Behavior Chapter Three
c. This evidence! most of hich is more than three decades old!
needs to be &ualified to reflect the changing employee-employer
relationship.
d. .rgani+ational commitment is probably less important as a job-
related attitude than it once as because the unritten loyalty
contract in place hen this research as conducted is no longer in
place.
e. *n its place! e might expect occupational commitment to
become a more relevant variable because it better reflects today%s
fluid or$force.
B. Attitu)es an) Consistency
1. 0eople sometimes change hat they say so it does not contradict hat they
do.
2. #esearch has generally concluded that people see$ consistency among their
attitudes and beteen their attitudes and their behavior.
". *ndividuals see$ to reconcile divergent attitudes and align their attitudes and
behavior so they appear rational and consistent.
'. 5hen there is an inconsistency! forces are initiated to return the individual to
an e&uilibrium state here attitudes and behavior are again consistent! by
altering either the attitudes or the behavior! or by developing a rationali+ation
for the discrepancy.
C. Cognitive 1issonance Theory
1. Ceon ?estinger! in the late 17E8s! proposed the theory of cognitive dissonance!
see$ing to explain the lin$age beteen attitudes and behavior. Je argued that
any form of inconsistency is uncomfortable and that individuals ill attempt to
reduce the dissonance.

2. 1issonance means an inconsistency.
". Cognitive )issonance refers to any incompatibility that an individual might
perceive beteen to or more of his/her attitudes! or beteen his/her behavior
and attitudes.
'. Fo individual can completely avoid dissonance.
a. The desire to reduce dissonance ould be determined by=
The importance of the elements creating the dissonance.
The degree of influence the individual believes he/she has over the
elements.
The reards that may be involved in dissonance.
E. *mportance= *f the elements creating the dissonance are relatively unimportant!
the pressure to correct this imbalance ill be lo.
9. *nfluence= *f the dissonance is perceived as an uncontrollable result! they are
less li$ely to be receptive to attitude change. 5hile dissonance exists! it can be
rationali+ed and justified.
H. #eards= The inherent tension in high dissonance tends to be reduced ith
high reards.
-. Boderating factors suggest that individuals ill not necessarily move to reduce
dissonance
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Robbins: Organizational Behavior Chapter Three
C. Cognitive 1issonance Theory
7. .rgani+ational implications
a. :reater predictability of the propensity to engage in attitude and
behavioral change
b. The greater the dissonance)after it has been moderated by
importance! choice! and reards factors)the greater the
pressures to reduce it.
1. 2easuring the A$B Relationship
1. 2arly research on attitudes and common sense assumed a causal relationship
to behavior. *n the late 1798s! this assumed relationship beteen attitudes and
behavior 1(-<3 as challenged. #ecent research has demonstrated that
attitudes significantly predict future behavior.
2. The most poerful moderators=
a. *mportance
b. ,pecificity
c. (ccessibility
d. ,ocial pressures
e. ;irect experience
". *mportance= #eflects fundamental values! self-interest! or identification ith
individuals or groups that a person values.
'. ,pecificity= The more specific the attitude and the more specific the behavior!
the stronger the lin$ beteen the to.
E. (ccessibility= (ttitudes that are easily remembered are more li$ely to predict
behavior than attitudes that are not accessible in memory.
9. ,ocial pressures= ;iscrepancies beteen attitudes and behavior are more
li$ely to occur here social pressures to behave in certain ays hold
exceptional poer.
H. ;irect experience= The attitude-behavior relationship is li$ely to be much
stronger if an attitude refers to an individual%s direct personal experience.
!. 3elf$perception theory
1. #esearchers have achieved still higher correlations by pursuing hether or not
behavior influences attitudes.
2. ,elf-perception theory argues that attitudes are used to ma$e sense out of an
action that has already occurred rather than devices that precede and guide
action. 2xample= *%ve had this job for 18 yearsG no one has forced me to stay!
so * must li$e itK
". 4ontrary to cognitive dissonance theory! attitudes are just casual verbal
statementsG they tend to create plausible ansers for hat has already
occurred.
'. 5hile the traditional attitude-behavior relationship is generally positive! the
behavior-attitude relationship is stronger particularly hen attitudes are vague
and ambiguous or little thought has been given to it previously.
*. An Application: Attitu)e 3urveys
1. The most popular method for getting information about employee attitudes is
through attitude surveys.
2. 6sing attitude surveys on a regular basis provides managers ith valuable
feedbac$ on ho employees perceive their or$ing conditions. Banagers
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Robbins: Organizational Behavior Chapter Three
present the employee ith set statements or &uestions to obtain specific
information.
". 0olicies and practices that management vies as objective and fair may be
seen as ine&uitable by employees in general or by certain groups of
employees and can lead to negative attitudes about the job and the
organi+ation.
'. 2mployee behaviors are often based on perceptions! not reality. .ften
employees do not have objective data from hich to base their perceptions.
E. The use of regular attitude surveys can alert management to potential
problems and employees% intentions early so that action can be ta$en to
prevent repercussions.
+. Attitu)es an) 4or5force 1iversity
1. Banagers are concerned ith changing employee attitudes to reflect shifting
perspectives on racial! gender! and other diversity issues.
2. Bajority of large 6.,. employers and a substantial proportion of medium-si+ed
and smaller! sponsor some sort of diversity training.
". These diversity programs include a self-evaluation phase here people are
pressed to examine themselves and to confront ethnic and cultural stereotypes
they might hold. This is folloed by discussion ith people from diverse
groups.
'. (dditional activities designed to change attitudes include arranging for people
to do volunteer or$ in community or social service centers in order to meet
face to face ith individuals and groups from diverse bac$grounds! and using
exercises that let participants feel hat it is li$e to be different.
E. ?olloing 7/11! many organi+ations have added diversity exercises that focus
on relationships ith coor$ers from Biddle 2astern bac$grounds and
folloers of the *slamic faith.
>ob ,atisfaction
A. 2easuring 6ob 3atisfaction
1. >ob satisfaction is an individual%s general attitude toard his/her job.
2. >obs re&uire interaction ith co-or$ers and bosses! folloing organi+ational
rules and policies! meeting performance standards! living ith or$ing
conditions that are often less than ideal! and the li$e. This means that an
employee%s assessment of ho satisfied or dissatisfied he or she is ith his/her
job is a complex summation of a number of discrete job elements.
". The to most idely used approaches are a single global rating and a
summation score made up of a number of job facets.
a. The single global rating method is nothing more than as$ing individuals to
respond to one &uestion! such as (ll things considered! ho satisfied are
you ith your jobI
b. ( summation of job facets is more sophisticated=
*t identifies $ey elements in a job and as$s for the employee%s feelings
about each one ran$ed on a standardi+ed scale.
Typical factors that ould be included are the nature of the or$!
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Robbins: Organizational Behavior Chapter Three
supervision! present pay! promotion opportunities! and relations ith
co-or$ers.
'. 4omparing these approaches! simplicity seems to or$ as ell as complexity.
4omparisons of one-&uestion global ratings ith the summation-of-job-factors
method indicate both are valid.
B. 0o. 3atisfie) Are -eople in Their 6obs7
1. Bost people are satisfied ith their jobs in the developed countries surveyed.
2. Joever! there has been a decline in job satisfaction since the early 1778s. *n
the 6, nearly an eight percent drop in the 78s. ,harpest declines occurred
among or$ers in the "E to '' age group. *n 177E! 91L ere satisfied! by
2882! only 'HL indicated that they ere satisfied.
". 5hat factors might explain the decline despite groth=
a. *ncreased productivity through heavier employee or$loads and
tighter deadlines
b. 2mployees feeling they have less control over their or$
C. The !ffect of 6ob 3atisfaction on !mployee -erformance
1. Banagers% interest in job satisfaction tends to center on its effect on employee
performance. Buch research has been done on the impact of job satisfaction
on employee productivity! absenteeism! and turnover.
2. ,atisfaction and productivity=
a. Jappy or$ers are not necessarily productive or$ers)the
evidence suggests that productivity is li$ely to lead to satisfaction.
b. (t the organi+ation level! there is reneed support for the original
satisfaction-performance relationship. *t seems organi+ations ith
more satisfied or$ers as a hole are more productive
organi+ations.
". ,atisfaction and absenteeism
a. 5e find a consistent negative relationship beteen satisfaction
and absenteeism. The more satisfied you are! the less li$ely you
are to miss or$.
b. *t ma$es sense that dissatisfied employees are more li$ely to miss
or$! but other factors have an impact on the relationship and
reduce the correlation coefficient. ?or example! you might be a
satisfied or$er! yet still ta$e a mental health day to head for the
beach no and again.
'. ,atisfaction and turnover
a. ,atisfaction is also negatively related to turnover! but the
correlation is stronger than hat e found for absenteeism.
b. .ther factors such as labor mar$et conditions! expectations about
alternative job opportunities! and length of tenure ith the
organi+ation are important constraints on the actual decision to
leave one%s current job.
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Robbins: Organizational Behavior Chapter Three
c. 2vidence indicates that an important moderator of the satisfaction-
turnover relationship is the employee%s level of performance.
1. 6ob 3atisfaction an) OCB
1. *t seems logical to assume that job satisfaction should be a major determinant
of an employee%s organi+ational citi+enship behavior. Bore recent evidence!
hoever! suggests that satisfaction influences .4<! but through perceptions of
fairness.
2. There is a modest overall relationship beteen job satisfaction and .4<.
". <asically! job satisfaction comes don to conceptions of fair outcomes!
treatment! and procedures. 5hen you trust your employer! you are more li$ely
to engage in behaviors that go beyond your formal job re&uirements.
!. >ob ,atisfaction and 4ustomer ,atisfaction
1. 2vidence indicates that satisfied employees increase customer satisfaction and
loyalty.
2. 4ustomer retention and defection are highly dependent on ho front-line
employees deal ith customers. ,atisfied employees are more li$ely to be
friendly! upbeat! and responsive. 4ustomers appreciate that.
". 4ompanies hire upbeat! friendly employees! train them in the importance of
customer service! provide positive employee or$ climates! and regularly trac$
employee satisfaction through attitude surveys.
*. 4hat About !mployee 1issatisfaction
1. There are a number of ays employees can express dissatisfaction
1!"hibit #$8&:
a. 2xit
b. Voice
c. Coyalty
d. Feglect
2. !"it: <ehavior directed toard leaving the organi+ation! including loo$ing for a
ne position as ell as resigning.
". Voice: (ctively and constructively attempting to improve conditions! including
suggesting improvements! discussing problems ith superiors! and some
forms of union activity.
'. Coyalty= 0assively but optimistically aiting for conditions to improve! including
spea$ing up for the organi+ation in the face of external criticism! and trusting
the organi+ation and its management to do the right thing.
E. 9eglect= 0assively alloing conditions to orsen! including chronic
absenteeism or lateness! reduced effort! and increased error rate.
9. 2xit and neglect behaviors encompass our performance variables)
productivity! absenteeism! and turnover.
H. Voice and loyalty are constructive behaviors allo individuals to tolerate
unpleasant situations or to revive satisfactory or$ing conditions. *t helps us to
understand situations! such as those sometimes found among unioni+ed
or$ers! here lo job satisfaction is coupled ith lo turnover.
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Robbins: Organizational Behavior Chapter Three
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