MODULE 2

PERCEPTION
 DEFINITION
• Perception is a process by which
individuals organize and interpret
their sensory impressions in order to
give meaning to their environment.
• In easy words, perception is the way
you think about or understand
someone or something.
Factors influencing perception
 Factors in the Perceiver:
When an individual looks at a target and attempts to interpret what he or she,
that interpretation is heavily influenced by personal characteristics of individual
perceiver. These factors are inside a person.
a. Attitudes: Suppose, an OB teacher who has negative attitudes towards
Nepali(language) speaking and students sitting on last bench would neglect
even the genuine questions raised by them.

b. Motives: A person’s most urgent needs and desires at any given time can
influence perception. Unsatisfied needs or motives stimulate individuals and
may exert a strong influence on their perceptions. For example, in an
organizational context, a boss who is insecure perceives a subordinate's efforts
to do an outstanding job as a threat to his or her own position. Personal
insecurity can be transferred into the perception that others are out to "get my
job", regardless of the intention of the subordinates.
c. Interests: We perceive those things quickly for which we have a
deep interest. For example, if you are preoccupied with a personal
problem, you may find it hard to be attentive in class.

d. Experience: Successful experiences enhance and boost up the

perceptive ability and lead to accuracy in perception and vice versa.

e. Expectations: People see what they expect to see. People who

accept themselves are more likely to be able to see favourable
aspects of other people. Teacher would notice rough behavior of a
student on last bench as compared to the first benchers.
 Factors in the Target/ perceived
• Physical appearance plays a big role in our perception of others. Extremely attractive
or unattractive individuals are more likely to be noticed in a group than ordinary
looking individuals. Motion, sound, size and other attributes of a target shape the way
we see it. They are factors which are within the things to be perceived. Important
ones are:
(i) Novelty (ii Motion (iii) sounds (iv) Size (v) Background (vi) Proximity (vii) Similarity.

a. Sounds: Louder and frequent is the sound easier and quicker will be the perception
and vice versa.
b. Background: Targets are not looked at in isolation, the relationship of a target to its
background influences perception because of our tendency to group close things and
similar things together.
c. Proximity (nearness): The things that are proximate to time or physical settings are
perceived easily and quickly.
d. Similarity: If the things are similar to us, we perceive it easily and quickly. For
example, an army person perceives an army staff easily.
e. Motion: The motion principle says that people will pay more attention to
moving objects in their field of vision than they will to non-moving/stationary
objects. Example: People will be more attracted by a running train/bus than one
standing on the platform/bus stand or Advertisers create signs that incorporate
moving parts.
f. Novelty and familiarity: This principle says that either a familiar or a novel
(new) factor in the environment can attract attention, depending on the
circumstances. A novel object in the familiar situation or a familiar object in a
novel situation tends to attract attention. Thus a white person or a black person
in India catches attention faster. Example: Someone is likely to notice the face of
a close friend among a group of approaching people.
g. Size: The size of things is closely related to intensity. We are most likely to
notice things that stand out because of their size relative to other things in that
area. For example: Advertising Companies use large billboards and signs that
capture the perceiver’s attention.
 Factors in the Situation
The situation in which the interaction between the perceiver and the target takes
place has an influence on the perceiver’s impression of the target. Some
situations provide strong cues as to appropriate behaviour.
a. Time: It also affects perception. Students who read OB book early in the
morning understand/perceive) easily and quickly. They perceive OB book
quickly in a book store at the time of examination.

b. Work setting: Suppose, if the OB class is small and peaceful, the students
perceive the subject easily and quickly and vice versa.

c. Social setting: Every social setting has its own decorum. Dress code for a picnic
or a party or disco varies from the dress code of office or college or university.
 Importance of perception in OB
• Employment Interview: 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: Performance appraisal is dependent on the
perceptual process. An employee’s future is closely tied to the appraisal—
promotion, pay raises, and continuation of employment are among the
most obvious outcomes.
• Assessing Level of Effort: 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.
• Productivity: What individuals perceive from their work situation will
influence their productivity. 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 individuals 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. 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.
 Perceptual process
Receiving

Selecting
Internal factors External factors

Organizing

Interpreting
• Receiving: It is the initial stage in which a person collects all
information and receives the information through the sense organs.
• Selecting: This is the second stage in the process. Here a person
doesn’t receive the data randomly but selectively. A person selects
some information out of all in accordance with his interest or needs.
The selection of data is dominated by various external and internal
factors.
External factors − The factors that influence the perception of an
individual externally are intensity, size, contrast, movement,
repetition, familiarity, and novelty.
Internal factors − The factors that influence the perception of an
individual internally are psychological requirements, learning,
background, experience, self-acceptance, and interest.
• Organizing: Keeping things in order or say in a synchronized way is
organizing. In order to make sense of the data received, it is important
to organize them.
• We can organize the data by − Grouping them on the basis of their
similarity, proximity, closure, continuity.
• Establishing a figure ground is the basic process in perception. Here by
figure we mean what is kept as main focus and by ground we mean
background stimuli, which are not given attention.

• Interpreting: Finally, we have the process of interpreting which means

forming an idea about a particular object depending upon the need or
interest. Interpretation means that the information we have sensed
and organized, is finally given a meaning by turning it into something
that can be categorized. It includes stereotyping, halo effect etc.
INDIVIDUAL ATTITUDE
 Definition
• “Attitude is manner, disposition, feeling and position with regard to a
person or thing, tendency or orientation especially in the mind.”
-S.P Robbins
• “Mental states, developed through experience, which are always ready
to exert an active influence on an individual’s response to any
conditions or circumstances to which the person has been directed.”
-Gordon Allport
• An attitude is a positive; negative or mixed evaluation of an object that
is expressed at some level of intensity.
• It is an expression of a favorable or unfavorable evaluation of a person,
place, thing or event.
 Characteristics
• Attitudes are the complex combination of personality, beliefs,
values, behaviors, and motivations.
• It is dynamic. So it can fall anywhere along a continuum from
very favorable to very unfavorable.
• All people, irrespective of their status or intelligence, hold
attitudes.
• An attitude exists in every person’s mind. It helps to define
our identity, guide our actions, and influence how we judge
people.
Components of attitude (ABC model)
• Affective Component: It is the emotional or feeling segment of an
attitude. It is related to the statement which affects another person. It
deals with feelings or emotions that are brought to the surface about
something, such as love, anger, fear or hate. E.g: “I am scared of
spiders.”
• Behavioral Component: It consists of a person’s tendencies to behave
in a particular way toward an object. It refers to that part of attitude
which reflects the intention of a person in short run or long run. E.g: “I
will avoid spiders.”
• Cognitive Component: It refers to the beliefs, thoughts, and attributes
that we would associate with an object. It is the opinion or belief
segment of an attitude. It refers that part of attitude which is related in
general knowledge of a person. E.g: “I believe that spiders are
dangerous.”
 Factors influencing attitude
1. Social Factors.
2. Direct Instruction.
3. Family.
4. Prejudices.
5. Personal Experience.
6. Media.
7. Educational and Religious Institutions.
8. Economic Status and Occupations.
• Social Factors: Every society has the majority of people who
prefer to lead a harmonious life. They try to avoid unnecessary
friction of conflicts with people. Naturally, they are inclined to
develop positive attitudes towards most of the people and
issues.
• Direct Instruction: Sometimes direct instruction can influence
attitude formation. For example, somebody gives information
about the usefulness of some fruit. On the basis of this
information, we can develop a positive or negative attitude
about that fruit.
• Family: Attitudes developed by an individual, whether positive
or negative are the result of instructions from family members,
are very powerful and difficult to change.
• Prejudices: Prejudices are preconceived ideas or judgments where
one develops some attitudes towards other people, objects, etc. If
we are prejudiced against a person, who is, accused of a crime, we
may regard him as guilty regardless of the evidence.
• Personal Experience: The attitude will be more easily formed when
personal experience involves emotional factors. In situations
involving emotions, appreciation will be more in-depth experience
and longer trace.
• Media: As a means of communication, the mass media such as
television, radio, etc. has a major influence in shaping people’s
opinions and beliefs. There is new information on something that
provides the foundation for the emergence of new cognitive
attitudes towards it.
• Educational and Religious Institutions: As a system,
educational and religious institutions have a strong influence in
shaping attitudes because they lay the foundation of
understanding and moral concepts within the individual.

• Economic Status and Occupations: Our economic and

occupational positions also contribute to attitude formation.
They determine, in part, our attitudes towards unions and
management and our belief that certain laws are ‘good’ or
‘bad’. Our socio-economic background influences our present
and future attitudes.
 Types of attitude
• There are 3 types of attitude which are as follows:
1. Job satisfaction
2. Job involvement
3. Organizational commitment
• Job Satisfaction:
It 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.
A person with a high level of job satisfaction holds positive
attitudes about the job, while a person who is dissatisfied with
his or her job holds a negative attitude about the job.
• Job Involvement:
 Job involvement refers to the degree with which an individual
identifies psychologically with his or her job and perceives his
or her perceived performance level important to self-worth.
High levels of job involvement have been found to be related to
fewer absences and lower resignation rates.
Organizational Commitment:
• It is understood as one’s identification with his or her
organization and feels proud of being its employee.
• It is defined as a state in which an employee identifies with a
particular organization and, its goals, and wishes to maintain
membership in the organization.
• Basically, turnover and absenteeism are low when employees
have an organizational commitment.
Functions of attitude
• Adjustment Function:
Attitudes often help people to adjust to their work
environment. When employees are well treated, they
are likely to develop a positive attitude toward
management and the organization.
When employees are criticized and given a minimal
salary, they are likely to develop a negative attitude
toward management and the organization.
The adjustment function directs people toward
pleasurable or rewarding objects and away from
unpleasant, undesirable ones.
• Ego-Defensive Function:
It refers to holding attitudes that -protect our self-esteem or that
justify actions that make us feel guilty.
This function involves psychoanalytic principles where people use
defence mechanisms to protect themselves from psychological
harm.
For example- an older manager whose decisions are continually
challenged by a younger subordinate manager may feel that the
later is brash, cocky, immature, and inexperienced. In truth, the
younger subordinate may be right in challenging the decisions. The
older manager may not be a very effective leader and may
constantly make poor decisions. On the other hand, the older
manager is not going to admit this but will try to protect the ego by
putting the blame on the other party.
• Value-Expressive Function:
Value-expressive attitudes enable the expression of the
person’s centrally held values.
Central values tend to establish our identity and gain us social
approval thereby showing us who we are, and what we stand
for.
Some attitudes are important to a person because they
express values that are integral to that person’s self-concept.
E.g: One whose central value is freedom, the individual may
express very positive attitudes towards decentralization of
authority in the organization, flexible work schedules, and
relaxation of dress standards.
• Knowledge Function:
This allows us to predict what is likely to happen, and so gives us a
sense of control.
They help people ascribe causes to events and direct attention
towards features of people or situations that are likely to be useful in
making sense of them.
Consequently, they help to make the world more understandable,
predictable, and knowable. Knowing a person’s attitude helps us
predict their behavior.
For example- people who are not familiar with nuclear energy may
develop an attitude that it is dangerous and should not be used as an
energy source. Stereotyping is another example. In the absence of
knowledge about a person, we may use a stereotyped attitude for
judging the person.
 Attitude vs Behaviour
BASIS FOR COMPARISON ATTITUDE
Meaning Attitude refers to a person's
mental view, regarding the way
he/she thinks or feels about
someone or something.
BEHAVIOR
Behavior implies the actions,
moves, conduct or functions of
an individual or group towards
other persons.

Based on Experience and observation Situation

Trait Human Inborn

What is it? A person's mindset. Outward expression of attitude.

Reflects What you think or feel? What you do?

Defined by Way we perceive things. Social Norms

 Attitudes influences behavior
• Attitude refers to feelings, beliefs and behavior predispositions directed
towards people, groups, ideas or objects. It influences the behavior of the
individuals. It decides how to act or behave in a particular situation.
• Attitude is a kind of habit. It is a usual way of doing things.
• Everything in an organization will get better if the attitude of everyone
gets better. Successes and failures in life depend upon the attitude of the
individuals.
• If attitudes are positive, then human relations will be positive. It is internal
and very difficult to change.
• Behavior is the way a person responds to his attitude. This response is
either positive or negative, depending on how that views his position.
 Individual difference
• Individuals bring a number of differences to work, such as
unique personalities, values, emotions, and moods.
• When new employees enter organizations, their stable or
temporary characteristics affect how they behave and
perform.
• When hiring employees, companies are interested in
assessing at least two types of fit:
1. Person–organization fit
2. Person–job fit
 Person–organization fit
• It refers to the degree to which a person’s values, personality,
goals, and other characteristics match those of the
organization.
• When people fit into their organization, they tend to be more
satisfied with their jobs, more committed to their companies,
and more influential in their company, and they actually
remain longer in their company.
 Person–job fit
• It is the degree to which a person’s skill, knowledge, abilities,
and other characteristics match the job demands.
• The first thing many recruiters look at is the person–job fit.
• The person–job fit is related to a number of positive work
attitudes such as satisfaction with the work environment,
identification with the organization, job satisfaction, and work
behaviours such as job performance.
 VALUES
VALUES ARE THE DEEPLY HELD BELIEFS THAT DRIVE
AND DIRECT YOUR BEHAVIOR.

EDUCATION “WITHOUT” VALUES MAKES A MAN A “MORE

CLEVER” “DEVIL”
 Meaning
• Values refer to stable life goals that people have, reflecting
what is most important to them.
• Values are established throughout one’s life as a result of the
accumulating life experiences and tend to be relatively stable.
• The values that are important to people tend to affect the
types of decisions they make, how they perceive their
environment, and their actual behave ours.
• People are more likely to accept job offers when the company
possesses the values people care about.
 Types of values
a) Theoretical value: Theoretical value is related to importance and
discovery of truth through rational approach. If all the employees
practice truth in true sense, the organization would operate itself
and there won’t be any need for supervision.
(b) Economic value: It emphasises usefulness and practicability of
resources, efforts put in by individuals and the consequent value
derived there from. If the project is economically viable (in a very large
sense) then it can be undertaken.
(c) Aesthetic value: Aesthetic value is displayed by cordial relations
between various levels of organization, effective communication,
conflict free atmosphere and very congenial work environment. The
work in organizations, which has aesthetic value system among
workers, is done in harmony, peace and participation of one and all.
(d) Social value: It is related to love of people, sense of belongingness
and an attitude of ‘we’ feeling. Such value is very important in the
organization that brings together the employees which are bound by a
sense of participation that leads to high level of motivation and high
productivity.

(e) Political value: It refers to power and influence in the organization.

Right people must be placed at the right positions so that they are able
to influence the people.

(f) Religious value: It is related to display of value which would bring

unity and understanding amongst the people in the organization based
on common religious platform.
 Rokeach Value Survey
• Milton Rokeach is a pioneer in studying human values.
• His research is known as the Rokeach value survey (RVS).
• The RVS consists of two sets of values. Each of the sets contain
18 value items.
1. Terminal values refer to end states people desire in life,
such as leading a prosperous life and a world at peace.
2. Instrumental values deal with views on acceptable
modes of conduct, such as being honest and ethical, and
being ambitious.
PERSONALITY
 MEANING
• The word personality comes from the Latin word “persona”,
meaning "mask." According to this root, personality is the
impression we make on others; the mask we present to the
world.
• Personality is the sum total ways in which an individual reacts
and interacts with others.
-Stephen. P. Robbins
• Personality is defined as "a unique set of traits and
characteristics, relatively stable over time."
 DETERMINANTS OF PERSONALITY
Several factors influence the shaping of our personality. Major
among these are:
1. Heredity
2. Culture
3. Family Background
4. Our Experiences through Life
5. The People we interact with
 Contd..
• Heredity: There are some genetic factors that determine
certain aspects of what we tend to become. Whether we are
tall or short, experience good health or ill health, be traced to
heredity.

• Culture: People born in different cultures tend to develop

different types of personalities. For example, we have seen that
people in Gujarat are more enterprising than people from
other states, Punjabis are more diligent and hardworking,
people from Bengal are more creative and with an intellectual
bend and the likes.
 Contd….
• Experiences in life: Whether one trusts or mistrusts others, is
miserly or generous, have a high or low self esteem,etc. is at least
partially related to the past experiences the individual has had.
• People We Interact With: "A Person is known by the company he
or she keeps" is a common saying. The implication is that people
persuade each other and tends to associate with members who are
more like them in their attitudes and values.
• Family Background: The socio-economic status of the family, the
number of children in the family and birth order, and the
background and education of the parents and extended members
of the family such as uncles and aunts, influence the shaping of
personality to a considerable extent.
PERSONALITY THEORIES
 Psychoanalytic Theory
• The Psychoanalytic Theory is the personality theory,
which is based on the notion that an individual gets
motivated more by unseen forces that are controlled by
the conscious and the rational thought.
• Sigmund Freud is closely related to the psychoanalytic
theory. According to him, the human behavior is
formed through an interaction between three
components of the mind, i.e. Id, Ego and Super Ego.
 ID
• Id is the unconscious part of the mind; that act
instantaneously without giving much thought to what is right
and what is wrong.
• Id is the primitive part of the mind that seeks immediate
gratification of biological or instinctual needs.
• The biological needs are the basic physical needs and while the
instinctual needs are the natural or unlearned needs, such as
hunger, thirst, etc.
 SUPER-EGO
• The Super-Ego is related to the social or the moral values
that an individual inculcates as he matures.

• It acts as an ethical constraint on behaviour and helps an

individual to develop his conscience.

• As the individual grows in the society, he learns the

cultural values and the norms of the society which help
him to differentiate between right and wrong.
 EGO
• Ego is the logical and the conscious part of the mind
which is associated with the reality principle.
• This means it balances the demands of Id and super-
ego in the context of real life situations.
• Ego is conscious and hence keep a check on Id through
a proper reasoning of an external environment.
 SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY
• The Socio-Psychological Theory asserts that individual and society
are interlinked.
• The Socio-Psychological theory is the contribution of Adler, Horney,
Forman and Sullivan. This theory is also called as NEO-FREUDIAN
THEORY.
• According to this theory, the social variables and not the biological
instincts, are the important determinants in shaping the individual’s
personality.
• Here, the motivation is conscious, i.e. an individual knows what are
his needs and wants and what kind of behaviour is required to meet
these needs.
• It is the society from where the individual inculcates the cultural
values and the social norms, which helps him in shaping his
personality and influences his behaviour according to the external
situations.
 TRAIT THEORY
• The Trait Theory asserts that an individual is composed of a set of definite
predisposition attributes called as traits.
• These traits are distinguishable and often long lasting quality or a characteristic
of a person that makes him different from the others.
 ALLPORT’S TRAIT THEORY:
• This theory is given by Gordon Allport. According to him, the personality of an
individual can be studied through a distinction between the common traits and
the personal dispositions.
• The common traits are used to compare the people on the grounds of six
values, such as religious, social, economic, political, aesthetic and theoretical.
personal dispositions which are unique and are classified as follows:
• Cardinal Traits: The cardinal traits are powerful, and few people possess
personality dominated by a single trait.
• Central Traits: These traits are the general characteristics possessed by many
individuals in the varying degrees. Such as loyalty, friendliness, agreeableness,
kindness, etc.
• Secondary Trait: The secondary traits show why at times, a person behaves
differently than his usual behavior. Such as a jolly person may get miserable
when people try to tease him.
 CATTELL’S TRAIT THEORY
• This trait theory is given by Raymond
Cattell. According to him, the sample
of a large number of variables should
be studied to have a proper
understanding of the individual
personality.
• He collected the life data (everyday life
behaviors of individuals), experimental
data (standardizing experiments by
measuring actions), questionnaire
data (responses gathered from the
introspection of an individual’s
behavior) and done the factor analysis
to identify the traits that are related to
one another.
• By using the factor analysis method,
he identified 16 key personality
factors:
• Abstractedness – Imaginative Vs Practical
• Warmth – Outgoing Vs Reserved
• Vigilance – Suspicious Vs Trusting
• Tension – Impatient Vs Relaxed
• Apprehension – Worried Vs Confident
• Emotional Stability – Calm Vs anxious
• Liveliness – Spontaneous Vs Restrained
• Dominance – Forceful Vs Submissive
• Social Boldness – Uninhibited Vs Shy
• Perfectionism – Controlled Vs Undisciplined
• Privateness – Discreet Vs Open
• Sensitivity – Tender Vs Tough
• Self Reliance – Self sufficient Vs Dependent
• Rule-Consciousness – Conforming Vs Non-
Conforming
• Reasoning – Abstract Vs Concrete
• Openness to Change – Flexible Vs Stubborn
 Self Theory
• The Self Theory emphasizes on the set of perceptions
an individual has for himself and the perceptions of the
relationships he has with others and the other aspects
of life.
• Carl Rogers has contributed significantly towards the
self theory.
1.Self-Image: Self-image means what an individual thinks about
himself. Everybody has certain beliefs about themselves, such as
who or what they are, these beliefs form the self image and
identity of a person.
2.Ideal-Self: The ideal-self means, the way an individual would like
to be. The ideal-self-acts as a stimulus to motivate an individual
to undertake those activities that are in compliance with the
characteristics of his ideal self.
3.Looking-Glass-Self:The looking-glass self means, an individual’s
perception of how others are perceiving his qualities or feeling
about him.
4.Real-Self: The real-self is what others show you with respect to
your self-image. An individual’s self-image is confirmed when
others responses to him and shares their beliefs or perception,
about what they actually feel about him.
 MEASURES OF PERSONALITY
• There are various standard tests and scales available to
measure personality.
• The most important and widely used tests are discussed
as follows:
1. Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
2. Myers-Briggs Types Indicator (MBTI)
3. The Big Five Model
 Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
• It is a projective test that offers more validity.
• The TAT consists of drawings or photographs of real-life
situations.
• People taking the test are instructed to construct
stories based on these images, and trained raters then
score the recorded story for predefined themes.
• Psychologists assume that the stories people tell
reflect the unconscious.
Myers-Briggs Types Indicator (MBTI)
The Big Five Model
• The Big Five factors are:
1. Extraversion. This dimension captures one's comfort level with relationships.
Extraverts tend to be assertive and sociable. Introverts tend to be reserved and quiet.
2. Agreeableness. This dimension refers to an individual's tendency to defer to others.
Highly agreeable people are cooperative, affectionate, and trusting. People who score
low on agreeableness are cold, disagreeable.
3. Conscientiousness. This dimension is a measure of reliability. A highly conscientious
person is responsible, organized, dependable, and persistent. Those who score low on
this dimension are easily distracted, disorganized, and unreliable.
4. Emotional stability. This dimension taps a person's ability to bear up stress. People
with positive emotional stability tend to be calm, self-confident, and secure. Those
with highly negative scores tend to be nervous, anxious, Depressed, and insecure.
5. Openness to experience. The final dimension addresses an individual's range of
interests and fascination with novelty. Extremely open people are creative, curious,
and artistically sensitive. Those at the other end of the open- ness category are
conventional and find comfort in the familiar.
How the big five traits affect behavior at work?
WORK ATTITUDE AND
WORK BEHAVIOUR
 WORK ATTITUDE
• An attitude refers to our opinions, beliefs, and feelings about aspects of our
environment. At work, two particular job attitudes have the greatest potential
to influence how we behave. These are job satisfaction and organizational
commitment.
1. Job satisfaction: It refers to is a measure of workers contentedness with their
job, whether or not they like the job or individual aspects or facets of jobs,
such as nature of work or supervision.
2. Organizational commitment: It is the emotional attachment people have
toward the company they work for. There is a high degree of overlap
between job satisfaction and organizational commitment, because things that
make us happy with our job often make us more committed to the company
as well.
• Important outcomes of such attitude are performance, helping others,
absenteeism, and turnover.
FACTORS LEADING TO JOB SATISFACTION
 HOW NEGATIVITY IMPACTS A WORKPLACE?
• A negative attitude doesn’t just put others in a bad mood – it also has a tangible,
measurable impact on how an office functions. Here are some of the effects of an
unchecked negative attitude:
a) Lack productivity
b) Unwillingness to work collaboratively
c) Unwillingness to try new things
d) Reduced energy levels
e) Depressive feelings
f) Reduced quality of work
g) Poor customer engagement
h) Difficulty overcoming obstacles
 HOW POSITIVITY IMPACTS A WORKPLACE?
• When there are positive attitudes in a workplace, there’s a feeling that anything
can be accomplished. Colleagues support each other and a host of other
positive outcomes materialize, such as:
• Increased productivity
• Greater probability of collaboration and teamwork
• Improved morale
• Ability to overcome adversity
• Willingness to think creatively and try new things
• Willingness to share information and ideas
• Lower turnover
• Improved customer service
 HOW CAN YOU BE HAPPIER AT WORK?
• Have a positive attitude about job: Your personality is a big
part of your happiness. If you are always looking for the
negative side of everything, you will feel dissatisfied.
• A good fit with the job and company is important to your
happiness: This starts with knowing yourself: What do you
want from the job? What do you enjoy doing? Be honest with
yourself and do a self-assessment.
• Get accurate information about the job and the company: Do
your research: Read about the company, and use your social
network to understand the company’s culture. Make-up your
mind accordingly.
• Develop good relationships at work: Make friends. Try to get
a mentor. Approach a person you admire and attempt to
build a relationship with him/her. An experienced mentor can
be a great help in navigating life at a company.
• Pay is important, but job characteristics matter more to
your job satisfaction: Don’t sacrifice the job itself for a little
bit more money. When choosing a job, look at the level of
challenge, and the potential of the job to make you engaged.
• Know when to leave: If the job makes you unhappy over an
extended period of time and there is little hope of solving the
problems, it may be time to look elsewhere.
END OF MODULE 2