Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Explain the nature of the individual-organization relationship. 2. Define personality and describe personality attributes that affect behavior in organizations. 3. Discuss individual attitudes in organizations and how they affect behavior. 4. Describe basic perceptual processes and the role of attributions in organizations. 5. Discuss the causes and consequences of stress and describe how it can be managed. 6. Describe creativity and its role in organizations. 7. Explain how workplace behaviors can directly or indirectly influence organizational effectiveness.
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Individual Differences
Personal attributes that vary from one person to another.
Physical, psychological, or emotional.
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Personality Types
Extraversion (E) versus Introversion (I) Sensing (S) versus Intuition (N) Thinking (T) versus Feeling (F) Judging (J) versus Perceiving (P)
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Self-Efficacy
A persons belief about his or her capabilities to perform a task. High self-efficacy individuals believe they can perform well while low selfefficacy individuals doubt their ability to perform.
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Machiavellianism
Behavior directed at gaining power and controlling the behavior of others.
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Risk Propensity
The degree to which an individual is willing to take chances and make risky decisions.
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Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence, or EQ
The extent to which people are self-aware, can manage their emotions, can motivate themselves, express empathy for others, and possess social skills.
Dimensions of EQ
Self-awareness Managing emotion Motivating oneself Empathy Social skill
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Attitudinal Components
Affective component
Feelings and emotions toward a situation (i.e., how we feel).
Cognitive component
Perceived knowledge (i.e., why we feel the way we feel).
Intentional component
Expected behavior in a given situation (i.e., what we intend do about the situation).
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Work-Related Attitudes
Job Satisfaction or Dissatisfaction
An attitude that reflects the extent to which an individual is gratified or fulfilled by his or her work.
Negative Affectivity
A tendency to be generally downbeat and pessimistic, tend to see things in a negative way, and seem to be in a bad mood.
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Selective Perception
The process of screening out information that we are uncomfortable with or that contradicts our beliefs. If selective perception causes someone to ignore important information it can become quite detrimental.
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Type B personality
Less competitive, less devoted to work, have a weaker sense of time urgency. Less likely to experience personal stress or to come into conflict with other people. More likely to have a balanced, relaxed approach to life.
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Burnout
A feeling of exhaustion that may develop when someone experiences too much stress for an extended period of time.
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Managing Stress
Stress Management Strategies for Individuals
Regular exercise
reduces tension and stress, and improves selfconfidence and feelings of optimism.
Relaxation
allows individuals to adapt and better deal with their stress.
Time management
reduces stress by prioritizing activities to accomplish them in their order of importance.
Support groups
socializing away from work reduces stress.
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Creativity in Organizations
Creativity
The ability of an individual to generate new ideas or to conceive of new perspectives in existing ideas.
Creativity in Organizations
The Creative Individual
Cognitive abilities and creativity
Most creative people are highly intelligent. They are both divergent and convergent thinkers, a skill they use to see differences and similarities in situations, phenomena, and events.
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Incubation
A period of less intense conscious concentration during which knowledge and ideas acquired, during reparation, mature and develop. Incubation can be helped by pauses in rational thought.
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Verification
Determines the validity or truthfulness of the insight. Tests are conducted and prototypes are built to see if the insight leads to the expected results.
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Performance Behaviors
The total set of work-related behaviors an organization expects an individual to display.
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Key Terms
contributions psychological contract inducements individual differences personality openness conscientiousness negative emotionality extraversion Big Five personality traits locus of control self-efficacy authoritarianism Machiavellianism self-esteem risk propensity attitudes cognitive dissonance emotional intelligence (EQ) job satisfaction or dissatisfaction
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Key Terms
organizational commitment negative affectivity perception selective perception stereotyping attribution stress Type B Type A General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) burnout creativity workplace behavior absenteeism turnover organizational citizenship dysfunctional behaviors
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