Download Values, Attitudes and their Effects

Chapter 3
Values, Attitudes and their
Effects
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Values
• Values – basic conviciton about what is important, right
and good to the individual
• Values are measured by content (what) and intensity (how
much)
• Ranking a person’s values describes their value system
• Values are generally enduring over time
• Milton Rokeach:
• Terminal Values – describe a person’s desirable end state if
existence
• Instrumental Values – describe a person’s mode of
behaviour to achieve the terminal values
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Values
• Values are a foundation for understanding attitudes and
motivation
• Values influence perception, attitudes and behaviours
• Values influence what people think about what ought and
what ought not to be
• Values are formed in the context of individual values as
well as cultural values
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Cultural Values
• Geert Hofstede surveyed a bunch (116000) IBM employees in 40
countries and found 5 value dimensions on which cultures differed
– Power Distance – the degree to which people accept that power is
distributed equally or not
– Individualism vs. Collectivism – the degree to which people prefer to act
as individuals vs. in groups
– Quantity of Life vs. Quality of Life – the degree to which values such as
assertiveness, competitiveness and desire to acquire money prevail (like
Type A of a society)
– Uncertainty Avoidance – the degree to which people prefer structured vs.
unstructured situations
– Long-term vs. short-term orientation – the degree to which people value
long term persistence vs.. Short term valuing present and past, fulfilling
social obligations
• Refer to page 85 for ratings by country
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Canadian Social Values
• Michael Adams attempted to define the Canadian Social
Value system
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He came up with 4 general groups exhibiting similar values
The Elders – play by the rules
The Boomers – Reject authority
Gen X – experience seeking
Ne(x)t Gen – creators, curious, flexible
• Anglophone vs. Francophones vs. Aboriginals
– Francophones – collectivist, need for achievement, value affiliation
– Anglophones – more individualist, value autonomy
– Aboriginals – Collectivist, community oriented, sense of family,
loyalty
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Attitudes
• Attitudes are positive or negative feelings about objects,
people or event
• They are responses to situations
• Attitudes are responses. Values are convictions
• One’s value base can influence one’s attitudes to a situation
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
The 3 Key Attitudes for OB
• Job Involvement
– Measures the degree to which people identify psychologically with
their jobs and consider their perceived performance level important
to self-worth
– Employees with high levels of job involvement identify strongly
with and really care about their jobs
• Organizational Commitment
– Where an employee identifies with a particular organization and
its goals and wishes to maintain membership in that organization
– Question: How has Organizational Commitment changed in the
last few decades?
• Job Satisfaction
– An individual’s general attitude toward his or her job
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Job Satisfaction
• Angus Reid poll of Canadians
– 47% are very satisfied with their jobs, 39% somewhat satisfied
– 44% agree their work as challenging, 27% somewhat agree
– 75% indicate that they are treated fairly at work
• But
– 40% of Canadians would not recommend their company as a good place
to work
• Thinking about Maclean’s Magazine Top 100, these companies are
evaluated on (http://www.canadastop100.com/research.html):
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1) Physical Workplace
2) Work Atmosphere & Social
3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits
4) Vacation & Time Off
5) Employee Communications
6) Performance Management
7) Training & Skills Development.
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Job Satisfaction
• Job satisfaction is strongly tied to customer satisfaction
• Job satisfaction tends to be higher at higher levels of the
organization
• Job satisfaction is tied to productivity (but only slightly) at
the individual level
• The relationship between satisfaction and productivity at
the organization level is much stronger
• Job satisfaction is stronger in jobs where people have
greater control over their job tasks
• Note also, some studies have shown that productivity leads
to satisfaction rather than vice versa
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
Cognitive Disonance
• Cognitive Disonance the incompatibility that individuals
perceive between their attitudes and behaviours
• Individuals will act to change their attitudes or behaviours
to make them more congruent with each other
• Read OB in the Street (p. 99)
– What do you think?
• Class Exercise
– Read the Case Incident in the News
– Respond to Q’s 1, 2, 3
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP
So, why do we care?
• Values don’t directly impact behaviour, ubt they do
influence attitudes
• Knowledge of a person's value system can give insight into
their attitudes
• Also, knowing a person’s value system and comparing it to
that of the organization can help determine whether there is
a good organizational fit.
• Value differences should be celebrated and understood
• Chapter 4
Organizational Behaviour
Dave Ludwick, P.Eng, MBA, PMP