CHAPTER 3 & 18
CHAPTER 3
3.1 - Attitudes
Attitudes = judgments or evaluative statements about objects, people or
events
– Complex -> many underlying reasons how having a particular attitude
(the components help us understand complexity)
Attitudes have three components:
. Cognitive component = the opinion or belief segment of an attitude
. Affective component = the emotional or feeling segment of an attitude
. Behavioural component = an intuition to behave in a certain way toward
someone or something
E.g. you did not get a promotion you though you deserved -> you though
you deserved the promotion (condition), you strongly dislike your supervisor
(affect) and you have complained and take action or intent to (behaviour)
Behavioural component important in organisation: e.g. if an employee has no
attachment to tier firm they have low commitment and behaviour is negative
3 3.2 - Attitudes and behaviour
2
1 Research supports the ida that attitudes predict future behaviour
– Characteristics that change the nature of attitude-behaviour
relationship: the importance of the attitude, its correspondence to
behaviour, its accessibility, the presence of social pressures and whether
a person has direct experience with the attitude
● Important attitudes reflect our fundamental values, self-interest, or
identification with individuals or groups we value -> show a strong
relationship with behaviour
● Discrepancies between attitudes and behaviours tend to occur when
social pressures to behave in a certain way hold power (like in most
organisations)
, ● Attitude-behaviour relationship is stronger if an attitude refers to
something we have directly experienced
Cognitive dissonance = any incompatibility between two or more attitudes or
between behaviour and attitudes
– E.g. knowing that texting while driving is unsafe but you still do it and
convince yourself that nothing bad will happen
– When there is dissonance people alter their attitudes or behaviour to
minimise it or develop a rationalisation for the discrepancy
The desire to reduce dissonance depends on three factors
. The importance of the elements creating dissonance
. The degree of influence we believe we have over those elements
. The rewards of dissonance
3.3. - Job attitudes
Attitudes that form positive or negative evaluations that employees hold
about their work:
Organisational identification = the extent to which employees define
themselves by the same characteristics that define their organisation
– Can have both positive or negative effects
. Job satisfaction and job involvement
Job satisfaction = a positive feeling about one’s job resulting from an
evaluation of its characteristics
Job involvement = the degree to which a person identifies with a job, actively
participates in it, and considers performance important to self-worth
– High job involvement means higher job satisfaction
Psychological empowerment = employees’ belief in the degree to which they
affect their work environment, competence, meaningfulness of their job and
autonomy in their work
– The more empowered employees feel -> the more likely they will perform
well, engage in OB behaviours and be creative.
– Research shows: it strongly predicts job attitudes and strain -
, –
moderately predicts performance behaviours
. Organisational commitment
Organisational commitment = the degree to which an employee identifies
with a particular organisation and its goals and wishes to maintain
membership in the organisation
– Emotional attachment to an organisation and belief in its values are the
gold standard for commitment
Traditionally, theorists considered commitment to e comprised of: (has
evolved since)
– Affective commitment -> emotional attachment to and involvement in an
organisation
– Normative commitment -> the sense of obligation an employee feels to
an organisation
– Continuance commitment -> employees’ consideration of the costs of
leaving the organisation and a drive to continue as an employee
(Criticised: normative and continuance are attitudes more towards turnover
than toward the organisation)
Committed employees will be less likely to engage in work withdrawal even if
they are dissatisfied because they feel loyal or attached to the organisation
– Affective commitment is important beyond leaving e.g. for performance,
attendance, organisational citizenship behaviour
Evolution:
– Many have explored commitment as a psychological bond directed toward
any given target e.g. a team, supervisor, coworkers or a combination
– Other research: looking at the pattern of employees’ individual affective,
normative and continuance commitment -> employees tend to have
either low, moderate or high levels of the three types / some patterns are
characterised by only high affective or normative commitment
. Perceived organisational support (POS)
POS = the degree to which employees believe an organisation values their
contribution and cares about their well-being
– People perceived their organisations supportive when they are being
treated fairly by other members, have a high-quality relationship with
the organisation, and perceive the organisation’s practices to be
supportive, developmental and fair
CHAPTER 3
3.1 - Attitudes
Attitudes = judgments or evaluative statements about objects, people or
events
– Complex -> many underlying reasons how having a particular attitude
(the components help us understand complexity)
Attitudes have three components:
. Cognitive component = the opinion or belief segment of an attitude
. Affective component = the emotional or feeling segment of an attitude
. Behavioural component = an intuition to behave in a certain way toward
someone or something
E.g. you did not get a promotion you though you deserved -> you though
you deserved the promotion (condition), you strongly dislike your supervisor
(affect) and you have complained and take action or intent to (behaviour)
Behavioural component important in organisation: e.g. if an employee has no
attachment to tier firm they have low commitment and behaviour is negative
3 3.2 - Attitudes and behaviour
2
1 Research supports the ida that attitudes predict future behaviour
– Characteristics that change the nature of attitude-behaviour
relationship: the importance of the attitude, its correspondence to
behaviour, its accessibility, the presence of social pressures and whether
a person has direct experience with the attitude
● Important attitudes reflect our fundamental values, self-interest, or
identification with individuals or groups we value -> show a strong
relationship with behaviour
● Discrepancies between attitudes and behaviours tend to occur when
social pressures to behave in a certain way hold power (like in most
organisations)
, ● Attitude-behaviour relationship is stronger if an attitude refers to
something we have directly experienced
Cognitive dissonance = any incompatibility between two or more attitudes or
between behaviour and attitudes
– E.g. knowing that texting while driving is unsafe but you still do it and
convince yourself that nothing bad will happen
– When there is dissonance people alter their attitudes or behaviour to
minimise it or develop a rationalisation for the discrepancy
The desire to reduce dissonance depends on three factors
. The importance of the elements creating dissonance
. The degree of influence we believe we have over those elements
. The rewards of dissonance
3.3. - Job attitudes
Attitudes that form positive or negative evaluations that employees hold
about their work:
Organisational identification = the extent to which employees define
themselves by the same characteristics that define their organisation
– Can have both positive or negative effects
. Job satisfaction and job involvement
Job satisfaction = a positive feeling about one’s job resulting from an
evaluation of its characteristics
Job involvement = the degree to which a person identifies with a job, actively
participates in it, and considers performance important to self-worth
– High job involvement means higher job satisfaction
Psychological empowerment = employees’ belief in the degree to which they
affect their work environment, competence, meaningfulness of their job and
autonomy in their work
– The more empowered employees feel -> the more likely they will perform
well, engage in OB behaviours and be creative.
– Research shows: it strongly predicts job attitudes and strain -
, –
moderately predicts performance behaviours
. Organisational commitment
Organisational commitment = the degree to which an employee identifies
with a particular organisation and its goals and wishes to maintain
membership in the organisation
– Emotional attachment to an organisation and belief in its values are the
gold standard for commitment
Traditionally, theorists considered commitment to e comprised of: (has
evolved since)
– Affective commitment -> emotional attachment to and involvement in an
organisation
– Normative commitment -> the sense of obligation an employee feels to
an organisation
– Continuance commitment -> employees’ consideration of the costs of
leaving the organisation and a drive to continue as an employee
(Criticised: normative and continuance are attitudes more towards turnover
than toward the organisation)
Committed employees will be less likely to engage in work withdrawal even if
they are dissatisfied because they feel loyal or attached to the organisation
– Affective commitment is important beyond leaving e.g. for performance,
attendance, organisational citizenship behaviour
Evolution:
– Many have explored commitment as a psychological bond directed toward
any given target e.g. a team, supervisor, coworkers or a combination
– Other research: looking at the pattern of employees’ individual affective,
normative and continuance commitment -> employees tend to have
either low, moderate or high levels of the three types / some patterns are
characterised by only high affective or normative commitment
. Perceived organisational support (POS)
POS = the degree to which employees believe an organisation values their
contribution and cares about their well-being
– People perceived their organisations supportive when they are being
treated fairly by other members, have a high-quality relationship with
the organisation, and perceive the organisation’s practices to be
supportive, developmental and fair
