chapter2 attitude-bba notes

Attitudes

1

Krech and Crutchfield defined attitude as an, “enduring organization of motivational, emotional, perceptual and cognitive processes with respect to some aspect of individual world.”

“Attitude is a tendency or predisposition to evaluate an object or symbol of that object in a certain way.” -Katz & Scotland

2

Relatively stable clusters of feelings, beliefs and behavioural intentions towards specific objects, people or institutions.

3

Three components: Affective component Behavioural component Cognitive component

4

AFFECTIVE COMPONENT: The emotional and feeling segment of attitude. These are verbal statements about feelings. It refers to an individual’s feeling about something or someone. E. g. I like this.

BEHAVIOURAL COMPONENT: An intention to behave in a certain way toward someone or something. It reflects observed behaviour. E.g. I want to change my job.

5

COGNITIVE COMPONENT: The opinion or belief segment of an attitude. These are evaluative beliefs and are measured by attitude scales by taking about thoughts. E.g. I believe my boss is partial for some employees.

6

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 his or her job, actively participates in it, and considers his or her performance important to self worth.

7

Organizational Commitment: The degree to which an employee identifies with a particular organization and its goals, and wishes to maintain membership in the organization.

8

OrganizationalCommitment

The strength of an individual’s

identification with an organization

Continuance CommitmentCannot afford

to leave

Affective Commitment

Desireto

Remain

Normative CommitmentPerceived obligation to remain

Work AttitudesWork Attitudes

3–10

The Theory of Cognitive DissonanceThe Theory of Cognitive Dissonance

Desire to reduce dissonance

• Importance of elements creating dissonance

• Degree of individual influence over elements

• Rewards involved in dissonance

Desire to reduce dissonance

• Importance of elements creating dissonance

• Degree of individual influence over elements

• Rewards involved in dissonance

Types of relationship between Cognition Types of relationship between Cognition

Dissonance: Incompatibility

Consonance: ConsistentIrrelevance: Unrelated

3–11

Cognitive Dissonance: (proposed by Leon Festinger) Refers to any incompatibility that an individual might perceive between two or more of his attitudes or behaviour and attitude.

3–12

Paths to reduce dissonancePaths to reduce dissonance

Change behaviourConcluding behaviour is

not that important.Change the attitudeOutweigh the dissonant

one.3–13