Margie Parikh & Rajen Gupta

Shaping Attitudes at WorkChapter 5

Discover what are work related attitudes

Explain the meaning of Job Satisfaction, Commitment and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour

Discuss the influence of work related attitudes for organisations on organisations priorities

Present what measures can organisations adopt in order to shape favorable attitudes at work

Learning Objectives

Always towards something or someone

Do not change without effort and willingness

Tendency suggests a default response to a given triggerReflect an individuals persistent tendency to think, feel and behave towards an object in a particular way involving favor or disfavor.What are Attitudes?

Western PerspectiveIndian PerspectiveAttitudes such as Satisfaction, Commitment and Citizenship Behaviour can influence performance and organisational effectiveness significantlyIn the highly individualistic and low Power distant cultures such as USA, the strong need for achievement fosters reward systems based on individual performance in relation to demanding and specific goals. These, in turn, might inhibit OCB, unless countermeasures were taken to ensure that employees perceive the organisation as both procedurally and distributively fair, or unless the organisation provides other means by which to strengthen organisational commitment. Collectivism suggests a tight social framework in which people distinguish between in-groups and out-groups; they expect their in-group to look after them, and in exchange for that, they feel they owe absolute loyalty to it. Further, traditionally high Power Distance suggests that employees are less likely to challenge their leader. Individuals may do exactly as they are told, thus limiting OCB. In one culture, employees may view participative management positively, while in another, employees may see it as managerial incompetence.Organisational Commitment is an important precondition to voluntary helping behaviours, OCB.Expectation of commitment to organisation itself is little lower because of the norm that ones primary and strongest commitment could be to ones family and community.

Understand reasons for employee turnover, absenteeism, lateness, job search Improve job performance, increase voluntary helping behaviourManage effectively Job Satisfaction and other psychological constructsBetter manage employee job and role characteristics, and The importance of personal characteristics of the employee Understanding Attitudes Can Help

Job satisfaction and Organisational CommitmentThe two most researched Work Attitudes

Job satisfaction is an emotional state generated by evaluation or appraisal of ones job experiences

An employee who is satisfied with his/her job is said to derive happiness or pleasure from his/her job or experience at the job

It is also a psychological state represented by thoughts and feelings as its indicators

Organisational commitment has been found to be a more direct measure of turnover intentions than satisfaction as it reflects the extent to which an employee shares the organisational values and goals, wanting to continue membership of the organisation and willing to work hard for it.Organisational Commitment

AffectiveInvolvementNormative Continuance

Components of Commitment

Describes employees integral attachment to the organisation

-He/she identifies with it and has common goals and objectives, thinks and acts from organisations perspective and acts on behalf of it.Affective

Employee identifies with the job, where work occupies central position in life.*Involvement

Denotes extent to which employees values and beliefs lead him/her to feel that he/she should stay with the organisation.

Employee could feel so in wake of the investment that the organisation has made on behalf of him/her.

Normative

Employee considers the cost associated with leaving the organisation. When these are too high, employee stays back. The costs are determined by interdependence between the organisation and the employee, the locational factors and so on.Continuance

Individual behaviour that is discretionary, not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system, and in the aggregate promotes the efficient and effective functioning of the organisation Organisational Citizenship Behaviour

Encouraging Citizenship BehaviourDimensions of OCB: Sportsmanship, Organisational Loyalty, Individual Initiative, Civic virtue and Self Development

Two work attitudes relevant to India: Karmayoga and Work Dedication

Karmayoga means a tendency to discharge ones duties without lusting for the outcomes

Work Dedication is the disposition of the employee to voluntarily engage in affectively unpleasant, non-rewarding organisationally relevant behaviours. It is a more relevant concept in India.Providing Organisational Context to Create Positive Work Attitudes

A sense of duty or obligation towards others arising out of ones feeling connected to ones surroundings coupled with striving to live a life for the benefit of society Spontaneous action leading to absence of craving for material gratificationEquanimity [between contrasting factors that represents appropriate balance without disregarding what is necessary and without overemphasis on anything]

This notion derives from another concept of duty: doing those tasks about which one has positive beliefs (good to do, should do) but negative affect (disliked).A design engineer stayed back in the after-hours for many days after his resignation teaching his replacement all the required things. This was in spite of his dislike for his company who had shortchanged him. some employees reported to work during a strike against unfair practices of their organisation, knowing that they faced negative consequences. A customs officer did not allow machinery to be imported by vested interests against rules in spite of pressure from Members of Parliament.

SportsmanshipOrganisational LoyaltyIndividual initiativeCivic VirtueSelf Development

Describes employees' willingness to endure impositions and inconveniences on the job, to maintain a positive attitude even when things do not go their way, and to subordinate their personal interests for the benefit of the organisation

Describes employees' commitment to and promotion of the organisation (e.g., protecting and defending the organisation against outside threats). Organisational compliance describes individuals' willingness to accept and abide by the organisation's rules, regulations, and procedures

Describes employee conscientiousness, which exceeds required work standards (e.g., volunteering to take on an extra assignment or working late to finish a project)

Describes employees' active participation and involvement in company affairs (e.g., keeping up with organisational issues or attending non-mandatory meetings)

Describes voluntary behaviours undertaken by individuals in order to enhance their knowledge, skills, and abilities (e.g., pursuing additional training or staying abreast of new developments in the field)

The Redesigning of Jobs

Identifies employee attitudes regarding:

Specific job characteristics needing enrichment

The readiness of employees to respond positively to improved jobs

Employees know how well are they performing on a task (Feedback: the knowledge of results) Employees feel accountable and responsible (experienced responsibility that matches autonomy) For an outcome which is meaningful (when employees know they perform work which is significant, is distinct and requires employment of wide range of skills)

Reinforcement: Anything that increases the frequency or intensity of a desired behaviour

Punishment : Aimed at mainly to stop or reduce the frequency of undesirable activities

Individual Incentive SystemsUsually in the form of moneyThey can strengthen goal commitment

Gain sharing or Group IncentiveWhen incentives are spread at group level, the best results are found when employees participate in decision-making and later share group incentiveGoal Setting, Feedback and BonusPay Dispersion and EquityEmployee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOPs)The employee-owners are more committed to the success of the enterprise because business success is transferred directly into personal wealth. Incentive Stock Options (ISOs) allow ownership of stock contingent upon meeting specific performance criteria

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