VALUES AND ATTITUDES

Is this behaviour ethical?Is it ethical to

take office stationary for home use? Make personal long-distance calls from the office?Use company time for personal business? Or do these behaviours constitute stealing?

If you exaggerate your credentials in an interview, is it lying? Is lying to protect a coworker acceptable?How do you differentiate between a bribe and a gift?

Is it immoral to do less than your best in terms of work performance?If there are slight defects in a product you are selling, are you obliged to tell the buyer?If you pretend to be more successful than you are in order to impress your boss, are you bring deceitful?

What is Value?

Values are broad preferences concerning courses of action or outcomes.

They represent basic convictions that “ a specific mode of conduct or end state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end state of existence”.

Certain Characteristics of Values

Values contain a judgmental element

They are relatively stable and enduring

Values are not fixed, but they change slowly

Values contain “content attributes”( mode of conduct) and “ intensity attributes”

Sources of Value SystemA significant portion is established during early yearsThe environment in which the individual is brought up also influences one’s value systemCertain values are developed over time and these are continuously reinforced

( In America achievement, peace, cooperation, equity and democracy are societal values.

In India tolerance, sacrifice, respect, god fearing and renunciation are important social values)

Importance of Values

Values lay the foundation for the understanding of perception & motivation

They influence our attitudes & behaviour

Once a value is internalized, it becomes a standard for selecting and guiding an action.

Types of Values( Milton Rokeach Value Survey)

Terminal Values- the desirable end-states of existence ( a comfortable life, freedom, working for the unprivileged)

Instrumental values-the preferable modes of behaviour, or means of achieving the terminal values ( hardworking, helpful, responsible)

Terminal Values Happiness; satisfaction in life Knowledge and wisdom Peace and harmony in the world Pride in accomplishment Prosperity; wealth Lasting friendships Recognition from peers Salvation; finding eternal life Security; freedom from threat Self-respect

Instrumental Values Assertiveness; standing up for yourself Being helpful or caring toward others Dependability; being counted upon by others Education and intellectual pursuits Hard work and achievement Obedience; following the wishes of others Open-mindedness; receptivity to new ideas Self-sufficiency; independence Truthfulness; honesty Being well-mannered and courteous toward others

Value Ranking of Executives

Terminal Values

Self respect

Family security

Freedom

A sense of accomplishment

Happiness

Instrumental Values

Honest

Responsible

Capable

Ambitious

Independent

Value Ranking of Union Members

Terminal Values

Family security

Freedom

Happiness

Self respect

Mature love

Instrumental Values

Responsible

Honest

Courageous

Independent

Capable

Work values of different generations

Veterans(65+) hardworking, conservative, confirming, loyaltyBoomers ( 40-65) success, achievement, ambition, dislike of authority, loyalty to careerXers- (20-40) work-life balance, team oriented, dislike of rules, loyalty to relationshipsNexters- < 30 confident, financial success, self reliant, team oriented, loyalty to self & relationship

Values Across Culture(Geert Hofstede’s findings)

Power distance

Individualism versus collectivism

Masculinity Vs femininity

Uncertainty avoidance

Long term versus short-term orientation

The GLOBE Framework for Assessing Cultures

AssertivenessFuture orientationGender differentiationUncertainty avoidancePower distanceIndividualism/collectivismIn-group collectivismPerformance orientationHuman orientation

Values in Indian Society

Karta – it is the nurturing, caring ,dependable, sacrificing yet demanding, authoritative and strict dimension of the father, which an Indian learns to value and look for in life.

Relationship- Indians are exposed to warm and personal relationship with family members and others. Values like empathy, intimacy, togetherness, concern for one another, mutual understanding and respect are shown in the workplace.

Proximity to power- powerlessness and dependency experienced in the childhood and adolescence results in giving high value to power source.

Security- parent-child relationship of dependence produces a preference for security rather than venturing out, for comfort rather than risk.

Simple living and high thinking-

Survival- immense faith in luck and fate and in past karma.( undervalues the power of human endeavour to change the destiny, complacency)

Indian managers experience a clash between the values acquired from their education and professional training (rationality, rule following) and those drawn from Indian culture and society (affiliation, social obligation)

Organizational Values & Work Values

Organizational values comprise core values, which are principles that guide a company’s actions and practices.(quality consciousness respect for employees, concern for environment, community development, non-discriminating non-exploitative practices)

Work values are conception of an individual of a desirable work activity(finishing tasks in time, maintaining confidentiality etc.)

Values and EthicsEhtics is an extension of value considerations.There is increasing evidence that ethical practices translate into better financial performance for organizations. (188 Fortune 500 companies convicted for unethical practices had significantly lower return on assets as well as returns on sales. Luthans,2002)In India companies like Tata, WIPRO, Infosys and L&T show how ethics and profitability go together.

Certain Conclusions

Value system of employees are important They differ among different groupsValue system keeps on changing from one generation to anotherOB theories and concepts are not universally applicable to manage people around the world, especially in countries where work values are different.

What is an attitude?

Attitude can be defined as a persistent tendency to feel and behave in a particular way towards some object.

They are evaluative statements- either favorable or unfavorable –concerning objects, people, or events.

Three Components of an Attitude

Cognitive component- the opinion or belief statement of an attitude.Affective/Evaluative/Emotional component-one’s feeling or how you feel about a particular thing. Behavioral component- an intention to behave in certain way toward someone or something.

BELIEFS &VALUES

My jobLacks

Responsibility

(Antecedents)

ATTITUDES

I do not Like

My job

(feelings)

INTENDEDBEHAVIOUR

I am going to quitMy job

(Results)

Job related Attitudes

Job satisfaction

Job involvement

Organisational commitment

Are Attitudes Consistent?

People seek consistency among their attitudes and between their attitudes and their behaviour.

When there is an inconsistency, attempts are made either to alter the attitudes or the behaviour or to develop rationalization for the discrepancy.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

(Leon Festinger)Cognitive Dissonance refers to any incompatibility that an individual might perceive between two or more of his or her attitudes or between his or her behaviour and attitudes. The desire to reduce the dissonance would be determined by-

• The importance of the elements

• The degree of influence the individual believes he or she has over the elements

• The rewards that may be involved in the dissonance

Do Attitudes Influence Behaviour?

Attitudes influence behaviour when attitudes are important

specific

accessible and

the person has direct experience.

Discrepancies between attitudes and behaviour are more likely to occur when social pressures to behave in certain ways hold exceptional power.

Can Attitudes be Changed?How to change attitudes?

New informationResolving the discrepanciesInfluence of friends & peersReduced relevance of an objectUse of fear

Barriers to changePrior commitmentInsufficient informationLesser importance

Conclusions

Attitudes influence behaviour and vice versa.

Attitude surveys on a regular basis provides managers with valuable feedback

Organisations are investing in training to help reshape the attitudes of employees(diversity training, gender sensitive training, cross cultural sensitivity training)

What is job satisfaction?

Job satisfaction is the overall attitude of an individual toward his or her job.

E.A. Locke(1976) defines job satisfaction as a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience.

How satisfied people are?

People are generally satisfied with their jobs.

Satisfaction level is going down

Satisfaction level varies for different groups

JS is a relatively stable disposition.

Determinants of Job Satisfaction

Organisational FactorsReward system

Nature of work

Quality of supervision

Working condition

Supportive colleagues

Decentralisation of power

Individual Determinants

Status and seniority

Age

Marital Status

No. of dependents

Personality

General life satisfaction

Personality-job fit

The Effect of JS on Work Behaviour

Job performance

Absenteeism

Turnover

Accidents

Customer satisfaction

OCB

Measuring Job SatisfactionSingle global ratingSummation score(Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire)Critical incident methodInterviewConfrontation meetingRating scales & Questionnaires

• Job descriptive index• Pay satisfaction survey

How Employees Can Express their Dissatisfaction?

Exit (Destructive & Active)

Neglect (Destructive & Passive)

Voice (Constructive & Active)

Loyalty (Constructive & Passive)

What satisfies Indian Employees(Results of 17 research studies conducted between 1965to 1997)

Managers/Supervisors- Responsibility, work itself, achievement, recognition , relationship with co-workers are the most important factors contributing to the job satisfaction of Indian managers/supervisor. Domestic life and adequate money also satisfy them.

Workers-Most important factor is money. This is followed by job security. ( 12 out of 16 studies confirm this).