Assignment

Organizational Behavior

Submitted To:
Mam Ghazala Tanzeer
Submitted By:
Muhammad Saad Majeed
M.com (weekend)
2nd Semester
Write two major attribution errors or biases have surfaced?
Give an example of each?

Attribution Error
The fundamental attribution error refers to an individual's tendency to attribute another's
actions to their character or personality, while attributing their behavior to external situational
factors outside of their control. In other words, you tend to cut yourself a break while holding
others 100 percent accountable for their actions.
For instance, if you've ever chastised a "lazy employee" for being late to a meeting and then
proceeded to make an excuse for being late yourself that same day, you've made the
fundamental attribution error. 
The fundamental attribution error exists because of how people perceive the world. While
you have at least some idea of your character, motivations, and situational factors that affect
your day-to-day, you rarely know everything that's going on with someone else. Similar to
confirmation and overconfidence biases, its impact on business and life can be reduced by
taking several measures.
For Example
In working with your colleagues, for example, you probably form a general impression of
their character based on pieces of a situation, but never see the whole picture. While it would
be nice to give them the benefit of the doubt, your brain tends to use limited information to
make judgments.
Within organizations, FAE can cause everything from arguments to firings and ruptures in
organizational culture. In fact, it's at the root of any misunderstanding in which human
motivations have the potential to be misinterpreted.
How can locus of control be applied to managers and workers?
“A leader with an internal locus of control is likely to be favored by group members. One
reason is that an ‘internal’ person is perceived as more powerful than an ‘external’ person
because he or she takes responsibility for events. The leader with an internal locus of control
would emphasize that he or she can change unfavorable conditions”
“Effective managers . . . demonstrated a strong belief in self-efficacy and internal locus of
control, as evidenced by behavior such as initiating action (rather than waiting for things to
happen), taking steps to circumvent obstacles, seeking information from a variety of sources,
and accepting responsibility for success or failure
The main concern comes in when people start questioning as to whether the locus of control
orientation in people is natural or nurtured. The orientation of locus of control is not as stable
as other traits like extroversion or introversion and it can change based on your personal
experiences. However, the good news is that it is possible for you to learn that you have
agency in your life
The Importance Of Locus Of Control
Meta-analyses (the synthesis of multiple studies into a single study by summarizing the
practical significance of each research finding into one combined effect) “showed that an
internal locus of control was associated with higher levels of job satisfaction and job
performance” and “that people with an internal locus of control enjoyed better health,
including higher self-reported mental well-being, fewer self-reported physical symptoms”
Internal Locus of Control
People with an internal locus of control perform well in school, are less vulnerable to
depression; they deal better with stress, are more satisfied with their jobs and actively find
solutions to their problems. People with an internal locus of control are more determined
towards achieving their goals.
Extreme Locus of control
Extreme internal locus of control can be psychologically unstable and unhealthy. It is always
important to match the internal locus of control with self-efficacy, competence and
opportunity. This will make it possible for you to experience a sense of personal
responsibility and control. People who are overly internal but lack competence, opportunity
and efficacy can become anxious, neurotic and depressed.
The Impact on Employee Performance
External or internal locus of control plays a very important role for people to sustain
usefulness and learning performance. The experiences and knowledge gained by an
individual through organizational learning are crucial in increasing the performance of that
individual. It is, therefore, necessary for businesses to fulfill learning in an arrangement and
use it to improve employee performance.
Selective Perception
People selectively interpret what they see on the basis of their interest, background,
experience, and attitudes.
Halo Effect
A general impression about an individual is based on a single positive characteristic.
Contrast Effects
Evaluations of a person’s characteristics that are affected by comparisons with other
people recently encountered who rank higher or lower on the same characteristics.
Stereotyping
Judging someone on the basis of the group to which he/she belongs.
How job rotation helps employees for broadened responsibilities?
job rotation
A job rotation program moves employees through a variety of positions within or among
departments, enabling them to gain exposure to different parts of the business while growing
and expanding their skill sets. While job rotations can offer a multitude of advantages for
employee and employer alike, there are certain areas in your organization that will reap
greater rewards than others.
Here are three of those areas.
1. Employee Motivation and Retention
Job rotations motivate key, high-potential employees because they are seen by those
employees as a company-made investment in their future. They retain talent because they
foster learning opportunities. If a talented employee doesn't see any kind of growth
opportunity, or if he or she is kept in the same position for too long, there is a turnover risk.
By rotating that employee, you create more challenges, test adaptability to a new
environment and manager and get the employee learning new skills.
2. Skills and Organizational Capacities Increase
Job rotations broaden skills because they expose employees to different functional areas of
the company. When a research and development employee rotates to a sales position, for
instance, they learn more about building relationships with customers, understanding their
needs and how the whole sales cycle works. Employees gain a fuller picture of how the
business works, which benefits all involved.
3. Rotations Build Employee Networks
Just as job rotations broaden skill sets, they also broaden employee networks, further
preparing the rotated employee for leadership roles. Employees learn the different working
styles and cultures within each area, as well, which encourages collaboration. They also
provide the company with cross-functional capabilities, meaning that when someone
suddenly quits or gets sick, the organization can call upon a deep bench of talent who is
capable of filling different functional roles
For Example
An administrative employee might spend part of the week looking after the reception area of
a business, dealing with customers and enquiries.
Advantages of job rotation
Many employers choose to create a job rotation policy as a benefit to employees. But,
employees aren’t the only ones who benefit from the program.
Consider these benefits of job rotation programs for both employees and employers.
1. Eliminates boredom
Only 32% of employees are actually engaged at their jobs. That means 68% of employees are
doing the bare minimum, plugging away at their computers or robotically talking to
customers. Disengaged employees can be lured away by promises of a better, more
challenging job.
Giving employees new responsibilities won’t solve all your problems. But, it could help
employees become engaged and prevent boredom. For the most part, employees becoming
disengaged at their jobs are a gradual thing. By mixing up responsibilities, you could help
break up the monotony of an employee’s day to day.
2. Encourages development
Having a job rotation strategy helps employees develop their skills. By learning more skills,
employees will feel more valuable to your business.
Employees who work at a company that encourages their development might not feel the
need to change jobs. Instead of leaving your business for a new job that helps an employee
develop, they can rotate jobs.
3. Gives employees a break from strenuous job duties
Many industries that require heavy-duty labor use job rotation strategies. Overworked
employees who are constantly doing manual labor benefit from getting a break. By rotating
their jobs, you help offset the risk of fatigue.
4. Helps you identify where employees work best
A job rotation strategy can point out an employee’s strengths and weaknesses. You might
find that an employee can better handle a different job at your business. For the most
effective business, you need to have all your employees in the right positions.
5. Gives you a backup plan if an employee leaves
Although employee turnover can be expensive, it doesn’t have to be devastating. By having a
job rotation plan, you have multiple employees who know how to do each job
Disadvantages of job rotation
Before implementing a job rotation program, consider the following disadvantages.
1. Can be costly and time consuming
When you move an employee into a new position, there is a learning curve. Employees might
need training in order to do their new job. The cost of training employees can be thousands of
dollars and take hours.
According to the Association for Talent Development, the average cost to train employees is
$1,252, and the average time to train is 33.5 hours. Though you might not spend that much
with a lateral shift, it is still something you need to consider.
2. Could end up with disgruntled employees
Some employees might not want to rotate jobs. An employee who is comfortable and
successful in their current position may worry another employee would mess up their process.
You might have some employees who excel at their job but aren’t willing to learn new things.
And, you could see employees who are stressed out at the prospect of changing their jobs.
3. It won’t fix all your problems
Job rotation programs aren’t guaranteed to increase employee engagement, so don’t put all
your eggs in one basket. If your employees are disengaged at your business, it could be
because of other factors.
Rotating an employee’s job won’t fix issues like lack of positive reinforcement and
disconnect with company culture. Don’t use a job rotation program for the sole purpose of
making employees happy before getting to the root of their problems first.
4. Might not be feasible for some industries
For some industries and positions, job rotation is not realistic. This is especially true in highly
skilled positions where employees need years of training to do their jobs.
If you want to implement a job rotation program at your business, make sure that it is
possible. Don’t waste effort on something that won’t work.
5. Your business could suffer
One of the most devastating disadvantages of job rotation is that your business could take a
hit. Because employees are learning new skills, there could be some errors. Customers could
become frustrated by confused employees who make mistakes. If operations don’t run
smoothly, your bottom line could suffer.