Unit-4 Personality and Attitudes
Unit-4 Personality and Attitudes
Unit-4 Personality and Attitudes
It not only influences how individual move and respond in the environment, but it
also causes individual to act in certain ways.
Personality is the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts
with others.
4. Uncertainty avoidance
Uncertainty avoidance refers to how a culture deals with uncertainty and anxiety.
People within the society tend to react in the way that their culture influences
them to. If a culture is open and accepting, citizens will be more likely to make
decisions that are risky and uncertain. A high uncertainty avoidance index
indicates a low tolerance for uncertainty, ambiguity, and risk-taking. In contrast,
those in low uncertainty avoidance cultures accept and feel comfortable in
unstructured situations or changeable environments and try to have as few rules
as possible.
Finally, the restraint and indulgence dimension considers the extent and
tendency of a society to fulfill its desires.
That is to say, this dimension is a measure of societal impulse and desire control.
High levels of indulgence indicate that society allows relatively free gratification
and high levels of bon de vivre.
1. Openness
Openness is how open-minded, imaginative, creative and insightful a person is or
can be. More open minded people tend to prefer variety, seek new experiences
and are curious and perceptive to their environment. Less open minded people
tend to avoid change, dislike disruption and focus on a few specific interests.
People who are high in this personality trait also tend to be more adventurous
and creative. Conversely, people low in this personality trait are often much more
traditional and may struggle with abstract thinking.
2. Extroversion
Extraversion (or extroversion) is a personality trait characterized by excitability,
sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness, and high amounts of emotional
expressiveness. People in high extroversion are outgoing and tend to gain
energy in social situations. Being around others helps them feel energized and
excited.
People who are low in this personality trait or introverted tend to be more
reserved. They have less energy to expend in social settings and social events
can feel draining. Introverts often require a period of solitude and quiet in order to
"recharge."
3. Agreeableness
This personality trait includes attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness,
affection, and other social behaviors. People who are high in agreeableness tend
to be more cooperative while those low in this personality trait tend to be more
competitive and sometimes even manipulative.
4. Emotional Stability
Also known as neuroticism is a personality trait characterized by sadness,
moodiness and emotional instability. Individuals who are high in neuroticism tend
to experience mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and sadness. Those low in this
personality trait tend to be more stable and emotionally resilient.
5. Conscientiousness
Among each of the personality traits, conscientiousness is one defined by high
levels of thoughtfulness, good impulse control, and goal-directed behaviors.
Highly conscientious people tend to be organized and mindful of details. They
plan ahead, think about how their behavior affects others, and are mindful of
deadlines.
Someone scoring lower in this primary personality trait is less structured and less
organized. They may procrastinate to get things done, sometimes missing
deadlines completely.
2. Influence
A person in this DISC quadrant places emphasis on influencing or persuading
others. They tend to be enthusiastic, optimistic, open, trusting, and energetic.
Following behaviors are shown by high influence personality people:
Enthusiastic
Co-operative
Friendly
Optimistic
Dislike being ignored
3. Steadiness
A person in this DISC quadrant places emphasis on cooperation, sincerity,
loyalty, and dependability. They tend to have calm, deliberate dispositions, and
don’t like to be rushed. Following behaviors are shown by highly steady
personality people:
Calm manner
Supportive action
Resist change
Don't like to be rushed
Qualitative steady performance
4. Conscientiousness
A person in this DISC quadrant places emphasis on quality and accuracy,
expertise and competency. They enjoy their independence, demand the details,
and often fear being wrong. Following behaviors are shown by highly
conscientious personality people:
Enjoy independence
Want detail
Fear of wrong
Objective reasoning
Aware of opportunities
In developing the FIRO-B theory, Schutz began with the premise that "people
need people." He used the term interpersonal to indicate any interaction, real or
imagined, occurring between people. He used the term need to describe a
psychological condition that, if not satisfied, leads to a state of discomfort or
anxiety
1. Inclusion
This need indicates how much you generally include other people in your life and
how much attention, contact and recognition you want from others. Inclusion is
about you in relation to groups – small or large.
2. Control
This need indicates how much influence and responsibility you want and how
much you want others to lead and influence you. Control is about both your one-
to-one relationships and your behavior as part of a group.
3. Affection
This need indicates how close and warm you are with others and how close and
warm you want others to be with you. Affection is about the need to establish
comfortable one-to-one relationships (whereas Inclusion measures your needs
for interacting with groups).
1. Expressed
This dimension indicates how much you prefer to initiate the behavior. It is about
what you actually do and can be easily observed by others.
• Expressed Inclusion: How often do you act in ways that encourage your
participation in situations?
• Expressed Control: How often do you act in ways that help you direct or
influence situations?
• Expressed Affection: How often do you act in ways that encourage warmth and
closeness in relationships?
2. Wanted
This dimension indicates how much you prefer others to initiate the behavior
towards you. It is about what you really want from others – whether or not you
show it openly.
• Wanted Control: How much leadership and influence do you want others to
assume?
• Wanted Affection: How much warmth and closeness do you want from others?
The numerous resulting combinations of Expressed Inclusion, Wanted Inclusion,
Expressed Control, Wanted Control, Expressed Affection and Wanted Affection
scores contribute to the richness of the FIRO-B instrument’s insights.
1. Quick information
2. Address
3. Successful leadership
4. Conflict management
5. Enhance productivity
Personality Traits
Some major personality attributes influencing FIRO-B are:
1. Locus of control
Locus of control refers to a person's belief about how much control they
have over what happens to them in their life and how much influence they
have over what happens in the world around them. This refers to one's
belief that his/her behavior is guided by external factors, such as luck, fate,
etc., or internal factors, such as ability and effort.
According to this theory there are basically two types of people.
a. Internal control
b. External control
3. Dogmatism
4. Machiavellianism
6. Self-esteem
7. Self-monitoring
Attitudes
Attitude can be defined as the way in which a person views and evaluates
something or someone, a predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or
negatively toward a certain idea, object, person, or situation.
Family
Boss
Friends
Teachers
Co-workers
Individual ability and behavior
Experience
Environment
Components of attitude
1. Cognitive components
The cognitive component of an attitude refers to the beliefs, thoughts, and
attributes that an individual associates with an object, person, issue, or situation.
It involves the mental processes of understanding and interpreting information.
2. Emotional component
The affective component of attitude can be defined as the emotions and feelings
one has toward an object. Emotions and feelings can be positive or negative,
such as liking or disliking an object, or favoring one object over another.
3. Behavioral component
The behavioral component refers to the way one behaves when exposed to an
attitude object. The way, the attitude we have influenced how we act or behave.
Functions of attitude
1. Adjustment function
2. Ego-defensive function
Ego-defensive functions serve to protect the individual from both internal and
external unpleasantness. Ego-defensive attitudes allow people to avoid accepting
unpalatable or objectionable aspects of self or of the external world. Ego-defensive
attitudes can advocate conserving one's own self-esteem.
It is a function of attitudes that allows the individual to express his or her self
concept. The value-expressive function is served by attitudes that demonstrate
one's self image to others. The role an attitude can play in the expression of core
values. For example, a person might adopt a positive attitude toward a religious
symbol because that symbol is associated with important religious values.
4. Knowledge function
Changing Attitudes
It is any alteration in an attitude, which may result from active attempts by others
to change the attitude or from processes initiated by the person holding the
attitude.
1. Decreased performance
2. Dissatisfied employee
3. Dissatisfied customers
4. New problems
5. Complains of employee
So, in order to avoid given impacts one must change attitude (negative ones).
Some of the positive attitudes required in working environment are:
1. Respect to others
2. Enthusiasm
3. Commitment to job
4. Creativity
5. Positive attitude towards management and organization
One barrier to change of attitude is prior commitments. This occurs when people feel
a commitment to a particular course of action and are unwilling to change. Theory
and research have also supported escalation of commitment which means,
tendency of the decision makers to persist with failing course of action.
2. Insufficient information
3. Strong commitment
Many times attitudes are expressed publicly related to any matter or thing. In
such case it is difficult to change such attitudes.
5. Creditibility
The term credibility implies trust, expertise and objectivity. Employees are least
interested in responding to change the efforts made by someone who is not liked,
has low rate of credibility and is not convincing. If people hate you, they are least
interested in adopting your message.
6. Degree of fear
Many times people with less power and authority does not change their attitudes
as fear to be punished.
2. Use of fear
A second way of changing the attitudes is through the use of fear. Research has
found out that fear can cause some people to change their attitude. However, the
degree of fear is very important for the final outcome.
3. Resolving discrepancies
5. Co-opting approach
Another way in which attitude change takes place is by co-opting, which means
taking people who are dissatisfied with a situation and getting them involved in
improving things. For example, an employee feels that the company should be doing
something for improving the employees’ benefits. The company appoints him as a
member of the employees benefit committee. By giving him the opportunity to
participate in employee benefit decision making, the company increases the
chances that his attitude will change. Once he realizes the practical problems
involved in determining the best possible benefits and the efforts and hard work
involved in it, he is most likely to change his attitude.
Organizational commitment
Organizational commitment refers to the level of engagement and dedication team
members feel toward their individual jobs and the organization. It also describes the
different reasons professionals remain with an employer rather than seek
opportunities elsewhere.
OC refers to identification with and loyalty to the organization and its goals which
is defined as the relative strength of an individual's identification with and
involvement in a particular organization.
1. Stress on job
3. Job security
4. Leadership
6. Reward system
7. Job environment
Affection for your job occurs when you feel a strong emotional attachment to
your organization, and to the work that you do. You'll most likely identify with
the organization's goals and values, and you genuinely want to be there.
If you're enjoying your work, you're likely to feel good, and be satisfied with
your job. In turn, this increased job satisfaction is likely to add to your feeling
of affective commitment.
Those who truly love what they do will likely be more motivated to progress
within their organization, think creatively, and experiment with new ways of
working.
2. Continuance commitment
This type of commitment occurs when you weigh up the pros and cons of
leaving your organization. You may feel that you need to stay at your
company because the loss you'd experience by leaving it is greater than the
benefit you think you might gain in a new role.
The severity of these "losses" often increases with age and experience.
You're more likely to experience continuance commitment if you're in an
established, successful role, or if you've had several promotions within one
organization.
Fear of losing your job may motivate you to finish your work on time and work
well with others. But it can also hinder your motivation to learn and develop.
a. Adequate remuneration
b. Lack of alternative
It is not finding enough opportunities or best alternative job in labor market that
lowers the retention ratio and increases OC.
c. Others
Job satisfaction
Best management
Goodwill of the organization
Old age of the employee
Preferred work
Easy task
3. Normative commitment
This type of commitment occurs when you feel a sense of obligation to your
organization, even if you're unhappy in your role, or even if you want to
pursue better opportunities. You feel that you should stay with your
organization because it's the right thing to do.
This sense of obligation can stem from several factors. You might feel that
you should remain with your organization because it has invested money or
time in your training. Or perhaps it provided a reward in advance, such as
paying for your college tuition.
Motivated employees are loyal to their organization and find value and social
status in their work. Thus, they are driven to discover their best selves for the
organization. One must value employee's motivational factors and motivate them
as according. Some ideas may be adequate remuneration, facilities, involvement
in decision etc.
2. Communication
Strong communication provides an opportunity for employees to open up about
any grievances they may have. Often grievances can go unresolved and can
even escalate to a potentially damaging problem. Great communication within
the work place is an excellent way to minimize misunderstandings from
happening and will ensure your employees are happy at work.
3. Effective leadership
4. Value-based hiring
Orientation means providing new employees with basic information about the
employer. Training programs are used to ensure that the new employee has the
basic knowledge required to perform the job satisfactorily; enhancing OC of any
employees.
The term 'organizational justice' refers to the extent to which employees perceive
workplace procedures, interactions and outcomes to be fair in nature. Employees
who feel that their organization is treating them fairly enjoy greater job
satisfaction and thus are generally more committed towards their work and the
organization.
7. Sense of community
Proposes that a sense of community is a feeling that members have of belonging, a
feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that
members' needs will be met through commitment to be together.
8. Career development
Career development is the proactive, lifelong process of finding your footing and
advancing your career path. It's an intentional approach to creating a meaningful
career that includes setting long-term goals, exploring professional development
opportunities, and gaining new work experience.
9. Empowerment
No responsibility of employees
Employees are free to work
Beneficial to organizations
Self motivated towards organizational contributions
Highly motivated and committed
Does work on self assurances
1. Altruism
2. Courtesy
3. Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship is about an employee’s ability to be a good loser. It’s about being
able to deal with situations that don’t go as planned – or negative surprises – and
to not demonstrate negative behavior when that happens.
4. Conscientiousness
5. Civil virtue
Civic virtue is about how well someone represents the organization they work for.
It’s about how an employee supports their company when they’re not in an
official capacity. It is a type of organizational citizenship behavior that creates a
sense of community and camaraderie within the organization.