Unit-4 Personality and Attitudes

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Personality

It refers to the enduring characteristics and behavior that comprise a person's


unique adjustment to life, including major traits, interests, drives, values, self-
concept, abilities, and emotional patterns.

It is the aggregate of a person's feelings, thinking, behaviors, and responses to


different people and situation.

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.

Hofstede's Framework of Personality


The Dutch management researcher Geert Hofstede created the cultural
dimensions theory in 1980 (Hofstede, 1980).

Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory is a framework for cross-cultural


communication that shows the effects of a society's culture on the values of its
members, and how these values relate to behavior, using a structure derived
from factor analysis.

Hofstede’s cultural dimensions originate from a large survey that he conducted


from the 1960s to 1970s that examined value differences among different
divisions of IBM, a multinational computer manufacturing company.

This study encompassed over 100,000 employees from 50 countries across


three regions. Hofstede, using a specific statistical method called factor analysis,
initially identified four value dimensions: individualism and collectivism, power
distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity and femininity.

Finally, a replication of Hofstede’s study, conducted across 93 separate


countries, confirmed the existence of the five dimensions and identified a sixth
known as indulgence and restraint.

Dimensions of this framework are:


1. Power distance
It is the perceived degree of inequality among people. In high-power-distance
society, the “superiors,” or those in power, perceive them, and are also perceived
by others, to be at a higher level and, hence, have a great degree of control over
others.

It refers to the degree to which individuals, organizations and societies accept


inequalities in relation to power, status and wealth. It can be defined as the
unequal distribution of power in organizations in the organizational field.

2. Individualism and Collectivism


In individualistic cultures, individuals take precedence over groups; in
collectivism, the group takes precedence over individuals. Differences along
these divide have long been useful in understanding contrasts in communication
in different societies.

Individualism encourages pursuing personal goals and taking ownership of their


work. It's like being the captain of our own ship. On the flip side, collectivism is
like one big team, promoting cooperation and looking out for each other.

3. Masculinity versus Femininity


Masculinity and femininity refer to an individual's gender in terms of maleness
and femaleness, respectively. Gender roles are those socially ascribed normative
behaviors with respect to a given gender. Biological sex refers to an individual's
reproductive organs as being male or female.

Masculinity is seen to be the trait which emphasizes ambition, acquisition of


wealth, and differentiated gender roles. Femininity is seen to be the trait which
stresses caring and nurturing behaviors, sexuality equality, environmental
awareness, and more fluid gender roles.

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.

5. Long-term versus Short-term Orientation


The long-term and short-term orientation dimension refers to the degree to which
cultures encourage delaying gratification or the material, social, and emotional
needs of their members. Societies with long-term orientations tend to focus on
the future in a way that delays short-term success in favor of success in the long
term. Short-term orientation in a society, in contrast, indicates a focus on the
near future, involves delivering short-term success or gratification, and places a
stronger emphasis on the present than the future.

6. Indulgence versus Restrain

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.

Meanwhile, restraint indicates that society tends to suppress the gratification of


needs and regulate them through social norms.

Approaches to Understanding Personality Traits and


Dimensions
The trait approach is supported by trait theory. It states that a person's
personality is determined by characteristics that are consistent and stable over
long periods of a person's life.

Cattel's 16 Personality Factors (16PF)


The founder of this theory is Raymond Cattle. In developing a common ground of
trait for the 16PF model, he relied heavily on the previous work of researchers in
the field. He used previous development of list of personality descriptions by
other researchers as personality dimensions. He set out to narrow the work
already completed by his previous researchers and tried to identify personality
objectives in the language relating to specific traits.
Cattles 16PF are:

1. Reserved versus Ongoing

2. Less intelligent versus More intelligent

3. Emotional versus Emotionally stable

4. Submissive versus Dominant

5. Serious versus Happy

6. Expedient versus Conscientious

7. Nervous versus Brave

8. Tough minded versus Sensitive

9. Trusting versus Suspicious

10. Practical versus Imaginative

11. Forthright versus Smart

12. Self-assured versus Apprehensive

13. Conservative versus Experimenting

14. Group dependent versus Self-dependent

15. Uncontrolled versus Controlled

16. Relaxed versus Tension

The "Big Five" Personality Theory


The Big Five model was built to understand the relationship between personality
and academic behavior. It was defined by several independent sets of
researchers who analyzed words describing people's behavior. These
researchers first studied relationships between a large numbers of words related
to personality traits.

According to Stephen P. Robbins, personality is the sum total ways in which an


individual reacts and interacts with others. It may be defined as those inner
psychological characteristics that both determine and reflect how a person
responds to his environment.

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.

Openness (also referred to as openness to experience) emphasizes imagination


and insight the most out of all five personality traits.1 People who are high in
openness tend to have a broad range of interests. They are curious about the
world and other people and are eager to learn new things and enjoy new
experiences.

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.

Personality Profiling Using DISC Methodology


DISC theory is a model used to describe human behavior, based on four
personality traits: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and
Conscientiousness (C). This theory was developed by Dr. William Marston, a
psychologist who believed that people have unique, observable ways of thinking,
feeling, and behaving.

This method is frequently used in following organizational activities:

 Recruitment and selection


 Employee appraisal
 Training and development
 Team development
Managers use DISC methodology to carry out following organizational functions:
 To understand employees' behavior and manage them accordingly
 To develop good human relation with employees
 To minimize team conflicts
 To maximize productivity and satisfaction among team
 To develop communication and relationship skills
 To improve own leadership quality

There are four following dimensions of DISC methodology explained briefly:


1. Dominance
A person primarily in this DISC quadrant places emphasis on accomplishing
results and “seeing the big picture.” They are confident, sometimes blunt,
outspoken, and demanding. Following behaviors are shown by high dominant
personality people:

 See the big picture


 Accept change

 Get straight to the point/job

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

Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation Behavior


(FIRO-B)
The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation–Behavior instrument was
created in the late 1950s by William Schutz, PhD. Schutz developed the FIRO-B
theory to aid in the understanding and predicting of how high-performance
military teams would work together.

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

The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation instruments help


individuals, teams, and organizations understand their interpersonal needs and
how those needs influence their communication style and behavior. The FIRO
assessments are based on social need theory: all living things seek equilibrium
between their basic needs and getting those needs met.

The FIRO-B assessment is used in a wide variety of applications including:


• Leadership development
• Team building
• Individual interpersonal effectiveness
• Retention

Following are the dimensions of FIRO-B:

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).

Under FIRO-B, human behavior is generally studied in following ways:

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 Inclusion: How much do you want to be part of others’ activities?

• 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.

Some of the benefits applying FIRO-B in organizations are:

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

Internals tend to attribute outcomes of events to their own control. People


who have internal locus of control believe that the outcomes of their actions
are results of their own abilities. Internals believe that their hard work would
lead them to obtain positive outcomes.

b. External control

A person with an external locus of control attributes their success or failure


to external factors, things outside of their control, such as luck or fate.
2. Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism refers to an individual's orientation toward authority. More
specifically, an authoritarian orientation is generally characterized by an
overriding conviction that it is right and proper for there to be clear status
and power differences among people.

3. Dogmatism

Dogmatism is defined as “a relatively closed cognitive organization of beliefs about


reality focused around a central set of beliefs about absolute authority which, in turn,
provides a framework for patterns of intolerance and qualified tolerance toward
others”. It is avoidance from accepting others' beliefs, ideas and behaviors.
Dogmatic individuals have many problems in understanding new ideas. They
cannot accept reasonable ideas instead of their incorrect ideas. They do not
cooperate with others with different ideas.

4. Machiavellianism

It is a personality trait that denotes cunningness, the ability to be


manipulative, and a drive to use whatever means necessary to gain power.
It is a psychological trait concept where individuals behave in cold and
duplicitous manner. It is basically characterized by subtle or unscrupulous
cunning, deception, expediency or dishonesty. In a professional setting, the
manifestation of these traits can take various forms. Machiavellian
individuals might engage in behaviors such as taking credit for others' work,
spreading rumors or lies to gain an advantage, sabotaging colleagues'
efforts, or manipulating others to do their bidding.
5. Risk propensity

Characteristics used to define a risk-taker include the ability to make


decisions quickly and easily, understanding the value of creativity and
innovation, being unafraid or courageous, and tolerating loss, having
heightened expectations, and being comfortable in the face of uncertainty.

6. Self-esteem

Self-esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves. It's based on our


opinions and beliefs about ourselves, which can feel difficult to change. We
might also think of this as self-confidence. It is an overall opinion about
oneself, beliefs about ones' abilities and limitations. Self-esteem is shaped
by your thoughts, relationships, and experiences, including those related to
culture, religion, and societal status.

7. Self-monitoring

Self-monitoring is a personality trait that involves the ability to monitor and


regulate self-presentations, emotions, and behavior in response to social
environments and situations. It involves being aware of your behavior and
the impact it has on your environment.

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.

It is a feeling or opinion about something or someone, or a way of behaving that


is caused by this: It's often very difficult to change people's attitudes.

An attitude can be defined as a predisposition to respond in a favorable or


unfavorable way to objects or persons in one's environment. When we like or
dislike something, we are, in effect, expressing our attitude toward the person or
object.

Some factors influencing attitudes are:

 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

The adjustment function of attitude helps people to adjust to their environment. To


be well-adjusted in an environment means to be able to receive pleasurable or
rewarding experiences from others and to avoid punishments or unpleasant
experiences from others.

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.

3. Value expression function

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

It is a function of attitudes that serves the individual in understanding the


environment. The knowledge function aids the individual in organizing information
into an understandable or cohesive whole. It is one of the functions of attitudes
proposed by the functional theory of attitudes.

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.

Attitude change is achieved when individuals experience feelings of uneasiness


or guilt due to cognitive dissonance, and actively reduce the dissonance through
changing their attitude, beliefs, or behavior relating in order to achieve
consistency with the inconsistent cognitions.

Negative attitudes are usually formed due to lack of sufficient information.


Sometimes new information changes the previously held beliefs and attitudes of
the people. For example, generally workers become prejudiced and hold
negative attitude towards intentions of the management. The negative attitude
can negatively impact any organization in following ways:

1. Decreased performance

2. Dissatisfied employee

3. Dissatisfied customers

4. New problems

5. Complains of employee

6. Disturbance in achieving organizational goal

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

6. Positive attitude towards life and society

Barriers to changing attitudes


1. Prior commitment

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

Insufficient information develops negative attitude and we can address it by


providing new information that will help to change the attitudes of employees.
Attitudes may change through direct experience by resolving discrepancies
between attitudes and behaviors.

3. Strong commitment

When people have strong commitment towards anything especially regarding to


caste, religion, culture, tradition and politics, it becomes difficult to change their
attitude.

4. Publicly expressed attitude

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.

Techniques to change attitudes: overcoming barriers


1. Providing new information

One of the ways of changing the attitudes is by providing new information.


Sometimes, this information will change a person’s beliefs and in this process his
attitudes. This is specifically true when the reason for the negative attitude is
insufficient or misleading information.

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

Another way of changing the attitudes is by resolving discrepancies between


attitudes and behavior. For example, research shows that when a person has more
than one offer of a job and he has to make a choice, he often feels that his final
choice may have been a mistake.

4. Influence friends or peers

Change of attitude can come about through persuasion of friends or peers.


Credibility of the others, especially the peers, is important to effect change. Peers
with high credibility shall exercise significant influence as compared to those peers
who have low credibility.

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.

OC is defined as “a psychological state that:

(a) Characterizes the employee's relationship with the organization, and

(b) Has implications for the decision to continue or discontinue membership in


the organization”

Some factors affecting OC are:

1. Stress on job

2. Participation on decision making

3. Job security

4. Leadership

5. Remuneration and facilities

6. Reward system

7. Job environment

Dimensions of organizational commitment


1. Affective commitment

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

It is providing wages and salaries expected exactly or more by any employees to


survive that increases the level of commitment.

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.

Guidelines / methods of enhance organizational commitment


1. Motivation

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

A charismatic and positive leadership enhances the organizational commitment.


At its core, leadership is the ability to influence and guide others towards a
common goal or vision. A great leader is someone who inspires and motivates
their team, communicates effectively, and is accountable for their actions.

4. Value-based hiring

Values-based recruitment is an evidence-based approach that enables employers to


understand a candidate's values, behaviors and attitudes, and assess whether they
align with the values, culture and expectations of the workplace. This enhances
employees OC.

5. Orientation and training

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.

6. Guarantee organizational justice

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

It means enabling employees to take ownership of their work and contribute to


meaningful decision-making. In a culture of empowerment, company leaders
delegate responsibilities, share information freely and seek out input from members
of their team.

10. Employee security

Employee security means the array of entitlements to continued employment,


health and welfare and other benefits, and other rights available to employees
through this Agreement or a local collective agreement.

Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)


Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is a term that's used to describe all the
positive and constructive employee actions and behaviors that aren't part of their
formal job description.

OCB refers to discretionary, non required contributions by members to the


organizations that employ them. Evidence indicates that job satisfaction is more
closely related to such contributions than to productivity in core job tasks.

It describes a wide range of individual actions that go beyond assigned tasks,


often for the benefit of the organization – and that may be motivated by personal
aspiration.

It shows the following behavior of any employees:

 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

Ways to encourage OCB in organization

1. Maintain good social environment

2. Manage two way communication and interaction

3. Recruit right person

4. Right person at right place

5. Maintain effective motivation

6. Emphasize cooperation and freedom

7. Training and orientation program for skill and commitment

8. Career development program ms

9. Focus on team work rather than individual work

Types/ Dimensions of OCB

1. Altruism

Altruism in the workplace occurs when an employee helps or assists another


employee without expecting anything in return. Altruism in the workplace can boost
employee morale, productivity, and effectiveness.

2. Courtesy

It is characterized by being polite, respectful, and considerate in interactions with


colleagues, superiors, and subordinates. This type of behavior contributes to a
harmonious and respectful workplace atmosphere

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

Conscientiousness is defined as behavior that involves a certain level of self-


control and discipline and that goes beyond the minimum requirements. In a work
setting, this means that employees don’t just show up on time and stick to
deadlines, but that they, for instance, also plan ahead before they go on holiday
so that their colleagues won’t be drowning in a big workload.

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.

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