ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOUR:

Individual behavior can be defined as how anindividual behaves at work. A

person's behavior is influenced by the following factors − Attitude. Perception. Personality.

FACTORS AFFECTING:

Some of the factors affecting Individual Behavior in an organization are as follows:

17
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

I. Personal Factors:

The personal factors which influence the individual behaviour can be classified into two
categories:

1. Physical Characteristics:

Some of these characteristics are related to height, skin, complexion, vision, shape and size of
nose, weight etc. All these have an impact on the performance of the individuals. It is sometimes
said that the eyes betray the character of a person. Similarly certain ideas about the behaviour
can be formed on the basis of whether the person is fat, tall or slim.

Tall and slim people are expected to dress well and behave in a sophisticated manner and fat
people are supposed to be of a jolly nature. Whether there is a correlation between body structure
and behaviour or not has not been scientifically proven. Even if there is a correlation between
these two, it is very difficult to understand which the independent variable is and which is
dependent variable.

2. Age:

Age is considered to be an inherited characteristic because it is determined by the date of birth.

The relationship between age and job performance is an issue of increasing performance.
Psychologically, younger people are expected to be more energetic, innovative, adventurous,
ambitious and risk taking. Whereas old people are supposed to be conservative, set in their own
ways and less adaptable. Though it is incorrect to generalize all old people as unadoptable,
physiologically, performance depends on age.

Performance declines with advancement of age because older people have less stamina, memory
etc. Younger people are likely to change jobs to avail better job opportunities, but as one grows
old, the chances of his quitting job are less. There is a relationship between age and absenteeism
also. Older people tend to absent more from their jobs due to unavoidable reasons e.g. poor
health.

Whereas younger people absent themselves from job due to avoidable reasons e.g. going for a
vacation. In the organisations which are subject to dramatic changes due to latest innovations, the
older people get less job satisfaction as they start feeling obsolete as compared to their younger
colleagues. Though there is no clear cut demarcation between young age and old age but
according to Lehman the peak of creative ability is among people between the ages 30 and 40.

3. Gender:

Being a male or female is genetic in nature and it is considered to be an inherited feature.

Whether women perform as well as in jobs as men do, is an issue which has initiated lot of
debates, misconceptions and opinions. The traditional view was that man is tougher than woman
or women are highly emotional than men. But these are some stereotyped baseless assumptions.
Research has proved that there are few if any, important differences between man and woman
that will affect their job performance.
18
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

4. Religion:

Though there are no scientific studies to prove it and we cannot generalize it, but religion and
religion based cultures play an important role in determining some aspects of individual
behaviour, especially those aspects which concern morals, ethics and a code of conduct. The
religion and culture also determine attitudes towards work and towards financial incentives.

People who are highly religious are supposed to have high moral values e.g. they are honest, they
do not tell lies or talk ill of others, they are supposed to be contended. But there is another side of
the picture also. Though there are no evidences but it has been observed that sometimes people
who are highly dishonest and immoral are more religious as compared to the others.

5. Marital Status:

There are not enough studies to draw any conclusion as to whether there is any relationship
between marital status and job performance. Research has consistently indicated that as marriage
imposes increased responsibilities, to have a steady job becomes more valuable and important.
Married employees have fewer absences, less turnover and more job satisfaction as compared to
unmarried workers. But no research has so far identified the causes for this.

6. Experience:

The next biographical characteristic is tenure or experience. The impact of seniority on job
performance is an issue which is subject to a lot of misconceptions and speculations. Work
experience is considered to be a good indicator of employee productivity. Research indicates that
there is a positive relationship between seniority and job performance. Moreover studies also
indicate a negative relationship between seniority and absenteeism.

Employee turnover is also considered to be negatively related to seniority. But in considering

this relationship, past experience i.e. experience of the employee on the previous job is also to be
considered. Research indicates that experience and satisfaction are positively related. Here we
have to distinguish between chronological age and seniority of the employee. Seniority
experience is a better indicator of job satisfaction than the chronological age of the person.

7. Intelligence:

Generally, it is considered that intelligence is an inherited quality. Some people are born
intelligent or in other words intelligent parents produce intelligent children. But practical
experience has shown that sometimes very intelligent parents have less intelligent children and
sometimes average parents have very intelligent children.

Moreover intelligence can be enhanced with efforts, hard work, proper environment and
motivation. Anyway, whether it is an inherited trait or acquired trait this factor affects the
behaviour of the people. Intelligent people are generally not adamant and stubborn, rather they
are considered to be stable and predictable.

19
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

8. Ability:

Ability refers to the capacity or capability of an individual to perform the various tasks in a job.
Ability is the criterion used to determine what a person can do.

9. Personality:

By personality we don’t mean the physical appearance of a person. Psychologists are not
concerned with a smart person, with a smiling face and a charming personality. They consider
personality as a dynamic concept describing the growth and development of a person’s whole
psychological system. Rather than looking at parts of the person, personality looks at some
aggregate whole that is greater than the sum of the parts.

Personality generally refers to personal traits such as dominance, aggressiveness, persistence and
other qualities reflected through a person’s behaviour. Some personality traits like physical built
and intelligence are biological in nature but most traits like patience, open mindedness,
extrovertness etc. can be learned.

An individual’s personality determines the types of activities that he or she is suited for.
According to Tedeschi and Lindskold, people who are open minded seem to work out better in
bargaining agreements than people who are narrow minded. Similarly people who are extroverts
and outgoing are more likely to be successful as managers than those who are introverts.

10. Perception:

Perception is the viewpoint by which one interprets a situation. In other words, “perception is the
process by which information enters our minds and is interpreted in order to give some sensible
meaning to the world around us. Psychology says that different people see and sense the same
thing in different ways. For example, if a new manager perceives an employee to be a job
shirker, he will give him less important jobs, even though that employee is a very able person.
Sometimes, we tend to lose good relatives and friends because we change our perceptions about
them.

II. Environmental Factors:

The external environment is known to have a considerable impact on a person’s behaviour.

A brief description of the external factors follows:

1. Economic Factors.

The behaviour of an individual is affected to a large extent by the economic environment.

20
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

2. Socio-cultural Factors:

The social environment of an individual includes his relationship with family members, friends,
colleagues, supervisors and subordinates. The behaviour of other people not with the individual,
but in general, is also a part of his social environment. Similarly, every individual has a cultural
background, which shapes his values and beliefs. Work ethics achievement need, effort-reward
expectations and values are important cultural factors having impact on the individual behaviour.

3. Political Factors

Political environment of the country will affect the individual behaviour not directly, but through
several other factors. In a politically stable country there will be a steady level of employment
(both in quantity and quality) and high level of capital investment. Whereas companies are
reluctant to invest large sums of money in a politically instable country.

The political ideology of a country affects the individual behaviour through the relative freedom
available to its citizens. A country can have a controlled society or less controlled society. The
relative freedom available to the individuals can affect their career choice, job design and
performance.

4. Legal Environment.

Rules and laws are formalized and written standards of behaviour. Both rules and laws are
strictly enforced by the legal system. Laws relate to all the members of the society e.g. Murder is
a crime which is illegal and punishable by law and applies to all the people within the system.
Observing the lIII. Organisational Factors:

Individual behaviour is influenced by a wide variety of organisational systems and resources.

III. Organisational Factors:

These organisational factors are as explained below:

1. Physical Facilities:

The physical environment at a work place is the arrangement of people and things so that is has a
positive influence on people. Some of the factors which influence individual behaviour are noise
level, heat, light, ventilation, cleanliness, nature of job, office furnishing, number of people
working at a given place etc.

2. Organisation Structure and Design:

These are concerned with the way in which different departments in the organisation are set up.
What is the reporting system? How are the lines of communication established among different
levels in the organisation. The behaviour and performance of the individual is influenced by
where that person fits into the organisational hierarchy.

21
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

3. Leadership:

The system of leadership is established by the management to provide direction, assistance,

advice and coaching to individuals. The human behaviour is influenced to a large extent by the
behaviour of the superiors or leaders. Behaviour of the leaders is more important than their
qualities.

4. Reward System:

The behaviour and performance of the individuals is also influenced by the reward system
established by the organisation to compensate their employee

PERCEPTION

Meaning :

 Perception is an intellectual process of transforming sensory stimuli to meaningful

information. It is the process of interpreting something that we see or hear in our mind and
use it later to judge and give a verdict on a situation, person, group etc.
 Perception means perceiving, i.e., giving meaning to the environment around us. It can be
defined as a process which involves seeing, receiving, selecting, organising, interpreting
and giving meaning to the environment.Sensation is the response of physical sensory organ

It can be divided into six types −

 Of sound − The ability to receive sound by identifying vibrations.

 Of speech − The competence of interpreting and understanding the sounds of language
heard.

22
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

 Touch − Identifying objects through patterns of its surface by touching it.

 Taste − The ability to receive flavor of substances by tasting it through sensory organs
known as taste buds.
 Other senses − They approve perception through body, like balance, acceleration, pain,
time, sensation felt in throat and lungs etc.
 Of the social world − It permits people to understand other individuals and groups of their
social world. Example − Priya goes to a restaurant and likes their customer service, so she
will perceive that it is a good place to hang out and will recommend it to her friends, who
may or may not like it. Priya’s perception about the restaurant is good.

PERCEPTUAL PROCESS

Perceptual process are the different stages of perception we go through. The different stages
are

 Receiving
 Selecting
 Organizing
 Interpreting

Receiving

Receiving is the first and most important stage in the process of perception. It is the initial
stage in which a person collects all information and receives the information through the sense
organs.

23
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

Selecting

Selecting is the second stage in the process. Here a person doesn’t receive the data
randomly but selectively. A person selects some information out of all in accordance with his
interest or needs. The selection of data is dominated by various external and internal factors.

 External factors − The factors that influence the perception of an individual externally are
intensity, size, contrast, movement, repetition, familiarity, and novelty.
 Internal factors − The factors that influence the perception of an individual internally are
psychological requirements, learning, background, experience, self-acceptance, and
interest.

Organizing

Keeping things in order or say in a synchronized way is organizing. In order to make sense
of the data received, it is important to organize them.

We can organize the data by −

 Grouping them on the basis of their similarity, proximity, closure, continuity.

 Establishing a figure ground is the basic process in perception. Here by figure we mean
what is kept as main focus and by ground we mean background stimuli, which are not given
attention.
 Perceptual constancy that is the tendency to stabilize perception so that contextual changes
don’t affect them.

Interpreting

Finally, we have the process of interpreting which means forming an idea about a particular
object depending upon the need or interest. Interpretation means that the information we have
sensed and organized, is finally given a meaning by turning it into something that can be
categorized. It includes stereotyping, halo effect etc..

24
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTUAL PROCESS

External Factors :

1. Size : Bigger size attracts the attention of the perceiver

2. Intensity : A loud sound, strong odor or bright light is noticed more as compared to a soft sound,
weak odour or dimlight.

3. Repetition : A repeated external stimulus is more attention getting than a single one. Advertisers
use this principle.

4. Novelty and Familiarity : A novel or a familiar external situation can serve as attention getter.

5. Contrast : It is a kind of uniqueness which can be used for attention getting. Letters of bold
types, persons dressed differently than others, etc., get more attention.

6. Motion : A moving object draws more attention as compared to a stationary object. Advertisers
use this principle.

Internal Factors

Self-concept : The way a person views the world depends a great deal on the concept or image he
has about himself. The concept plays an internal role in perceptual selectivity.

Beliefs : A person's beliefs have profound influence on his perception. Thus, a fact is conceived
not on what it is but what a person believes it to be.

Expectations : These affect what a person perceives. A technical manager may expect ignorance
about the technical features of a product from non-technical people.

Inner Needs : The need is a feeling of tension or discomfort, when one thinks he is missing
something. People with different needs experience different stimuli. According to Freud, wishful
thinking is the means by which the Id attempts to achieve tension reduction

25
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

Factors influencing perception:

Perception is our sensory experience of the world around us and involves both the recognition of
environmental stimuli and action in response to these stimuli. Through the perceptual process, we
gain information about properties and elements of the environment that are critical to our survival.
A number of factors operate to shape and sometimes distort perception These factors can reside:

1. Characteristics of the Perceiver: Several characteristics of the perceiver can affect perception.
When an individual looks at a target and attempts to interpret what he or she stands for, that
interpretation is heavily influenced by personal characteristics of the individual perceiver. The
major characteristics of the perceiver influencing perception are:

a) Attitudes: The perceiver's attitudes affect perception. For example, Mr. X is interviewing
candidates for a very important position in his organization - a position that requires negotiating
contracts with suppliers, most of whom are male. Mr. X may feel that women are not capable of
holding their own in tough negotiations. This attitude with doubtless affect his perceptions of the
female candidates he interviews.

b) Moods: Moods can have a strong influence on the way we perceive someone. We think
differently when we are happy than we do when we are depressed. In addition, we remember
information that is consistent with our mood state better than information that is inconsistent with
our mood state. When in a positive mood, we form more positive impressions of other. When in a
negative mood, we tend to evaluate others unfavourably.

c) Motives: Unsatisfied needs or motives stimulate individuals and may exert a strong
influence on their perceptions. For example, in an organizational context, a boss who is insecure
perceives a sub ordinate's efforts to do an outstanding job as a threat to his or her own position.
Personal insecurity can be translated into the perception that others are out to "get my job",
regardless of the intention of the subordinates.
d) Self - Concept: Another factor that can affect social perception is the perceivers self-
concept. An individual with a positive self-concept tends to notice positive attributes in another
person. In contrast, a negative self-concept can lead a perceiver to pick out negative traits in
another person. Greater understanding of self allows us to have more accurate perceptions of
others.
e) Interest: The focus of our attention appears to be influenced by our interests. Because our
individual interests differ considerably, what one person notices in a situation can differ from what
other perceive. For example, the supervisor who has just been reprimanded by his boss for coming
late is more likely to notice his colleagues coming late tomorrow than he did last week.

f) Cognitive structure: Cognitive structure, an individual's pattern of thinking, also affects

perception. Some people have a tendency to perceive physical traits, such as height, weight, and

26
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

appearance, more readily. Cognitive complexity allows a person to perceive multiple

characteristics of another person rather than attending to just a few traits.

g) Expectations: Finally, expectations can distort your perceptions in that you will see what
you expect to see. The research findings of the study conducted by Sheldon S Zalking and Timothy
W Costello on some specific characteristics of the perceiver reveal

i) Knowing oneself makes it easier to see others accurately.

ii) One's own characteristics affect the characteristics one is likely to see in other.

iii) People who accept themselves are more likely to be able to see favourableaspects of other
people.

iv) Accuracy in perceiving others is not a single skill. These four characteristics greatly influence
how a person perceives other int he environmental situation.

2) Characteristics of the Target : Characteristics in the target that is being observed can affect
what is perceived. Physical appearance pals a big role in our perception of others. Extremely
attractive or unattractive individuals are more likely to be noticed in a group than ordinary looking
individuals. Motions, sound, size and other attributes of a target shape the way we see it. Verbal
Communication from targets also affects our perception of them. Nonverbal communication
conveys a great deal of information about the target. The perceiver deciphers eye contact, facial
expressions,body movements, and posture all in a attempt to form an impression of the target.

3) Characteristics of the Situation: The situation in which the interaction between the perceiver
and the target takes place, has an influence on the perceiver's impression of the target. The strength
of the situational cues also affects social perception. Some situations provide strong cues as to
appropriate behaviour. In this situation, we assume that + i.e individual's behaviours can be
accounted for by the situation, and that it may not reflect the individual's disposition.

27
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOUR:

MEANING:

•Individual behaviour means some concrete action by a person.

•It means how an individual behaves, reacts or responds in a given environment.
•The behaviour of an individual is influenced by various factors.
•Individual behaviour is the function of person, environment and organization

FOUNDATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR

Managers need to know individual behavior (actions) in the context of an organization.
Four of the utmost important elements of individual behavior are: biographical characteristics,
ability,personality,andlearning.
BIOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Out of many physical or personal characteristics,
some are especially significant and can be traced from employees’ curriculum vitae (CVs) and
personal records.
1. AGE: Age of an employee has a significant impact and performance. It is envisaged that
younger people are more energetic, skilful and talented than older people. The belief is true but
this is not always true because in many cases, older people are highly skilled, regularly updating
their skills, well-experienced, persistent, and even physically and mentally fit.
2. SEX/ GENDER: Do males perform better then females? The research reveals, no. Females do
not perform less then males, if they are equally trained or having similar capabilities.
3. MARTIAL STATUS: The scientific studies undercover that married people are more
responsible, persistent in nature and undergo less absence and turnover and are more satisfied from
their jobs because marriages cause them to accept new responsibilities.
4. NUMBER OF DEPENDANTS: The greater the children or other dependants a person has, the
lesser is the concentration on work. It has been observed in most cases, that many times, employees
especially females with huge children or other persons, such as relatives as dependants make leaves
to take care of the schooling and hospitalization needs of their dependants.
5. TENURE: Switching jobs or companies is not a big deal/ problem, rather it may be a result of
serious need to leave a problematic company or to avail a better opportunity. But the persons that

28
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

show greater stay (of years) on a job show their persistent nature and an indication of their
satisfactory performance.
ABILITY
Ability is the capacity to perform a work or action. A lawyer has the ability to defend legal
suits in the court. A swimmer has the ability to swim in the oceans.

PERSONALITY
Personality is a set of distinct characteristics of an individual. Some people tend to be
emotional, others intellectual, bold or timid, hesitant or confident, reserved or social, etc.
Personality is shaped from heredity and culture and environment, which lead to personality traits.
LEARNING
Learning is defined as many permanent change in behavior as a result of observation and
experience. The student who learns their courses and soon after exams, forget the courses is not
learning. From OB point of view, learning is permanent and it changes behavior. For example, a
typist can type fifty words a minute, after training, he can type eighty five words a minute, is
learning. Some of the theories of learning are depicted below:
FACTORS INFLUENCING INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR

The way an individual addresses a situation single-handedly or say in a group is influenced

by many factors. The key factors influencing an individual’s attitude in personal as well as social
life are −

 Abilities
 Gender
 Race and culture
 Attribution
 Perception
 Attitude

Let’s take a quick look over these major elements that imprint a person’s behavior inside and
outside of the organization.

29
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

Abilities

Abilities are the traits a person learns from the environment around as well as the traits a
person is gifted with by birth. These traits are broadly classified as −

 Intellectual abilities
 Physical abilities
 Self-awareness abilities

In order to understand how these affect a person’s behavior, we need to know what these abilities
are.

 Intellectual abilities − It personifies a person’s intelligence, verbal and analytical

reasoning abilities, memory as well as verbal comprehension.
 Physical abilities − It personifies a person’s physical strength, stamina, body coordination
as well as motor skills.
 Self-awareness abilities − It symbolizes how a person feels about the task, while a
manager’s perception of his abilities decides the kind of work that needs to be allotted to
an individual.

Thus the psychological, physical, self-assurance traits owned by a person defines the behavior
of a person in social and personal life.

Gender

Research proves that men and women both stand equal in terms of job performance and
mental abilities; however, society still emphasizes differences between the two genders.
Absenteeism is one area in an organization where differences are found as women are considered
to be the primary caregiver for children. A factor that might influence work allocation and
evaluation in an organization is the manager’s perception and personal values.

30
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

Race & Culture

Race is a group of people sharing similar physical features. It is used to define types of
persons according to perceived traits. For example − Indian, African. On the other hand, culture
can be defined as the traits, ideas, customs and traditions one follows either as a person or in a
group. For example − Celebrating a festival.

Race & culture have always exerted an important influence both at the workplace as well
as in the society. The common mistakes such as attributing behavior and stereotyping according
to individual’s race & culture basically influences an individual’s behavior.

In today’s diverse work culture, the management as well as staff should learn and accept
different cultures, values, and common protocols to create more comfortable corporate culture.

Perception

Perception is an intellectual process of transforming sensory stimuli into meaningful

information. It is the process of interpreting something that we see or hear in our mind and use it
later to judge and give a verdict on a situation, person, group, etc.

It can be divided into six types namely −

 Of sound − The ability to receive sound by identifying vibrations.

 Of speech − The competence of interpreting and understanding the sounds of language
heard.
 Touch − Identifying objects through patterns of its surface by touching it.
 Taste − The ability to detect flavor of substances by tasting it through sensory organs
known as taste buds.
 Other senses − Other senses include balance, acceleration, pain, time, sensation felt in
throat and lungs etc.
 Of the social world − It permits people to understand other individuals and groups of their
social world.

31
 ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR– II BBA

For example − Priya goes to a restaurant and likes their customer service, so she will perceive that
it is a good place to hang out and will recommend it to her friends, who may or may not like it.
However, Priya’s perception about the restaurant remains good.

Attribution

Attribution is the course of observing behavior followed by determining its cause based on
individual’s personality or situation. Attribution framework uses the following three criteria −

 Consensus − The extent to which people in the same situation might react similarly.
 Distinctiveness − The extent to which a person’s behavior can be associated to situations
or personality.
 Consistency − The frequency measurement of the observed behavior, that is, how often
does this behavior occur.

Attitude

Attitude is the abstract learnt reaction or say response of a person’s entire cognitive process
over a time span.

32