Attitudes influence how people evaluate coworkers, supervisors, jobs, and other aspects of the workplace. Understanding what attitudes are and how they develop helps explain why employees may respond differently to similar work conditions.
An attitude is a predisposition to respond favorably or unfavorably to a person or object in one’s environment. Liking or disliking a supervisor, for example, expresses an attitude toward that person.
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What is an attitude?
A predisposition to respond favorably or unfavorably to a person or object, inferred from observable responses.
What are the three components of an attitude?
The cognitive component concerns beliefs and ideas, the affective component concerns feelings, and the intentional component concerns behavioral intentions.
What does the dispositional approach propose?
Attitudes reflect relatively stable personal predispositions that may persist across different jobs or work situations.
How can coworkers shape an employee's attitudes?
Coworkers can influence attitudes by sharing interpretations of workplace issues such as fairness, compensation, and job quality.
What is cognitive dissonance?
The tension a person experiences when their behavior conflicts with their attitudes.
Quiz questions
An employee intends to attend a meeting, but illness prevents them from going. What does this illustrate?Answer: Constraints can interrupt the path from intention to action.
Which sequence describes a general model of how attitudes relate to action?Answer: Attitudes influence intentions, which can guide behavior.
What does cognitive consistency describe?Answer: The tendency to seek alignment between attitudes and behavior.
What is cognitive dissonance?Answer: Tension arising when a person's behavior conflicts with their attitudes.
A manager dislikes a job but must work long hours. If reducing the hours is not feasible, which response could reduce dissonance?Answer: Reinterpret the long hours as worthwhile because they may lead to promotion.
Based on Organizational Behavior by J. Stewart Black, David S. Bright, Donald G. Gardner, Eva Hartmann, Jason Lambert, Laura M. Leduc, Joy Leopold, James S. O’Rourke, Jon L. Pierce, Richard M. Steers, Siri Terjesen, Joseph Weiss (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.