ATTITUDES

Attitudes
• Wikipedia- ”An attitude is a hypothetical
construct that represents an individual's
degree of like or dislike for an item.
Attitudes are generally positive or negative
views of a person, place, thing, or event--
this is often referred to as the attitude
object. People can also be conflicted or
ambivalent toward an object, meaning
that they simultaneously possess both
positive and negative attitudes toward the
item in question.”
 Characteristics/Nature of
Attitudes
• Attitudes-
 Have subject-object relationship
 Are learned
 Are relatively enduring states of readiness
 Have motivational characteristics
 Are numerous
 Range from strongly positive to strongly
negative
 Are internal dispositions
 Factors that Influence
Development of Attitudes
• Integration of person’s experiences
• Differentiation of experiences
• Dramatic experiences
• Individual’s physical development
• Individual’s emotional development
• Individual’s social development
• Individual’s ethical/moral
development
• Individual’s home & family
• Individual’s social environment
BROADLY TWO CATEGORIES:
Factors within the individual
himself/herself
Factors within the individual’s
environment
Implication for organization
• It may lead to job satisfaction:
recognition, achievement, type of work,
advancement etc
• It may lead to job dissatisfaction:
salary, working conditions, relations with
subordinates, job security etc
• Need for study of attitude of the
employees
• Need for identifying the factors
determining attitude and its change
 Industrial Morale
• It may be defined as the possession
of a feeling on the part of the
employee of being accepted and
belonging to a group of employees
through adherence to common goals
and confidence in the desirability of
these goals.
• Feeling accepted by one’s work
group
• Sharing common goals with one’s
work group
• Having confidence in the desirability
of these goals
Characteristics of Industrial
Morale
• It is dynamic
• It is complex
• It is an attribute of individual
• It exists with reference to job situation
• It is influenced by motivation
• It is applicable to employees at all the job
levels
• It involves ego & its satisfaction
 Factors that Influence
Morale
• Group cohesiveness or feeling of
togetherness
• Need for a goal
• Observable progress towards the goal-
there must be observable progress
towards the goal
• Specific meaningful tasks- individual in the
group must have specific meaningful tasks
that are necessary to the achievement of
the goal
• Job security.
• Management style.
• Staff feeling that their contribution is valued by
their employer.
• Realistic opportunities for merit-based promotion.
• The perceived social or economic value of the
work being done by the organization as a whole.
• The perceived status of the work being done by
the organization as a whole.
• Team composition.
• The work culture.
 Measures of Improving
Morale
• incorporate tangible factors like food
and money as well as less concrete
facets such as time, learning, and
culture
• Morale boosting techniques/methods
can be implemented in almost any
aspect of the work environment
• Application of methods such as:
 increasing employee recognition and
involvement
 fostering communication and a sense of
belongingness and ownership within the
organization
 providing opportunities for education and
personal development
 creating a physically comfortable work
environment
• Make workers feel that the
organization they work for genuinely
cares about them
• Ask employees if they feel they are
working to their potential
• Cross-train employees