Individual Differences at Work – I

Perception & Attitude

Session 03
BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour
Department of Business Administration
University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Learning Outcomes

▪ Describe what individual difference is, and

▪ Describe the aspects of individual difference
at work.
▪ Perception
▪ Attitude

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

Why do people behave differently?

▪ Physiological aspects
▪ Psychological aspects
▪ Situational aspects

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

 Perception

The process by which individuals select, organize

and interpret their sensory impressions in
order to give meaning to their environment.
Robbins et al., 2013, p.176

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

The Importance of Perception
▪ Perception helps in defining “reality”.
• Objective reality—what truly exists in the physical
world to the best abilities of science to measure it.
• Perceived reality—what individuals experience through
one or more of the human senses, and the meaning
they ascribe to those experiences.
▪ Behavioural problems may arise when an
individual’s perceived reality does not match
objective reality and due to perceptual differences
of individuals.

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

Perceptual Process
Stimuli

Selection Organization
of information of Interpretation
information

Behaviour

Department of Business Administration, 2004.

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration
 Perceptual Selectivity

The process a person uses to eliminate some of

the stimuli that have been sensed and to
retain others for further processing.

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

Perceptual Selectivity

People;
▪ Select stimuli according to their attitudes,
experience, interests, background, etc.
▪ Select information that are supportive or
satisfying, which are more important to them.

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

 Selective Perception

Figure-ground Principle

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 Selective Perception

▪ Relevancy Principle

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

Perceptual Selectivity
External Factors which affect the Perceptual Selectivity
▪ Intensity
▪ Size
▪ Contrast
▪ Colours
▪ Repetition
▪ Motion
▪ Novelty and Familiarity

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

Internal Factors which affect the
Perceptual Selectivity

▪ Needs and Desires of Individuals/ Motivation

▪ Personality
▪ Learning and Experience

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

Perceptual Organising
It is the process of organising the external/internal
inputs in to a meaningful way. Common methods
of perceptual organising (based on Gestalt
Principles) are,
▪ Similarity
▪ Proximity
▪ Continuity
▪ Closure
▪ Simplification
▪ Symmetry and order

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

Perceptual Organising

Similarity Proximity

Continuity

Closure Symmetry
BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration
Perceptual Interpretation

The stage of the perceptual process at which

stimuli are interpreted and given meaning.

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

The Muller-Lyer Illusion

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

 Titchener Circles

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

Factors affecting Social Perception
▪ Halo Effect
▪ Stereotyping
▪ Attribution
▪ Impression
▪ Perceptual Defense
▪ Projection

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

Attitudes

Evaluative statements –either favorable or

unfavorable– about objects, people or events.
Robbins et al., 2009.

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

Components of attitudes

▪ Cognitive component- The beliefs or ideas one

has about an object or situation.
▪ Affective component- The feelings or emotions
one has about an object or situation.
▪ Behavioural component- How one intends to act
or behave towards someone or something.
Robbins et al., 2009

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

 How to change
workplace attitudes?

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

Barriers to change attitudes

▪ Prior commitment

▪ Insufficient Information
Luthans, 2011

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

Overcoming Barriers to Change Attitudes

▪ Provide information
▪ Resolving discrepancies
▪ Influence of friends and peers
▪ The co-opting approach
▪ Use of fear/coercion
Luthans, 2011

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration

 Questions
&
Discussion

BUS 2341 Organisational Behaviour – Department of Business Administration