what is attribution and perception and consistency in hr career? how are they useful?iam a mba student and i want to know them in detail.
From India, Guntur
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2From India, Guntur
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Person Perception: Making Judgments About Others
Attribution Theory
While observing people's behavior, such as getting an overseas assignment, a promotion to a top management position, failing miserably in a university examination, or being fired from an employer, we attempt to determine whether it was internally or externally caused. If factors such as knowledge, skill, effort, talent, hard work, and a positive attitude are responsible for the occurrence of behavior, it is labeled as internally caused. Internally caused behaviors are those believed to be under the personal control of the individual. If factors such as situational elements like location advantage, non-availability of material, or contacts with influential others are responsible for the occurrence of behavior, it is labeled as externally caused. Externally caused behavior is seen as resulting from outside causes; that is, the person is seen as forced into the behavior by the situation.
If an employee is late for work, one can attribute his tardiness to laziness, lack of interest in the job, or oversleeping. This would be an internal interpretation. If an employee's tardiness is due to a traffic jam, road accident, or his wife's sickness, then he is making an external attribution.
There are three factors used to determine whether the behavior is caused by internal factors or due to external factors. They are: Distinctiveness, Consensus, and Consistency.
Distinctiveness
It refers to whether an individual displays different behaviors in different situations. If a person is late not only to the office but also to a picnic party, birthday party, or meeting, and his tardiness is not unique, it will probably be judged as internal (Low Distinctiveness). If his tardiness is unusual, that is, only to office work, his tardiness is due to external attribution (High Distinctiveness).
Consensus
It refers to whether all the people facing a similar situation respond in the same way or not. If all the people respond the same way, then there is high consensus. If consensus is high, then his tardiness is due to external factors. If only this worker is late and all others are punctual, then there is low consensus. If consensus is low, then his tardiness is due to an internal factor.
Consistency
It refers to whether a person responds the same way all the time, that is, whether his tardiness is common every day or once in a blue moon. If his tardiness is reported every day, then there is high consistency. If there is high consistency, his tardiness is due to an internal factor. If his tardiness is reported only once, then there is low consistency. If there is low consistency, then his tardiness is due to external factors. The more consistent the behavior, the more the observer is inclined to attribute it to internal factors.
Errors in Attribution
While attributing the causes for the behavior of individuals, people tend to commit two types of errors.
Fundamental Attribution Error
There is a tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors when making judgments about the behavior of others, particularly with reference to the victims of accidents or failures. This is called the fundamental attribution error. For example, a sales manager is likely to attribute the poor performance of his sales agents to laziness rather than to the new product line introduced by the competitor or the current recession prevailing in society.
Self-Serving Bias
There is also a tendency for individuals to attribute their own success to internal factors such as ability or effort, while putting the blame for failure on external factors such as luck or fate. This is called the self-serving bias. While assessing the performance of subordinates, managers are likely to provide feedback in a distorted manner depending on whether it is positive or negative.
From India, Hyderabad
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Attribution Theory
While observing people's behavior, such as getting an overseas assignment, a promotion to a top management position, failing miserably in a university examination, or being fired from an employer, we attempt to determine whether it was internally or externally caused. If factors such as knowledge, skill, effort, talent, hard work, and a positive attitude are responsible for the occurrence of behavior, it is labeled as internally caused. Internally caused behaviors are those believed to be under the personal control of the individual. If factors such as situational elements like location advantage, non-availability of material, or contacts with influential others are responsible for the occurrence of behavior, it is labeled as externally caused. Externally caused behavior is seen as resulting from outside causes; that is, the person is seen as forced into the behavior by the situation.
If an employee is late for work, one can attribute his tardiness to laziness, lack of interest in the job, or oversleeping. This would be an internal interpretation. If an employee's tardiness is due to a traffic jam, road accident, or his wife's sickness, then he is making an external attribution.
There are three factors used to determine whether the behavior is caused by internal factors or due to external factors. They are: Distinctiveness, Consensus, and Consistency.
Distinctiveness
It refers to whether an individual displays different behaviors in different situations. If a person is late not only to the office but also to a picnic party, birthday party, or meeting, and his tardiness is not unique, it will probably be judged as internal (Low Distinctiveness). If his tardiness is unusual, that is, only to office work, his tardiness is due to external attribution (High Distinctiveness).
Consensus
It refers to whether all the people facing a similar situation respond in the same way or not. If all the people respond the same way, then there is high consensus. If consensus is high, then his tardiness is due to external factors. If only this worker is late and all others are punctual, then there is low consensus. If consensus is low, then his tardiness is due to an internal factor.
Consistency
It refers to whether a person responds the same way all the time, that is, whether his tardiness is common every day or once in a blue moon. If his tardiness is reported every day, then there is high consistency. If there is high consistency, his tardiness is due to an internal factor. If his tardiness is reported only once, then there is low consistency. If there is low consistency, then his tardiness is due to external factors. The more consistent the behavior, the more the observer is inclined to attribute it to internal factors.
Errors in Attribution
While attributing the causes for the behavior of individuals, people tend to commit two types of errors.
Fundamental Attribution Error
There is a tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors when making judgments about the behavior of others, particularly with reference to the victims of accidents or failures. This is called the fundamental attribution error. For example, a sales manager is likely to attribute the poor performance of his sales agents to laziness rather than to the new product line introduced by the competitor or the current recession prevailing in society.
Self-Serving Bias
There is also a tendency for individuals to attribute their own success to internal factors such as ability or effort, while putting the blame for failure on external factors such as luck or fate. This is called the self-serving bias. While assessing the performance of subordinates, managers are likely to provide feedback in a distorted manner depending on whether it is positive or negative.
From India, Hyderabad
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Sir , i would like to understand my employees behaviour in order to motivate them that is the reason i asked for attribution and perception. Thank you!
From India, Guntur
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From India, Guntur
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Well, Mr. Vidya Sagar has given inputs from an academic point of view. I will try to give you my perception of employee behavior as I observed during my tenure as an HR professional without using any technical jargon that may confuse one's understanding.
Firstly, it is to be understood that human needs are not alike. The needs of one employee may be different from those of another, and therefore what motivates one employee may not motivate another. Thus, you cannot use one strategy to motivate all. You should vary it with the employees.
Categories of Employee Behavior at the Workplace
The employee behavior is actuated by their needs. I found the following categories of employee behavior at the workplace actuated by different needs of theirs, as Maslow has rightly said.
• Employees with Survival Needs: Their concern is food-shelter-clothing. They do not have any ambitions. They like to be told what is to be done and respect authority. Their behavior is characterized by obedience to command. They tend to spend time gossiping if they do not have enough work. They will be motivated by the regular payment of their salaries.
• Employees with Security Needs: Their concern is security, which they get through the job. They too do not nurse any ambitions and want to stick to the job somehow. They share some characteristics of the survival need class. They do the minimum required work and display no enthusiasm. They feel insecure about shouldering higher responsibilities and are willing to continue in the existing job since it gives them security. They are mostly the ‘Yes’ men of their bosses. Rewards and promotions will not motivate them since they fear management may thrust more responsibilities on them. Business expansion will be a source of security since it gives them the impression that the business is doing well. They may not be fit to be team members.
• Employees with Money Needs: Their interest extends beyond salary. They are interested in getting benefits over and above salary and will be willing to do extra work for these benefits. They will be obedient, disciplined, and exhibit average enthusiasm. They are the kind who look for appraisals, overtime, and bonuses. They are reasonable performers and can be made members of a team.
• Employees with Esteem Needs: They are interested in perks, promotions, rewards, and opportunities for growth. The motivational strategies shall incorporate these elements. They are good performers, work efficiently, and are enthusiastic workers. They are willing to shoulder higher responsibilities since they love status in society and can be made to lead teams with training and coaching.
• Employees with Self-Fulfilling Needs: They love to grab opportunities for innovation, want to do things differently, and love challenges. They are the storehouse of talent. They ooze enthusiasm and may be too egoistic, too humble, or sometimes eccentric, but they are the drivers and leaders. They need to be provided with an environment with opportunities for growth and challenges. Lack of them demotivates them.
Though the above classification is given for the purpose of easy understanding, there is no hard and fast rule that employees may strictly be classified into the above kinds, but you may find a combination of characteristics of two or more classes of employees. Accordingly, you need to strategize your motivational initiatives.
There are experts in the forum on the subject. They too can chip in with their contributions.
Regards,
B. Saikumar
Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
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Firstly, it is to be understood that human needs are not alike. The needs of one employee may be different from those of another, and therefore what motivates one employee may not motivate another. Thus, you cannot use one strategy to motivate all. You should vary it with the employees.
Categories of Employee Behavior at the Workplace
The employee behavior is actuated by their needs. I found the following categories of employee behavior at the workplace actuated by different needs of theirs, as Maslow has rightly said.
• Employees with Survival Needs: Their concern is food-shelter-clothing. They do not have any ambitions. They like to be told what is to be done and respect authority. Their behavior is characterized by obedience to command. They tend to spend time gossiping if they do not have enough work. They will be motivated by the regular payment of their salaries.
• Employees with Security Needs: Their concern is security, which they get through the job. They too do not nurse any ambitions and want to stick to the job somehow. They share some characteristics of the survival need class. They do the minimum required work and display no enthusiasm. They feel insecure about shouldering higher responsibilities and are willing to continue in the existing job since it gives them security. They are mostly the ‘Yes’ men of their bosses. Rewards and promotions will not motivate them since they fear management may thrust more responsibilities on them. Business expansion will be a source of security since it gives them the impression that the business is doing well. They may not be fit to be team members.
• Employees with Money Needs: Their interest extends beyond salary. They are interested in getting benefits over and above salary and will be willing to do extra work for these benefits. They will be obedient, disciplined, and exhibit average enthusiasm. They are the kind who look for appraisals, overtime, and bonuses. They are reasonable performers and can be made members of a team.
• Employees with Esteem Needs: They are interested in perks, promotions, rewards, and opportunities for growth. The motivational strategies shall incorporate these elements. They are good performers, work efficiently, and are enthusiastic workers. They are willing to shoulder higher responsibilities since they love status in society and can be made to lead teams with training and coaching.
• Employees with Self-Fulfilling Needs: They love to grab opportunities for innovation, want to do things differently, and love challenges. They are the storehouse of talent. They ooze enthusiasm and may be too egoistic, too humble, or sometimes eccentric, but they are the drivers and leaders. They need to be provided with an environment with opportunities for growth and challenges. Lack of them demotivates them.
Though the above classification is given for the purpose of easy understanding, there is no hard and fast rule that employees may strictly be classified into the above kinds, but you may find a combination of characteristics of two or more classes of employees. Accordingly, you need to strategize your motivational initiatives.
There are experts in the forum on the subject. They too can chip in with their contributions.
Regards,
B. Saikumar
Mumbai
From India, Mumbai
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Employee Behavior.ppt