Unit – II

Chapter- 2: PERCEPTION
Meaning:-

Perception is the process through which the information from, outside

environment is selected, received, organized and interpreted to make it meaningful
to us.

Perception is the process by which individual organizes and interprets their

Sensory impressions in order to give meaning in order to give meaning to their
environment.

S.P. Robbins,

Kolasa defines perception:” selection and organization of material which

Stems from the outside environment at one time or the other to provide the
meaningful entity we experience.”

Features of perception:-

1. Perception is the intellectual process through which a person selects the data
from the environment, organizes it, and obtains meaning from it.

2. Perception is a basic cognitive or psychological process. The manner in which a

Person perceives the environment affects his behavior. Thus people actions,
emotions, thoughts, or feelings are triggered by the perception of their
surroundings.

3. Perception is subjective process and different people may perceive the same
Environmental event differently based on what particular aspects of the
situation. They choose to absorb, how they organize this information, and the
manner in which they interpret it to obtain the understanding of the situation.

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Factors that influence perception:

These factors include:-

1. characteristics of the perception, (Internal factor)

2. characteristics of the target or perceived (External factors)

3. Characteristics of the situation.

1. Characteristics of the perception (Internal factors)

i. Needs and motives: - People’s perception is determined by their inner

needs. A need is feeling of tension or discomfort when one thinks he is
missing something or requires something. People with different needs
usually experience different stimuli.

ii. Self- Concept: - The way a person views the world depends a great deal on
the self- concept plays an important role in perceptual selectivity.

iii. Beliefs: - A person’s beliefs have profound influence on his perception. These
a fact is conceived not on what it is but what a person believes it to be. The
individual normally censors stimulus- inputs to avoid disturbance of his
existing beliefs.

iv. Past experience: - A person’s past experiences would the way he perceives
the current situation. If a person has been betrayed by a couple of friends in
the part. He would tend to distrust any new friendship that he might be in the
process of developing.

v. Current psychological state: - The emotional and psychological states of an

individual are likely to influence how thing are perceived. If a person is
depressed. He is likely to perceive the same situation differently than if he is
elated.

vi. Expectations: - Expectations affect what a person perceives. Expectations

are related with the state of anticipation of particular behavior from a person.
In the organizational setting, expectations affect people’s perception.

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2. Characteristics of the Target or Perceived (External factors)

i. Size: - The bigger the size of the perceived stimulus, the higher is the
probability that it is perceived. Size attracts the attention of an individual. It
establishes dominance and enhances perceptual selection.

ii. Intensity :- High intensity increases the chances of selection. If the message
is bright if sentences are underlined, it gels more attention than in normal
case.

iii. Frequency: - Repealed external - stimulus is more attention attracting than a

single time. Repetition increases our sensitivity and alertness’ to the
stimulus

iv. Status: - Perception is also influenced by the status of the perceive. High
status people can exist greater influence on perception of an employee than
low status people.

v. Contrast: - Stimuli that contrast with the surrounding environment are more
likely to be attention catching than the stimuli that blend in. A contrasting
effect can be caused by color/ Size any other factor that is unusual.

3. Characteristics of the situation:- The contest in which we see objects or events

is important elements in the surrounding environment influence our perception. The
time at which an object or event is seen can influence attention. As can location;
light, heat, or any number of situational factors.

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Importance of perception:-

A manger can use perception for the for the following purpose.

(a) Employment Interview:- While selecting employees manager have to be extra

Careful. The normal procedure of selection includes interviews and reviews of
the applicants’ background. Manager’s outlook sometimes gets affected by
perceptual errors like halo effort and stereotyping. Due to helo effort, the
General impression about an individual is drawn based on a single characteristic
such as intelligent, sociability or appearance. Due to stereotyping some one is
judged on the basis of perception of the group to which he belongs.

(b) Realistic Job Previews:- An employee, if not given a clear cut / realistic job
preview may draw an imaginary picture of the some and may develop certain
notions and expectations. If expectations do not match the actual picture then
frustration may arise.

(c) Interpersonal working Relationship :- If the member of a similar perceptions

about various subject matters, then incompatibility between them may arise
resulting into strained interpersonal relations.

(d) Performance Appraisal :- Performance appraisal in organizations is often done

by superiors. Perception plays a crucial role over here too through halo Effect or
personal basis.

(e) Delegation of Authority:- Decisions of a manager like whether to delegate or

not, to whom to delegate etc, are affected by his perception simultaneously
neglecting the right person. This results in over estimation of one’s capability
and frustration in the other.

(f) Organizational change and development:- Not all changes are easily
accepted by employees. The problem is not the change, but the perceptions
which people have about it mangers through detailed discussions with the
employees can help develop favourable perception about it.

(g) Project Management:- Successful completion of any project depends on the

perception of group/team members regarding their head or in charge.

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