UNIT II INDIVIDUAL

BEHAVIOUR

Individual behavior- perception- concept and

nature- process-importance- factors Influencing
perception – Attribution Theory
.
 FOUNDATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL
BEHAVIOR
1) BIOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
• Age
• Gender
• Marital status
• Length of Service
• Ability
Ability, Intellect, and Intelligence
Ability
An individual’s capacity to perform
the various tasks in a job.

Intellectual Ability
The capacity to do mental activities.
 Dimensions of
Intellectual Ability

••Number
Numberaptitude
aptitude
••Verbal
Verbalcomprehension
comprehension
••Perceptual
Perceptualspeed
speed
••Memory
Memory
 Physical Abilities
Physical Abilities
The capacity to do tasks
demanding stamina, strength,
and similar characteristics.
 Nine Physical Abilities
Strength
StrengthFactors
Factors
1.1.Dynamic
Dynamicstrength
strength
2.2.Trunk
Trunkstrength
strength
3.3.Static
Staticstrength
strength
4.4.Explosive
Explosivestrength
strength Flexibility
FlexibilityFactors
Factors
5.5.Extent
Extentflexibility
flexibility
6.6.Dynamic
Dynamicflexibility
flexibility
Other
OtherFactors
Factors
7.7.Body
Bodycoordination
coordination
8.8.Balance
Balance
9.9.Stamina
Stamina
 The Ability-Job Fit

Ability-Job
Employee’s Fit Job’s Ability
Abilities Requirements
 PERCEPTION
• In simple sense,
perception means
perceiving i.e., giving
meaning to the
environment around us.
 A process by which individuals organize and
interpret their sensory impressions in order to
give meaning to their environment.
 People’s behavior is based on their perception
of what reality is, not on reality itself.
 The world as it is perceived is the world that is
behaviorally important.

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Perception
 What is Perception?
 How we view and interpret the events
and situations in the world about us.

 Why is it Important?
 Because people’s behavior is based on
their perception of what reality is, not
on reality itself.

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 Factors that Influence Perception

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 PERCEPTION DIFFERS FROM
SENSATION
• sensation may be described as the response of
a physical sensory organ to some stimuli
• Our physical senses i.e., vision, hearing, touch,
smell and taste are continuously-'bombarded by
numerous stimuli that are both inside and
outside of our body
• perception depends upon the sensory raw data,
that includes filtering, modifying or even
changing these Sensation raw data to make
sense out of them
Figure 1.2 (a) We take the woods as the starting point for our description of the perceptual process.
Everything in the woods is the environmental stimulus. (b) Ellen focuses on the moth, which becomes the
attended stimulus.
Figure 1.4 (a) Ellen has conscious perception of the moth. (b) She recognizes the moth. (c) She takes
action by walking toward the tree to get a better view.
Input Organisation Outputs

Selection Interpretation

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 PERCEPTUAL PROCESS
1. Receiving Stimuli
2. Selection of Stimuli:
• Individuals cannot assimilate all what they observe or
receive from the environment at a time
• Selection of stimuli is not made at random, but
depending on the two types of factors, namely,
external factors and internal factors
• People selectively perceive objects or things which
interest to them most in a particular situation and avoid
those for which they are indifferent'. This is also called
'selective perception'
 PERCEPTUAL PROCESS
3. Organization of Stimuli
• selected stimuli need to be organized in some form so as to assign
some meanings to them
• organizing the bits of information into a meaningful whole is called
"organization"
There are three ways by which the selected data i.e., inputs are
organised.
A) Grouping: Grouping is based on the similarity or proximity of
various stimuli perceived.
B) Closure: When people face with incomplete information, they tend
to fill the gaps themselves to make it more meaningful
C) Simplification: When people find themselves overloaded with
information, they try to simplify it to make it more meaningful and
understandable
A Duck . . . Or a Rabbit?
 PERCEPTUAL PROCESS
4.Interpretation
• Assigning meanings to data is called 'interpretation'
Factors influencing interpretation :
a) Attribution
• The way in which people explain the cause for their own or others' behavior is
referred to as attribution.
• Generally, there are two types of attributions made by people - dispositional
attributions and situational attributions
b) Stereotyping
• When a perceiver judges some person based on his perception about the group to
which the person belongs, it is known as stereotyping
c) The Halo Effect
• people draw a general impression about an individual based on a single
characteristic or Trait, such as intelligence, sociability, aggressiveness
5. Action
Ladder up… or down?
 Word Color Test

In this test DO NOT READ the words,

say aloud the COLOR of each word.

YELLOW BLUE ORANGE

BLACK RED GREEN
PURPLE YELLOW RED
ORANGE GREEN BLACK
BLUE RED PURPLE
GREEN BLUE ORANGE
Perception PPT for PGDM( RM)
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“We don’t see things as they are; we see
things as we are.” Anais Nin

Take the maple leaf…

To a maple tree, it is a source of life.
To a photographer, it is a still life.
To a street cleaner it’s rubbish.
To a Canadian it’s a symbol.
To an insect, it’s a meal.
 FACTORS AFFECTING
PERCEPTION
1)Internal Factors
(i) Personality
(ii) Experience
Do you see a face or “liar”?
What do you see?
 FACTORS AFFECTING
PERCEPTION
• External Factors :
(i) Size
(ii) Intensity
(iii) Frequency Repetition
(iv) Contrast
(v) Movement
What is attribution theory?

 Attribution theory aids in perceptual

interpretation by focusing on how people
attempt to:
 Understand the causes of a certain event.
 Assess responsibility for the outcomes of the
event.
 Evaluate the personal qualities of the people
involved in the event.

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 Attribution Theory: Judging Others
• Our perception and judgment of others is
significantly influenced by our
assumptions of the other person’s
internal state.
When individuals observe behavior, they attempt to determine
whether it is internally or externally caused.
• Internal causes are under that person’s control
• External causes are not – person forced to act in that
way
• Causation judged through:
– Distinctiveness -Shows different behaviors in different situations.
– Consensus - Response is the same as others to same situation.
– Consistency - Responds in the same way over time.

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Elements of Attribution Theory

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Causes of Behavior
 Internal factors –
Personal
characteristics that
cause behavior
(e.g., ability,
effort)
 External factors –
Environmental
characteristics that
cause behavior
(e.g., task
difficulty, good/bad
luck) Perception PPT
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 HOW TO IMPROVE
PERCEPTION?
1. Perceiving Oneself Accurately
2. Improving One's Self-Concept
3. Be Empathetic
4. Avoiding Perceptual Distortions
5. Communicating Openly
 Specific Applications in
Organizations:
1.) Employment Interview

2.) Performance Expectations

(Self Fulfilling Prophecy)

3.) Performance Evaluation

4.) Employee Effort

IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT
• Impression management is a process by which
people try to control/manage the perception
others hold of them
• It is noticed that people try to present
themselves in such a way so as to please or
impress others in a way desirable to them
• Impression management bears implications for
organization in areas such as performance
appraisal, promotion, etc.
 Process of Impression
Management
• Impression Motivation
• Impression Construction.
 Impression Management
Strategies Used by Employees
1) Demotion-preventative strategy
• Accounts
• Apologies
• Disassociation.
2) Promotion-enhancing strategy
• Entitlements
• Enhancements
• Obstacle disclosures
• Association
Have a great day