Review the text section regarding diversity and the video on diversity vs. differences. Regarding the organization with which you are fami
- Prompt: Review the text section regarding diversity and the video on diversity vs. differences.
- Regarding the organization with which you are familiar, describe any identifiable signs of diversity that you see, identifying multiple forms of diversity (if multiple forms exist).
- Describe efforts made by the organization to achieve diversity, and evaluate whether the organization is truly diverse or just has differences.
- Requirements: Minimum of 500 words; 2 peer-reviewed or trade journal sources, in addition to your text; APA-compliant
ORGANIZATONAL BEHAVIOR
MBA640
Unit # 2
Individual Differences and Perception
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Unit Introduction
- In this unit, we will begin to explore the psychological and sociological issues that form the foundations of Organizational Behavior.
- We will also explore how to go about performing competent research into Organizational Behavior topics.
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Topics we’ll cover in this unit
- Chapter 3
- Individual differences
- Diversity
- Abilities vs. Skills
- Attitudes
- Personality
- Locus of control
- Emotional Intelligence
- Chapter 4
- The perceptual process
- Cognitive biases (grouping errors)
- Impression management
- Appendix A
- Research introduction
- Methods of research
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Reminders
- As we enter the second unit of our course, we should be:
- Thinking deeply and critically about the topics that we are learning. Do not just skim the surface, but spend time thinking about how they affect how we manage and treat others.
- Thinking deeply about the application of Biblical concepts to the course topics that we are learning.
- At this point you should have selected the organization for your service learning and portfolio project.
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Biblical Foundation
- I Corinthians 10:31-33 (NIV)
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
Treatment of persons should be a paramount concern of a workplace leader employing a Christian worldview.
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Variables affecting work behavior
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These variables give workplace behavior its complexity and make it interesting.
As you think about these variables, think about Psalm 139:13-15
Diversity
Diversity: those attributes that make people different from one another.
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Primary dimensions are usually considered stable or difficult to change
Primary Dimension | Secondary (Dimensions |
Age | Educational background |
Ethnicity | Marital status |
Gender | Religious beliefs |
Physical attributes | Health |
Race | Work experience |
Sexual/affectional orientation |
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Diversity, (cont.)
- Diversity is NOT:
- Just understanding demographic projections
- A synonym for equal employment opportunities
- The same thing as “differences”
- Stop now and watch Dr. Samuel Betances discuss the how diversity and differences are not the same thing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWTtfuWawp8
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Diversity, (cont.)
Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace
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Abilities and skills
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Good leaders know they cannot do everything, but capitalize on their strengths and work to overcome any lack of ability or skill.
Attitudes
- Attitude: a mental state of readiness for need arousal.
- Key facts:
- Everyone has attitudes about many things
- Attitudes define how you are predisposed to think about those things.
- Attitudes are learned.
- Attitudes provide the emotional basis for how you interact with others.
- Attitudes are close to the core of personality.
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Attitudes, (cont.)
- Attitudes are relatively permanent, but may change.
- Attitudes toward work affect performance, but there are three theories of why.
1.
2.
3.
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Personality
Personality: Relatively stable set of feelings and behaviors that have been significantly formed by genetic and environmental factors.
Has observable and measurable patterns.
Has superficial aspects as well as a deeper core.
Involves common and unique characteristics. (People are all different, but have many similarities).
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Big Five Personality Dimensions
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Big Five, (cont.)
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What are your Big Five characteristics? Leaders should know this. Go to http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/ for a brief interactive Big Five evaluation. Using the results, think about how you an develop the strong higher and strengthen the lower ones.
Emotions
Emotion: State of physiological arousal accompanied by changes in facial expression, posture, gestures or subjective feelings.
Mood: A long-lasting state of emotion.
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Eight Primary Emotions | |
Surprise | Joy |
Anticipation | Fear |
Acceptance | Sadness |
Disgust | Anger |
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence: The ability to manage one’s own and others’ emotions in order to guide one’s behavior and achieve goals.
Dimensions of EI:
Self-awareness. Awareness of one’s own thoughts and feelings.
Social awareness. Demonstrating empathy or relating to others.
Self-management. Marinating self control.
Relationship management. Maintaining positive and productive relationships with others.
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Perception
Perception: The process by which a person gives meaning to environmental stimuli. How we interpret what we observe, hear and experience.
Key elements of the perceptual process:
Observation
Selection
Translation
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Our senses are continually bombarded by stimuli. The perceptual process helps us filter these stimuli and react to the most important.
Perceptual inaccuracies
- Stereotyping
- A translation step in the perception process
- Used to classify or categorize events, people or situations
- A type of mental shorthand
- Helps us recognize patterns
- Useful so long as its limitations are recognized.
- Prejudice
- A special type of stereotype
- A stereotype that refuses to change even when presented with information that the stereotype is inaccurate.
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More perceptual inaccuracies
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Selective attention | Giving some messages priority and ignoring others |
Divided attention | Dividing one’s mental efforts between several competing tasks. Leads to a higher use of stereotypes. |
Halo effect | Allowing one noticeable characteristic of another person to bias the evaluation, perception or impression of that person. |
Similar-to-me error | Using self as benchmark for judging others |
Situational factors | Time limitations that affect the ability to clearly evaluate a situation. |
Attribution theory
Human beings try to explain the reasons for events. Attribution theory tells us HOW we do this.
Our brains look for 3 characteristics to help us explain things:
Distinctiveness: does the person behave this way in other situations
Consistency: does the person behave in this manner at other times
Consensus: do other people behave like this?
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Attribution process applied to events
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General illustration of attribution process
Application of the general process to the workplace
Attribution process applied to behavior
Our brains look for 3 characteristics to help us explain things:
Distinctiveness: does the person behave this way in other situations
Consistency: does the person behave in this manner at other times
Consensus: do other people behave like this?
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Applying attribution to behavior
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Yes + Yes + No = Internal Attribution (behavior caused by factors the person can control)
No + No + Yes = External Attribution (behavior caused by factors the person cannot control)
Impression management
Impression management: the attempt to influence others’ perception of you.
Everybody does it, some more than others.
Can be done through:
How one talks
How one dresses
Office location and furnishing
Who one selects as employees
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Researching organizations
- Sources of knowledge about organizations
- Peer reviewed journals
- Trade journals
- History as a way of learning about organizations
- For instance, our look at Scientific Management and the Hawthorne Studies
- Experience as a way of learning about organizations
- Science as a way of learning about organizations
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Scientific method
- The scientific method is used in the social sciences as well as in the physical sciences.
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Characteristics | |
Public | The work is done publicly and results are reported so that others can use them. |
Precise | Procedures, variables used and results are clearly defined and measured. |
Objective | Data collection is objective and free from bias. |
Replicable | Other researchers can use, test and reproduce the results. |
Systematic and cumulative | Builds on and adds to existing knowledge |
Purposes are explanation, understanding and prediction | “Why” and “how” are vigorously pursued. |
Methods of inquiry
- Case study: useful in diving deep into one incident or situation.
- Field study: useful in investigating current practices or events.
- Experiments: Most rigorous, involves manipulation of variables to see what happens.
- Meta-analysis: rigorously pooling and analyzing the results of multiple research studies to look for aggregated results.
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Qualitative methods
- Used instead of or in conjunction with experimental designs.
- Open ended and interpretive.
- Often adds meaning and depth to other studies.
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Research is not:
Research is not:
- Just finding things out at random. It is systematic.
- Just finding support for a position you already have. Research tries to eliminate bias.
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What’s Next
- Complete your detailed reading
- Answer the discussion questions
- Complete the writing assignments
- Take the Unit Quiz
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References
Souder, Betances and Associates [betancesspeaks]. (2013, February 17). Samuel Betances: Confusing Differences with Diversity [Video file]. Retrieved from ttps://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=fWTtfuWawp8.
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This ends this session
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