CHAPTER 5
Individuals in organizations: attitudes, behaviour and motivation
Conclusion
In order to understand the way people behave in the workplace there are several fundamentals which managers need to consider. These variables may b e arranged chronologically so the outcome of one is explained by its antecedent (that which comes before). Grasping this concept is important it prevents managers making rash and ill-informed decisions based on symptoms rather than real causes.
People tend to hold a variety of attitudes across a wide range of issues and are classified as types, for example, instrumental, terminal, personal and so on. Employees bring strong personal attitudes to their workplace, formed from a number of influences including experience, learning and upbringing. These attitudes are difficult to change and together are known as orlentations to work of which four types are said to exist.
Grouping attitudes in this way is useful but it is vital that service managers also understand how they are formed and whether they can be changed. Evidence suggests that attitudes are formed by the combined effect of values (what is desirable) and beliefs (reality as it is understood). This knowledge is vital, especially in the prevailing context because of increasing global dynamics, competition and resultant structural changes to organizations. In the event of organizational change, managers must be able to impose these programmers effectively; often this requires an attitudinal change on the part of employers.
A useful way to begin any change programme is first to obtain an idea of common and currently held worker attitudes. A popular approach is through distribution of questionnaires such as the service predisposition instrument, job diagnostic survey and others. These instruments are designed to collect data about key job aspects and usually include questions about overall employee satisfaction, commitment and involvement. The design of these instruments is often based on a three-component view whereby the cognitive, and affective components of each work-based attitude are targeted.
The link between work attitudes and behaviour is complex and, sometimes, people reflect upon and use behaviour to justify an attitude (cognitive dissonance and self-perception). However, employees usually reason before they decide to engage in a particular act. This process is conceptualized as the theory of reasoned action and posits that we undertake behaviour types due to the interaction of two key phenomena. These are whether individuals are in favour of behaving in a certain way and whether the individual believes ‘important others’ would approve of the behaviour. This theory has major implications and alerts managers to the key influence work-based groups can have upon the behaviour of indiduals.
There are a number of motivational theories and each has something valuable to offter. Some theories seek to explain motivation by identifying what should be present in the workplace to satisfy the needs of individuals. The other but equally important perspective draws attention to the cognitive processes employees engage in before being ‘moved’ to act or behave in a certain way.
The former constructs are known as content theories and the other as process. Another useful way of conceptualizing theories of motivations is to view them as being either proximal or distal, which essentially refers to them being conceptually near (or not) to ‘action’. Whethwer one uses theoretical labels for these the ories is relatively unimportant. The main issue is to understand what each construct says and then apply the tenets appropriately into a work situation.
Individuals in organizations have the potential to hold unique values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. They are likely, to be motivated by different things. The hospitality, leisure and tourism industry relies on the efforts of a disparate work-force. Thus, a clear understanding of the attitudes, behaviour and motivation of employees is key if service managers want to engender strategies for increased collective employee wellbeing, productivity and organizational success.
CHAPTER 5
Individuals in organizations: attitudes, behaviour and motivation
Conclusion
In order to understand the way people behave in the workplace there are several fundamentals which managers need to consider. These variables may b e arranged chronologically so the outcome of one is explained by its antecedent (that which comes before). Grasping this concept is important it prevents managers making rash and ill-informed decisions based on symptoms rather than real causes.
People tend to hold a variety of attitudes across a wide range of issues and are classified as types, for example, instrumental, terminal, personal and so on. Employees bring strong personal attitudes to their workplace, formed from a number of influences including experience, learning and upbringing. These attitudes are difficult to change and together are known as orlentations to work of which four types are said to exist.
Grouping attitudes in this way is useful but it is vital that service managers also understand how they are formed and whether they can be changed. Evidence suggests that attitudes are formed by the combined effect of values (what is desirable) and beliefs (reality as it is understood). This knowledge is vital, especially in the prevailing context because of increasing global dynamics, competition and resultant structural changes to organizations. In the event of organizational change, managers must be able to impose these programmers effectively; often this requires an attitudinal change on the part of employers.
A useful way to begin any change programme is first to obtain an idea of common and currently held worker attitudes. A popular approach is through distribution of questionnaires such as the service predisposition instrument, job diagnostic survey and others. These instruments are designed to collect data about key job aspects and usually include questions about overall employee satisfaction, commitment and involvement. The design of these instruments is often based on a three-component view whereby the cognitive, and affective components of each work-based attitude are targeted.
The link between work attitudes and behaviour is complex and, sometimes, people reflect upon and use behaviour to justify an attitude (cognitive dissonance and self-perception). However, employees usually reason before they decide to engage in a particular act. This process is conceptualized as the theory of reasoned action and posits that we undertake behaviour types due to the interaction of two key phenomena. These are whether individuals are in favour of behaving in a certain way and whether the individual believes ‘important others’ would approve of the behaviour. This theory has major implications and alerts managers to the key influence work-based groups can have upon the behaviour of indiduals.
There are a number of motivational theories and each has something valuable to offter. Some theories seek to explain motivation by identifying what should be present in the workplace to satisfy the needs of individuals. The other but equally important perspective draws attention to the cognitive processes employees engage in before being ‘moved’ to act or behave in a certain way.
The former constructs are known as content theories and the other as process. Another useful way of conceptualizing theories of motivations is to view them as being either proximal or distal, which essentially refers to them being conceptually near (or not) to ‘action’. Whethwer one uses theoretical labels for these the ories is relatively unimportant. The main issue is to understand what each construct says and then apply the tenets appropriately into a work situation.
Individuals in organizations have the potential to hold unique values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. They are likely, to be motivated by different things. The hospitality, leisure and tourism industry relies on the efforts of a disparate work-force. Thus, a clear understanding of the attitudes, behaviour and motivation of employees is key if service managers want to engender strategies for increased collective employee wellbeing, productivity and organizational success.
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