Perception and Personality in Organizations

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C H A P T E R
Perception and Personality in Organizations
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Perceptual Process Model
Environmental Stimuli
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Selective Attention

• Characteristics of the object
• Size, intensity, motion, repetition, novelty
• Perceptual context
• Characteristics of the perceiver
• Remember info consistent with our values
  attitudes
• Perceptual defense (coping mechanism)

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Selective Attention

• Splatter Vision perceiving everything as a whole
  rather than focusing on specific elements
  (peripheral vision)
• Apply splatter vision to avoid missing unexpected
  threats opportunities

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Perceptual Organization/Interpretation

• Perceptual Grouping organizing info into
• general categories interpreting
• Similarity/proximity to others
• Closure filling in missing info
• Makes sense of workplace, but may inhibit
  creativity

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Perceptual Organization/Interpretation

• Mental Models broad world views or
• theories in use we use to guide perceptions
• behavior (may blind us)
• Changing Mental Models
• Question existing models
• Work with people from diverse backgrounds
• Hire outsiders

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Social Identity Theory

• Develop Self-Perceptions Through
• Personal Identity
• Unique characteristics, experiences (physical
  appearance, personality traits, special talents)
• Social Identity
• Members in various groups (American citizen,
  U.C.F. student, Disney employee)
• We adopt degrees of personal social identity,
• depending on the situation.

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Social Identity Theory
Contrasting Groups
Disney Employee
Employees at other firms
An Individuals Social Identity
Live in the United States
People in other countries
U. C.F. Student
Students from other schools
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Perceiving Others ThroughSocial Identity Theory

• Comparative Process
• Compare characteristics of our groups with other
  groups
• Homogenization Process
• Perceive that everyone in a group has similar
  characteristics
• Contrasting Process
• Form less favorable images of people in groups
  other than our own

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Errors in the Perceptual Process

• Stereotyping
• Attribution Errors
• Fundamental Attribution Error
• Self-Serving Bias
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Primary Effect
• Recency Effect
• Halo Error
• Projection Bias

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Perceptual ErrorsStereotyping
Professors are absent-minded
Develop categories and assign traits
Our instructor is a professor
Our instructor is absent-minded
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Perceptual ErrorsStereotyping

• Does not accurately describe every person in
  social category
• Ignores info that is inconsistent with stereotype
• Magnifies inaccuracies when little interaction or
  much conflict
• Create inaccurate stereotypes to enhance our own
  social identity

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Perceptual ErrorsAttribution Errors

• Attribution Process whether an observed behavior
  is caused by internal or external factors
• Internal Attribution
  Behavior due to factors within the
  individual
• External Attribution
  Behavior due to external factors beyond
  individuals control

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Perceptual ErrorsAttribution Errors
Internal Attribution
External Attribution
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Perceptual ErrorsAttribution Errors

• Fundamental Attribution Error
• Attributing behavior of other people to internal
  factors (their motivation/ability)
• Self-Serving Bias
• Attributing our successes to internal factors
  our failures to external factors

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Perceptual ErrorsSelf-Fulfilling Prophecy
Supervisor forms expectations
Expectations affect supervisors behavior
Employees behavior matches expectations
Supervisors behavior affects employee
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Other Perceptual Errors

• Primacy Effect
• First impressions
• Recency Effect
• Most recent information dominates perceptions
• Halo Error
• One trait forms a general impression becomes
  basis for judgment of other traits
• Projection Bias
• Believing other people have same beliefs

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Improving Perceptions
Diversity Initiatives
Improving Perceptual Accuracy
Empathize With Others
Know Yourself (Johari Window)
Postpone Impression Formation
Compare Perceptions With Others
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Know Yourself (Johari Window)
Unknown to Self
Known to Self
Known to Others
Unknown to Others
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Personality in Organizations

• Personality relatively stable pattern of
  behaviors consistent internal states that
  explain a persons behavioral tendencies
• Internal Elements
• Thoughts, values, genetic characteristics
• External Elements
• Observable behaviors we rely on to identify
  someones personality

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Big Five Personality Dimensions
Careful, dependable
Poised, secure
Sensitive, flexible
Courteous, empathic
Outgoing, talkative
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Other Personality Traits

• Locus of Control belief about the amount
• of control people have over their own lives
• Internals
• In charge of their own destiny
• Externals
• Events in their life are mainly due
• to luck or fate

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Other Personality Traits

• Locus of Control Research Results
• Internals are generally
• More successful earn more money
• Well-suited to leadership positions
• More satisfied with their jobs
• Handle stressful events
• More motivated by performance-
• based reward systems

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Other Personality Traits

• Self-Monitoring individuals level of
• sensitivity ability to adapt to situational
• cues
• High Self-Monitors
• Better conversationalists
• Better organizational leaders
• Better performers in boundary spanning jobs