SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY IN ORGANIZATIONS-MCU 1204 ASS.

NO-306

Q1 . An attitude may be defined as ‘’a predisposition to act in a certain way towards some
aspects of one’s environment including other people’’. Thus in the context of work
organizations,managers re often called upon to change attitudes of employees to be in
line with organizational requirements.

Explain the methods that can be used to change attitude and describe the barriers to change
attitudes. Use practical examples to elaborate your answer.

What is an attitude?

Attitudes may have both social and psychological references as such followings are some definitions
of attitudes

1) “Attitudes have social references in their origins and development and in their objects, while at
the same time they have psychological references innthat they are inherent in the individual and are
ultimately enmeshed in his behaviour and his psychological make-up.”

- Warner and joboda-

2) “An attitude is a predisposition to act in a certain way towards some aspects of one’s environment
including other people’’. -Mednick Higgins –

3) “A learned orientation or disposition towards an object or situation which provides a tendency to

respond favourably or unfavourably to the object or situation .” -Rokeach -

The factors affect to form an attitude

1) Information - A key factor which has a direct impact

2) Personality -Influenced by heridity environment and situahord factors

3) Socialization - Child , adolescence attitudes

4) Groups - To retain In the group individual has to adjust his/her attitudes according
to the group.

5) Prejudice - Act in adiscriminatory way

6) Values – Believes

All these factors/ variables are influencing information of attitudes and also interact with each other.

Attitudes are psycologycal values and cannot be seen like physical objects. But can infer certain
amount of information about attitudes of a person by the behaviour of an individual.

Eg: if an employee is coming early to the organization and do Over Time works (after office
hours) with dedication. Therefore we cant just think that the employee has a positive attitude

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towards job satisfaction, there can be many other reasons for this behaviour such as geeting a
promotion , have OT payments ,etc

Measurement of attitudes

According to the above example, it is known that,it is difficult to come to an end about the attitudes
of a person by just observing the behaviour.

Therefore there are two scientific techniques which are precise,reliable and valid to measure
attitudes.They are,

1) The Thurstan Scale

2) The likert scale

Methods of changing the attitudes

As explained above, e factors which influence to form attitudes,as such there are factors which
affect to change the attitudes.

Changing attitudes of employees to be in line with organizational requirements is very important to

achieve the organizational goals and objectives.

Followings are the methods of attitude change,

(1) Providing new information.

- Information is a method of forming attitudes. And one of the most frequent method of
changing attitudes is that providing new information which lead to change their attitudes ,
believes etc. In order it to be effective, the source of information should be reliable and
accurate in order to be changed the attitudes and behaviour of the individual .
Eg : thebgovernment impose a new tax on goods import is a new information which
lead to change the attitude which came from a reliable source.
(2) Fear Arousal and Reduction.
-Both Fear Arousal and fear reduction lead to change attitudes
Eg : due to the decrease of the market share of the company , the employees may have
a fear of loosing the job, but the management ensure that there is no such job loosing , the
company is take caring of them will lead to reduce the fear.
(3) Dissonance Arousal.
– Dissonance measures that lacking harmony in mind accordings to this.This may due to the
unfavourable job attitudes of employees which are inconsistant their attitudes
Eg : when the manager assigns a work which is inconsistant with his attitudes,he will
experience the tention and will try to reduce it.
(4) Position Discrepancy.
– This means e discrepancy between two positions and their effects on charge
Eg : The manager can inculcate attitudes in employees to increase production rather
superviser.
(5) Participation in decision making.
– Target individuals to involve in e decision making process to change the attitudes.

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Eg : Take the suggestions of the lower employees also for the increment in the
market share.

Barriers to change attitudes.

1. Insufficient justification.
- employees feel that there is no reason to change their beleifs or attitudes.

Eg : As above mentioned when the company’s market share declined the employees felt of job
loosing , therefore they were actiely seeking another jobs. But only due to the management’s word
the attitudes of the employees may not change due to lack of justification.

2. Prior commitments
- People who did mistakes earlier may try to rationalize it without adressing the mistake.
Therefore when the manager wants to change the attituges the prior behaviour
commitments by others may be a barrier.

Eg : When the production manager asked to purchase an order at a low cost is which had many
defects,therefore had to face many problems regarding the quality of the product. Therefore the
boss must first adress the mistake and change the attitudes.

Therefore the mangement must have a proper understanding about attitudes , changing attitudes
and barriers in changing attitudes in order to be in line with organizational requirements .

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