HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATION

CHAPTER 4
VALUES, ATTITUDES, AND JOB SATISFACTION

Values generally influence attitudes and behaviour. In turn, attitudes form the basis for determining how
satisfied people are with their jobs.

VALUES
- This refers to the importance a person attaches to things or ideas that serves as guide to action.
- An enduring beliefs that one’s mode of conduct is better than the opposite mode of conduct.

 How People Learn Values

Values are not inborn, they are learned. As they grow, people learn values through any or all of the ff:
1. Modelling
- Parents, teachers, friends, and other people often times become models to persons who would
later exhibit good behaviour in the workplace.

2. Communication of Attitudes
- One of the ways in which values are learned is through communication of attitudes.

3. Unstated but Implied Attitudes

- Values may also be affected by attitudes that are not stated but are implied by way of action.

4. Religion
- Values are learned through religion.

 Type of Values
1. Achievement – this is a value that pertains to getting things done and working hard to accomplish
goals.
2. Helping and concern for others – this values refers to the person’s concern with other people and
providing assistance to those who need help.
3. Honesty – this is a value that indicates the person’s concern for telling the truth and doing what he
thinks is right.
4. Fairness – this is the value that indicates the person’s concern for impartially and fairness for all
concerned.

Individual vs. Organization Values

Organizations have values that may or may not be compatible with the values of the individual
workers. There is value incongruence if the individual’s value is not in agreement with the
organization’s value. As a result of such incongruence, conflicts may arise over such things as goals or
the manner in the goals will be achieved.

Espoused vs. Enacted Values

Espoused values are what members of the organization say they values. Those that are reflected
in the actual behaviour of the individual members of the organization are referred to as enacted values.

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Instrumental and Terminal Values

Terminal values represent the goals that a person would like to achieve in his or her lifetime.
Instrumental values refers to preferable modes of behaviour or means of achieving the terminal values.

ATTITUDE
- It is form the basis for job satisfaction in the workplace.
- These are the feelings and beliefs that largely determine how the employees will perceive their
environment, commit themselves to intended actions, and ultimately behave.

 The Main Components of Attitudes

1. Cognitive component (evaluation)
It refers to the opinion or belief segment of an attitude. E.g., an opinion indicated in the
statement “my boss is fickle-minded; he cannot stick to his decision.”
2. Affective component (feeling)
It refers to the emotional or feeling segment. E.g., the bad feeling insinuated in the
statement “I hate my boss”
3. Behavioural component (action)
It refers to the intention to behave in a certain way toward someone or something. E.g.,
the action indicated in the statement “I have requested a transfer to another department
from my superiors.”

 Difference in Personal Disposition

o Positive affectivity
– refers to personal characteristic of employees that inclines them to be predisposed to be
satisfied at work.

o Negative affectivity
– is a personal characteristic of employees that inclines them to be predisposed to be
dissatisfied at work.

 Effects of Employee Attitudes

Attitudes provide clues to the behavioural intentions or inclinations of an employee. The
manner in which a person will act can be gleaned from his attitudes.
Employee attitudes may be classified as either:
1. Positive job attitudes
- It indicates job satisfaction and are useful in predicting constructive behaviours
like serving customers beyond official working hours, and performing
excellently in all aspects of their jobs.

2. Negative job attitudes

- Are also useful in predicting undesirable behaviour. The employees will have a
strong tendency to engage in any of the following:
a. psychological withdrawal like daydreaming on the job;
b. physical withdrawal like unauthorized absences, early departure, extended
breaks, or work slowdowns; and
c. aggression like verbal abuse or dangerous action against another employee.
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Most Important Attitudes in the Workplace

Work behaviour is the utmost importance to managers and superiors. The most important attitudes in the
workplace are:
1. Job satisfaction
2. Job involvement
3. Organizational commitment

JOB SATISFACTION
The attitude people have about their job is called job satisfaction.

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