THE INDIVIDUAL

By
Dr M. Rajanikanth
BASIC OB MODEL II
 OB MODEL
Independent Variables Dependent Variables

❑Individual Behaviour
•Employee Productivity
• Age
•Absenteeism
• Gender
•Turnover
• Marital Status
•Citizenship
• Tenure
•Job Satisfaction
❑Group Behaviour
❑Organizational System
Biographical Characteristics
 Relationship Between Biographical Factors and Other
Outcomes

• Age

• Gender

• Marital Status

• Tenure
 AGE
• Age and Job performance
– Common Notion: Job performance declines with
increase age
– On the other hand: People with older age bring
positive qualities to the organization
• Age and Productivity
– Strong and significant relation
– Older people and lacking in flexibility, resistance to
change
 Age (Cont…….)
• Age and Absenteeism
– Inverse relation
– More regular and less chances to quit
• Age and Turnover
– Less chances to quit Job
– Less chances outside the organization
• Age and Job Satisfaction
– Researchers found mixed results between these two
variables
– Positive relations found in some studies.
 Gender
• Male and Female management styles
– Females are more inclined to participation,
democratic behaviour and power sharing.
– Males are good in instant decisions.
• Working Mother Issues
• Gender and Absenteeism & Turnover
 Marital Status
• No enough evidence on this relation
• Generally married people are more likely to be
settled
• Still studies need to discover the relations
between divorced and separated relations on
Job satisfaction, Absenteeism and Turnover.
 Tenure
• CVs reflect past behaviour of organizational
commitment
• Seniority (Tenure) directly relate with job
satisfaction
• Past behaviours can predict future behaviours.

• Studies show that employees remain with

organization because of their peer circle.
 Ability

(Ability = Knowledge * Skills)

 Dimensions of Intellectual Ability
1. Number Aptitude: Ability to do speedy and accurate
arithmetic
2. Verbal Comprehension: Ability to understand what is
read or heard and the relationship of words to each other.
3. Perceptual Speed: Ability to identify visual similarities
and differences quickly and accurately.
4. Inductive Reasoning: Ability to identify a logical
sequence in a problem and then solve the problem.
Dimensions of Intellectual Ability, Contd.,

5. Deductive Reasoning: Ability to use logic and assess the

implications of an argument.
6. Spatial Visualization: Ability to imagine how an object
would look if its position in space were changed.
7. Memory: Ability to retain and recall past experiences.
 Physical Ability

The capacity to do tasks

demanding stamina, dexterity
(swiftness or precision),
strength, and similar
characteristics.
 Nine Physical Abilities, Contd.,
1. Dynamic strength: Ability to exert muscular force
repeatedly or continuously over time.
2. Trunk strength: Ability to exert muscular strength using
the trunk (particularly abdominal) muscles.
3. Static strength: Ability to exert force against external
objects.
4. Explosive strength: Ability to expend a maximum of
energy in one or a series of explosive acts.
5. Extent flexibility: Ability to move the trunk and back
muscles as far as possible.
 Nine Physical Abilities, Contd.,
6. Dynamic flexibility: Ability to make rapid, repeated flexing
movements.
7. Body coordination: Ability to coordinate the simultaneous
actions of different parts of the body.
8. Balance: Ability to maintain equilibrium despite forces
pulling off balance.
9. Stamina: Ability to continue maximum effort requiring
prolonged effort over time.
Nine Physical Abilities, Contd.,
 The Ability-Job Fit

Ability-
Employee’s Job Job’s Ability
Abilities Fit Requirements
 Learning
• All complex behaviours are learned

• What is learning?
Any relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a result of
experience.
– First, learning involves change.
– Second, the change must be relatively permanent.
– Third, our definition is concerned with behavior.
– Finally, some form of experience is necessary for learning.
–
• Theories of Learning
– Classical Conditioning theory
• Contributor : Pavlov
– Operant Conditioning theory
• B. F Skinner
– Social Learning
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, and customized by Dr. George Thomas, PSU.
 Model of Classical Conditioning

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, and customized by Dr. George Thomas, PSU.
 Examples
• SAMBA
• Saudi Aramco
• Apple and Steve Job’s innovativeness
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, and customized by Dr. George Thomas, PSU.
 Operant Conditioning
• It suggests that behavior depends on its expected
consequences or rewards. Hence, managers can
influence employees’ behavior by manipulating
the consequences or rewards.

• Operant conditioning theory relies heavily on the

law of effect, which states that a person tends to
repeat behavior that is accompanied by favorable
consequences, and tends not to repeat behavior
that accompanied by unfavorable consequences.
 Reinforcement of Behavior

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, and customized by Dr. George Thomas, PSU.
 Reinforcement of Behavior

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, and customized by Dr. George Thomas, PSU.
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, and customized by Dr. George Thomas, PSU.
• Attention processes
• Retention processes
• Motor reproduction processes
• Reinforcement processes

• Always remember that managers and leaders

are closely observed by subordinates; this may
even lead to unintended learning.
Shaping Behavior: A Managerial
Tool
Systematically reinforcing each
successive step that moves an
individual closer to desired
response.

Key
KeyConcepts
Concepts
••Reinforcement
Reinforcementis
isrequired
requiredto
tochange
changebehavior.
behavior.
••Some
Somerewards
rewardsare
aremore
moreeffective
effectivethan
thanothers.
others.
••The
Thetiming
timingof
ofreinforcement
reinforcementaffects
affectslearning
learning
speed
speedand
andpermanence.
permanence.
 Four Methods of Shaping
Behavior
1. Positive reinforcement: Following a response with
something pleasant, e.g., boss praises an employee for
job well done or Instructor suggests good grades on
supplying correct answers
2. Negative reinforcement: Following a response by the
termination or withdrawal of something unpleasant,
e.g., If your college instructor asks a question and you
don not know the answer, looking through your lecture
notes is likely to preclude your being called on. This
negative reinforcement because you have learned that
looking busily through your notes prevents the
instructor from calling on you.
 Four Methods of Shaping
Behavior, Contd.,
3. Punishment: Causing unpleasant condition in an
attempt to eliminate an undesirable behavior, e.g., giving
an employee a two-day suspension from work without
pay for showing up is an example of punishment.
4. Extinction: Eliminating any reinforcement that is
maintaining a behavior, e.g.,College instructors who wish
to discourage students from asking questions in class can
eliminate this behavior in their students by ignoring those
who raise their hands to ask questions.
Schedules of Reinforcement
Schedules of Reinforcement
(cont’d)
 Behavioral Modification

Problem-solving
Problem-solvingFive Fivestep
stepModel
Model
••Identify
Identifycritical
criticalbehaviors
behaviors
••Develop
Developbaseline
baselinedata
data
••Identify
Identifybehavioral
behavioralconsequences
consequences
••Apply
Applyintervention
intervention
••Evaluate
Evaluateperformance
performanceimprovement
improvement
 Class Exercise

ETHICAL DILEMMA: 

Is OB Mod a form of
manipulation?  If it is, is it
unethical for a manager to
manipulate the behavior of an
employee? 
 OB MOD Organizational
Applications
• Well Pay
– Reduce absenteeism by rewarding attendance.
• Employee Discipline
– The use of punishment can be counter-
productive.
• Developing Training Programs
– OB MOD methods improve training
effectiveness.
• Self-management
– Reduces the need for external management