Read Chapters 6 "Perception and Individual Decision Making," 7 "Motivation Concepts," and 8 "Motivation: From Concepts to Applications" from the book - Robbins, S. & Judge T. (2018). Essentials of
Running head: WEEK 3 DISCUSSION
Week 1 Discussion
Rob Felber
University of the Cumberlands
Chapter 6: Perception and Individual Decision Making
Perception is defined as the process by which we organize and interpret sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment. (Robbins and Judge, 2018, p. 82). The study of perception in OB is important because perception is based on what reality is and how we act. There are several factors that influence perception such as what we see and what we hear which is characterized by the individual perceiver. The target that we look at, its background and the context of an object can also affect our perception.
Usually, people are not aware of perceptions and they don’t think about how first impressions can influence how we make judgements about other people. Attribution Theory explains the ways we judge people differently, depending on the meaning we attribute to a behavior. (Robbins and Judge, 2018, p. 84). To state it another way, this theory explains that when we observe other people, we try to describe their behavior which is formed by our assumptions about that person. Furthermore, Attribution Theory suggests that when we observe a person’s behavior we try to establish if it is caused by internal or external factors. Internal behaviors being those caused by other individuals and external being those caused by forceable situations. In order to obtain a true perception, we need to be aware of those behaviors and the errors and biases that could distort the truth which could include stereotyping or drawing a generalized impression based off one attribute or characteristic.
We make decisions daily and perceptions are largely influential on each decision. Since every decision requires interpretation and evaluation of information which comes from multiple sources, that information needs to be critiqued and considered cautiously as to how our perceptions can influence our decisions. There are several models that can help in decision making, one of which is the rational model. (Exhibit 6-2, Robbins and Judge, 2018, p. 88). This six-step model can help to make a more accurate decision when applied to our decision-making process.
Chapter 7: Motivation Concepts
The processes that account for an individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal is defined as motivation. (Robbins and Judge, 2018, p. 100). Intensity is how hard we try and where we put most of our focus, direction which should be where our effort is focused and persistence which gauges how long we can maintain our effort. The study of motivation is important because the more motivated people are, the longer they will be committed to achieving their goals.
There are three early theories of motivation. They are Maslow’s hierarchy of needs which are physiological, safety-security, social-belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization. This theory states that as each need is satisfied, the next one becomes dominate so if you are trying to motivate someone, you need to understand which level they are on and work to satisfy the needs at or above that particular one. The second is the Two-Factor Theory which is a theory that relates intrinsic factors to job satisfaction and associates extrinsic factors with dissatisfaction. Also called motivation-hygiene theory. (Robbins and Judge, 2018, p. 102). This theory looks at events that lead to satisfaction and dissatisfaction including conditions such as pay, policies, and job satisfaction which are called hygiene factors. This theory further states that if we want motivated employees, we should focus on those factors including the outcomes such as promotional and growth opportunities, recognition and achievement. The third theory is McClelland’s Theory of Needs which are more like motivating factors than strict needs for survival. (Robbins and Judge, 2018, p. 103). This theory discusses the threes needs being achievement which is the drive to excel or achieve in relationship to a set of standards, power which is the need to make others behave in a way they would not otherwise, and affiliation being the desire for close interpersonal relationships.
Other theories include Self-Determination Theory which says that people prefer to have control over their actions, Cognitive Evaluation Theory which considers that non-essential rewards will lower genuine interest in a task, Self-Concordance looks at how strong people’s reasons are for pursuing goals that are consistent with their values and interest, Goal-Setting Theory which considers how challenging and difficult goals where feedback is provided will improve performance. Self-Efficacy Theory refers to a person’s belief in their capability of performing a task, Reinforcement Theory looks at how consequences influence behaviors, Equity Theory looks at what people get from their jobs compared to what they put into their jobs. Lastly, Expectancy Theory argues that the strength of our tendency to act a certain way depends on the strength of our expectation of a given outcome and its attractiveness. (Robbins and Judge, 2018, p. 115).
All these theories consider different ways to look at and study motivation in the workplace and they provide a general foundation of understanding employee commitment.
Chapter 8: Motivation from Concepts to Applications
One concept around motivation is job characteristics model (JCM) which describes five core job dimensions being skill variety which is the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities, task identity which is the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work, task significance which is the degree to which a job affects the lives or work of other people, autonomy which is the degree to which a job provides the worker freedom and independence and discretion in scheduling work and determining the procedures for carrying it out and feedback which is the degree to which carrying out work activities generates directed and clear information about your own performances. (Robbins and Judge, 2018, p. 121). Furthermore, JCM looks at how pieces of a job are organized and how it can influence the effort of employees. There have been studies of JCM in other cultures however, the results haven’t been consistent.
Other studies include redesigning employee jobs to motivate them. Some of those studies includes job rotation or cross training where an employee can perform multiple jobs within the company. Alternative work arrangements such as flex time, job sharing, and telecommuting takes a different approach to motivating as each offers an alternative way of working.
Also, companies design extrinsic rewards to motivate their employees which include variable pay programs which are known as pay for performance, piece-rate pay which is a fixed sum for specific unit production, merit-based pay which is based on performance evaluations, bonus’ which rewards recent performance, profit-sharing which distributes compensation based off an established formula designed around the company’s profitability, and employee stock ownership plans where employees are acquire stock as part of their benefits.
Lastly, employee recognition programs have been found to be a powerful workforce motivator and where financial incentives have been found to improve motivation over the short term, recognition programs improve motivation over the long term.
