Perception Management - Perceptual Differences and Behavior - Essay Example

Number] Perception Management Organizing the information from the environment so that it makes sense is called perception. Perception is a cognitive process. Perceptions are important because we act based on our interpretation of events. Perception helps individuals select, organize, store, and interpret stimuli into a meaningful and coherent picture of the world. Because each person gives his own meaning to stimuli, different individuals "see" the same thing in different ways (Allen, Plotnick, 2001). The way an employee sees a situation often has much greater meaning for understanding behavior than does the situation. Each person selects various cues that influence his perceptions of people, objects, and symbols. Because of these factors and their potential imbalance, people often misperceive another person, group, or object. To a considerable extent, people interpret the behavior of others in the context of the setting in which they find themselves. Research has shown that managers and direct reports often have different perceptions of the same events as illustrated in Table 1 (Allen, Plotnick, 2001). Managers and direct reports both act based on their perceptions, regardless of their accuracy. And that can create problems. Table 1 Perceptual Differences and Behavior Manager's perception Freedom employee is given Worker's perception Worker has a lot of freedom to make decisions I am not given any freedom to make decisions Manager's behavior Worker's behavior No concern about freedom given to worker Feeling of being left out Staying home Manager's behavior Worker's behavior Puzzled by the absence record of worker Belief that no one really cares Most people want to make favorable perceptions on others. This is particularly true in organizations, where individuals compete for jobs, favorable performance evaluations, and salary increases. The process by which individuals try to control the perceptions others have of them is called perception management. Individuals use several techniques to control others' perceptions of them (Schein, 1990). Some perception management techniques are self-enhancing. These techniques focus on enhancing others' perceptions of the person using the technique. Name-dropping, which involves mentioning an association with important people in the hopes of improving one's image, is often used. Managing one's appearance is another technique for perception management. Individuals dress carefully for interviews because they want to "look the part" in order to get the job. Self-descriptions, or statements about one's characteristics, are used to influence perceptions as well. Another group of perception management techniques are other-enhancing. The aim of these techniques is to focus on the individual whose perception is to be managed. Flattery is a common other-enhancing technique whereby compliments are given to an individual in order to win her or his approval. Favors are also used to gain the approval of others. Agreement with someone's opinion is a technique often used to gain a positive perception. Some employees may engage in perception management to intentionally look bad at work. Methods for creating a poor perception include decreasing performance, not working to one's potential, skipping work, displaying a bad attitude, or broadcasting one's limitations. Why would someone try to look bad to others Sometimes employees want to avoid additional work or a particular task. They may try to look bad in hopes of being laid off, or they may create poor perceptions in order to get attention. Perception management seems to have an impact on others' perceptions. As long as the perceptions conveyed are accurate, this process can be a beneficial one in organizations. If the perceptions are found to be false, however, a strongly negative overall perception may result. Further, excessive perception management can lead to the perception that the user is manipulative or insincere. Lessons about Perception In order for managers to avoid being fooled by clever perception management and by contrast to start capitalize on these perception tactics so as to present themselves in a favorable way to others, the following basic suggestions that can reduce unwanted perception management were worked out (Wanous, Reichers, Malik, 2004): 1. Try to reduce ambiguity. Perception management becomes more viable when performance criteria are unclear. When clear standards are lacking, resources are more likely to be doled out to those who are well-liked by superiors. Do a better job of making performance criteria specific and you'll reduce the incentive to manage perceptions. 2. Be aware of how circumstances and status impact your interactions. As a manager, never forget that your status-and your ability to control rewards-can elicit ingratiation and "brown-nosing." And if you or your organization emphasizes status (special offices, elaborate titles, etc.), then don't be surprised when employees use such strategies. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but money and rewards are in the hands of the employer. Reducing the emphasis on status can help curtail unbridled brown-nosing. 3. Be aware of possible ulterior motives. Often there's a fine line between perception management and reality. For example, a sports announcer for a local TV station seems very phony and overly dramatic in his delivery. And viewers have criticized him for it. A newspaper article, however, suggests that this style reflects the guy's real personality and that he has been hurt by the public's perception of him. Of course, people were skeptical of the announcer's delivery because they suspected an ulterior motive-that his style was designed to snare viewers in a competitive news market. Yet providing a bad perception isn't the worst thing here. The worse thing is to provide an inaccurate or phony presentation; that's unforgivable. So be aware of ulterior motives, but also know that there's a difference between pure self-promotion and true competence. If perception management can make a manager more attractive as both a job candidate and an employee, there are tactics that can be capitalized in order to present oneself effectively. 1. Looks are important. Unfortunately, looks sometimes carry the day. But it is not only by means physical attractiveness, although that can be very important. It is also referred to the general perception that manipulating one's appearance can create. 2. Avoid using some presentation methods. Some presentation strategies are best left alone. Excuse-making and justifications-even if legitimate and accurate-are losing propositions. You're on the defensive to start with and it's tough to recover. Further, relying on these techniques leads people to suspect other things about you as well. Take a look at the best-selling business books. Most of them present very positive messages; pictures are painted of "servant" leaders, people who lead with their "hearts," and so on. How many people do you know whose careers have been filled with dispassionate, fair-minded, servant bosses. But the more positive (and less accurate) portrayal of business leaders is what sells. Perhaps this holds lessons for us all. 3. Rely on more subtle techniques. There's nothing wrong with a little well-timed and delivered self-promotion, but focus on relatively objective accomplishments. Likewise, indirect compliments about an organization can go a long way in interviews and on the job. A comment such as "I've noted that XYZ Corp. is listed as one of the best places to work in the United States" can have positive effects. Subtle agreement with interviewers and bosses (smiling, head nodding, and other nonverbal methods) also can be effective. Improvement of perception greatly depends on timely revealing and voiding the obstacles that disguise the true nature of the person that is being perceived (Wanous, Reichers, Malik, 2004). Stereotyping: Stereotypes are judgments of others that are based on group membership. Such attributes as sex, race, ethnic group, and age are the basis of commonly held stereotypes. For example, the beliefs that older workers are not capable of being trained for new tasks and that younger workers cannot handle responsibility are commonly held stereotypes. Occupational groupings also frequently serve as the basis for stereotypes. For example, consider your own views of, say, politicians, union officials, top-level executives, and police officers. Even relatively superficial attributes can be the basis of stereotypes, as evidenced by such cliches as "redheads are short-tempered." First Impression Error: First impressions are lasting impressions, so the saying goes. Individuals place a good deal of importance on first impressions, and for good reason. We tend to remember what we perceive first about a person, and sometimes we are quite reluctant to change our initial impressions. First- impression error means that we observe a very brief bit of a person's behavior in our first encounter and infer that this behavior reflects what the person is really like. Primacy effects can be particularly dangerous in interviews, given that we form first impressions quickly and that these impressions may be the basis for long-term employment relationships. The Halo Effect : A person is good at one thing and so is assumed to be good at something else. The positive assumption, therefore, creates the halo. Another instance of the halo effect could occur if two people have a violent fistfight on the job, and one is a personal friend with whom you regularly socialize off the job. Watch out for the tendency to place a halo over your friend's head by assuming that the other person must have been the cause of the conflict. Projection: People who engage in projection tend to perceive others according to what they themselves are like rather than according to what the person being observed is really like. When observing others who actually are like them, these observers are quite accurate-not because they are perceptive but because they always judge people as being similar to themselves. So when they finally do find someone who is like them, they are naturally correct. Contrast Effects: Distortions in any given candidate's evaluation can occur as a result of her or his place in the interview schedule. The candidate is likely to receive a more favorable evaluation if preceded by mediocre applicants and a less favorable evaluation if preceded by strong applicants. An illustration of how contrast effects operate is an interview situation in which one sees a pool of job applicants. Distortions in any given candidate's evaluation can occur as a result of her or his place in the interview schedule. The candidate is likely to receive a more favorable evaluation if preceded by mediocre applicants and a less favorable evaluation if preceded by strong applicants. Selective Perception: this kind of perception should be erased as long as it tends to express the behaviour of people being influenced by their own interests. As it is not possible to take in all stimuli people receive, they tend to select out certain elements. As an illustration of this, consider the experience that follows the purchase of a car. Suddenly you begin to notice that type of car on the street much more frequently. Selective perception occurs in organizations when managers tend to interpret problem situations in light of their own background and interest. For example, given an ambiguous problematic situation, a sales manager will be inclined to see sales issues as the underlying cause while a production manager will be inclined to see manufacturing-related issues as the cause. Implicit Personality Theories: Managers tend to have own mini-theories about how people look and behave. These theories help them to organize perceptions and take shortcuts instead of integrating new information all the time. Because the world is complex and ambiguous and people have a limited mental capacity, they try to expend the least amount of effort possible in attempting to make sense of the world. Managers group traits and appearances into clusters that seem to go together. Such behaviour should be avoided in order to make a positive impression. In the end, every perceiver is to some degree a nonrepresentational artist, as it were, painting a picture of the world that express his or her individual view of reality (Krech, Crutchfield, and Ballachey, 1962, p. 20). Each person selects various cues that influence his perceptions of people, objects, and symbols. Because of these factors and their potential imbalance, people often misperceive another person, group, or object. To a considerable extent, people interpret the behavior of others in the context of the setting in which they find themselves. Works Cited 1. Allen, R.F., and Plotnick, S. 2001. Confronting the shadow organization: How to detect and defeat negative norms. Organizational Dynamics (Spring): 6-10. 2. Schein, E.H. 1990. Organizational psychology. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 3. Wanous, J.P., Reichers, A.E., and Malik, S.D. 2004. Organizational socialization and group development: Toward an integrative perspective. Academy of Management Review (October): 670-683. Read More