The Role that Attitude Plays in Organizations - Example

Attitude and Behaviour Introduction Basically, attitude can be defined as the degree of like or dislike towards something or someone. A person’s attitude towards something or someone can either be positive or negative. Attitude can also be defined as the degree of negative or positive affect towards a psychological object. A psychological object may refer to a person, object, institution, phrase, symbol, idea or ideal. In psychology, the term feeling or affect are commonly associated with attitude therefore, a person who has associated a positive feeling or affect with a psychological object is said to have a favorable attitude or positive attitude towards that object (Edwards 1983). A number of studies depict that there is a close link between attitude and behaviour. Other studies show that attitude plays a great role in determining the performance of organizations. This paper seeks to discuss what is meant by attitude. It will examine the relationship between attitudes and behaviour. Moreover, this paper will depict the role that attitude plays in organizations. Attitude Defined Commonly, the term “attitude” is used to describe a psychological state that predisposes individuals to act unfavorably or favorably to a person, situation or event. This point of view implies that the definition of attitude has various components and is restrictive in nature. Nevertheless, many researchers and theorists have provided different definitions of attitude. Renkema (2004) observes attitude as an evaluation that an individual holds with regards to themselves, others, issues and objects. According to Eagly and Chaiken (1993), attitude is a psychological tendency that is often expressed by assessing a specific entity with some degree of disfavor or favor. This definition incorporates the key aspects of attitude namely; entity, tendency and evaluation. This understanding of attitude differentiates between the inner tendency which makes up attitude and the evaluative responses which express attitude (Eagly & Chaiken 1993). Allport (1954), described attitude as a mental state of readiness that is organized through experience and exerting a directive influence on a person’s response to objects and situations that are related. Several theorists have consistently proposed that there are three main components of attitude namely, cognition, conation and affect. The cognition aspect of attitude embodies the belief or knowledge of a person concerning the attitude object. Conation refers to the behavioral actions or intentions of an individual towards the attitude object whereas the affective aspect of attitude revolves around feelings of like or dislike towards the attitude object (Horne 1985). Relationship between attitude and behaviour Various studies and theories suggest that there is a close link between attitude and behaviour. For instance, Allport (1935) was among the early theorists who proposed that attitude predicts behaviour. This proposition has since been backed up by researchers. Renkema (2004) notes that, attitude is an important determinant of behavioral. A good example of a theory that supports the notion of the relationship between attitude and behaviour is the “Theory of Planned Behaviour” by Icek Ajzen. According to this theory, the behaviour of a person is determined by their intention to carryout the behaviour and their intention is in turn a function of their attitude towards the behaviour and their subjective norm. This theory accentuates that the key predictor of behaviour is intention, in this case, intention is considered as the cognitive representation of an individual’s willingness and readiness to perform a particular behaviour. Nonetheless, intention is determined by three main factors namely; the attitude of an individual towards the behaviour, their alleged behaviour control and their subjective norms. Moreover, this theory holds that only particular attitudes towards certain behaviour are expected to predict or determine behaviour (Ajzen 1991). Furthermore, according to this theory, weighing the attitude of an individual towards a certain behaviour requires one to consider the subjective norms of an individual. This entails their beliefs with regards to how people around will view the alleged behaviour. In order to predict someone’s intentions, knowing their beliefs is crucial towards understanding the individual’s attitude towards certain behaviour. A general rule in the “Theory of Planned Behaviour” is that the more favorable a person’s attitude is towards a particular behavior then the person will have a stronger intention to perform the behaviour. Therefore, this theory shows that there is a close link between attitude and behaviour (Ajzen 1991). The relationship between behavior an attitude and behaviour has been subjected to much debate and controversy. Some research studies report a lower correlation between attitudes and behaviour nevertheless, over time there have been ground-breaking studies that have provided unearthed the methodological short-comings of studies that show a lower co-relation between attitude and behaviour. Moreover, recent studies have provided ground-breaking evidence on a higher correlation between attitude and behavior (Kasluvan 2003). For instance, Travis & Wade (2000), note that attitudes explain, predict and influence behaviour Individuals seek consistency between their behaviors and attitudes as well components of their attitudes such as affective behavioral and cognitive intentions. They do this so as to appear consistent and rational and in order to avoid cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling that an individual experiences whenever their behaviours and attitudes are in conflict (Travis & Wade 2000). In addition, it is argued that not only attitudes determine behaviours but behaviours sometimes shape and influence attitudes. It is apparent that there is a close link between behaviours and attitudes. According to the self-perception theory, individuals develop their own attitudes based on their past actions. Frequently, individuals look at their past behaviours by considering an attitude object and inferring to these attitudes. Individuals brings their attitudes in line with their past behaviours so as to appear consistent and rational and so that they do not experience cognitive dissonance (Kasluvan 2003). The role that attitude plays in organizations Glenn (2009) notes that attitude plays a vital role in determining whether an organization achieves its vision, mission and strategic goals. Attitudes help to predict the behaviour of employees at work. Employees who have a positive attitude towards their employers, workmates, their work and the organization in general are bound to be more committed and focused in their work. If the management of the organization manages to develop an organizational culture whereby employees have a positive attitude towards their work, studies conducted by Glenn (2009) suggests that the organization is bound to experience better work performance. The performance of an organization is largely dependent on the relations of employees with their colleagues. It is essential that employees should be cordial towards their colleagues nevertheless, in order for this to happen, it is essential for employees to have a positive attitude towards their colleagues, employers and their work in general. Attitude plays a crucial role in improving the relationship among employees in an organization. Employees may be intelligent, hardworking or have excellent communication skills however if they do not have positive attitude towards their colleagues, employers or their work, their work relations or performance is bound to decline. In addition attitude plays a crucial role in conflict management. In any work environment conflict is inevitable nevertheless it is easy to solve conflicts in a work environment whereby employees have a positive attitude towards their colleagues and their work (Glenn 2009). Positive attitude amongst employees enables employees to provide services to clients, as a result, customer loyalty develops over time. Kasluvan, (2003) notes that growth and profit are simulated mainly by customer loyalty. Customer loyalty is mainly developed through customer satisfaction, satisfaction is mainly influenced by the value of services that an organization provides to its customers. Valuable customer services in mainly built by employees with a positive attitude towards their work. For example in the hospitality and tourism industry, profitability and growth in this industry is dependent on the kind of services that customers receive. Employees in this industry therefore have to be trained in order for them to provide quality services to customers. Developing positive attitude amongst employees is one of the key areas that may contribute to quality customer service (Kasluvan 2003). Therefore, attitude plays a key role in organizations in that it enhances, employee performance, customer service, it also leads to better employee relations (Glenn 2009). Conclusion Attitude is a psychological tendency that is often expressed by assessing a specific entity with some degree of disfavor or favor. Various studies and theories suggest that there is a close link between attitude and behaviour. For instance, Renkema (2004) notes that, attitude is an important determinant of behavioral. The “Theory of Planned Behaviour” by Icek Ajzen suggests that the behaviour of a person is determined by their intention to carryout the behaviour and their intention is in turn a function of their attitude towards the behaviour and their subjective norm. Moreover, it is argued that not only attitudes determine behaviours but behaviours sometimes shape and influence attitudes. In addition, attitude plays a vital role in determining whether an organization achieves its vision, mission and strategic goals since attitudes help to predict the behaviour of employees at work. Kasluvan, (2003) notes that growth and profit are simulated mainly by customer loyalty. Positive attitude amongst employees enables employees to provide services to clients, as a result, customer loyalty develops over time. Author(s): Alice H. Eagly1, | Shelly Chaiken2 Bibliography Ajzen, I. , 1991, The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, pp. 179-211. Allport, G., 1954, The nature of prejudice, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, p.810. Eagly, A. & Chaiken, S., 1993, The Psychology of Attitudes, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Texas, p.1. Edwards, A., 1983, Techniques of attitude scale construction, Ardent Media, New York, p. 2. Glenn, S., 2009, A kick in the attitude: An energizing approach to recharge your team and life, John Wiley and Sons, New York, p.20. Horne, M., 1985, Attitude towards handicapped students: professional, peer and parent reactions, Routledge, New York, p.2. Kasluvan, S., 2003, Managing employee attitudes and behaviors in the tourism and hospitality industry, Nova Publishers, New York, pp.25-28. Renkema, J., 2004, Introduction to discourse studies, John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam, p.208. Travis, C. & Wade, C., 2000, Psychology, Prentice Hall, New York, p. 275. Read More