Work Place Emotions and Attitudes - Essay Example

WORK PLACE EMOTIONS AND ATTITUDES Emotions at work place are very common and every one experiences these emotions. Employees get frustrated when their bosses give more work than they could do. They get upset with co-workers who don’t do their jobs. They get angry with irate customers. They worry about an uncertain future. But with all these emotions, most people don’t think they have anything to do with how they are feeling. They believe their emotions are a result of an external cause, i.e., the circumstances or situations of their lives or the behavior of others. It just isn’t true. Emotions are an attempt to express outwardly, to express what we believe. How a person feel is a reflection of how he thinks. Negative thoughts produce negative emotions and positive thoughts produce positive emotions. Laws exist about emotions just like there are laws about physics. Every emotion is a result of some thought that preceded that emotion. If a person has a healthy body then how he thinks causes how he feels. How he feels affects how he behaves. And, how he behaves produces results (Pennington and Haslam, N.D.). Attitudes are inclination or propensities, or tendencies, to react in a favorable or unfavorable way toward an object or any situation. Attitudes reflect a person’s likes and dislikes toward other persons, objects, events, and activities in their environment. Attitudes can have a significant effect on the behavior of a person at work. In the world of work we are concerned with attitudes toward supervision, pay, benefits, promotion or anything that might trigger positive or negative reactions. Employee satisfaction and attitudes represent one of the key areas of measuring organizational effectiveness. Attitudes toward supervision, pay, benefits, promotion, or anything that might trigger positive or negative reactions. Employee satisfaction and attitudes represent one of the key areas for measuring organizational effectiveness. Because of the importance of the links of task, contextual, and ethical performance with important measures of organizational effectiveness, one of the key goals of managers should be to create linkages between employee performance and their satisfaction. However, it is not always easy to change a person’s attitudes about their work. The reason is that, attitudes toward work may be only one important aspect of the person’s structure of attitudes. They might be linked strongly to other important ones, making them deeply embedded, and thereby limiting how much managers can succeed in altering the way employees feel and act. However, particular attitudes and satisfactions at work can and do change, sometimes quickly, as events change. Employees who are happy and productive one day can become dissatisfied and resentful overnight as a consequence of some managerial action. This is one of the reasons why many organizations pay close attention to attitudes by conducting periodic attitude surveys of employees. Assessing employee attitudes can provide important information about the effectiveness of different management strategies. Developing work-related attitudes and behaviors are very essential for the productivity of the company. Socialization is one way to understand how people develop the values and beliefs that lead to a whole range of general and specific attitudes about work. It can also have significant influences on our behaviors. Through socialization, we are exposed to countless personal experiences that have lasting effects. The human mind has the capacity to link common events and to generalize across them. Socialization is a process that begins when we are born and continues throughout our life. There are a number of different factors that contribute to attitudes towards work. Organizational socialization is the process of learning about the norms of work organization. These may be directly taught by others, may be learned through the process of observing others, or may be learned through the process of conditioning – by behaving in certain ways and having such behaviors responded to in different ways by others. If we don’t adjust to the job or the organization in which we work, it can negatively affect an individual’s performance, morale, and health as well as those of others associated with them, both at work as well as family members and friends (Tosi and Mero, 37-53). Organizational Behavior Perspective The field of study that focuses on the “human skills” which managers need to be effective is called organizational behavior. Organizational behavior is the systematic and scientific analysis of individuals, groups, and organizations; its purpose is to understand, predict, and improve the performance of individuals and, ultimately, the organizations in which they work. It applies theory and research from psychology, sociology, and managerial theory that help us to understand how to use this knowledge to improve the effectiveness of organizations. There is a common believe that people can “make or break” an organization and it is important to know something about human behavior. Such knowledge will be useful while selecting and training employees, increasing motivation, improving decision-making, reducing stress, and enhancing teamwork. Managers need to know to manage from sound principles rather than from myths and guesswork. One useful way to think about this is to understand the classic psychological model that states that behavior (B) is a function of the Person (P) and the environment (E), or B = f (P X E). This model is the basis. The environment contains the many elements that exist in the world outside the person that may trigger behavior. For managers, one important aspect of the environment is the organization in which they manage. Another is the culture of the organization. Actual behavior refers to an overt act of the person that can be observed and measured. Behavior at work can be thought of in terms of task, contextual, and ethical performance. These categories of workplace behaviors and performance each are important for organizational success. From a manager’s perspective, behavior is important because of its consequences, both intended and unintended. Behavior influences productivity, workplace injury and can lead to conflict or trigger positive or negative reactions from others. Each of these consequences is of direct interest to managers and leaders. Those consequences also serve to reinforce certain behaviors and as a result affect the probability of a behavior’s recurrence. This is an important implication. There are many reasons why managing people are viewed by many managers as the most complex aspect of their job. The significant social and cultural forces occurring across the globe have changed not only the way we conduct business but the very nature of organizations and the characteristics of the people who operate those businesses. Contemporary organizational behavior Contemporary organizational behavior took roots in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Several psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and social scientists had studied worker and management problems from a behavioral perspective before 1960, and managers were always concerned with human problems. However, since 1960, a somewhat unified body of knowledge and thinking has developed that falls under the general label of contemporary organizational behavior. Flowing logically from the prior works, two distinct but related approaches to the study of human behavior in organizations emerged around this time. Organizational theory is a focus on organizations as the unit of analysis. Individuals and groups are not prominent in the analysis. Organizational behavior is more concerned with the individual and the group as the main object of study, and less so with the organization. Some of the early contributors to contemporary organizational behavior are Douglas McGregor, Chris Argyris, and Rensis Likert. The work of these scholars deserves special mention. Douglas McGregor, in his book, "the human side of enterprise" published in 1960 has examined theories on behavior of individuals at work, and he has formulated two models which he calls theory X and theory Y (McGregor, 1960). Douglas said that most managers make incorrect assumptions about those who work for them. He called these assumptions, collectively, Theory X. The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if he can. Because of their dislike for work, most people must be controlled and threatened before they will work hard enough. The average human prefers to be directed, dislikes responsibility, is unambiguous, and desires security above everything. These assumptions lie behind most organizational principles today, and give rise both to "tough" management with punishments and tight controls, and "soft" management which aims at harmony at work. Both these are "wrong" because man needs more than financial rewards at work, he also needs some deeper higher order motivation - the opportunity to fulfill himself. Theory X managers do not give their staff this opportunity so that the employees behave in the expected fashion. Theory Y assumptions were based on greater trust in others. Human beings were more mature, self-motivated, and self-controlled than Theory X assumed. The expenditure of physical and mental effort in work is as natural as play or rest. Control and punishment are not the only ways to make people work, man will direct himself if he is committed to the aims of the organization. If a job is satisfying, then the result will be commitment to the organization. The average man learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but to seek responsibility. Imagination, creativity, and ingenuity can be used to solve work problems by a large number of employees. Under the conditions of modern industrial life, the intellectual potentialities of the average man are only partially utilized. Chris Argyris also made a strong case for reducing the amount of organizational control (Argyris, 1964). He believed that many constraints placed by organizational structure on human beings were self-defeating to organizational goals of effectiveness and efficiency. The thrust of his argument, along with McGregor’s, is that the bureaucratic form of organization is incongruent with the basic needs of the healthy individual and that it treats lower organizational members like children. This fosters dependence and leads to the frustration of the highest-order human needs. This frustration expresses itself in lack of work involvement and anti-organizational activities, such as sabotage. In 1961, Rensis Likert, a psychologist, published New Patterns of Management, a book that was to have a powerful impact on thinking about human problems of management Likert believed that “managers with the best record of performance in American business and government were in the process of pointing the way to an appreciably more effective system of management than now exists.” He proposed that leaders (or managers) would be most effective using a supportive approach. This means that they must create a work environment in which the individual sees his “experiences (in terms of his values, goals, expectations and aspirations) as contributing to and maintaining his sense of personal worth and importance.” Likert went on to give details of the characteristics of these managers and organizations (Likert, 1961). The work of these writers is important because they broadened the scope of ‘Managing Organizational Behavior’ of traditional behavioral approaches and introduced some of the critical factors that the scientific management writers and the administrative theorists had not addressed. Comments on Theory X and Theory Y Assumptions These assumptions are based on social science research which has been carried out, and demonstrate the potential which is present in man and which organizations should recognize in order to become more effective. McGregor sees these two theories as two quite separate attitudes. Theory Y is difficult to put into practice on the shop floor in large mass production operations, but it can be used initially in the managing of managers. In "the human side of enterprise" McGregor shows how theory Y affects the management of promotions and salaries and the development of effective managers. McGregor also sees theory Y as conducive to participative problem solving. It is part of the managers job to exercise authority, and there are cases in which this is the only method of achieving the desired results because subordinates do not agree that the ends are desirable. However, in situations where it is possible to obtain commitment to objectives, it is better to explain the matter fully so that employees grasp the purpose of an action. They will then exert self-direction and control to do better work - quite possibly by better methods - than if they had simply been carrying out an order which they did not fully understand. The situation in which employees can be consulted is one where the individuals are emotionally mature, and positively motivated towards their work; where the work is sufficiently responsible to allow for flexibility and where the employee can see his own position in the management hierarchy. If these conditions are present, managers will find that the participative approach to problem solving leads to much improved results compared with the alternative approach of handing out authoritarian orders. Once management becomes persuaded that it is under estimating the potential of its human resources, and accepts the knowledge given by social science researchers and displayed in theory Y assumptions, then it can invest time, money and effort in developing improved applications of the theory. McGregor realizes that some of the theories he has put forward are unrealizable in practice, but wants managers to put into operation the basic assumption that: staff will contribute more to the organization if they are treated as responsible and valued employees. The concern for excellence is an approach used by firms who have a basic set of characteristics that leads them to excel. These characteristics include getting things done on time, staying close to the customer, using hands-on management, and doing what the company knows best among others (Accel-Team.com). The Hawthorne studies The Hawthome studies were held at Westem Electric and sponsored by General Electric. Elton Mayo and his colleagues controlled the lighting in one room of workers but not in another. When the illumination was increased in the experimental group, productivity increased. The increase in productivity was attributed to the fact that the workers were having extra attention paid to them, may be for the first time. Other studies found that employees will not work as fast as they can when being paid piece-rate wages. Instead, they will perform to the level informally set by the group in order to be accepted by the group. These two studies, and others, led Mayo to the conclusion that individual and social processes played a major role in shaping workers attitudes and behavior at work. The human relations movement, which stemmed from the Hawthome studies, is based on the idea that a managers concern for workers will lead to their increased satisfaction and improved performance. The movement includes the need theories of motivation, such as Maslows hierarchy of needs, and McGregors Theory X and Theory Y1. Implications It is essential to become aware of an emotion at the inception that leads to an ability to choose a better more productive emotional response. The events of our lives cause how we feel. Emotions are not something that happens to us rather it is something that we are doing. There is a moment when we decide that a particular emotional response is the action to take in a given situation. An individual can assume total responsibility for what he feels and what he expresses. It is important to learn to accept responsibility. Cognitive perceptions about what is true in our lives cause our emotional responses. Perceptions are comprised of attitudes, prejudices, judgments, and beliefs. Ascertain the exact facts about the incidents in life, separate from beliefs about these facts is the beginning of freedom. A primary influence on abilities to deal successfully with life’s challenges is once own beliefs. By identifying the distinction between the facts and beliefs about the facts, one will uncover irrational and unproductive beliefs. When self-defeating beliefs are examined with a loving and understanding eye, they may very well change. Having discovered negative self-beliefs, it is essential to self analyze whether it feels good to hold such beliefs. And the answer will always be No. It is essential to choose to believe something more positive in the future. Individuals’ thoughts are not determined by others or by what happens around them. Thoughts result from their own choice. Change and growth occur by taking responsibility for what an individual chooses to create with them (Pennington and Haslam, N.D.).   Behavior is motivated by conscious and unconscious desires. The way an individual behave when they are upset is often counterproductive to their goals. Identifying the relationship between the present course of action and the goals will increase the possibility of choosing the most appropriate behaviors for attaining greater personal and professional success. Creative behavior results from acceptance of responsibility for emotions, thoughts and behavior. Effective self-management results from ability to chose more appropriate behavior in response to conflict situations and to put their choices into action - every day. References Pennington, R and Haslam, S. (N.D.), Understanding Emotions in the Workplace. 21 December 2005. Tosi, H.L. and Mero, N.P. “Attitudes and Accommodation to Work”. The Fundamentals of Organizational Behavior Blackwell publishers, 2003. 37-53 McGregor, D. The Human Side of Enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill. 1960. Argyris, C. 1964. Integrating the Individual and the Organization. New York: John Wiley. Likert, R. 1961. New Patterns of Management. New York: McGraw-Hill. Accel-Team.com Employee Motivation, the Organizational Environment and Productivity. 21 December 2005, Read More