Perception, Attribution,
Emotions & Stress
Prof Karen Hanen
Mgt 360
Perception
Perception
• The process through which people receive, organize and interpret
information from the environment
• People can perceive the same things or situations
differently
• People behave on the basis of their perceptions
Psychological contract
• Person-job fit begins here
• A set of expectations held by an individual about what will be given and
received in the employment relationship
• An ideal work situation is one with a fair psychological contract
• Balance of contributions and inducements
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Figure 15.1 Components in the psychological
contract
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Perception & Attribution
Attribution
• The process of developing explanations for events
Fundamental attribution error
• Occurs when observers blame another’s performance failures or problems on
internal factors rather than external factors
Self-serving bias
• Occurs because individuals blame their personal performance failures or
problems on external factors and attribute their successes to internal factors
Perceptual Distortions
Stereotypes
• Occur when attributes commonly associated with a group are assigned to an
individual
• Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Ability, Age, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Medical
Condition, Marital Status, Etc.
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Perceptual Distortions
Halo effects
• Occur when one attribute is used to develop an overall impression of a
person or situation
Impression Management
Systematic attempt to influence how others perceive us
• dress to convey positive appeal
• flatter others to generate positive feelings
• when conversing, make eye contact and smile
• display a high level of energy
Selective perception
• The tendency to define problems from ones’ own point of view (you
see what you want to see – view life from your own lens)
Projection
• The assignment of personal attributes to other individuals
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Attitudes
• Attitude
A predisposition to act in a certain way toward people
and things in one’s environment
• Components of attitudes:
• Cognitive component
• Affective or emotional component
• Behavioral component
• Cognitive dissonance
• The discomfort a person feels when attitudes and
behavior are inconsistent
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Attitudes
Common aspects of
job satisfaction:
Job satisfaction
• The degree to which an
individual feels positively or
negatively about various
aspects of work
• Work itself
• Quality of supervision
• Coworkers
• Opportunities
• Pay
• Work conditions
• Security
What Other Sources of Job Satisfaction Can You Think Of?
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Attitudes
Satisfaction-related concepts having quality
of work life implications …
Employee engagement
• Strong positive feeling about one’s job and the organization
Job involvement
• The extent to which an individual is dedicated to a job
Organizational commitment
• Loyalty of an individual to the organization
Organizational citizenship
• Willingness to do more than the minimum required
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Attitudes
Do you Agree or Disagree that Satisfaction leads to better Performance, which in
turn, leads to higher Satisfaction?
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Emotions & Emotional Intelligence
Emotions
• Strong feelings directed toward someone or something
Emotional intelligence
• Ability to understand emotions and manage relationships
effectively
Emotional Intelligence covers Personal Qualities:




Initiative
Empathy
Adaptability
Persuasiveness
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Emotional Intelligence
The four steps of
emotional
intelligence build
upon one another.
Relationship
Management
Social-awareness
(Empathy)
Self-management (Regulation)
Self-awareness
Emotional Intelligence
Self-Awareness - the ability to recognize & understand your
moods, emotions and drives and their impact on others.
Self-Management/Self-Regulation - the ability to regulate
and redirect one’s own disruptive impulses and moods.
Social-Awareness/Empathy - the ability to understand the
emotional makeup of other people.
Relationship Management/Social Skill - the ability to build
social networks, find common ground, and build rapport.
Social Intelligence
1. An accurate perception of other’s emotional and
behavioral responses.
2. The ability to cognitively and emotionally relate to
the responses of others.
3. Social knowledge
4. Social problem solving
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Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
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Moods & Stress
• Moods
• Generalized positive and negative feelings or states of mind
• Mood contagion
• Spillover of one’s positive or negative moods onto others
• Stress
• A state of tension experienced by individuals facing extraordinary
demands, constraints, or opportunities
• Stressors
• Originate in work, personal, and non-work situations
• Have the potential to influence work attitudes, behavior, job
performance, and health
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Stress
Consequences of stress:
 Constructive stress (aka eustress)
Acts as a positive influence
Can be energizing and performance enhancing
 Destructive stress (aka distress)
Impairs performance
Breaks down a person’s physical and mental systems
Can lead to job burnout and/or workplace rage
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Stress
Work factors as potential stressors:
Includes:
Excessively high or low task demands
Role conflicts or ambiguities
Poor interpersonal relationships
Too slow or too fast career progress
Work-related stress syndromes:
Set up to fail
Mistaken identity
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Figure 15.3 Potential negative consequences of a
destructive job stress-burnout cycle
Copyright ©2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Managing Stress
A Hierarchy of Approaches
Enactive Strategies: Eliminate
stressors
Proactive Strategies: Develop
resiliency strategies
Reactive Strategies: Learn temporary
coping strategies
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Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
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2-18
Effective Time Management
1.Spending time on important matters
2.Distinguishing between important
tasks versus urgent tasks
3.Focus on results rather than methods
4.Not feeling guilty when saying “no”
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Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
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Small Wins Strategy
• Identify something under your control
• Change it in a way that leads toward
desired goal
• Find another small thing to change and
change it
• Keep track of changes made
• Maintain the small gains made through
change
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Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
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Balancing Life Activities
Insert figure 2.6
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Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
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Resiliency
The capacity to withstand or manage the negative effects of stress, to
bounce back from adversity, and endure difficult situation
Physiological Resiliency
• Cardiovascular
conditioning
• Proper diet
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education,
Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
Psychological
Resiliency
• Balanced lifestyle
• Hardy personality
• Small-wins strategy
Social Resiliency
• Supportive social
relations
• Mentors
• Teamwork
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Temporary Stress Reduction Techniques
• Physiological Techniques
• Muscle relaxation
• Deep breathing
• Psychological Techniques
• Imagery and fantasy
• Rehearsal
• Reframing
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Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
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Next Class – Feb 29
•Complete your 4th OQ this week, Due
Friday, Feb 26, 11:55pm
•Complete your 5th OA this week before
11:30 am next class
•Read CH 14
•Class Paper Assignment Feb 15- Due
March 28, 11:30am
•Post General Questions on Moodle or email
me – Have a great week!!