Question 1
Attitudes in organizations can be changed through the influence of managers or leaders. According to Hersey et al. (2013), effective managers or leaders possess the ability to influence behavior. Since behaviors are greatly influenced by attitudes, an influence on the behavior would consequently influence the attitude and vice versa. According to Lumen Learning (n.d.a), attitudes and behaviors can be influenced through various management strategies and the creation of robust organizational environments. Some of the scenarios that can influence employees to abandon negative attitudes and adopt positive ones include experiencing a positive work environment, appreciation for their various contributions, reward systems, favorable working hours, opportunities for career progression, amongst other scenarios (Lumen Learning, n.d.a; Sturt & Nordstrom, 2014).
Attitudes and job satisfaction are related in that an employee’s attitude is greatly influenced by the level of job satisfaction that they experience. According to Lumen Learning (n.d.b), job satisfaction is one of the factors that influences the employees’ attitude. Employees who are confident in their abilities to deliver on the tasks assigned to them, those who enjoy their work and the roles assigned to them are more likely to exude positive attitudes in the workplaces.
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An example of a scenario where employees exhibited behavior that was different from the attitude was when some of the employees were laid off. The employees exhibited an undisturbed attitude, yet their performance was greatly impacted. They spent few hours working and could be seen conversing with each other.
Question 2
Managers study motivation and behavior because of the crucial role that they play in organizational performance. According to Hersey et al. (2013), motivation plays a major role in the levels of performance attained by employees and consequently in the attainment of the organizational goals. Highly motivated employees are quite productive. Thus, managers study motivation with the aim of influencing the employees’ motivation levels. Positive employee behavior boosts the reputation of an organization and ensures that it remains competitive and meets its organizational goals. Consequently, managers are interested in studying behavior to institute measures to encourage or discourage certain behaviors in their organizations (Lumen Learning n.d.a).
Question 3
Cognitive dissonance involves scenarios where there are conflicting attitudes, behaviors, or beliefs. I work in the human resources department, and from time to time, I have noticed a few instances of cognitive dissonance. One example is the employees’ behavior of taking lunch breaks longer than one hour, yet the company’s policy dictates that the lunch breaks should be no longer than one hour. The senior management is least concerned about this issue. The second example is the employees’ behavior of using the company’s electronic devices to login into their social media sites which goes against the company policies.
References
Hersey, P., Blanchard, K. H., & Johnson, D. E. (2013). Management of organizational behavior: Leading human resources (10th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Attitudes that affect job performance | Principles of management . Lumen Learning – Simple Book Production. Retrieved May 9, 2021, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-principlesofmanagement/chapter/attitudes-that-affect-job-performance/
Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Drivers of behavior | Boundless management . Lumen Learning – Simple Book Production. Retrieved May 9, 2021, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-management/chapter/drivers-of-behavior/
McLeod, S. (2018, February 5). Cognitive dissonance . Study Guides for Psychology Students - Simply Psychology. Retrieved May 9, 2021, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html
Sturt, D., & Nordstrom, T. (2014, January 28). Bodacious: How to boldly change employee attitudes in just seconds . Forbes. Retrieved May 9, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidsturt/2014/01/28/bodacious-how-to-boldly-change-employee-attitudes-in-just-seconds/?sh=473781852112
