Chapter 6 review questions

Organizational Behavior

Attitude assists the individual in accomplish goals and objectives that might not otherwise be accomplished. The purpose served by attitudes in one's life is that they assist in making decisions, initiating actions and motivating the individual to gain certain accomplishments. Attitudes define who we are and what we believe, as well as guiding our behavior. Attitudes can be both negative and positive in nature, and they can sometimes improve situations, and at other times add to the negativity of certain scenarios. For instance, if one were to have a negative attitude towards ones coworkers, it could precipitate actions and decisions that would alienate those same coworkers, oftentimes leading to lower productivity, higher costs, and a low morale in general. On the other hand, a positive attitude can bring about positive results, greater productivity and employee satisfaction, leading to accomplishments that might not even be considered by someone with a negative attitude.

2) On page 168 of the text it states that there are three basic components of attitudes; 1) cognitive, 2) evaluative, and 3) behavioral. Recently a situation in the workplace affected the employees behavior based on a negative attitude towards the boss. The boss would oftentimes show up late to work, leave early, take longer than normal lunches, and pass on to employees jobs and tasks that he deemed too trivial for his attention. His attitude was one of condensation and arrogance. The attitude affected the morale of the employees, especially myself. With the positive attitude that has been my mantra since entering the workforce, I found the situation counterproductive and demeaning.

I was not the only employee who noticed the boss' actions and attitudes, and the overall employee morale suffered accordingly. When the boss would use demeaning language to hand out job assignments, individuals would become embarrassed, angry and resentful. Employee productivity suffered immensely.

3) According to Conte's Powerpoint presentation, job satisfaction can best be defined as; the level at which an employee feels satisfied in his endeavors in the workplace. Satisfaction can oftentimes be linked directly to a person's perception(s) of self-worth in the workplace arena. Lack of satisfaction can lead directly to employee turnover which results in a myriad of negative consequences for the organization. The research (according to Conte) shows that employee turnover, productivity and absenteeism directly correlates to the satisfaction level felt be the employees. According to the presentation, if employees are not feeling satisfied the following consequences often takes place; employees will leave the company or if they remain, be a source of additional negativity. Lack of satisfaction can also lead to client dissatisfaction, loss of sales and revenue, and loss of key information and key employees as those employees seek other endeavors that will satisfy their desires.

4) On page 179 of the text is a statement that reads "at the root of prejudicial feelings is the basic fact that people tend to be uncomfortable with others who are different from them." Diversity in the workforce allows either a negative or positive scenario to develop. For the most part, employees will be required to interact on a consistent and regular basis with the other employees.