Organizational Behavior and the Difference Between Attitudes and Behaviors

Learning Journal Module 1-4
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Learning Journal Module 1-4
Module 1
(1) Imagine that you are a manager and need to share difficult information at work (like the possibility of impending layoffs). What channel(s) would you choose, and why?
As much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, working in an organization is not always smooth sailing, and there comes a time when one is required to communicate a tough message to an individual or a group of audiences. The communication channel to use in such a situation should exhibit some value such as honesty, transparency, empathy, conscience and should convey the information briefly and concisely to avoid sending mixed and confusing information. Face-to-face communication will be the most appropriate channel that I will use to convey such a disturbing message. This will allow me to empathize with the victim while also engaging the audience for any further clarification on a one-on-one basis.
(2) How can studying OB (Organizational Behavior) help you to be a more effective manager?
Organizational behavior is a domain area concerned with understanding an individual or group’s social and human behaviors in a work environment that may impact the organization’s overall objectives (Robbins & Judge, 2019). It is also worth noting that organizational behavior borrows some concepts from different disciplines, and studying it allows managers to have a wholesome experience and vast knowledge from the different disciplines. A manager is more of a jack of all trades, and OB will enable me, as a manager, to know the different disciplines, significantly improving my effectiveness. As an expert in organizational behavior, I will be in a position to appreciate individual differences, become an all-rounded person, have a holistic perception of others in an organization while motivating others, and have all attributes necessary for one to be regarded as an effective manager.
(3) Four behavioral sciences contribute to the understanding of OB: psychology, social psychology, sociology, and anthropology. How does understanding each of these help managers?
As mentioned in the previous entry, OB is a multidisciplinary subject and has to borrow some concepts from psychology, social psychology, sociology, and even anthropology. A manager with some background knowledge in psychology can effectively study patterns of behaviors among people about products and services and design policies and strategies that will ensure the company gets the best out of its employees. Social psychology knowledge ensures the manager is a master in managing groups and ensuring there are healthy interactions among the subordinates. On the other hand, sociology studies human behavior in an organization from an external perspective, enabling managers to identify and address external factors influencing human behavior. Anthropology equips the manager with some biological knowledge that differentiates humans from other species and possibly influences their behaviors.
Module 2
(1) What is the relationship between attitudes and behavior? Have you ever experienced cognitive dissonance? What happened?
From a psychological point of view, attitude is used to denote a set of emotions and feelings about something or someone and can be a result of upbringing or experience (Cherry, 2018). On the other hand, behavior is how one responds to the changes in the sets of emotions or feelings. Attitudes influence behavioral tendencies.
Cognitive dissonance is used to describe the state in which one is caught up in a situation where there are conflicting values or beliefs and a state of mental discomfort (Robbins & Judge, 2019). An easy example where I often experience cognitive dissonances is in regards to the persistent use of social media. I often find myself on the phone switching between social media sites, even sometimes in the middle of a job, despite knowing for a fact that prolonged use of social media reduces productivity. To justify my social media use even in the workplace, I see it as intermittent breaks, and after all, I manage to complete the tasks despite being guilty of prolonged use of social media.
(2) As a manager, how can you help increase job satisfaction in your employees? What are the organizational consequences when there are high or low levels of job satisfaction?
As a manager, you don’t always have to be the stumbling block to employee job satisfaction but rather be the source of morale in the workplace. I can help enhance employee satisfaction by recognizing best performers, giving employees an element of autonomy so that they can make some minor decisions on their own without being micro-managed, and taking care of any arising issues swiftly and effectively. The most apparent outcome of high employee satisfaction is increased productivity, and the opposite is true where there is low employee satisfaction. Interpersonal relationships and communication are enhanced when employees have a sense of morale, further adding value to the organization’s culture.
(3) How important do you believe empathy in the workplace is? Offer several examples.
Empathy requires that we can feel another person’s pain or emotions by putting ourselves in the same situation. In so doing, we can understand the behavior of others in response to a particular action an...