Factors affecting behaviour
Behaviour at work is dependent on both the personal characteristics of individuals (personality and attitudes) and the situation in which they are working. These factors interact, and this theory of behaviour is sometimes called interactionism. It is because of this process of interaction and because there are so many variables in personal characteristics and situations that behaviour is difficult to analyse and predict. It is generally assumed that attitudes determine behaviour, but there is not such a direct link as most people suppose. As Arnold et al (1991) comment, research evidence has shown that: ‘People’s avowed feelings and beliefs about someone or something seemed only loosely related to how they behaved towards it.’
Behaviour will be influenced by the perceptions of individuals about the situation they are in. The term psychological climatehas been coined by James and Sells (1981) to describe how people’s perceptions of the situation give it psychological significance and meaning. They suggested that the key environmental variables are:
Behaviour at work is dependent on both the personal characteristics of individuals (personality and attitudes) and the situation in which they are working. These factors interact, and this theory of behaviour is sometimes called interactionism. It is because of this process of interaction and because there are so many variables in personal characteristics and situations that behaviour is difficult to analyse and predict. It is generally assumed that attitudes determine behaviour, but there is not such a direct link as most people suppose. As Arnold et al (1991) comment, research evidence has shown that: ‘People’s avowed feelings and beliefs about someone or something seemed only loosely related to how they behaved towards it.’
Behaviour will be influenced by the perceptions of individuals about the situation they are in. The term psychological climatehas been coined by James and Sells (1981) to describe how people’s perceptions of the situation give it psychological significance and meaning. They suggested that the key environmental variables are:
● role characteristics such as role ambiguity and conflict (see the last section in this chapter);
● job characteristics such as autonomy and challenge;
● leader behaviours, including goal emphasis and work facilitation;
● work group characteristics, including cooperation and friendliness;
● organizational policies that directly affect individuals, such as the reward system.
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