Attitude and Values its features and all types

Attitude meaning its features and the various types of attitude at work place

1. Attitude and Values Organisational Behaviour and Design

2. Meaning Attitudes refer to tendency to respond to certain objects, persons or situations. They are the feelings and beliefs that determine the behaviour of the persons. They provide framework for responding in a particular fashion. The attitudes may be positive or negative. It is just a  feeling  or  opinion  about something or someone, or a way of  behaving  that is  caused  by something

3. Definition According to Bem : Attitudes are likes and Dislikes According to Petty and Cacioppo: Attitudes are general evaluations people make about themselves, other persons, objects, or issues.

4. Features of Attitude Attitudes are evaluative statements, either favourable or unfavourable . Attitude refers to feeling or beliefs of individuals or group of individuals. The feelings and beliefs are often directed towards objects, people, events or ideas. For example, when somebody says, “I like my job”. It shows his positive attitude towards his job. Attitudes result in the behaviour or actions of people. ttitude is psychological phenomenon which cannot be observed directly. However, it can be noticed indirectly by noticing behaviour of an individual. For example, if a person is very regular on the job and perform very well on the job, we can judge that he likes his job.

5. Features Attitudes are acquired over a period of time. The process of attitude formation starts from childhood stage of an individual and continues throughout the life time. Attitude is an enduring characteristic of individual behaviour , which is difficult to change. Every person irrespective of his status and intelligence hold attitudes.

6. Functions of Attitude According to Katz, Attitudes serve four important functions for individuals: 1 Adjustment Function: People tend to develop favourable attitude towards rewarding and beneficial functions as well as relationship. Similarly people develop negative attitude towards such functions and relationships, which shall attract punitive actions. Ego-defensive Function : Attitude can serve as devise for protecting self-image. • Value-expressive Function : Attitude supports expression of core values. • Knowledge Function : Attitude serves as standard or frame for understanding and interpreting people and events around them.

7. Sources of Attitude Direct personal Experience . The quality of a person’s direct experience with the attitude object determines his attitude towards it. For example, if a worker finds his work repetitive, inadequately paid, supervisor too tough, and co-workers not so co-operative, he would develop a negative attitude towards his job because the quality of his direct experience with the job is negative. (ii) Association . A new attitude object may be associated with an old attitude object and the attitude towards the latter may be transferred towards the former. For example, if a newly recruited workers remains most of the time in the company of a worker towards whom the supervisor has a favorable attitude, the supervisor is likely to develop a positive attitude towards the new worker also. Hence, the favorable attitude for the old workers has been transferred towards the new workers. (iii) Social Learning . Attitudes are also learnt from other as for example, from parents, teachers, superiors, models etc. An individual may learn by having contact with others or even watching models over the T.V. In fact, social learning makes it possible for a person to develop attitude towards something even when he has no direct experience of the attitude object. For example, an unemployed person entering the job market for the first time, may be favorably disposed towards a government job because others in the society have such an attitude towards government jobs. Thus, the social learning is a convenient way of developing attitudes.