Convenience

Dysfunctional behaviors
are
those that detract from, rather than contribute to, organizational performance.
51
Two of
the more common ones, absenteeism and turnover, were discussed earlier. But other
forms of dysfunctional behavior may be even more costly for an organization. Theft
and sabotage, for example, result in direct financial costs for an organization. Sexual
and racial harassment also cost an organization, both indirectly (by lowering morale,
producing fear, and driving off valuable employees) and directly (through financial
turnover
When people quit
their jobs
organizational
citizenship
The behavior of
individuals that
makes a positive
overall contribution
to the organization
dysfunctional
behaviors
Those that detract
from, rather than
contribute to,
organizational
performance
Chapter 9:
Basic Elements of Individual Behavior in Organizations
2 8 3
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liability if the organization responds inappropriately). So, too, can costs result from polit-
icized behavior, intentionally misleading others in the organization, spreading malicious
rumors, and similar activities. Incivility and rudeness can result in conflict and damage
to morale and the organization’s culture.
52
Workplace violence is also a growing concern
in many organizations. Violence by disgruntled workers or former workers results in
dozens of deaths and injuries each year.
53
SUMMARY OF LEARNING OUTCOMES AND KEY POINTS
1.
Explain the nature of the individual–organization
relationship.
• A basic framework that can be used to facilitate
this understanding is the psychological
contract—the set of expectations held by people
with respect to what they will contribute to the
organization and what they expect to get in
return.
• Organizations strive to achieve an optimal
person–job fit, but this process is complicated
by the existence of individual differences.
2.
Define personality and describe personality attri-
butes that affect behavior in organizations.
• Personality is the relatively stable set of psy-
chological and behavioral attributes that dis-
tinguish one person from another.
• The “Big Five” personality traits follow:
• Agreeableness
• Conscientiousness
• Neuroticism
• Extraversion
• Openness
• The Myers–Briggs framework can also be
a useful mechanism for understanding
personality.
• Other important traits are the following:
• Locus of control
• Self-efficacy
• Authoritarianism
• Machiavellianism
• Self-esteem
• Risk propensity
• EQ, a fairly new concept, may provide addi-
tional insights into personality.
3.
Discuss individual attitudes in organizations and
how they affect behavior.
• Attitudes are based on emotion, knowledge,
and intended behavior.
• Whereas personality is relatively stable, some
attitudes can be formed and changed easily.
Others are more constant.
• Job satisfaction or dissatisfaction and organiza-
tional commitment are important work-related
attitudes.
4.
Describe basic perceptual processes and the role of
attributions in organizations.
• Perception is the set of processes by which an
individual becomes aware of and interprets
information about the environment.
• Basic perceptual processes include selective
perception and stereotyping.
• Perception and attribution are also closely
related.
5.
Discuss the causes and consequences of stress and
describe how it can be managed.
• Stress is an individual’s response to a strong
stimulus.
• The GAS outlines the basic stress process.
• Stress can be caused by task, physical, role, and
interpersonal demands.
• Consequences of stress include organizational
and individual outcomes, as well as burnout.
• Several things can be done to manage stress.
6.
Describe creativity and its role in organizations.
• Creativity is the capacity to generate new ideas.
• Creative people tend to have certain profiles of
background experiences, personal traits, and
cognitive abilities.
• The creative process itself includes preparation,
incubation, insight, and verification.