Attitudes

Question 1

What are attitudes?

Answer 1

Attitudes are

• evaluative statements/ judgements concerning objects, people, events or ideas
• learned predispositions to respond in a consistently (un-)favourable manner with respect to an attitude object
• an important predictor of (organizational) behavior

Question 2

Which desired behavior can be increased/ undesired behavior can be decreased by generating positive attitudes?

Answer 2

Generating positive attitudes

• increases desired behavior such as:
• • performance
• • health and
• • organizational citizenship behavior
• decreases undesired behaviors such as:
• • absenteeism
• • turnover and
• • counterproductive work behavior

Question 3

Explain the principle of cognitive consistency (and why) in relation to Festingers Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Answer 3

The principle says, that all of us have an inner drive to hold all our attitudes and behavior in harmony and avoid disharmony/ dissonance
-> because inconsistency among beliefs/ behaviours causes an uncomfortable psychological tension

Question 4

Explain cognitive consistency vs. cognitive dissonance in relation to Festingers Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Answer 4

• cognitive consistency is a psychological theory that proposes that humans are motivated by inconsistencies and a desire to change them
• cognitive dissonance refers to a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors -> this produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration in one of the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the discomfort and restore balance

Question 5

Explain the relation between attitudes and work-related beaviors

Answer 5

Attitudes are critical for predicting work-related behaviors, while work experiences function as a predictor of attitudes (e.g.: challenging work, fairness, expectation, person-job fit)

Question 6

Explain reciprocal vs. reverse causality with an example

Answer 6

• reciprocal: both directions of causality are present at the same time
  e.g.: organizational climate
  influences organizational performance, however simultaneously organizational climate is influenced by organizational performance
• reverse: refers to a direction of cause-and-effect contrary to a common presumption

Question 7

Which influence does high organizational productivity have on the organizational climate? Name examples

Answer 7

high productivity positively influences:

• the organizational climate dimensions (individual autonomy, authority structure, leadership style, pattern of communication, degree of conflicts and cooperation)
• task support
• socio-emotional support
• employees perceptions and attitudes

Question 8

Which attitudes have a positive influence on performance and organizational citizenship behavior?

Answer 8

• satisfaction
• involvement
• commitment
• work engagement
• perceptions of care & contribution

Question 9

Which attitudes negatively influence abesenteeism, turnover and counterproductive work behavior

Answer 9

if the following attitudes are not given:

• satisfaction
• involvement
• commitment
• work engagement
• > it can result in abesenteeism, turnover and counterproductive work behavior