VALUES AND ATTITUDES

PRESENTED BY – GROUP 2nd ABHIJEET ADHIKARI POOJA SHARMA GEETANJALI PURI PRIYA JAIN HAPINDER SINGH MONEY BANSAL

VALUES INTRODUCTION

Values define what is good or bad, right or wrong. They guide our behaviour wherever we go and are the primary source of our actions.

Values are relatively permanent and deeply held desires of individuals.

WHAT IS A VALUE? Qualities, characteristics, or ideas

about which we feel strongly. Our values affect our decisions,

goals and behavior. A belief or feeling that someone or

something is worthwhile. Values define what is of worth, what

is beneficial, and what is harmful. Values are standards to guide your

action, judgments, and attitudes.

FEATURES OF VALUES Values influence our preference for goals and

the means to achieve our needs. It contain a judgemental element by showcasing

a person’s ideas as to what is right, good or desirable.

They are moralistic in nature. Most of our basic values are learnt early in life

from family, friends, neighbourhood, school, etc. Values of culture may change, but most remain

stable.

WHERE DO WE GET VALUES? Our homes, School, Society, Friends, TV, Music, Books, Families, Culture.

FUNCTIONS OF VALUES

Values play an important role in the integration and fulfilment of man’s basic impulses and desires.

They build up societies, integrate social relations.

They influence people’s behaviour and serve as criteria for evaluating the actions of others.

They help in creating norms to guide day-to-day behaviour.

TYPES OF VALUES TERMINAL VALUES- They reflects a person’s preferences regarding the

‘ends’ to be achieved. They are the goals individuals would like to achieve during their lifetime.

For eg - prosperity, achievement, freedom, equality, etc.

INSTRUMENTAL VALUES- They represent the ‘means’ for achieving desired ends.

They indicate how you might go about achieving your important end states.

For eg - ambition and hard work, open-mindedness, courage, honesty, etc.

TERMINAL VALUES

• World peace• Happiness• Equality• Inner peace• Beauty in nature• Friendship• Self-respect• Freedom• Wisdom

INSTRUMENTAL VALUES

• Honesty• Forgiving nature• Helpfulness• Self-control• Independence• Obedience• Ambition• Politeness• Courage• Responsibility

ATTITUDE

MEANING An individual’s behavior is also a

function of attitudes. An attitude is a learned predisposition,

an evaluative statement- either favourable or unfavourable- toward a given object, a person or an event. The statement ‘I like my job’ reflects my attitude towards my work.

Attitudes are different from values.

Values are the ideals that represent our beliefs about ideal conduct and contain a judgemental element.

Attitudes are narrower as they represent our feelings, thougths and behavioural tendencies towards a specific object or situation.

Over a period of time, our attitudes, also undergo a change.

Attitudes have a past, present and future; they evolve from past experience, they guide our current behaviour, and can direct our development in the future.

SOURCES OF ATTITUDES Attitudes are basically learned. People are

not born with specific attitudes; rather they acquire them through a process of learning- especially from the following:

1. Experience: People gain experience in forming (developing) attitudes by coming in direct contact with an attitude object. Through job experiences, individuals learn attitudes.

2. Association: People are highly influenced by the major groups or associations to which they belong. The influence of groups on the attitudes of the individual is inversely proportional to the distance of the group from the individual.

3. Family: Family exerts influence on the initial core of attitudes held by an individual. Individuals develop certain attitudes from their family members. The family characterstics influence the individual’s attitude patterns to which he is initially exposed.

4. Peer groups: As people approach their adulthood, they increasingly rely on their peer groups for approval/attitude. How others judge an individual largely determines his self image and approval seeking behaviour.

5. Society: Social class and religious affiliation also play a vital role in forming attitudes of an individual. The culture, language and the structure of society, all provide an individual with the boundaries of his initial attitudes. At a very early age, an individual is taught that certain attitudes are acceptable and certain others are not in the society.

6. Personality factors: Personality differences between individuals play a major role in the formation of attitudes. This particular area has been the subject matter of great interest and it carries a great deal of weight in organisational behaviour.

COMPONENTS OF AN ATTITUDE A person’s attitude comprises three vital

components: cognitive, affective and behavioural.

1. Cognitive component: “ I believe information and beliefs about a particular person or object”. Beliefs are accepted facts or truths about a person or an object. The beliefs are generally based on a variety of learning experiences, rumours, misunderstanding, or any other information. The cognitive component is sometimes referred to as ‘opinion’.

2. Affective component: “I feel” It basically consists of the feelings, sentiments, moods and emotions a person has toward an individual, event, object or situation. This component is considered with the evaluation and emotion and often expressed as like or dislike, good or bad, pleasing or displeasing, favourable or unfavourable. The expression of warmth, love, hate, and other emotional expressions also belong to the affective component.

3. Behavioural component: “ I intend” This is concerned with the way one intends to behave toward someone or something. In other words, the behavioural component of attitude consists of the tendency to act or reach toward an object in certain specified ways. Unable to lodge my complaint with a customer service executive of an electronics company, I may shout, “ I’ll never call them again. I’m not going to buy anything from this company in future.

FUNCTIONS SERVED BY ATTITUDES According to D. Katz, attitudes serve four

important functions: Adjustment function: people strive to

maximise the rewards and minimise the penalties in their external environment. Attitudes are the means for reaching the desired goals or for avoiding undesirable results.

The Ego defensive function: people normally expend a great deal of their energies in the process of learning to live with themselves. Many of our attitudes serve the function of defending our self-image.

The Value expression function: value expressive attitudes, according to katz, not only give clarity to the self image but also mould that self image closer to the heart’s desire. Attitudes make people either bond or clash. They allow us to tell others our opinions and views.

The Knowledge function: the world can be a confusing and strange place; attitudes help us to organise our social world, thus making the world more familiar and predictable.

CHANGING ATTITUDES Is it possible to change unfavourable attitude

of employee toward a more favourable direction?

The answer, to a large extent, is yes. Let’s see how this happens.

Provide new information: In one classic study, it was found that union workers had an anti-management attitude. However, when some of the workers were promoted into the

management ranks, their attitudes changed. They came to know how the company was doing to help the workers and this information made them look at managerial efforts more favourably.

Changing workplace situation: Managers may bring change in employee’s attitudes by changing their workplace situations- that is by changing such work factors as compensation, job design and work hours (in line with employee expectations).

Employing credible and knowledgeable communicators: Employees may be willing to adapt and change quickly, when they come under the influence of a powerful persuasive presentation, preferably by someone who is credible, knowledgeable and convincing. To this end, it is important to see that the communicator holds a prestigious position in the company, enjoys the trust of employees and is liked by one and all.

Using “fear appeals” : Low levels of fear appeals, generally speaking, are ignored by employees. The warnings do not seem to bring about required amount of attention from employees. If moderate levels of fear arousal are employed, people take note of the urgency and change their attitudes. High degrees of fear arousal are, often, rejected by people because the message itself is viewed with scepticism.

CONCLUSION

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