Chapter 4 Notes: Behavioral Foundations of Human Resource Management

TERMINOLOGY

Attitudes -are feelings and beliefs

Samples of Attitudes

Job Satisfaction – is a person’s attitude concerning aspects of the work

environment such as the level of pay, relationships with coworkers and
supervisors, job fit, and working conditions.

Job Involvement – the level with which a person identifies with his or her job and
considers his or her perceived performance level important to self-worth.

Organizational Commitment – the state in which an employee identifies with a

particular organization and its goals and wishes to maintain affiliation with the
organization

Motivation –is to influence or instill drive. It is the predisposition to behave in a

purposeful manner to satisfy specific, unmet needs.

Organizational Behavior – is the study of how people act in organizations and how
behavior and attitudes affect organizational performance.

Organizational Climate – collective perception of employees regarding their job content

and environment.

Values - basic convictions that demonstrate an individual’s idea of what is just and right.
Values are influenced by culture, family, and genetics and strongly influence attitudes.

MOTIVATIONAL THEORIES

Abraham Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy Theory

Behavior is determined by an individual’s strongest needs, but the lower-level needs must
be satisfied before the next higher-level needs can motivate behavior. People are
motivated to satisfy five categories of needs.

1) Physiological Needs (food, shelter, clothing) Physical and psychological survival.

These are usually associated with money.
2) Safety Needs (security, freedom from threat or disease, avoidance of pain) Safety
needs are crucial for infants.
3) Social Needs (friendship and affection) Relationship building. Striving for acceptance.
4) Esteem Needs (recognition, respect, and responsibility) Esteem needs only occur when
a person is comfortably situated. Esteem needs come from others (respect), and then
internalized (self-respect). Prestige and power are motivators.
5) Self-Actualization (creativity and self-expression) Enhancement of life. An extremely
small portion of the population is self-actualized. Are people every satisfied?

Frederick Herzberg Two-Factor Theory

This theory was used to explain employee motivation. Herzberg found that job
satisfaction and job dissatisfaction factors were unrelated. It is valuable in assessing job
attitudes to hopefully increase productivity and decrease absenteeism and turnover.

Motivators-factors that produce job satisfaction which are directly related to job content

Hygiene’s-factors that lead to job dissatisfaction. These are related more to job context
than job content.

LEADERSHIP ASSUMPTIONS

Douglas McGregor Motivational Theory X, Theory Y

Theory X- Managers assume that people generally dislike work and wish to avoid
responsibility. They believe that most people prefer to be directed and they want safety
above all. People are motivated by money, benefits, and fear of punishment.

Theory Y - Managers assume that people want to use their capacities and energies to their
fullest extend, at work and at play, and under the right conditions will not only accept by
seek responsibility. People can be self-directed and creative at work.