Richard L. Daft - Management. 9th ed., 2010

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PART 5 LEADING380

High-Performance Work Attitudes

The attitudes of most interest to managers are those related to work, especially

attitudes that in uence how well employees perform. Two attitudes that might

relate to high performance are satisfaction with one’s job and commitment to the

organization.

Job Satisfaction A positive attitude toward one’s job is called job satisfaction. In

general, people experience this attitude when their work matches their needs and

interests, when working conditions and rewards (such as pay) are satisfactory, when

they like their coworkers, and when they have positive relationships with supervi-

sors. You can take the quiz in Exhibit 13.2 to better understand some of the factors

that contribute to job satisfaction.

Many managers believe job satisfaction is important because they think satis ed

employees will do better work. In fact, research shows that the link between satis-

faction and performance is generally small and is in uenced by other factors.

For

example, the importance of satisfaction varies according to the amount of control the

employee has; an employee doing routine tasks may produce about the same output

no matter how he or she feels about the job. Managers of today’s knowledge work-

ers, however, often rely on job satisfaction to keep motivation and enthusiasm high.

They can’t afford to lose talented, highly skilled workers. Regrettably, a survey by

International Survey Research found that Gen X employees, those who are carrying

the weight of much of today’s knowledge work, are the least satis ed of all demo-

graphic groups.

Managers create the environment that determines whether employees have

positive or negative attitudes toward their jobs.

A related attitude is organizational

commitment.

EXHIBIT 13.1

Components of an Attitude

job

satisfaction

ositive

’

CHAPTER 13 DYNAMICS OF BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATIONS 381

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Organizational Commitment Organizational commitment refers to an employ-

ee’s loyalty to and engagement with the organization. An employee with a high

degree of organizational commitment is likely to say we when talking about the com-

pany. Such a person likes being a part of the organization and tries to contribute to its

success. This attitude is illustrated by an incident at the A. W. Chesterton company,

a manufacturer of mechanical seals and pumps. When two Chesterton pumps that

supply water on Navy ship USS John F. Kennedy failed on a Saturday night just before

the ship’s scheduled departure, the team

that produces the seals swung into action.

Two members worked through the night

to make new seals and deliver them to be

installed before the ship left port.

Most managers want to enjoy the ben-

e ts of loyal, committed employees, includ-

ing low turnover and employee willingness

to do more than the job’s basic require-

ments. Results of a Towers Perrin-ISR sur-

vey of more than 360,000 employees from

41 companies around the world indicate

that companies with highly committed

employees perform better.

Alarmingly,

another recent survey suggests that com-

mitment levels around the world are rela-

tively low. Only one- fth of the respondents

were categorized as fully engaged, that is,

re ecting a high level of commitment. In

the United States, the percentage classi ed

as fully engaged was 29 percent, compared

to 54 percent in Mexico, 37 in percent in

Brazil, and 36 percent in India, Countries

where employees re ect similar or lower

levels of commitment than the U. S. include

Canada at 23 percent, Spain at 19 percent,

Germany at 17 percent, China at 16 percent,

the United Kingdom at 14 percent, France at

12 percent, and Japan at only 3 percent.

EXHIBIT 13.2 Rate Your Job Satisfaction

Think of a job—either a current or previous job—that was important to you, and then answer the following questions with respect to

how satisﬁ ed you were with that job. Please answer the six questions with a number 1–5 that reﬂ ects the extent of your satisfaction.

1  Very dissatisﬁ ed 3  Neutral 5  Very satisﬁ ed

2  Dissatisﬁ ed 4  Satisﬁ ed

1. Overall, how satisﬁ ed are you with your job? 1 2 3 4 5

2. How satisﬁ ed are you with the opportunities to learn new things? 1 2 3 4 5

3. How satisﬁ ed are you with your boss? 1 2 3 4 5

4. How satisﬁ ed are you with the people in your work group? 1 2 3 4 5

5. How satisﬁ ed are you with the amount of pay you receive? 1 2 3 4 5

6. How satisﬁ ed are you with the advancement you are making 1 2 3 4 5

in the organization?

Scoring and Interpretation: Add up your responses to the six questions to obtain your total score: ______. The questions represent

various aspects of satisfaction that an employee may experience on a job. If your score is 24 or above, you probably feel satisﬁ ed with

the job. If your score is 12 or below, you probably do not feel satisﬁ ed. What is your level of performance in your job, and is your per-

formance related to your level of satisfaction?

SOURCES: These questions were adapted from Daniel R. Denison, Corporate Culture and Organizational Effectiveness (New York: John Wiley, 1990); and John D. Cook, Susan J.

Hepworth, Toby D. Wall, and Peter B. Warr, The Experience of Work: A Compendium and Review of 249 Measures and their Use (San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1981).

“To shake the hand of someone who was nearly dead—

there’s no feeling like that in the world.” That’s how one physician assistant (PA)

explained why he ﬁ nds the profession so fulﬁ lling. Job satisfaction is extraordinarily

high for PAs, such as Jim Johnson, shown here helping patients in a makeshift medical

tent after Hurricane Katrina hit Gulfport, Mississippi. A recent survey reported that

90 percent would make the same career choice all over again. In addition to good pay

and ﬂ exible working conditions, PAs relish the autonomy of the job, a chance to help

others, the challenge of diagnosing and treating a variety of ailments, and working as

part of a team.

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ/ASSOCIATED PRESS

org

anizational commitmen

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alt

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inv

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PART 5 LEADING382

Trust in management decisions and integrity is one important component of orga-

nizational commitment.

Unfortunately, in recent years, many employees in the U.S.

have lost that trust. Just 28 percent of people surveyed by Fast Company magazine

said they think the CEO of their company has integrity. Another survey by Ajilon

Professional Staf ng found that only 29 percent of employees reported believing their

boss cared about them and looked out for their interests.

Managers can promote

stronger organizational commitment by being honest and trustworthy in their busi-

ness dealings, keeping employees informed, giving them a say in decisions, provid-

ing the necessary training and other resources that enable them to succeed, treating

them fairly, and offering rewards they value.

Conﬂ icts Among Attitudes

Sometimes a person may discover that his or her attitudes con ict with one

another or are not re ected in behavior. For example, a person’s high level of orga-

nizational commitment might con ict with a commitment to family members. If

employees routinely work evenings and weekends, their long hours and dedica-

tion to the job might con ict with their belief that family ties are important. This

con ict can create a state of cognitive dissonance, a psychological discomfort

that occurs when individuals recognize inconsistencies in their own attitudes and

behaviors.

The theory of cognitive dissonance, developed by social psychologist

Leon Festinger in the 1950s, says that people want to behave in accordance with

their attitudes and usually will take corrective action to alleviate the dissonance

and achieve balance.

In the case of working overtime, people who can control their hours might

restructure responsibilities so that they have time for both work and family. In

contrast, those who are unable to restructure workloads might develop an unfa-

vorable attitude toward the employer, reducing their organizational commitment.

They might resolve their dissonance by saying they would like to spend more time

with their kids but their unreasonable employer demands that they work too many

hours.

PERCEPTION

Another critical aspect of understanding behavior is perception. Perception is the

cognitive process people use to make sense out of the environment by selecting, orga-

nizing, and interpreting information from the environment. Because of individual

differences in attitudes, personality, values, interests, and so forth, people often “see”

the same thing in different ways. A class that is boring to one student might be fasci-

nating to another. One student might perceive an assignment to be challenging and

stimulating, whereas another might  nd it a silly waste of time.

We can think of perception as a step-by-step process, as shown in Exhibit 13.3.

First, we observe information (sensory data) from the environment through our

senses: taste, smell, hearing, sight, and touch. Next, our mind screens the data and

will select only the items we will process further. Third, we organize the selected data

EXHIBIT 13.3

The Perception Process

cog

nitive

issonance A c

wo a

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CHAPTER 13 DYNAMICS OF BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATIONS 383

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into meaningful patterns for interpretation and response. Most differences in percep-

tion among people at work are related to how they select and organize sensory data.

You can experience differences in perceptual organization by looking at the visuals

in Exhibit 13.4. What do you see in part a of Exhibit 13.4? Most people see this as a dog,

but others see only a series of unrelated ink blots. Some people will see the  gure in

part b as a beautiful young woman while others will see an old one. Now look at part c.

How many blocks do you see—six or seven? Some people have to turn the  gure

upside down before they can see seven blocks. These visuals illustrate how complex

perception is.

Perceptual Selectivity

We are bombarded by so much sensory data that it is impossible to process it all.

Thus, we tune in to some things and tune out others. Perceptual selectivity is the

process by which individuals subconsciously screen and select the various objects

and stimuli that vie for their attention.

People typically focus on stimuli that satisfy their needs and that are consis-

tent with their attitudes, values, and personality. For example, employees who

need positive feedback to feel good about themselves might pick up on positive

statements made by a supervisor but tune out most negative comments. A supervi-

sor could use this understanding to tailor feedback in a positive way to help the

employee improve work performance. The in uence of needs on perception has

been studied in laboratory experiments and found to have a strong impact on what

people perceive.

Characteristics of the stimuli themselves also affect perceptual selectivity. People

tend to notice stimuli that stand out against other stimuli or that are more intense

than surrounding stimuli. Examples would be a loud noise in a quiet room or a

bright red dress at a party where most women are wearing basic black. People also

tend to notice things that are familiar to them, such as a familiar voice in a crowd, as

well as things that are new or different from their previous experiences. In addition,

primacy and recency are important to perceptual selectivity. People pay relatively

greater attention to sensory data that occur toward the beginning of an event or

toward the end. Primacy supports the old truism that  rst impressions really do

count, whether it be on a job interview, meeting a date’s parents, or participating in

a new social group. Recency re ects the reality that the last impression might be a

lasting impression. For example, Malaysian Airlines discovered its value in building

customer loyalty. A woman traveling with a nine-month-old might  nd the  ight

itself an exhausting blur, but one such traveler enthusiastically told people for years

how Malaysian Airlines  ight attendants helped her with baggage collection and

ground transportation.

EXHIBIT 13.4 Perception—What Do You See?

per

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PART 5 LEADING384

Perceptual Distortions

Once people select the sensory data to be perceived, they begin grouping the data

into recognizable patterns (perceptual organization). Of particular concern in the

work environment are perceptual distortions, errors in perceptual judgment that

arise from inaccuracies in any part of the perceptual process.

One common perceptual error is stereotyping, the tendency to assign an individ-

ual to a group or broad category (e.g., female, black, elderly; or male, white, disabled)

and then to attribute widely held generalizations about the group to the individual.

Thus, someone meets a new colleague, sees he is in a wheelchair, assigns him to the

category “physically disabled,” and attributes to this colleague generalizations she

believes about people with disabilities, which may include a belief that he is less able

than other coworkers. However, the person’s inability to walk should not be seen as

indicative of lesser abilities in other areas. Stereotyping prevents people from truly

knowing those they classify in this way. In addition, negative stereotypes prevent tal-

ented people from advancing in an organization and fully contributing their talents

to the organization’s success.

The halo effect occurs when the perceiver develops an overall impression of

a person or situation based on one characteristic, either favorable or unfavorable.

In other words, a halo blinds the perceiver to other characteristics that should be

used in generating a more complete assessment. The halo effect can play a signi -

cant role in performance appraisal, as we discussed in Chapter 11. For example,

a person with an outstanding attendance record may be assessed as responsible,

industrious, and highly productive; another person with less-than-average atten-

dance may be assessed as a poor performer. Either assessment may be true, but it

is the manager’s job to be sure the assessment is based on complete information

about all job-related characteristics and not just his or her preferences for good

attendance.

Projection is the tendency of perceivers to see their own personal traits in other

people; that is, they project their own needs, feelings, values, and attitudes into their

judgment of others. A manager who is achievement oriented might assume that subor-

dinates are as well. This assumption might cause the manager to restructure jobs to be

less routine and more challenging, without regard for employees’ actual satisfaction.

Perceptual defense is the tendency of perceivers to protect themselves against

ideas, objects, or people that are threatening. People perceive things that are satisfy-

ing and pleasant but tend to disregard things that are disturbing and unpleasant. In

essence, people develop blind spots in the perceptual process so that negative sen-

sory data do not hurt them.

Attributions

Among the judgments people make as part of the perceptual process are attributions.

Attributions are judgments about what caused a person’s behavior—something

about the person or something about the situation. An internal attribution says char-

acteristics of the person led to the behavior. (“Susan missed the deadline because

she’s careless and lazy.”) An external attribution says something about the situation

caused the person’s behavior. (“Susan missed the deadline because she couldn’t get

the information she needed in a timely manner.”) Attributions are important because

they help people decide how to handle a situation. In the case of the missed dead-

line, a manager who blames it on the employee’s personality will view Susan as the

problem and might give her unfavorable performance reviews and less attention and

support. In contrast, a manager who blames the behavior on the situation might try

to prevent such situations in the future, such as by improving horizontal communica-

tion mechanisms so people get the information they need in a timely way.

Social scientists have studied the attributions people make and identi ed three

factors that in uence whether an attribution will be external or internal.

These three

factors are illustrated in Exhibit 13.5.

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CHAPTER 13 DYNAMICS OF BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATIONS 385

Leading

1. Distinctiveness. Whether the behavior is unusual for that person (in contrast to a

person displaying the same kind of behavior in many situations). If the behavior

is distinctive, the perceiver probably will make an external attribution.

2. Consistency. Whether the person being observed has a history of behaving in the

same way. People generally make internal attributions about consistent behavior.

3. Consensus. Whether other people tend to respond to similar situations in the same

way. A person who has observed others handle similar situations in the same way

will likely make an external attribution; that is, it will seem that the situation pro-

duces the type of behavior observed.

In addition to these general rules, people tend to have biases that they apply

when making attributions. When evaluating others, we tend to underestimate the

in uence of external factors and overestimate the in uence of internal factors. This

tendency is called the fundamental attribution error. Consider the case of someone

being promoted to CEO. Employees, outsiders, and the media generally focus on

the characteristics of the person that allowed him or her to achieve the promotion.

In reality, however, the selection of that person might have been heavily in uenced

by external factors, such as business conditions creating a need for someone with a

strong  nancial or marketing background at that particular time.

Another bias that distorts attributions involves attributions we make about our

own behavior. People tend to overestimate the contribution of internal factors to their

successes and overestimate the contribution of external factors to their failures. This

tendency, called the

self-serving bias, means people give themselves too much credit

for what they do well and give external forces too much blame when they fail. Thus,

if your manager says you don’t communicate well enough, and you think your man-

ager doesn’t listen well enough, the truth may actually lie somewhere in between.

PERSONALITY AND BEHAVIOR

In recent years, many employers showed heightened interest in matching people’s

personalities to the needs of the job and the organization. An individual’s personality

is the set of characteristics that underlie a relatively stable pattern of behavior in

EXHIBIT 13.5

Factors Inﬂ uencing Whether

Attributions Are Internal or

External

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PART 5 LEADING386

response to ideas, objects, or people in the environment. Managers who appreciate

the ways their employees’ personalities differ have insight into what kinds of leader-

ship behavior will be most in uential.

Personality Traits

In common use, people think of personality in terms of traits, the fairly consistent

characteristics a person exhibits. Researchers investigated whether any traits stand

up to scienti c scrutiny. Although investigators examined thousands of traits over

the years, their  ndings  t into  ve general dimensions that describe personality.

These dimensions, often called the “Big Five” personality factors, are illustrated in

Exhibit 13.6.

Each factor may contain a wide range of speci c traits. The Big Five

personality factors describe an individual’s extroversion, agreeableness, conscien-

tiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience:

1. Extroversion. The degree to which a person is outgoing, sociable, assertive, and

comfortable with interpersonal relationships.

2. Agreeableness. The degree to which a person is able to get along with others by

being good-natured, likable, cooperative, forgiving, understanding, and trusting.

3. Conscientiousness. The degree to which a person is focused on a few goals, thus

behaving in ways that are responsible, dependable, persistent, and achievement

oriented.

4. Emotional stability. The degree to which a person is calm, enthusiastic, and self-

con dent, rather than tense, depressed, moody, or insecure.

5. Openness to experience. The degree to which a person has a broad range of

interests and is imaginative, creative, artistically sensitive, and willing to con-

sider new ideas.

EXHIBIT 13.6 The Big Five Personality Traits

Each individual’s collection of personality traits is different; it is what makes us unique. But, although each collection of traits varies,

we all share many common traits. The following phrases describe various traits and behaviors. Rate how accurately each statement

describes you, based on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being very inaccurate and 5 very accurate. Describe yourself as you are now, not as

you wish to be. There are no right or wrong answers.

1 2 3 4 5

Very Inaccurate Very Accurate

I am usually the life of the party. 1 2 3 4 5

I feel comfortable around people. 1 2 3 4 5

I am talkative. 1 2 3 4 5

I often feel critical of myself. 1 2 3 4 5

I often envy others. 1 2 3 4 5

I am temperamental. 1 2 3 4 5

I am kind and sympathetic. 1 2 3 4 5

I have a good word for everyone. 1 2 3 4 5

I never insult people. 1 2 3 4 5

I am imaginative. 1 2 3 4 5

I prefer to vote for liberal

political candidates. 1 2 3 4 5

I really like art. 1 2 3 4 5

I am systematic and efﬁ cient. 1 2 3 4 5

I pay attention to details. 1 2 3 4 5

I am always prepared for class. 1 2 3 4 5

Which are your most prominent traits? For fun and discussion, compare your responses with those of classmates.

Extroversion

Agreeableness

Conscientiousness

Neuroticism (Low Emotional Stability)

Openness to New Experiences

Big

Five personality fac

Dim

ens

ion

hat

scr

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individual’s extroversion

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CHAPTER 13 DYNAMICS OF BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATIONS 387

Leading

As illustrated in the exhibit, these factors represent

a continuum. That is, a person may have a low, mod-

erate, or high degree of each quality. Answer the ques-

tions in Exhibit 13.6 to see where you fall on the Big

Five scale for each of the factors. Having a moderate-to-

high degree of each of the Big Five personality factors

is considered desirable for a wide range of employees,

but this isn’t always a key to success. For example, hav-

ing an outgoing, sociable personality (extraversion) is

considered desirable for managers, but many successful

top leaders, including Bill Gates, Charles Schwab, and

Steven Spielberg, are introverts, people who become

drained by social encounters and need time alone to

re ect and recharge their batteries. One study found

that four in ten top executives test out to be introverts.

Thus, the quality of extraversion is not as signi cant as

is often presumed. Traits of agreeableness, on the other

hand, seem to be particularly important in today’s col-

laborative organizations. The days are over when a

hard-driving manager can run roughshod over others

to earn a promotion. Companies want managers who

work smoothly with others and get help from lots of

people inside and outside the organization. Executive

search  rm Korn/Ferry International examined data

from millions of manager pro les since the early 2000s

and found that the most successful executives today

are team-oriented leaders who gather information and

work collaboratively with many different people.

One recent book argues that the secret to success in work and in life is likability. We

all know we’re more willing to do something for someone we like than for someone

we don’t, whether it is a teammate, a neighbor, a professor, or a supervisor. Manag-

ers can increase their likability by developing traits of agreeableness, including being

friendly and cooperative, understanding other people in a genuine way, and striving

to make people feel positive about themselves.

Many companies, including JCPenney, DuPont, Toys “R” Us, and the Union

Paci c Railroad, use personality testing to hire, evaluate, or promote employ-

ees. Surveys show that at least 30 percent of organizations use some kind of per-

sonality testing for hiring.

Entrepreneurial companies such as eHarmony are

using sophisticated personality testing to match singles through online dating

services.

Online dating has grown into a half-billion dollar industry in just over ten years. Personality

tests are central to some of these organizations’ strategies, and eHarmony is one of the most

comprehensive at pursuing so-called serious daters, people who are searching for a lasting

relationship.

The eHarmony Compatibility Matching System employs an exhaustive 436-question per-

sonality survey that is based on founder Neil Clark Warren’s past professional experience and

his company’s research into long-lived marriages. Warren, who holds both divinity and clini-

cal psychology degrees, believes the unions most likely to succeed are those between people

who share at least 10 of the 29 personality traits eHarmony measures.

Does the approach work? So far, the only company to track relationships it has helped

create is eHarmony. Claiming to have helped bring about 16,000 marriages in 2005 alone,

the company conducted an in-house study it says showed eHarmony couples enjoyed higher

levels of marital satisfaction than those who had met through other channels.

Despite growing use of personality tests, there is so far little hard evidence show-

ing them to be valid predictors of job—or relationship—success.

eHarmony

Innovative Way

Marriott carefully screens candidates

for critical customer service positions, such as the hotel concierge

shown here. One important way managers determine whether

people have the “right stuff ” is through personality testing.

During the application process, candidates answer a series of

questions about their beliefs, attitudes, work habits, and how

they might handle situations, enabling Marriott to identify people

with interests and motivations that are compatible with company

values. As managers re-evaluate Marriott’s mission and goals,

the test also evolves. Some fear personality tests have too much

inﬂ uence, determining not just who gets hired, but who even gets

an interview.

PART 5 LEADING388

Emotional Intelligence

In recent years, new insights into personality are emerging through research in

the area of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence (EQ) includes four basic

components:

1. Self-awareness. The basis for all the other components; being aware of what you

are feeling. People who are in touch with their feelings are better able to guide

their own lives and actions. A high degree of self-awareness means you can accu-

rately assess your own strengths and limitations and have a healthy sense of self-

con dence.

2. Self-management. The ability to control disruptive or harmful emotions and

balance one’s moods so that worry, anxiety, fear, or anger do not cloud think-

ing and get in the way of what needs to be done. People who are skilled at

self-management remain optimistic and hopeful despite setbacks and obsta-

cles. This ability is crucial for pursuing long-term goals. MetLife found that

applicants who failed the regular sales aptitude test but scored high on opti-

mism made 21 percent more sales in their  rst year and 57 percent more in

their second year than those who passed the sales test but scored high on

pessimism.

3. Social awareness. The ability to understand others and practice empathy, which

means being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, to recognize what oth-

ers are feeling without them needing to tell you. People with social awareness

are capable of understanding divergent points of view and interacting effectively

with many different types of people.

4. Relationship management. The ability to connect to others, build positive rela-

tionships, respond to the emotions of others, and in uence others. People with

relationship management skills know how to listen and communicate clearly, and

they treat others with compassion and respect.

Studies show a positive relationship between job performance and high lev-

els of emotional intelligence in a variety of jobs. Numerous organizations, includ-

ing the U.S. Air Force and Canada Life, use EQ tests to measure such things as

self-awareness, ability to empathize, and capacity to build positive relationships.

Altera Corporation uses “empathy coaches” to help its salespeople develop greater

social awareness and see things from their customers’ point of view.

EQ seems to

be particularly important for jobs such as sales that require a high degree of social

interaction. It’s also critical for managers, who are responsible for in uencing oth-

ers and building positive attitudes and relationships in the organization. Managers

with low emotional intelligence can undermine employee morale and harm the

organization.

Complete the New Manager Self-Test on page 389 to assess your own level of

emotional intelligence. You might also want to refer back to the questionnaire related

to self-conﬁ dence at the beginning of this chapter. Self-conﬁ dence strongly inﬂ uences

a new manager’s EQ.

Attitudes and Behaviors Inﬂ uenced by Personality

An individual’s personality in uences his or her work-related attitudes and behav-

iors. As a new manager, you will have to manage people with a wide variety of per-

sonality characteristics. This chapter’s Shoptalk discusses how managers can cope

with the challenge of bridging personality differences. Four areas related to personal-

ity that are of particular interest to managers are locus of control, authoritarianism,

Machiavellianism, and problem-solving styles.

TakeaMoment

CHAPTER 13 DYNAMICS OF BEHAVIOR IN ORGANIZATIONS 389

Leading

What’s Your EQ?

Understanding yourself and others is a major part

of new manager’s job. To learn about your insights

into self and others, answer each item below as

Mostly True or Mostly False for you.

Mostly

True

Mostly

False

1. I am aware of sensations

and emotions within my

body.

2. I am slow to react to

others’ slights or nega-

tive actions toward me.

3. I can tell my friends’

moods from their

behavior.

4. I am good at build-

ing consensus among

others.

5. I have a good sense

of why I have certain

feelings.

6. I calm down right away

if upset and am quick to

forgive.

7. I often sense the impact

of my words or behavior

on others.

8. Other people are hap-

pier when I am around.

SCORING AND INTERPRETATION: The cat-

egories of emotional intelligence are below. Give

yourself one point for each item marked Mostly

True.

Self-Awareness: Items 1, 5

Self-Management: Items 2, 6,

Social Awareness: Items 3, 7

Relationship Management: Items 4, 8

These are the four dimensions of EQ described in

the text. If you scored 2 on a dimension, you prob-

ably do well on it. If you scored 0 on a dimension,

you may want to work on that aspect of your EQ

before becoming a manager. The important thing

as a manager is to know and guide yourself, to

understand the emotional state of others, and to

guide your relationships in a positive direction.

New ManagerSelf-Test

Locus of Control People differ in terms of what they tend to accredit as

the cause of their success or failure. Their locus of control de nes whether

they place the primary responsibility within themselves or on outside forc-

es.

Some people believe that their own actions strongly in uence what

happens to them. They feel in control of their own fate. These individuals

have a high internal locus of control. Other people believe that events in their

lives occur because of chance, luck, or outside people and events. They feel

more like pawns of their fate. These individuals have a high external locus

of control.

Research on locus of control shows real differences in behavior across a

wide range of settings. People with an internal locus of control are easier to

motivate because they believe the rewards are the result of their behavior.

loc

us o

contro

to p

ace t

e primar

or one’s success

ure eit

er wit

in onese

(

ternally

)

or on outside force

(

ter

nal

ly)