HCM 433 MANGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR.pdf

outstanding performance is attributed to a new machine or engineering procedure, the perception
and resulting treatment will be different from the perception and resulting treatment will be
different from the perception and resulting treatment will be different from the if the performance
is attributed to ability and driver. The same is true of attributions made of one’s own behaviour.
Perceptions and hence behaviour will vary depending on whether internal (personal attributions)
or external (situational attributions) are made.
Stereotyping:
This is another important area of social perception that is particularly relevant to the understanding
of organizational behaviour, because it is one of the “common errors” or problems that creep into
social perception. The term stereo type refers to the tendency to perceive another person (hence
social perception) as belonging to a single or category. In other words stereotypes means beliefs
suggesting that all members of a particular group (e.g. a racial, ethic, occupational, religious or
political) share the same traits and behaviours.
Stereotyping greatly influences social perception in today’s organizations. It has become a
frequently used term to describe perceptual errors. In particular it is employed in analyzing
prejudice. Stereotyping may however attribute favourable or unfavourable trait or characteristics
to the person being perceived. Common stereotype groups include the various members of
functional and staff specialists for example economists, computer programmers and engineers.
There is a consensus about the traits or characteristics possessed by the members of these
categories. Yet in reality there is often a discrepancy between the agreed-upon traits of each
category and the actual traits of the members. For example not all musicians are womanizers and
marry more than one wife. Not all the contrary, there are individual differences and a great deal of
variability among members of these groups. Inspite of this, other organization members
commonly make blanket perceptions and behave accordingly.
The halo effect:
This is another common error in perception and is very similar to stereotyping. whereas in
stereotyping the person is perceived according to a single category or group under the halo effect
there is a tendency for our over all impressions of others (blanket perception) to affect our
evaluations of their specific traits or behaviours. Such effect can be positive (a favourable halo) or
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