Chapter 5 Values and Attitudes

Topics What are values? Occupational Differences in Values Values Across Cultures Implications of Cultural Variation What Are Attitudes ? Attitude Formation Changing Attitudes Cognitive dissonance

Values What Are Values? Values can be defined as a "broad tendency to prefer certain states of affairs over others." Not everyone holds the same values. Values may be classified into intellectual(عقلى), economic, social, aesthetic(جمالى), and political categories.

Occupational Differences in Values Members of different occupational groups espouse different values. Salespeople rank social values less than the average person, while professors value "equal opportunity for all" more than the average person. People tend to choose occupations that correspond to their values.

Values Across Cultures Work Centrality Hofstede's Study : 1. Power distance 2. Uncertainty avoidance 3. Masculinity vs. Femininity 4. Individualistic cultures 5. Long-term vs. Short-term orientation.

Implications of Cultural Variation Exporting OB Theories Importing OB Theories Appreciating Global Customers Developing Global Employees

Attitudes What Are Attitudes? An attitude is a fairly stable emotional tendency to respond consistently to some specific object, situation, person, or category of people. Attitudes are usually defined as a disposition or tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain thing (idea, object, person, and situation).

Attitude Formation Belief + Value = Attitude Attitudes are a function of what we think and what we feel. That is, attitudes are the product of a related belief and value. Elements of Attitude : 1. Knowledge 2. Feelings 3. Tendency

Changing Attitudes We use persuasion of some form to modify the beliefs or values of an audience that supports a currently held attitude Persuasion techniques. 1. written communications such as posters or newsletters, 2. or face-to-face communications such as conferences or meetings.