Number of Dependents

-influences absenteeism & job satisfaction

-inversely proportional to job satisfaction
Ability
Refers to an individual's capacity to perform the various tasks in job-basically a current assessment
of what one can do-made of two sets of factors: Intellectual & Physical
Intellectual Ability
Abilities needed to perform mental activities-ascertained by IQ tests
Most frequently cited dimensions of intellectual ability

Number aptitude-ability to do speedy & accurate arithmetic

Verbal comprehension-ability to understand what is or heard & the relationship of words to
each other
Perceptual speed-ability to identify visual similarities & differences quickly & accurately
Inductive reasoning-ability to identify a logical sequence in a problem & then solve the
problem
Deductive reasoning-ability to use logic & assess the implications of an argument
Spatial visualization-ability to imagine how an object would look if its position in space is
changed
Memory-ability to retain & recall past experiences

Jobs differ in demands for intellectual abilities-high IQ may not be prerequisite for many jobs & may
be unrelated to performance-ability/job fit may be ascertained by measuring specific dimensions of
intelligence-may play a very crucial role in complex job situations
Physical Ability
-gain importance for successfully doing less skilled & more standardized jobs demanding stamina,
manual dexterity, strength & similar characteristics
Basic abilities involved in the performance of physical tasks

Dynamic strength-ability to exert muscular force repeatedly or continuously over longer

time
Trunk strength- ability to exert muscular strength using trunk
(particularly abdominal) muscles
Static strength-ability to exert force against external objects
Extent flexibility-ability to move trunk & back muscles as far as possible
Dynamic flexibility-ability to make rapid , repeated flexing movements
Body coordination-ability to coordinate the various simultaneous actions of body
Stamina-ability to continue maximum effort requiring prolong efforts over longer time

High performance achieved by ascertaining the extent of specific job requirements

Ability-Job fit ascertainment
-jobs require differing demands on people, who differ in possessed abilities-employee performance
enhanced only with high ability-fit job
-adequate job performance achieved only with specific intellectual & physical ability requirementsa close interaction between employee's abilities & job ability requirements
Eg.-airline pilots need strong spatial-visualization abilities

-beach lifeguards need both strong spatial-visualization abilities &

body coordination
-senior executives need verbal abilities
-high-rise construction workers need balance abilities
-journalists need strong reasoning abilities
An adverse case-employee's abilities far exceed the job requirements-net result, frustration & job
dissatisfaction due to limitations of job, especially with employee's strong desire to use his/her
abilities
Learning
Occurs all the time-adds to the wealth of experience-hence learning-a change in behavior, good
&/or bad, as a result of experience
-involves change-may be good &/or bad from the organization's point of view-people learn both
favorable & unfavorable behavior
-change must be relatively permanent-temporary may be only reflexive & thus fail to reflect
learning
-should indicate change in actions & not only in thought processes &/or attitudes
-experience may be acquired directly thru observation or practice & indirectly thru reading
Learning, how?-various approaches to learning
Classical conditioning-a type of process in which an individual responds to some stimulus that
would not ordinarily produce such a response-a passive process
Eg.-a dog, salivation, a piece of meat, a ringing bell
A piece of meat-unconditioned stimulus-A ringing bell-conditioned stimulus-in both cases, the
response is salivation
Visit by top officials-cleaning of factory-only an occasional response-converted to cleaning at
regular intervals-change in behavior
Operant conditioning-attainment of behavior as a function of consequences-learn to behave to get
desired something or to avoid the undesired something-type of conditioning in which desired
voluntary behavior leads to a reward or prevents a punishment
-a learned or nonreflexive behavior-most likely repeatable
Eg.-a reward immediately after favorable behavior or a nonpunishment after unfavorable behaviorgetting monetary reward for catching smuggling or not punished for accepting a bribe
-a promise of compensation by the boss to subordinate for working overtime, if not kept, the
subsequent similar requests naturally be declined by the subordinate
Social Learning-learning thru observations or narrated experience or own experience-behavior is a
function of consequences-extension of operant conditioning-acknowledges existence of
observational learning & the importance of perception-behavior influenced by watching role
models, parents, teachers, movie & TV performers, celebrities, etc.
Processes of social learning

Attentional process-learning from model by paying attention to its critical features-most

influenced by attractiveness, repeated availability, important & similar to ones own
estimation
Retention process-influence depending on deep remembrance of model's actions without
its availability
Motor reproduction process-performing the model's activities after watching them
Reinforcement process-motivation to exhibit modeled behavior if positive incentives or
rewards provided-behaviors that are positively reinforced are given more attention, learned
better, & performed more often

Shaping behavior-systematically reinforcing each successive step that moves an individual closer
to the desired response-attempt to mold individuals by guiding the learning in graduated steps
Ways to shape behavior

Positive reinforcement-a response followed by something pleasant

Boss appreciating employee for good job done
Negative reinforcement-a response followed by termination or withdrawal from the scene
Punishment-causing an unpleasant situation to eliminate undesirable behavior-suspension
of employee for reporting drunk on duty
Extinction-eliminating a reinforcement that is maintaining the behavior-neglecting an
employee totally

First two result in learning, strengthening the response, increasing the probability of repetition-last
two causes withdrawal-outcome may be negative for both, an individual & the organization
Reinforcement-an impressive record as a shaping tool-necessary to produce change in behavior-the
speed of learning & the permanence of its effects decided by the timing of reinforcement