Werner & DeSimone (2006) 1

Influences on Employee
Behavior
Chapter 2
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Learning Objectives
Identify the major external and internal factors that influence
employee behavior
Describe two primary types of outcomes that result from behavior
and tell how they may influence future behavior.
State how a supervisors leadership and expectations can affect
employee behavior
Recognize that impact that have on employee at co workers and
organizations themselves have on of employee behavior.
Define motivation and describe the main approaches/theory to
understanding motivation at work.
Discuss how knowledge, skill, ability, and attitude influences
employee behavior

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A Major Purpose of Human
Resource Development
To change employee behavior through
training and other incentives
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Model of Employee
Behavior/factors/environment
Forces that influence behavior:
External to the employee:
External environment (economic conditions,
laws and regulations, etc.)
Work environment (supervision, organization,
coworkers, outcomes of performance)
Within the employee:
Motivation, attitudes, knowledge/skills/abilities
(KSAs)
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The External Environment
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Factors in the External
Environment
Economic conditions
Technological changes
Labor market conditions
Laws and regulations
Labor unions


Source: Heneman, Schwab, Fossum & Dyer (1989)
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Factors in the Work
Environment
Outcomes result of E behavior
Supervision and leadership
Organization
Coworkers
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Influences on Employee
Behavior
Factor

Issues

Outcomes

Types



Effect on Motivation


Supervision

Leadership



Performance Expectations


Organization

Reward Structure



Organizational Culture



Job Design


Coworkers

Norms



Group Dynamics



Teamwork



Control of Outcomes

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Outcomes Can Influence
Employee Behavior
Personal outcomes
Organizational outcomes

Both expectancy theory and equity theory
predict that employee perceptions of the
outcomes they receive (or hope to receive)
influences their performance of that
behavior.
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Supervisor Characteristics
Leadership
Performance expectations (Pygmalion
effect)
Evaluation of efforts
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Organizational Influences
Reward structure
Organizational culture
Job design
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Coworker Influence
Norms
Group dynamics
Teamwork
Control over outcomes
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Motivation
Psychological processes that cause the
arousal, direction, and persistence of
voluntary actions that are goal-directed

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Motivation Characteristics
Pertains to voluntary behavior
Focuses on processes affecting
behavior such as:
Energizing of effort
Direction of effort
Persistence of effort
An individual phenomenon
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Energizing Effort
The generation or mobilization of effort
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Direction of Effort
Applying effort to one behavior over
another
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Persistence
Continuing (or ceasing) to perform a
behavior
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Explanations of Work
Motivation
Need-based
Cognitive-based
Noncognitive-based
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Need-Based Theories
Underlying needs,
such as needs for
survival, safety,
power, etc., are
what drives
motivation


Theories:
Maslows hierarchy
of needs theory
Alderfers existence,
relatedness, and
growth (ERG) theory
Herzbergs two-
factor theory
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Need Activation-Need
Satisfaction Process
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Maslows Hierarchy of Needs
Self-Actualization
Needs
Esteem Needs
Belonging & Love Needs
Safety Needs
Survival Needs
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Cognitive Theories
Expectancy theory
Goal-setting theory
Social learning theory
Equity theory

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Expectancy Theory
Motivation is viewed as a conscious choice
People put their efforts into actions they can
perform to achieve desired outcomes
Three key elements:
Expectancy expect effort to result in success
Instrumentality performance results in reward
Valence value individual puts on outcome
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Expectancy Theory
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Goal Setting Theory
Specific, difficult, and understood goals
generally lead to higher performance
Keys to success are the level of difficulty and
the clearness of goals
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Social Learning Theory
Self-efficacy judgment of what you
think you can do with the skills you
have
Major prediction of the theory is that
expectations determine:
Whether a behavior will be performed
How much effort will be expended
How long you will perform the behavior
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Self-Efficacy and Effort
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Equity Theory
Major assumptions:
If you are treated fairly, you will keep
working well
If you think you are being treated unfairly,
you will change your behavior in order to be
treated fairly
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Equity Theory
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A Noncognitive Theory
Reinforcement theory
e.g., behavior modification
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Complexity of Behavior
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Behavior Modification
Principles for controlling employee behavior:
Positive Reinforcement
Negative Reinforcement
Extinction decrease occurrences by
eliminating reinforcement that causes the
behavior
Punishment introduce an adverse
consequence immediately after behavior
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A Specific Example
Sleeping in Class:
1. Warning
2. Leave class and explain to the Assistant
Dean why you were asked to leave
Too often you are dropped from the class
Question: Is this positive or negative
reinforcement, and why?
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Internal Factors That
Influence Employee Behavior
Motivation
Attitudes
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)
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Attitudes
A persons general feelings of favor or
disfavor towards something
Feelings towards a person, place, thing,
event, or idea
Tend to be VERY stable and hard to change
Attitudes are important in training e.g.,
does the trainee intend to use the training or
ignore it?
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Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
(KSAs)
Abilities general capacities related to the
performance of specific tasks
Skills combines abilities and capacities,
generally the result of training
Knowledge understanding of the factors or
principles related to a specific subject
HRD programs mostly focus on changing
skills and knowledge