WEEK 3 3.1 This week's focus This week's topic is Perception. This week we will be looking at perception in the organistional context. Perception is the way in which we organise and interpret information that arrives through our various sense (smoke equals fire, say) in order to give meaning to our everyday environment. Our perception is a function of our experiences and environments. So, it is to be expected that not all employees will always agree on what they have seen, learned, and sensed when it comes to basic workplace issues and events. The same information or incident when perceived by different people can be ascribed quite different meanings. Ships, clouds, arches: an optical illusion (2009) <http://bit.ly/2uxAFEn> This week's objectives By the end of this week you should be able to: · describe the elements of self-concept and explain how each affects an individual's behaviour and wellbeing · outline the perceptual process and discuss the effects of categorical thinking and mental models in that process · explain how stereotyping, attribution, self-fulfilling prophecy, halo, false- consensus, primacy and recency influence the perceptual process · outline three ways to improve perceptions, with specific application to organisational situations · outline the main features of a global mindset and justify its usefulness to employees and organisations. 3.2 Dimensions of self-concept There is a 'consensus reality' in that most of us will look at a chair and say it's a chair. Others will say they see an arrangement of timber; these people are describing their subjective reality, but it is nonetheless real to them. Perception is the way in which we organise and interpret information in order to give meaning to our environment. So, if we perceive differently - and we do - it must be expected that not all employees will agree on what to do, and how to do it, on some very basic issues. Even in cases where we see, read, and hear the same information, we may not agree on what the information means.
The 5-minute video 'Rethinking thinking - Trevor Maber' analyses how every day we meet people and process our interactions, making inferences and developing beliefs about the world around us. In the video, you are introduced to the idea of a 'ladder of inference' and a process for rethinking the way we interact. https://youtu.be/KJLqOclPqis, VIEWED 07/11/17. Perception is the result of the interaction between three broad factors: the individual (or the perceiver), the environment (work and social context) and the target. Within each of these factors are a number of sub-factors that may influence perception. Let's begin from the bottom up with the individual, and look at the three Cs of self-concept (shown below): · Complexity o People have multiple self-views · Consistency o Similar personality and values across multiple selves · Clarity · Self-views are clearly and confidently described, internally consistent and stable across time. ACTIVITY QUIZ <CONTINUE> NOT COPIED. Problems with perception Selective attention Ever been accused of having selective attention? · Selecting vs. ignoring sensory