Perception

Perception…
• It is a unique interpretation of the situation,
not an exact recording of it.

• It is a complex cognitive process that is

learned.

• It may be different from reality.

 Perception
In the context of OB, this can be considered as a filter
at the individual level.

The Bottom Line:

“Recognition of the difference between this filtered,
perceptual world and the real world is vital to the
understanding of organizational behaviour.”

Eg.: Assumption by managers that all subordinates

want promotion.
 Sensation V. Perception
• Sensation refers to the process of sensing our
environment through five senses:
Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch and Taste

• Perception is the way we interpret these

sensations and therefore make sense of
everything around us.
 Sensation V. Perception
• Sensation provides the raw data;

• Perception through cognitive processes and

filters, interprets and tries to make a meaning
out of it.

• Eg.: Childhood experience of travelling by

train.
 Perception…
• Stimulus

• Past Experience

• Pre-conditioning

• Comprehending and Reasoning Ability

Sub Processes of Perception
 Social Perception…
• The most relevant to the study of OB is social
perception.

• It is concerned with how one individual

perceives other individuals.

• It is about how we get to know others.

 Social Perception…
Characteristics of the Perceiver:
Knowing oneself makes it easier to see others
accurately.

One’s own characteristics affect the characteristics

one is likely to see in others.

People who accept themselves are more likely to be

able to see favorable aspects of other people.

Accuracy in perceiving others is not a single skill.

 Social Perception…
Characteristics of the Perceived
The status of the person perceived will greatly
influence others’ perception of the person.

The person being perceived is usually placed into

categories to simplify the viewer’s perceptual
activities. Two common categories are status and role.

The visible traits of the person perceived will greatly

influence others’ perception of the person.
 Perception: Learning…
• The importance of caution in judging other
people.

• The wide spread differences between judgments,

that no two people see the same thing in the
same way.

• The significance of the mechanism of projection -

the tendency to see in others qualities which are
really part of ourselves.
 Perception: Learning…
• The importance of two-way communications, including
plenty of active listening.

• Mental set - we see what we want or expect to see.

• The value of empathy, and the effect of lack of

empathy.

• The rigidity of snap judgments – “I could see right away

that he . . . “ or “The only way to do it is...”
 Perception: Learning…
1. Men are intellectually superior.
2. Men are emotionally stable than women.
3. Men value achievement, promotion and
meaningful work more than women.
4. Men are inherently more aggressive than
women.
5. Successful managers possess masculine
attributes.
Stereotyping – A Few Examples
 Perception: Learning…
Stereotyping:
 Judging someone on the basis of one’s perception of the group to
which that person belongs – a prevalent and often useful, if not
always accurate, generalization.

 Tendency to perceive another person as belonging to a single

class or category.

 Frequently used term to describe perceptual errors.

Profiling
– A form of stereotyping in which members of a group are singled
out for intense scrutiny based on a single, often racial, trait.
 Perception: Learning…
• The Halo Effect
– A person is perceived on the basis of one trait.
– Is a common rater error.
– Has both true and illusory components.
– Has led to inflated correlations among rating
dimensions and is due to the influence of a
general evaluation and specific judgments.
– Has negative consequences and should be
avoided or removed.
 Perception: Learning…
Horns Effect
• It is opposite of halo effect.

• Here in, an individual is downgraded because

of a single negative characteristics or incident.

• For example an individual is not given

promotion because he lacks self confidence.
 Perception and Managerial
Implications

People act based on how they view their

world.

What exists is not as important as what is

believed/perceived.

Managers must also manage perception.

 Concluding Observations
“When Peter talks about Paul, we learn more about
Peter than we do about Paul.”
-Spinoza

“He who knows others is clever, but he who knows

himself is enlightened.”

“I observe myself and so I come to know others.”

-Lao Tze