Respond to the listed below discussion questions:

Please do the following when responding:

· Provide substantive comments by

– contributing new, relevant information from course readings, Web sites, or other sources;

– building on the remarks or questions of others; or

– sharing practical examples of key concepts from your professional or personal experiences

– Respond to feedback on your posting and provide feedback to other students on their ideas.

– Make sure your writing is clear, concise, and organized;

– demonstrates ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and

– Displays accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Discussion Question #1 

· How important are employee attitudes and emotions as well as transparency in shaping organizational behavior?

Answer: Employee attitudes and emotions are vital in shaping organizational behavior. For it is these factors that guide employee engagement within an organization. The attitudes and emotions of employees bring about their sense of belonging and connection into the work environment. According to Jiang (2016), transparency involves communication and making sure that employees are involved in the decision making and transformation of the organization. Organizational leaders must be sure to be transparent in their communication with employees so that they are more in tune with the beliefs, mission and goals of the organization.

· Elaborate on how employee perceptions shape organizational behavior. Are perceptions and reality always the same?

Answer: Employee perceptions shape organizational behavior through motivation and engagement within the organization. Perceptions are merely the thought or idea of how something is, and reality is actually what it is. These two terms are never the same because a perception and reality could be two different things. For example, in organizational behavior; an employees’ perception of the social atmosphere of an organization could motivate them to excel however the reality is that the social atmosphere is horrible amongst employees and management within the organization. Based on the employee’s perception and not the actual truth, the employee is motivated to excel in an environment they truly know nothing about.

References

Jiang, H. (2016, June 15). Cultivating Employee Trust: From Authenticity, Transparency to

Engagement. Retrieved January 06, 2018, from http://www.instituteforpr.org/cultivating-

employee-trust-authenticity-transparency-engagement/

Discussion Question #2

· How important are employee attitudes and emotions as well as transparency in shaping organizational behavior?

       According to Uhl-Bien, Schermerhorn, Wiley, and Osborn (2014), “An understanding of organizational behavior begins with,” the individual” (Uhl-Bien, p.27).  Therefore, the significance of employee attitudes and emotions are instrumental along with transparency  to creating a healthy workspace and environment in organizational behavior. Without a positive outlook and realistic approach to creating an workplace environment that is built upon trust and effective teamwork, employee attitudes and emotions serve as the major link to producing high quality work, keeping a safe and open workspace, as well as, building a strong team moral. People that are not happy with their jobs, usually carry a negative and highly distracting work personality. Negative attitudes and emotions may become a breeding ground for unhealthy competition with peers and others; additionally, possibly creating a strong dislike for other colleagues or supervisors, and may foster a hostile work environment. Those whom do not like their jobs show their dislike through their attitudes and emotions and many of us have many stories to share about co-workers that we have worked with whom carry these traits in an abundance.  So as our authors have clearly alluded, workplace attitude and emotions truly begins with the individual.  Have you ever noticed in your own line of work, people who call in “sick” to work usually are not happy with their jobs? This is where transparency bridges and mends that gaps between what I would argue are “good” versus “bad” workspace environments. Good workspace environments mirror transparency because they help to sustain organizational behavior that is well managed. Bad workspace environments can also mirror the problems that are most corrupt or unhealthy within organizations and in most cases can start from the top-down. Meaning, if the supervisor has a strong distaste for his work, his staff will most likely harbor the same “emotions and attitudes” for the their work also. The authors summarize this example when they discuss their concepts of “cognition” and “job satisfaction” (pg.83). 

· Elaborate on how employee perceptions shape organizational behavior. Are perceptions and reality always the same?

   Perception and reality are not always the same and this can be best exemplified in e-mail office communication. How a supervisor and employee respond to various forms of communication can be misinterpreted all too often. For example, for those supervisors that have a very direct and clear writing style, employees that read their supervisors e-mails can easily misinterpret or misconstrue that authenticity of the authors original message; thus, creating an unnecessary and an expected conflict.  Additionally, I assert that perception and reality are not always the same because of the multiple ways many of individuals in the workforce industry understand our own realities. What one person perceives as reality, is not necessarily the same as what another person many perceive as their constructed reality. So, how does a person construct his or her reality? In order to answer this question we can look again to our authors and examine their definition of “Organizational Identification” (pg. 85).  Organizational Identification summarizes the needs for the employee to strive to be a good player and feel a strong sense of belonging to an organization” (Uhl-Bien, et.al, 2014). Employees shape organizational behavior upon how they see his/her own constructed reality and this may include perception versus emotion. 

References

 Uhl-Bien, M., Schermerhorn, Jr., J., Osborn, J. (2014).  Organizational Behavior. (13th eds.)  Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc,