Assessment activities and case studies

Issues for discussion and practice

1.

Explain how attitude change can be facilitated.

2.

Explain how the nature and functions of attitudes can be predictors of behaviour.

3.

Stavos, a higher-level employee, attended a three-day seminar on management

for higher- and lower-level employees, including their departmental head. They
were evaluated for management under stress in the here and now.
Qualifications, past achievements and motivation were not considered. Stavos
scored the highest. At work, Stavos was eventually promoted to departmental
head and the previous head was transferred to another department. The effect in
the department was drastically improved morale. Stavos was respected for his
authority and prestige, for being supportive, insisting that everyone offers ideas,
and making employees feel that their ideas and commitment were appreciated.
Indicate how the credibility of the communicator, job satisfaction and job
involvement could be relevant to this increase in higher group morale.

4.

Fanie was brought up in a religious home. His parents expected him to

become a high-powered person in the church or a teacher who would teach
children the correct life values. He tried both occupations but in the end
chose to be an I-O psychologist focusing on harmony in organisations and
helping employees to find meaning in their work by expressing their intrinsic
selves. He helps them to see how their individual inputs into the whole of the
organisation have to do with innovation, and shows them that they are not
merely being producers that provide useful inputs.
Indicate what Fanies dominant value orientation seems to be and which value
systems, diametrically opposed to Fanies, represent his parents ideas.
Case study 1

You are a private consultant who has been asked to assess the human relations in a
large bank. This bank has recently amalgamated with two smaller banks. Employees
from the three banks who are having to work together are experiencing problems. You
discover that the major problem centres on attitudes.
Some employees evaluate those from other banks as incompetent and avoid them.
Unknowingly they feel that the newcomers are threats to their tenure.
Some feel less committed to their jobs and prefer to commit to friendship groups with
their old colleagues, as these provide them with a sense of affirmation of what they are.
Some have to admit that after a while of working together the new colleagues are not so

bad after all but they are nevertheless outsiders.

Some of the employees discussed above rationalise that their feelings are only due to
the pressure of new work schedules, while others realise that it is no use being
prejudiced they will have to work towards co-operation to maintain a harmonious
climate at work.
Some question the efficiency of the top executives. One executive is described as
patronisingly simplistic he idealises the new merger as one big family, seeming to
disregard the positive and negative issues he has to address. He seems to think that
one can just expect people to work together and, if they cant, to find other jobs.
Some of the old experienced employees are unhappy because new colleagues from
smaller banks who have less experience and earned less now receive the same
remuneration.
Some employees who have university degrees feel denigrated because employees with
fewer qualifications have usurped their power positions.
One of the managers feels that he has been placed in the wrong position. He has to
work at retrenching employees, some of them are his friends. All he ever wanted was to
be a human-resources specialist who focused on the needs and potential of others.
Now his job has economic undertones, which is a breach of his values.
Some employees feel that the organisational climate in the larger bank is not conducive
to individual growth. The boss is miles away, happily encloaked by his power over his
family of subordinates. In their previous, smaller bank, every person was seen as an
individual who could contribute to his/her own and the organisations accomplishment.
Human relations were important and there was no distinction between male and female
employees or between Black employees and White employees.
1.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)

As a consultant with knowledge of attitudes, identify how the following are

relevant to the banks problems:
the nature of attitudes
functions regarding the self
the handling of cognitive dissonance
the role of credibility of the communicator
the organisation of communications
threats to job satisfaction
threats to values that are part of personality
the role of cultural values, such as power distance, individualism and
femininity.

ADDITIONAL CASE STUDIES

In search of meaning
When Randal joined Everfresh Foods, he was told that everybody who joined the
organisation had to start from the bottom and learn everything there was to be learned
about the organisation. Randal was an intelligent and hardworking person, and believed
that he would very quickly rise up the organisational ranks. He wanted to become a
manager and while he was working on the shop floor, he planned what changes he was
going to make in the organisation once he was promoted. He started practising his
leadership skills by telling his co-workers how to do their jobs more efficiently. He
sometimes made small changes in his workplace hoping management would either
approve or alternatively, not notice at all.
Randal very quickly became disillusioned with the company. After six months, he was
still in the same position. His manager had not once sat down with him to find out what
his life or career plans were. He was instructed to do basic cleaning jobs that he felt
were below him. When he complained to his co-workers they told him to shut up and do
what he was supposed to do. One co-worker said Randal should be thankful for his job
and the money he was paid. Randal did not agree. He wanted much more from a job
than just being paid.
Randal decided to speak to his uncle, who was a very clever man. His uncle asked him
about his job, his manager, his expectations, even about the foods and goods the
company sold. After an hour, just when Randal thought the conversation was going
nowhere, he uncle declared: After listening to all the information, and analysing the
facts, it is clear you do not like your job and you are going nowhere in this company.
You must look for a new job. Randal did not find his uncle helpful.
Randal then complained to his mother. She listened attentively to him and empathised
with his situation. She promised to help him compile a new CV and look for jobs in the
newspapers.
1.

Randal developed a negative attitude towards his job. Explain the three
components of attitudes and indicate how each could apply to Randal.

2.

Is Randals attitude towards his job central or peripheral? Explain.

3.

Define job satisfaction.

4.

List the factors that contribute to job satisfaction. How satisfied is Randal in
terms of these factors? Explain.

5.

What personal value system can be linked to Randal, his uncle and his
mother? Explain your answers.

6.

Discuss cultural values that can be used to analyse organisations. Which of

these values are evident at Everfresh Foods? Explain your answers.

7.

Is work a central life interest to Randal? Explain.

The story of an Indian family

Rashmees grandparents emigrated from India to South Africa in the 1930s. Both her
grandparents obtained employment in the sugarcane plantations in Natal. As labourers
they had no status, a meagre income, and often had to work for long hours in humid
and wet conditions. However, as with many other Indians, they overcame the poverty
trap by working hard, living on as little as possible and saving up as much as they could
in order to have their children educated. Families also combined their financial
resources, time and energy to start small businesses. Over time, these businesses grew
into large companies. Rashmees extended family invested their money into a fabric
shop.
When Rashmee was old enough, she was sent to a good school and encouraged to
take full advantage of the educational opportunities that were offered there. Rashmee
continued her education at the University of Rhodes, completing a BA degree in sales
and marketing.
After gaining work experience at their family business for a few years, Rashmee found
employment as a marketing manager at Raphael Textiles. She initially received a lot of
resistance from her colleagues, who perceived her appointment as a political move.
This bothered her a lot, as she was a person who believed in hard work and maintaining
good relations with those around her. The production manager encouraged her to stop
focusing on office politics, and start focusing on what she was appointed for, namely, to
market the companys products. This advice changed Rashmees attitude and
approach. She set out to establish excellent relationships with existing customers and
promote the companys image and products instead of worrying about how she was
perceived in the workplace. Within a few months, her dedication and hard work paid off
the company had secured bigger and better contracts than before.
Gradually, Rashmees colleagues changed their attitudes and behaviour towards her.
They now perceived her as a person with excellent competencies and skills. They
preferred to consult her on most issues and regarded her as a leader and expert. One
or two of her colleagues admitted openly that they had been biased and prejudiced
because of her race, religion and gender, and they apologised. According to them, their
encounters with Rashmee did not only change their relationship with her, but helped
them to become less prejudiced towards people in general.
1.

How conducive to job satisfaction were the jobs occupied by the early Indian
emigrants?

2.

Discuss the various value-orientations that can over time become intrinsic to a
persons personality. Which value-orientation was most evident amongst the
early Indian immigrants?

3.

Discuss the various cultural values and indicate which ones were evident in the
early Indian community?

4.

Employees at Raphael Textiles initially had a negative attitude towards

Rashmee. Discuss the three components of attitudes and indicate how they
would apply to the attitudes of these employees.

5.

Explain how cognitive dissonance could have contributed to the employees

changing their views about Rashmee.