influencing attitudes and changing behaviours in the work place
TRANSCRIPT
Emeka Anazia, ACIPM,MITD, MATD, MHRD
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority Workshop
Attitude: manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person
or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind
Behaviour: observable activity in a human or animal. the aggregate of responses to internal and external
stimuli.
“Attitude is everything”?
Do you agree? What’s your take?
Attitude might not really be “everything’’
In many situations, it is the single most significant determining
factor of success.
Though innate/implicit and enduring predispositions,
Attitudes are learnt
…..and influenced by a number of factors
Faith/Belief
Learning – diverse avenues
External environment, etc
It is a key element in producing a quality product or service
it is greatly influenced by management
Attitude produces behaviour
Repeated behaviours form habits
Employee attitude about the product, about the work, their manager
and about the company will determine the quality of the work
Do we really need to be concerned about employee attitudes and behaviours?
Is it possible to influence/change people’s attitudes and behaviours?
How can we achieve this in the workplace?
the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the
actions, behaviour, opinions, etc., of others
the action or process of producing effects on the
actions, behaviour, opinions, etc., of another or others
to make the form, nature, content, future
course, etc., of (something) different from
what it is or from what it would be if left alone
to transform or convert into
People are rational Information processing
Can be motivated to listen to a communication, learn it and
incorporate it into their repertoire of responses
…….When this learning is rewarded
People are social beings
Need and use other people as a basis of self-knowledge
Regulate their behaviours in accordance to the group norms and
demands of the surrounding environment.
List 5 behaviours in your organization that are
helpful
List 5 other that hurt the organization
What efforts have been used to address them?
Were they effective? Why?
Things to Think of When Influencing Change in Attitudes
1. What an audience thinks of the communicator
2. The more extreme the opinion change that the communicator asks for, the more actual
change s/he is likely to get. 3. The audience's attention to the communication and
comprehension of the arguments, examples and appeals are crucial to help changing attitudes.
Things to Think of When Influencing Change in Attitudes
4. The audience's initial position at the star
5. The greater the discrepancy between the message and the recipient's initial position, the greater the attitude
change
6. With extreme discrepancy (and low credibility sources) there is a falling off in attitude change.
3 major theories of behaviour change
Key variables of behaviour
change models
Link between behaviour
change and attitude.
The Key elements of Behaviour Change
Ways to maximize on
these variables
Theories of Behaviour Change
People are driven not by inner forces, but by external factors
An interaction between behaviour, personal and environmental factors
Environmental - Situational influences
Environment in which behaviour is preformed while
Personal - Instincts, drives, traits, and other individual motivational forces
Social Cognitive theory
These variables may also intervene in the process of behaviour change
Self-efficacy — A judgment of one’s ability to perform the behaviour
Outcome Expectations — A judgment of the likely consequences a behaviour will produce
Self-Control — the ability of an individual to control their behaviours
Reinforcements — something that increases or decreases the likelihood a behaviour will continue
Social Cognitive theory
Emotional Coping
the ability of an individual to cope with emotional stimuli
Observational Learning
the acquisition of behaviours by observing actions and
outcomes of others’ behaviour
Social Cognitive Theory
To increase levels of self-efficacy it may be important to provide resources and support to raise individual confidence
To raise self-efficacy behaviour change should be
approached as a series of small steps
Application to Practice
Even with a strong sense of efficacy, people may not perform the behaviour if they have no incentive.
If we are interested in getting others to enact behaviour
change, it may be important to
provide incentives and rewards for the behaviours
Application to Practice
Shaping the environment may encourage behaviour change.
this may include providing opportunities for behavioural change, assisting with those
changes, and offering support
Recognize environmental constraints that might
deter behaviour change.
Application to Practice
Behaviour is dependent on one’s intention to
perform the behaviour
Intention is determined by an individual’s attitude (beliefs and values about the outcome of the
behaviour) and subjective norms (beliefs about what other people think the person should do
….and individual’s perceived behavioural control
Theory of Planned Behaviour
Behaviours are often linked with one’s personal motivation
This suggests that it may be important to present information to help shape positive attitudes towards the behaviour
Stress subjective norms or opinions that support the behaviour
For perceived behavioural control to influence behaviour change, a person must perceive that they have the ability to perform the behaviour
Perceived control over opportunities, resources, and skills needed is an important part of the change process.
Attitude
Application to Practice
Change as a process of six stages
Precontemplation
stage in which people are not intending to make a change in
the near future [usually 6 months]
Stages of Change Model
Contemplation
people intend to change (within the next 6 months)
People in this stage are aware of the pros of
changing but also can identify the cons
Stages of Change Model
Preparation
people have a plan of action and intend to take action in
the immediate future (within a month)
Action
people make the behaviour change
Stages of Change Model
Maintenance
people work to prevent relapse
Termination
individuals have 100 percent efficacy and will maintain their behavior
Maintenance State is the most difficult to sustain, so many people
remain a lifetime in maintenance
Stages of Change Model
it is essential to match behavior change
interventions to people’s stages
For example, if an individual is in the
Precontemplation stage it is important
to raise their awareness about a behavior in order for them to
contemplate making a behavior change
Application to Practice
Without a planned intervention, people will remain stuck in the early stages due to a lack of
motivation to move through the stages
Series of activities that have received empirical support,
which help individuals progress through the stages
Application to Practice
Consciousness
Raising
increasing awareness of the causes (providing educational materials, confrontation, media
campaigns, feedback, etc.)
Dramatic Relief
producing an emotional experience which is
followed by a reduced affect if some action can
be taken (personal testimonies, media campaigns, drama)
Self-reevaluation
inviting individuals to make cognitive and
emotional assessments of their self image (clarify values, provide healthy models, using imagery)
environmental re-evaluation
assessments of how the presence or absence of a
behavior might impact one’s social environment (documentaries, personal
stories, family interventions)
Application to Practice
Communicator characteristics are very important
You are more likely to succeed if you have high credibility (i.e.
expertise, trustworthiness).
Think about what tactic to use.
Sometimes emotional appeals works, sometimes factual or sometimes even
fear appeals! (There is a positive relationship between fear arousal and
attitude change.)
Tips to Effectively Influencing Change in
Attitudes
Audience will be more influenced if the communicator
first acknowledges the audience's initial position
Think of your order of arguments - argument
presented last is the most effective.
Tips to Effectively Influencing Change in
Attitudes
Concluding Remarks
Questions
Comments