Perception

 

 Perception

 INTRODUCTION    

Perception can be defined as a process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.

However,what one perceives can be substantially different from objective reality.

 

Nature and Importance

Perception is a process by which individuals organize and interpret as per their sensory immersions in order to give meaning to their environment.

It is important to study perceptions in the study of Organization Behaviour, because people’s behaviour is based on their perception of’ what reality is and is not  on reality itself.

Perception is influenced by many factors.

 

FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTION       

 

A number of factors operate to shape and sometimes distort perception. Thesefactors can reside in the perceiver, in the object or target being perceived, situation in the context of which the perception is made.

 

The Perceiver

When an individual looks at a target and attempts to interpret what he or she sees,that interpretation is heavily influenced by personal characteristics of the individual perceiver. Among the more relevant personal characteristic affectinig perception are attitudes, motives, interests. expectations and past experiences. Unsatisfied needs or motives stimulate individuals and may exert a strong influence on their perceptions.

 

TheTarget

 

Characteristics of the target that is being observed can affect what is perceived.  Loud people are more likely to be noticed in a group than quiet ones. Motions, sounds, size and other attributes of a target shape the way we see it.

 TheSituation

The context in which we see objects or events is important. Elements in the surrounding environment influence our perception.

		Factorsintheperceiver •  Attitudes •  Motives •   Interests •   Experience •   Experctations
Factors in the situation •   Time •  WorkSetting •   SocialSetting		Perception
		Factorsinthetarget •  Novelty •  Motion •   Sounds •  Size •   Background •  Proximity •   Similarity

  

FREQUENTLY USED SHORTCUTS IN JUDGING OTHERS / Errors in perception

  

Selective perception

 Any characteristic that makes a person, object or event standout will increase the probability that it will be perceived. Because it is impossible for us to assimilate everything we see.Only certain stimuli can be taken in. Since we can’t observe everything going- on about us, we engage in selective perception.

Halo effect

 When we draw a general impression about an individual on the basis of a single characteristic, such an intelligence, sociability or appearance, a halo effect is operating.  When the subjects are allowing a single trait to influence their overall impression of the person being judged.

 Contrast effects

 We don’t evaluate a person in isolation. Our reaction to one person is influenced by other persons we have recently encountered.

 Projection

 It’s easy to judge others if we assume that they’ resimilar to us.E.g.:if one wants challenge/responsibility in ones  job, one assumes that others want the same. If one is  honest and trust worthy, one take it for granted that other people are equally honest and trust worthy. This tendency to attribute one’s own characteristics to other people — which is called projection — can distort perceptions made about others.

 Stereotyping

 When we  judge some one on the basis of our perception of the group to which he or she belongs, we are using the short cut called stereotyping. Generalization, of course,  is not without advantages. It’s a means of simplifying a complex world, and it permits us to maintain consistency.

 

 

SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS IN ORGANIZATION         

People in organizations are always judging each other. Managers must appraise their employees performances. We evaluate how much effort our co-workers are putting into their jobs. When a new person joins a work team, he or she is immediately “sized up” by the other team members. In many cases, these judgments have important consequences for the organization.

 

·         Employment Interview

·         Performance Expectations

·         Performance Evaluation

·         Employee effort

·         Employee loyalty