Barriers & Ways to Change Attitudes in Organisational Behaviour

Barriers & Ways to Change Attitudes

Barriers to Change Attitudes

Employees’ attitudes can be changed and sometimes it is in the best interests of management to try to do so.

For example, if employees believe that their employer does not look after their welfare, the management should try to change employees’ attitude and help to develop a more positive attitude towards them.

However, the process of changing the attitude is not always easy. Actually, the barriers are the limits which prevent the organization from achieving its predetermined goals. So every organization should be aware of these and should take corrective actions.

Barriers to Change Attitudes are:

1. Prior Commitment:

   When people feel a commitment towards a particular course of action that has already been agreed upon and thus it becomes difficult for them to change or accept the new ways of functioning.

2. Insufficient Information:

   It also acts as a major barrier to change attitudes. Sometimes people do not see a reason why they should change their attitude due to unavailability of adequate information.

Sometimes people do not see a reason why they should change their attitude due to unavailability of adequate information.

3. Balance and Consistency:

   Another obstacle to a change of attitude is the attitude theory of balance and consistency.

That is human beings prefer their attitudes about people and things to be in line with their behaviors towards each other and objects.

4. Lack of Resources:

   If plans become excessively ambitious, they can sometimes be obstructed by the lack of resources on the part of a company or organization. So, in this case, if the organization wants to change the attitude of the employees towards the new plan, sometimes it becomes impossible for the lack of resources to achieve this.

5. Improper Reward System:

   Sometimes, an improper reward system acts as a barrier to change attitude.

If an organization places too much emphasis on short-term performance and results, managers may ignore longer-term issues as they set goals and formulate plans to achieve higher profits in the short term.

If this reward system is introduced in the organization, then the employees are not motivated to change their attitude.

6. Resistance to Change:

   Another barrier is resistance to change. Basically, change is a continuous process within and outside the organization to achieve the set goal.

When the authority changes a plan of the organization the employees have to change themselves.

But some of them do not like this. If their attitude regarding the change of plan cannot be changed, the organization will not be successful.

Ways of Changing Attitudes

Attitude can be changed if we differentiate negative attitude from a positive attitude. A positive attitude can bring positive change in life, It is difficult to change attitudes but with some effort, it can be done. The individual from a culturally deprived environment who holds an array of hostile attitudes may change often he is given opportunities for education. A person from a privileged subculture, who has always held to a democratic attitude, may become negative towards some group because of one unfortunate experience. Well established attitudes tend to be resistant to change, but others may be more amenable to change.

So, Attitudes can be changed by a variety of ways.

• New information will help to change attitudes.
• Negative attitudes are mainly formed owing to insufficient information.
• Attitudes may change through direct experience.
• Another way in which attitudes can be changed is by resolving discrepancies between attitudes and behavior.
• Change of attitude can come through the persuasion of friends or peers.
• Attitudes may change through legislation.
• Since a person’s attitudes are anchored in his membership group and reference groups, one way to change the attitude is to modify one or the other.
• Fear can change attitude. If low levels of fear are used, people often ignore them.
• Changing the attitude differs with reference to the situation also.

Important links

• Perceptual Process & its Role | Perception in O.B.
• Perception in O.B.- Meaning, Definition, Nature, Importance etc.
• Errors in Perception (Perception in Organisational behaviour)
• Attitude in Organisational Behaviour- Definition, Process of Formation
• Components of Attitudes & ABC Model of Attitude
• Attitude in Organisational Behavior- Function, Characteristics & Properties
• Techniques used to measure the Attitude

Disclaimer: wandofknowledge.com is created only for the purpose of education and knowledge. For any queries, disclaimer is requested to kindly contact us. We assure you we will do our best. We do not support piracy. If in any way it violates the law or there is any problem, please mail us on wandofknowledge539@gmail.com