SS-6 - Perception & Attribution

Imagine you are the
manager, walking into your

subordinate John's office
unexpectedly. John is leaning
back in his chair, feet on the
desk and eyes closed.
How will youreact?
Definition
Perception is the process of receiving, selecting,

organizing, interpreting, checking, and reacting to
sensory inputs, stimuli, or data.
FACTORS
THAT
INFLUENCE
PERCEPTION
SOCIAL PERCEPTION
Process of interpreting
information about another
person
Affects how people perceive
each other when going
through a life change
Culturally determined
Explains how individuals pinpoint
the causes of their own and
others’ behavior
Events can be attributed to an
internal source of responsibility or
an external source.
Attribution patterns differ among
individuals.
Attribution theory
suggests that when we
–Distinctiveness
observe an individual’s
behavior, we attempt to –Consensus
determine whether it was
–Consistency
internally or externally
caused.
ATTRIBUTIONAL
BIASES
Fundamental attribution error
Tendency to make attributions to
internal causes when focusing on
someone else's behavior
Self-serving bias
Tendency to attribute one’s
successes to internal causes and
one’s failures to external causes
Common Shortcuts in Judging Others
SELECTIVE PERCEPTION
Any characteristic that makes a
person, object, or event stand out
will increase the probability of
being perceived.
We engage in selective perception
since we can’t observe everything
around us.
STEREOTYPING
CASE
JENSEN SHOES
WHAT IS THE CENTRAL
THEME
OR
THE OBJECTIVES OF THE
CASE?
WHAT ARE THE MAIN
ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED IN
THE CASE?
BACKGROUND
JANE KRAVITZ
LYNDON BROOK
What were Brooks' assumptions about
Kravitz's abilities, attitudes and
motivations? On what were these
assumptions based?
What were Kravitz's assumptions about
Brooks' abilities, attitudes and
motivations? On what were these
assumptions based?
What would Brooks and Kravitz have had
to do differently to result in a more
effective working relationship?
Did these cases
remind you of
experiences you have
had or observed?
What were the points
of similarity?
Background: What
kind of environment
is Jensen Shoes for
women and
minorities?
What would you see as
the strengths and
weaknesses of Brooks'
and Kravitz's
performance,
interactions, and career
management thus far?
What are they doing well?
What are they doing
poorly?
STRENGTH & WEAKNESS
JANE KRAVITZ LYNDON BROOK

KRAVITZ'S STRENGTHS
List them
1.
2.
.
.
KRAVITZ'S STRENGTHS
Despite Taylor's criticisms, she was willing to keep an

open mind about Brooks.
She anticipated that Brooks might be concerned about
losing his staff. She did not personalize his feelings about
that and offered to help him manage his next career
move.
She tried to offer Brooks assistance with the special
project on environmental buying trends, even though it
was not part of her own agenda.
KRAVITZ'SSTRENGTHS
She tried to be encouraging and supportive, praising

Brooks' environmental report to him and Taylor and
offering personal support and inclusion by throwing him a
birthday party. When his work did not meet her
expectations, she tried to give feedback and to
communicate clearly about expectations and methods
(providing a proposal process and a "contract" outlining
strategic objectives).
She varied her style of interaction, trying different methods:
supportive, cajoling, demanding, elc.
BROOKS' STRENGTHS
List them
1.
2.
.
.
BROOKS' STRENGTHS
In both instances, with Taylor and Kravitz, he raised his concerns
about inadequate time and resources early in the project cycle,
trying to avoid surprises and crises.
Although less than pleased with his initial assignment to ethnic
markets, he attempted to make the best of it in an effort to
establish himself at the firm.
He took the opportunity to raise his visibility with senior
management by devoting great time and effort to the
environmental buying trends project.
Although disappointed to lose his staff, he attempted to give
Kravitz a fair shake, particularly by being honest with her about his
career aspirations.
BROOKS' STRENGTHS
He sought guidance from his mentor, Mitch Lawson.
He kept an open mind, willing to accept that some of his
experiences may be due to his own performance failings.
Despite his negative experiences with Taylor, he attempted to
keep lines of communication open by meeting with him to
discuss the environmental buying trends report.
He has clear ambitions and thinks strategically about the
potential contribution each of his assignments can make
toward those goals. This career awareness causes him to worry
that he is being "typed" as an ethnic specialist rather than
being developed as a marketing manager with broad abilities.
KRAVITZ'S WEAKNESS
List them
1.
2.
.
.
KRAVITZ'S WEAKNESS
She did not seem able to respond to Taylor's

impatience and criticism of Brooks, even when
she disagreed. She seems to feel somewhat
powerless in the face of senior management, and
she reacts by pushing down on the employees
who report to her. Thus, she tended to pass his
criticism on to Brooks through her anxiety.
KRAVITZ'S WEAKNESS
She was invested in seeing herself as sensitive to the needs
of "diverse" populations, focusing on Brooks as someone to
be handled with "kid gloves". She catered to-a strategy that
backfired, later leading to her feelings of resentment and
impatience toward him.
For example, she threw him a birthday party (an action
that made Brooks somewhat uncomfortable since it was
not the norm). Then she felt personally "betrayed" when he
did not appear grateful or "loyal" to her later.
KRAVITZ'S WEAKNESS
Apparently, without much data, she assumed

that the African American and the Hispanic
vertical markets would be similar and that
neither would require the amount of time
allocated to other vertical markets such as
Women's, Men's, or the Mature market.
BROOKS' WEAKNESS
List them
1.
2.
.
.
BROOKS' WEAKNESS
He tended to avoid conflict, shutting down or remaining silent
rather than pushing to communicate his concerns and needs
clearly.
Once he has communicated his concerns about resource or
time allocations, he does not appear to feel further responsibility
for helping his supervisor arrive at a mutually satisfactory
solution to the "bind."
He does not understand and/or is angered by Kravitz's need for
reassurance from him. So he persists in filing minimal status
reports and fails to provide information that could help her
understand his behavior.
BROOKS' WEAKNESS
His frustration and anger led him to contaminate an

important potential source of recommendations, someone
who could conceivably help him move beyond his current
position. His anger over his experience with Taylor may be
feeding his lack of patience with Kravitz.
What were Brooks' and Kravitz's
assumptions about the other's
Abilities,
Attitudes, and
Motivations?
Upon what evidence were these
assumptions based?
Kravitz's request for detailed project proposals
means Does she not trust his ability?
Kravitz's request for detailed project proposals
means Does she not trust his ability?
Does she require the same from her other direct

reports?
His assignment to ethnic markets
indicated that he was being relegated to
a stereotype in the firm and not being
groomed for broader responsibility.
Raising his concerns with Kravitz means he has
no responsibility to try to complete the two
strategic objectives if at all possible.
His growing mistrust is pushing him into an
"outsider" or even "adversarial" stance in his
relationship to the firm instead of identifying
more broadly with management goals.
Unfortunately, this "outsider" stance can become

self-fulfilling.
Kravitz's Assumptions
Brooks' failure to complete her project proposal
request in detail suggests a lack of ability or
intention to complete the work.
Brooks' resistance to her "contract" was an

indication that he was refusing to work at all
("going on strike")
[Is Brooks insulted by her request?]

Brooks is trying to get out of work or take
advantage of the company's "employe friendly"
culture.
Brooks is unmotivated; sharing her anxiety
about her career would help motivate him, and
threatening his career security at Jenser Shoes
(by mentioning his performance reviews) would
motivate him.
Brooks' career goals suggest that motivation, in
general, is not his issue. Rather he feels betrayed
and mistrustful and is trying to get out of the job.
By the end of the case, job security at Jensen is
not his goal.
She is motivated and skilled at people
management, particularly the management of
people of color and women.
Her intentions may be quite good, but she does not
demonstrate the ability to see things from other
points of view.
Her "diversity management do not ' ideas seem
based upon her own experiences as a woman.
She also does not demonstrate the ability to
understand and influence her own boss, Taylor.
What would they have had to do
differently to create an effective working
relationship? Could this assignment have
worked?
Brooks: Suggest for
improvements
Kravitz: Suggest for
improvements
THANK YOU

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Imagine you are the

manager, walking into your

Perception is the process of receiving, selecting,

JANE KRAVITZ LYNDON BROOK

Despite Taylor's criticisms, she was willing to keep an

She tried to be encouraging and supportive, praising

She did not seem able to respond to Taylor's

Apparently, without much data, she assumed

His frustration and anger led him to contaminate an

Does she require the same from her other direct

Unfortunately, this "outsider" stance can become

Brooks' resistance to her "contract" was an

[Is Brooks insulted by her request?]

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