Human intelligence and behavior have always fascinated me. Even though I never desired to become a psychoanalyst when I was growing up, I knew very well (at that time) that I would always study intelligence and behaviors in my leisure. And till this day, I am never tired of probing further and farther. Limited time has been my only constraint. Still, I am intrigued by some of the things I learnt. My current focus rests on occupational behaviors. I enjoy it. And will always remain grateful to all the brilliant authors, whose interesting books enlightened me!
I already know that scholars who study industrial relations tend to be broad in their scope. Their efforts have attempted to explain several variations in the conditions of work. The coverage of these explanations includes the degree and nature of employee participation in decision making. It also imbibes the respective roles of labour unions and other forms of employee representation. And nonetheless, embraces the patterns of cooperation and conflict resolution that occur among employees and employers. These patterns of interaction are then equated to the outputs of organizations. In turn, these outputs span the interests and goals of the parties to the employment relationship. Their manifestations range from workers' job satisfaction and economic security to the efficiency of the organization and its impacts on the society as a whole.
Ideal businesses have their rules of conduct formulated by blending both moral and professional ethics. Moral virtues pertain more to individual characters, while professional ethics are closely associated with corporate bodies. Like families, organizations are embodiment of individuals. As a result, it is logical for one to expect the sum of the various factors, which affect employees to portray the attitudes of the organization. In view of this, it is crucial for any organizational management that worth its salt to show interest in the various characteristics, which affect staff behavior. Keeping an ear close to the ground, and an eye above sea-level will go a long way in helping to diagnose a problem even before its symptoms become obvious. In almost every case, the characteristic behavior of employee boils down to these three virtues: attitudes, values, and ethics.
My view is that maintaining a good corporate attitude is in itself a measure of job satisfaction. Individual attitude could be defined as a peculiar way of reasoning, feeling or assessing tangible or intangible objects. It imbibes both truculent and compliant dispositions; and has the following three components: cognition, affect, and behavior. The cognitive components of attitude include beliefs, assumptions, and opinions: all of which proclaim faith and perception. The importance of staff’s faith on the organization cannot be overemphasized. Faith enables trust and confidence to take root. And, since trust depicts justice, its immediate impact is positive perception, which is important in providing reassurance, and a sense of belonging. In the long run, the organization is rewarded with optimum output, unflinching loyalty and dedication from its satisfied staffs. Employees' job satisfaction breed optimum throughput. This often translates to maximum output and desirable comradeship. On the other hand, if a truculent attitude defines the fact on the ground, life becomes the exact opposite.
Values and ethics are complimentary. Either of them could be cultivated and nurtured. Before going into any definition, it is important to note that values are more stable and more durable than attitudes. For example, what we see and/or hear may alter our attitudes, but at the same time, have little or no effect on our values. Good examples of this include things like advertisements and other related commercial presentations. These are often designed to alter ones attitude towards a given product or service. This objective could be achieved with the commercial, but tends to have little or no impact on established values of the individual.
So, values could be described as the fundamental convictions; whereas ethics could be regarded as moral principles. Both virtues are separated by a very thin line; and assist individuals in maintaining certain behavioral patterns. The affable Milton Rokeach defined anthropological values as “a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence, which is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state of existence.”
The durability and fundamentality of ethical values makes it an inestimable quality of mind, which helps workers remain conscientious and act with sense of moral responsibility in the face of sudden and/or unexpected adversities. Thus, values compliment independence, which help employees remain focussed towards achieving their goals and objectives—even when no superior is casting a supervisory eye. As a result, good sense of responsibility to duties would apply; in the absence of pretence and eye-service.
VALENTINE ODUENYI.
