Attitudes can be defined as either positive or negative views on the object. Presently there is a vast amount of information on attitudes, as the concept historically was a key issue in psychology. The reason for this is rooted in the fact that practical implications of studies on attitudes can be applied in every sphere of our life. Attitudes not only can serve different psychological needs, but also can be derived from affective, cognitive, behavior information and can be used to predict behavior in specific situations; going even further then this, attitudes can be changed and formed as a person gains life experience. As such, when it comes to speaking about business environment, human resource management, and workplace ethics, general psychological work on attitudes and conclusions derived from it are the first ones to be considered.
In accordance with the three component structure model, attitudes express beliefs, past behaviors, and feelings regarding the attitude object. The three components of the structure model are related in such a manner, that a person, who associates positive feelings normally has positive beliefs and past behaviors related to the attitude object. Researchers have found that some attitudes are strongly associated with feelings towards an object, whereas others primarily only with the belief system. As such, attitudes toward drug abuse, blood donation are related to subject’s feelings, whereas reactions to persuasive messages are factors of subjects’ belief system. This issue is widely used when analyzing violent and prejudice behavior in the work place.
Human resource management is, perhaps, the broadest sphere where psychological work on attitudes is applied. The reason for this is rooted in the relationship between company profitability and the employee work satisfaction, which is a factor of employee attitudes to wards workplace and staff. As companies generate competitive advantages through effective control and manipulation of their resources that meet the four characteristics: value, scarcity, inability to perfectly imitate, inability to find a substitute, improvement of employee workplace attitudes can create a competitive advantage that effectively carries out company’s business strategy. Improvement of workplace attitudes leads to a higher level of profitability, greater market share, and provides a win-win solution for employees.
Entering the 21st century, it is important to understand the degree to which attitudes influence our every day behaviors – both at work and at home. Works on attitudes are the milestone in development of best Human Resource Management practices – you very well might want to consider further research this topic.
