Notes

Program Name- MBA

Course Name- Organizational Behavior Sem- I
Unit Number- 1 Unit Name- Introduction
Topic Name- Perception

Introduction-

Perception is the process by which an individual selects, organizes, and interprets information to
create a meaningful picture. Perception depends not only on the physical stimuli but also on the
stimuli’s relation to the surrounding field and on conditions within the individual. Perception is a
process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory perceives in order to give meaning
to their environment. Perception is the act of interpreting a stimulus generated in the brain by one
or more sense mechanism. Perception includes the 5 senses; touch, sight, taste smell and sound. It
also includes what is known as perception, a set of senses involving the ability to detect changes in
body positions and movements.

Content

Definition-

“Perception is the organizing process by which we interpret our sensory input”—Edmund Fantino.

iii. “Perception is the first event in the chain which leads from the stimulus to action”—Boring EG.

Factors influencing Perception

A number of factors operate to shape and sometimes to distort perception. These factors emanate
from three sources – the perceiver, the perceived and the situation.

The Perceiver
When a person looks at a target, his interpretation of it is influenced by his personal characteristics
like his needs, past experience, habits, personality, values, and attitudes. A person with a strong
need for ego satisfaction may select out from a situation and emphasize signals that tend to satisfy
the desire for self esteem. Similarly, negative attitudes toward unions may cause a manager to look
for antagonisms in even routine visits by local union officials to the organization. These and other
personal factors will determine what a person gives attention to in a situation and how these cues
are interpreted as a basis for decision-making and action responses.

The Perceived

Characteristics in the target / object that are being observed may influence what is perceived. The
physical attributes, appearance, and behavior of other persons in the situation also influence how
the object is perceived. Physical attributes of a person are related to age, sex, height, and weight. A
young person exercising authority in a situation is viewed differently from an older person doing
the same thing. Personal attire and appearance are also relevant factors in the formation of
perceptions.

The Situation
The context in which we see the objects or events is important. The physical, social and
organizational elements of the situation or event may also influence perceptions. A subordinate
calling his boss by the first name may be perceived quite differently when observed in a typical
Indian office as opposed to in a social reception. Though the perceiver and the perceived are the
same, it is the situation that makes a difference. Such background characteristics of the situation or
context are additional factors that can affect how the situation is perceived by the different persons.
The following Diagram shows the summary of the factors influencing perception.

❖ Personal characteristics that affect perception include a person’s attitudes, personality,

motives, interests, past experiences, and expectations.

❖ There are some factors that influence the target such as- novelty, motion, sounds, size,
background, proximity, similarity, etc. Characteristics of the target being observed can affect
 what is perceived. Because targets are not looked at in isolation, the relationship of a target
to its background also influences perception, as does our tendency to group close things and
similar things together.

❖ There are also some situational factors like the time of perceiving others, work settings,
social settings, etc. which influence the perception process.

Why Perception Vary

Our perceptions vary from person to person, and the meaning we take from those perceptions varies.
This is why people have different tastes in music, art, architecture, clothes, etc.

Different people perceive different things about the same situation. But more than that, we assign
different meanings to what we perceive.

And the meanings might change for a certain person.

One might change one’s perspective or simply make things mean something else. Two people with
identically tested seeing and hearing will still have different tastes in what they like to see and hear.

The way we perceive the world around us varies and is as unique as our individual personalities.
Even though we might look at the same picture, what we interpret will vary depending on a number
of factors, including what we expect to see.

Basically, perception is a very interesting facet of life and business. How we perceive our world and
how we think our world, perceives us can dictate how we act and how we respond in certain
situations.

Thus, perception, or apprehending by means of the senses or the mind, can be a very powerful and
influential aspect of our lives. It can direct our actions and our thoughts, which in many ways guide
who we are.

Summary-

❖ Perception is the process by which an individual selects, organizes, and interprets

information to create a meaningful picture. Perception depends not only on the physical
stimuli but also on the stimuli’s relation to the surrounding field and on conditions within
the individual.
 ❖ Factors influencing Perception
❖ The Perceiver
When a person looks at a target, his interpretation of it is influenced by his personal
characteristics like his needs, past experience, habits, personality, values, and attitudes. A
person with a strong need for ego satisfaction may select out from a situation and emphasize
signals that tend to satisfy the desire for self esteem
❖ The Perceived
Characteristics in the target / object that are being observed may influence what is
perceived. The physical attributes, appearance, and behaviour of other persons in the
situation also influence how the object is perceived.

❖ The Situation
The context in which we see the objects or events is important. The physical, social and
organizational elements of the situation or event may also influence perceptions.

Self-Assessment Questions:

Q.1 what is perception. What are the factors which influence perception.

Q.2 Perception can be conceived of as a synthesis of multiple factors. Is mindset a factor that can
influence perception? Explain why or why not.

Q.4 why it is important for managers to have a working knowledge of perception.

Q.5 what are the perceiver’s factors which affect the perception of the individual.

Q.3 what is perception. Why does perception fail.