You are on page 1of 83

THE PERCEPTION PROCESS

Perception: The way a in which a person or an individual sees and understands the world. In other words, perception is to recognize a unique interpretation of the situation, not the exact recording of it. Recognition of the difference between the perceptual and real world and real world is vital to the understanding of organizational behavior. So, we should know that there is a difference between real and perceptual world. Every person perceives the world in his own way and understanding. And sometimes when our perception is different from the real world it creates problems and misunderstandings. For example, many managers think and perceive that their subordinates always want promotions, when, in fact, many workers or subordinates feel uncomfortable and forced with the promotions. So, the perceptual world of managers is often quite different from that of subordinates and yet both may be quite different from the real world. Definition: The process by which people select, organize, interpret, and respond to information from the world around them. Perception (consciously and unconsciously) involves searching for, obtaining, and processing information in the mind in an attempt to make sense of the world Selection and organization often account for differences in interpretation/perception between individuals observing the same stimuli Sensation vs. Perception Sensation is the way human beings use their sensory organs to experience color, loudness, taste, scent and smell and heat. There are five senses, vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. But perception is the complicated process of interaction of selection, organization, and interpretation of stimuli. Although, perception depends upon the senses for raw data, the cognitive process may filter, modify, or completely change these data. Examples of the difference between sensation and perception are:

The purchasing agent buys a part that she thinks is best, not the part the engineer says is best.

The same worker may be viewed by one supervisor as a very good worker and by another supervisor as a very poor worker.

The same cooking oil may be viewed healthy by a doctor and not good by any other individual.

Perceptual Selectivity: Numerous stimuli constantly confront everyone. The noise of air conditioners, the sound of other people talking and moving, and outside noises from cars and vehicles, planes, and many other sounds are heard by us every minute but why and how people select a specific stimulus or a few stimuli at a given time? The answers can be found in the principles of perceptual selectivity. a) External attention factors b) Internal set factors External Attention Factors: Many external factors affect perceptual selectivity. These factors are; 1. Intensity: The intensity principle states that the more intense the external stimulus, the more likely it is to be perceived. A loud noise, strong odor, or bright light will be noticed more than a soft voice, weak odor or dim light. Advertisers use this principle to gain the attention of customers. Examples include bright packaging and TV commercials that are slightly louder to gain attention. So, supervisors may yell at their subordinates to get their attention but sometimes it may turn the subordinate off instead of gaining their attention. 2. Size: It says that the larger the object, the more likely it will be perceived. The maintenance engineering staff may pay more attention to a big machine than a smaller one even the smaller

may cost much more than the bigger one. Therefore, a 6-foot 5-inch, 250 pound supervisor gets more attention than a 5-foot 6-inch, 160 pound supervisor. 3. CONTRAST: This principle states that a stimulus which stands out against the background gets more attention. Therefore, safety signs have black lettering on a yellow background or white lettering on red back ground. Example:- a worker with many years of experience hardly notices the deafening noise in a manufacturing company. However, if one or more machines stop working the person suddenly notices the difference. 4. REPITION: It means that a repeated object is more attention getting than a single one. Thus, it is better to give directions more than once for a dull or difficult job. This explains why supervisors have to repeat themselves even for the simplest of tasks to make the workers understand. 5. MOTION: The motion principle states that a moving object gets more and more attention than a stationary one. For example, the workers pay more attention to the moving objects like a conveyer belt than a stationary machine placed beside them. 6. NOVELTY AND FAMILIARITY: Novelty means something new and fresh and familiarity means something known and experienced. So, the principle of novelty and familiarity states that new objects in familiar settings and familiar objects in new settings get more attention. Job rotation is an example of it. Recent researches show that job rotation not only increased attention but also improved employees, learning skills. B:-)INTERNAL SET FACTORS: Some factors that affect the selectivity of perception of are following;

1. LEARNING AND PERCEPTION: Learning may play the most important role in developing perceptual set. Read the following. TURN OFF THE THE ENGINE It will take you several seconds to realize there is something wrong. Because of familiarity with the sentence from prior learning, the person is perceptually set to read Turn off the engine ignoring the second THE in it. This shows that learning affects selectivity of perception, because the people read and see what they expect to see and hear. Another example can be M-A-C-T-V-I-S-H M-A-C-D-O-N-A-L-D M-A-C-B-E-T-H M-A-C-H-I-N-E-R-Y If the last word was pronounced Mac-Hinery instead of machinery, the reader was caught in a verbal response set. 1. PERCEPTUAL SET IN WORKPLACE: In organization life, some employees have learned to perceive the world around them in the same way. For example, a recent study shows that the functional background (e.g., accounting, finance, marketing, and human resources) of a sample of managers significantly affect the changes they perceive in their organizations effectiveness. Another common example is the difference in perception that occurs between the union and management. Some researchers say that perceptual differences are a major explanation of disputes in organizations and firms. For example, union members may perceive that they are underpaid, whereas management may perceive that they are overpaid for the amount they work. And so this difference in perception starts a dispute.

2. MOTIVATION AND PERCEPTION: Motivation also plays an important role in perceptual selectivity. For example, a person who has a relatively high need for power, affiliation, or achievement will be more attentive to the relevant situation. An example is the worker who has a strong need for affiliation. When such a worker walks into the lunchroom, the table where several coworkers are sitting tends to get more attention and the empty table gets no attention. 3. PERSONALITY AND PERCEPTION: Personality of the perceiver also affects what is attended to in confronting situations. For example, the senior managers often complain that the younger mangers have trouble making tough decisions in management like the firing and hiring of personnel. The young managers, on the other hand, say that the old managers resist the change in rules and paperwork which ends against them. PERCEPTUAL ORGANIZATION The perceptual process organizes the incoming information into a meaningful whole. In other words, the perceivers mind organizes the information in such a way that it can give meaning and is understandable. For example, when a basket ball is shown to a student he does not see it as round object made of grain texture leather but he perceives it as a ball which provides fun and excitement as participants or spectators. 1.FIGURE GROUND: The figure ground principle means simply that perceived objects stand out separable from their background. It can be effectively demonstrated as one is reading the following items. At first glance, the receiver is receiving patches of irregularly shaped black and white shapes. only when the white letters are perceptually organized against a black background the words FLY and TIE jump out.

2. PERCEPTUAL GROUPING: It states that there is a tendency to group several stimuli together into a recognizable pattern. When people are presented with stimuli they tend to group them into closure, proximity and similarity. Closure: it means that people sometimes perceive a whole when it does not exist. For example, a manager perceives complete agreement of his workers on a given project, when, in fact, there was opposition from several workers.

a. Proximity: it means closeness and nearness. This principle states that stimuli and things close together are perceived to be parts of a single whole. For example, a number of workers working on a single machine are perceived as one.

b. Similarity: when objects and things are similar they are perceived as in the same group. For example, workers wearing same uniform tend to be perceived as one although they have their own different personalities.

Person Perception : Definition: the process by which individuals attribute characteristics or traits to other people; closely related to attribution Implicit personality theories: personal beliefs about the relationships among others physical characteristics, personality traits, and specific behaviors Impression Management: the attempt people make to manipulate or control the impressions others form about them

Common Perceptual Errors : Perceptual defense: the tendency for people to protect themselves against ideas, objects, or situations that are threatening Stereotyping: the tendency to assign attributes to someone solely on the basis of the category of people, of which that person is a member Halo effect: the process by which the perceiver evaluates another person solely on the basis of one attribute, either favorable or unfavorable Projection: the tendency for people to see their own traits in others Expectancy effects: extent to which expectations bias how events, objects, and people are actually perceived Self-fulfilling prophecy: expecting certain things to happen will shape the behavior of the perceiver in such a way that the expected is more likely to happen Nature of the Attribution Process : Definition: The ways in which people come to understand the causes of their own and others behaviors Most often an unconscious process (i.e., people are not normally aware of making attributions) People are constantly attributing the behavior of themselves and others to either internal (i.e., personal) or external (i.e., situational) causes. Frequent Attribution Errors : Fundamental Attribution Error = overestimating the personal causes for others behavior while underestimating the situational causes Self-Serving Bias = attributing personal success to internal factors and personal failure to external factors Process of Perception : Learning objectives : Definition of Perception

Variables of Perceptual process Factors influencing perception Theories of Perception Shortcuts in judging others Self-fulfilling prophecies Impression Management Question for review

Variables of Perceptual Process : The four variables of perceptual process are : a) Inputs : Perceived inputs are the objects, events, people etc. that are received by the receiver. b) Process : The received inputs are processed through the selections, organization and interpretation c) Outputs : Through the processing mechanism, the outputs are derived. These outputs may be feelings, actions, attitudes etc. d) Behavior : Behavior is dependent on the perceived outputs. The perceivers behavior in turn, generates responses from the perceived and this response gives rise to a new set of inputs

Factors influencing Perception : 1. Internal factors : - Needs and desire - Personality - Experience - Attitude 2. External Factors: - Size - Intensity - Frequency - Status - Contrasts

Theories of Perception : Attribution Theory : Developed by Kelly to explain the ways in which we judge people differently, depending upon what incoming factors we attribute to a given behavior. When individuals observe behavior they attempt to determine whether it is internally or externally caused. According to this theory the judgment depends largely on three factors. They

are : a) Distinctiveness : It refers to whether an individual displays different behavior in different situations. Is the employee who arrives late today also the source of complains by co-worker for being a goof-off ? b) Consensus : There is low consensus when the behavior is different in that of others in the same situation. If everyone who is faced with a similar situations responds in the same way we can say the behavior shows consensus c) Consistency: We observe consistency in the behavior pattern across time. An observer looks for consistency in a persons actions. Does the person respond the same way over time? The more consistent the behavior, the more the observer is inclined to attribute it to internal causes. Errors and biases that distorts attribution: - Fundamental attribution error : When a sales manager attributes the poor performance of his team to laziness rather than to the innovative product line of the competitor. - Self serving bias : A tendency to attribute their own success to internal factors such as ability or effort while putting the blame for failure on external factors such as luck. Feedback provided to employees in

performance reviews will be predictably distorted by recipients depending on whether it is positive or negative.

Shortcuts in Judging others : - Actor-Observer Error : We tend to attribute the behavior of others to internal causes and attribute our own behavior to external causes Frequently used shortcuts in judging others 1. Selective perception : People selectively interpret what they see on the basis of their interests background, experience and attitudes. 2. Halo effect: Drawing a general impression about an individual on the basis of a single characteristic 3. Contrast effects : Evaluation of a persons characteristics that are affected by comparisons with other people recently encountered who rank higher or lower on the same characteristics 4.Projection : Attributing ones own characteristics to other people , it is similar-to-me effect. 5.Stereotyping : Judging someone on the basis of

ones perception of the group to which that person belongs. It is judging people prematurely. 6.Employment interview: Information elicited early in the interview carries greater weight than does information elicited later and a good applicant is probably characterized more by the absence of unfavourable characteristics than by the presence of favourable characteristics.It is first impression error. 7. Performance appraisal : The evaluator forms a general impression of an employees work. The degree to which managers use subjective measures in appraising employees characteristics/behaviors will significantly influence the appraisal outcome. 8. Employee loyalty : Assessment of an employees loyalty or commitment is highly judgmental. What is perceived as loyalty by one manager may be seen as excessive conformity by another. The whistle blowers who report unethical practices by their employer to outsiders are perceived by management as trouble makers.

Self-fulfilling Prophecies: The Pygmalion Effect : The tendency for someones expectations about another to cause that person to behave in a manner consistent with those expectations when positive is known as the Pygmalion effect Research suggest that this operate according to the following steps: 1. Managers form expectations of workers 2. Managers behave consistently with already established expectations 3. Managers behavior affects workers 4. Workers respond to how they were treated with already established expectations.

Perceptual Process Objects in the environmentObservationPerceptual SelectionPerceptual Organization InterpretationResponse

Perceptual Selectivity Perceptual selection is the process by which people filter out irrelevant or less significant information so that they can deal with the most important matters.

Perceptual Selection is determined by

External Factors

Internal Factors

External Factors affecting perceptual selection:

Size: The larger the size, the more likely it is to be perceived. The tallest person in the office will invariably be noticed. Intensity: The more intense an external factor (bright light, loud noise, high pitch sound etc.) the more likely it is to be perceived. One may notice that the TV commercials always have high pitch as compared to normal telecast. Contrast: External factors that stand out against the background or things that are not which people expect are more likely to be perceived. Motion: A moving factor is more likely to be perceived than stationary factor. Films (motion pictures) attract people more than a static picture. Repetition: A repeated factor is more likely to be noticed. Marketing managers use this principle in trying to get attention of the prospective customers. Novelty and familiarity: Either novelty or familiarity will can attract attention. People would quickly notice a person riding an elephant on a busy street in Delhi. On the other hand, one is

likely to spot a familiar face in a crowd or a familiar voice even if there is a lot of noise and confusion.

A combination of these or similar factor may be operating at any time to affect perception. Along with the internal factors, they determine whether any particular stimulus is more or less likely to be noticed.

Internal factors affecting perceptual selection:

Personality: Personality has an interesting influence on what and how people perceive. For example, conscientious people tend to pay more attention to external environmental cues than does a less conscientious person. Less conscientious persons are impulsive, careless, and irresponsible. They see their environment as hectic and unstable which affects the way they make perceptual selections. On the other hand, more conscientious people organize their perceptions into neat categories, allowing themselves to retrieve data quickly and in an organized manner. In other words, they are careful, methodical, and disciplined in making perceptual selections.

Learning: Learning determines the development of perceptual sets. A perceptual set is an expectation of a particular interpretation based on past experiences with the same or an identical object. In organizational settings, past experiences of the managers and employees influence their perceptions to a great extent. Motivation: A persons most urgent needs and desires at any particular time can influence perception. People perceive things that promise to help satisfy their needs and that they have found rewarding in the past. Also, according to Pollyanna principle, people process pleasant event more efficiently and accurately than they do unpleasant events. For example, an employee who receives both positive and negative feedback during the appraisal meeting may more easily and clearly remember the positive statements than the negative ones.

Perceptual Organization

Figure-ground: Perceived objects stand out as separable from their general background. In the context of organizations, a company may import a new technology in order to compete in the globalized economy. Here import of a new technology is a figure and global competitive environment is the background. The employees will immediately notice the installation of new technology whereas the global competitive environment is not visible by naked eyes. Perceptual grouping: There is a general tendency among individuals to group several stimuli together into a recognizable pattern. There are certain underlying uniformities in grouping. When simple constellations of stimuli are presented to people, they tend to group them together by closure, continuity, proximity, and similarity. Closure: An individual may perceive a whole while one actually does not exists. The persons perceptual process closes the gaps that are unfilled by from sensory inputs. In a formal organization, employees may either see a whole that does not exits or not be able to put the pieces together into a whole that does exists. For example, head of a project team may take the view that the entire team agrees to his plan of action whereas there are differing views among the team members, which remains unarticulated in a formal manner. On the other hand, a functional team might view/perceive that their objectives are the objectives of the whole company. Continuity: An individual tend to perceive continuous lines/patterns. This leads to inflexible thinking on the part of organizational members (both managers and employees). Thus, only the obvious, continuous patterns or relationships are perceived. For example, a new design for some production process or product may be limited to obvious flows or continuous lines/patterns. New innovative ideas or designs may not be perceived. Proximity: A group of stimuli that are close together will be perceived as a whole pattern of parts belonging together. For example, several employees in an organization may be identified as a single group because of physical proximity. Several workers who work on a particular process may be viewed as a single whole. If the output is low and the supervisor reports a number of grievances from the group, the management may perceive that all the workers working on that particular process are trouble makers whereas in some of them might be loyal and dedicated employees.

Similarity: The greater the similarity of stimuli, the greater is the tendency to perceive them as a common group. Similarity is conceptually related to proximity but in most cases stronger than proximity. In an organization, all employees who wear blue collars may be perceived as a common group, when in reality, each employee is a unique individual. This might also lead to perceptual error termed as stereotyping.

Perceptual Constancy: There are two issues. While objective reality of stimuli remains unchanged, peoples subjective reality also remains constant. That is, the individual is likely to give meaning to stimuli in the same way whenever exposed to them unless and until objective reality has been revealed more broadly by way of undoing the perceptual errors. For example, a manager in the company who believes that female employees are poor performers would continue to have the same perception until and unless the latter prove that they are better than their male colleagues.

Perceptual Context: It gives meaning and value to simple stimuli in the environment. The organizational culture and structure provide the primary context in which workers and managers perceive things. Thus, a verbal order, an e-mail message, a new policy, a suggestion, a raised eyebrow, a pat on the back takes on special meaning and value when placed in the context of work organization.

Perceptual Errors:

Accuracy of judgment: Similarity error: People are predisposed towards those having similar traits, socio-economiccultural background. Contrast error: People tend to compare among the available resources and thus arrive at a conclusion that might be far from the objective reality. Race/gender/age bias: Peoples perception may be tempered by their prejudices vis--vis race, gender, and age. First impression error: People may hold a long-term view about a person or thing based on first impression.

Perceptual defense: People tend to defend the way they perceive things. Once established, a persons way of viewing the world may become highly resistant to change. Sometimes, perceptual defense may have negative consequences. This perceptual error can result in managers inability to perceive the need to be creative in solving problems. As a result, the individual simply proceeds as in the past even in the face of evidence that business as usual is not accomplishing anything worthwhile.

Stereotyping: It is the belief that all members of a specific groups share similar traits and behaviour. Most often, a person is put into a stereotype because the perceiver knows only the overall category to which the person belongs. However, because each individual is unique, the real traits of the person are generally quite different from those that stereotype would suggest.

Halo effect: Under halo effect, a person is perceived on the basis of a single trait. It generally occurs during performance appraisal where the supervisor rates an employee on the basis of only one trait e.g. intelligence, punctuality, cooperativeness appearance etc. Projection: It is the tendency of seeing ones own traits in others. Thus, individuals project their own feelings, personality characteristics attitudes, or motives onto others. Projection may be especially strong for undesirable traits that the perceivers possess but fail to recognize in themselves. People whose personality traits include stingyness, obstinacy, and disorderliness tend to rate others higher on these traits than do people who do not have these traits.

IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

In sociology and social psychology, impression management is the process through which people try to control the impressions other people form of them. It is a goal-directed conscious or unconscious attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a person, object or event by regulating and controlling information in social interaction. Impression management is also called as self-presentation; if a person tries to influence the perception of their image.It can be defined as our efforts to produce favorable impressions on others. Most IM attempts are directed at making good impressions on relevant others. But, some employees & individuals try to make bad impressions also. IM is a skilful activity. Research studies (Schlenker, Wayne & Liden) have demonstrated that people who can perform IM successfully often gain important advantages in many situations. Impression management (IM) theory states that any individual or organization must establish and maintain impressions that are congruent with the perceptions they want to convey to their publics (Goffman). From both a communications and public relations viewpoint, the theory of impression management encompasses the vital ways in which one establishes and communicates this congruence between personal or organizational goals and their intended actions which create public perception. The goal is for one to present themselves the way in which they would like to be thought of by the individual or group they are interacting with. This form of management generally applies to the first impression. The idea that perception is reality is the basis for this sociological and social psychology theory, which is framed around the presumption that the others perceptions of you or your organization become the reality from which they form ideas and the basis for intended behaviors. Although people can manage Impressions of almost anything (e.g., a clothing brand, a political position, etc.), people most commonly manage the impressions others form of themselves, a sub-type of impression management that is often termed self-presentation.

Making a good first impression is crucially important in every aspect of your life and is one of the easiest things to learn to do. First impressions are a very important part of any society. We all judge others on first impressions and many times the conclusion or ruling of these judgments are totally out of our control. The following pictures show the first expression of two different girls in an interview that creates different impression on the interviewee.

POSITIVE IMPRESSION

NEGATIVE IMPRESSION

DEFINITION OF IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT (IM) IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT IS DEFINED AS THE PROCESS BY WHICH PEOPLE ATTEMPT TO CONTROL OR MANIUPLATE THE REACTIONS OF OTHERS TO IMAGES OF THEMSELVES OR THEIR IDEAS. - RAO ET AL. THE CONSCIOUS OR UNCONSCIOUS ATTTEMPT TO CONTROL IMAGES THAT ARE PROJECTED IN REAL OR IMAGINARY SOCIAL INTERACTIONS, WHEN THESE IMAGES DEAL WITH SOME ASPECT OF SELF, WE CALL IT SELF-PRESENTATION. - SCHLENKER

IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT REFERS TO THE ACTIVITY OF CONTTROLLING INFORMATION IN ORDER TO STEER OTHERS OPINIONS IN THE SERVICE OF PERSONAL OR SOCAL GOALS. -ANONYMOUS

EXPRESSIVE IMPRESSIONS CREATE IMPRESSIVE EXPRESSIONS. IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT: SOME BASIC TACTICS

The two broad tactics of impression management are as follows: A. Self-enhancement:It can be defined as efforts to boost our own self-image. Self-enhancement is that form of self-presentation emphasizing the promotion of ones positive qualities. There are many tactics of Self-enhancement. One important tactic of self-enhancement is to improve our appearance. This can be done in following ways:1. CHANGE IN WARDROBE (DRESS) 2. PERSONAL GROOMING (USE OF COSMETIC, HAIRSTYLE,USE OF PERFUME) 3. JUDICIOUS USE OF NON-VERBAL CUES. Research studies indicate that all the above techniques work under some or 0ther condition. Brief summaries of some research studies of some research studies using Selfenhancement as an impression management technique are as follows: Women who had dress in a professional manner (business suit or dress, subdued jeweler) are often evaluated more favorable for management positions than women who dress in a more dress in a more traditionally feminine manner. (Forsythe, drake, & Cox). It has also been found that eyeglasses encourage impression of intelligence, while long hair for women or beards for men tend to reduce such impressions. (Terry & rants).

Wearing perfume or cologne can enhance first impression provided this particular grooming aid is not overdone. (Baron). Most of these efforts to improve personal appearance are not potentially dangerous to the persons who use them. However, one type of effort to enhance personal appearancedeveloping a suntan is potentially harmful (Broadstok Borland & Gason). Other tactics of Self-enhancement pose different kinds of risks. For instance, recent research by Sharp & Getz indicates that one reason why at least some young people consume alcohol is that it gives them the right IMAGE. In other words, they engage in such behavior partly for purpose of impression management. Research finding (Sharp & Getz) offer support for the view that some people do drink alcohol as a tactic of impression management to help look good in the eyes of others. B. Other enhancement:It refers to efforts on our part to make the target person feel good in our presence. There are many ways in which we can enhance others self-esteem. Some of these are as follows: Flattery heaping praise on target person even if they dont deserve it. Expressing agreement with their views. Showing a high degree of interest in hem. And expressing liking them, either verbally or non- verbally (Wayne & Ferris). A statistical factor analytic study of impression management tactic by Wayne & Ferris on a sample of 84 bank employees (including 74 women) identified three categories of favorable upward impression management tactics. These are as follows:1. Job-focused (manipulating information about ones job performance). 2. supervisor-focused (praising & doing favors for ones for ones supervisor) 3. Self-focused (presenting oneself as a polite & nice person).

A large body of research evidence suggests that efforts to engage in impression management are highly useful. It has been found that impression management can influence important judgments based on impression of others. Research studies by Wayne & Linden have demonstrated that impression management is a useful tactic during the first six weeks on the job. They found that the greater the extent to which the new employees engaged in other-enhancement (super-visor-focused) tactics of impression management, the more their supervisors viewed them as similar to themselves. Further, the more the employees engaged in self-enhancement tactic, the more their supervisors liked them. Most important, increased liking & feeling of similarly were strong predictors of performance ratings; the more supervisors liked their subordinates & felt similar to them, the higher they rated their performance. EXAMPLE OF IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT (AS PER BASIC TACTICS): When we are under scrutiny, we will try to deliberately manage the impressions that others form of us. We will use self-enhancement to make us seem good, for example through smart dress, careful language, etc. The alternative is other-enhancement to make the other person feel good, such as with flattery. Example Watch people being interviewed on TV. Notice how a good interviewer uses otherenhancement to relax them. Spot how people use self-enhancement to look good. Using it Look good, sound good, and make the other person feel good. But dont over-do it!

IMPRESSION FORMATTION

Impression formation is a part of impression management. Impression formation is a process through which we form impressions on others. Impression formation can be defined as the process through which we combine diverse information about persons into a united impression on them. Forming impressions on others is an elaborate cognitive process. The initial or first impressions about others are very important. It is rightly said that the First impres sion is the last impression. The initial impressions we make on others will generally shape the course of our future relations with them in important ways. Once an important is formed, it is generally resistant to change. Thus, it is necessary to be careful on first dates, interviews & other situations in which we meet others for the first time. Large number of research studies have shown that first impression do seem to exert a lasting effect on both, social thought & social behaviour (Anderson, Wyer et al,). Solomon Asch who was heavily influenced by the work of Gestalt psychologists carried one of the classic studies on the Impression formation. One of the important principles of Gestalt psychologists was the whole is greater than the sum of its parts which meant that what we perceive is often more than the sum of individual sensation. Gestalt psychologists argued that each part of the world around us is interpreted, & understood, only in terms of its relationship to other parts or other stimuli. Asch applied the ideas of Gestalt psychologists to the study of impression formation, suggesting that we do not form impression simply by adding together all of the traits we observe in other persons. Rather, we perceive these traits in relation to one another, so that the traits cease to exist individually & become, instead, part of an integrated, dynamic whole. Asch studied impression formation by using a simple method. He gave individuals lists of traits supposedly possessed by a stranger, & then asked them to indicate their impression of this person by checking the traits on along list that they felt fit with their impression of the stranger.

In one of the studies participants were given the following two traits: 1. Intelligent skilful industrious warm determined practical cautious. 2. Intelligent skilful industrious cold determined practical cautious. The above list is differed only with respect only with respect to two words: warm & cold. Thus, if the people form impressions merely by adding together individual traits, the impression formed by persons exposed to these lists would not differ very much. The results of his study revealed that persons who read the list containing cold. According to Asch, the words warm & cold described central traits ones that strongly shaped overall impressions of the stranger & coloured the other adjectives in the lists. Asch obtained additional support for thus view substituting the words polite & blunt for warm & cold. When he did this, the effects on participants impressions of the stranger & weaker; polite & blunt., it appeared, were not central words with a strong impact on first impressions. In further studies, Asch varied not the content but the order of adjectives of each list. For example: 1. One group read the following list. Intelligent industrious impulsive critical stubborn envious. 2. Another group read: Envious stubborn critical impulsive industrious intelligent. In the above list the only differences was in the order of the words on the two lists. Yet, again, there were larger differences in the impression formed by participants. For example, while 32 percent of those who read the first lust described the stranger as happy only 5 percent of those who read the second list did so. Similarly, while 52 percent of those who read the first list described him as humorous, only 21 percent of those who read the second list used this adjective. On the basis of many studies such as these, Asch concluded that forming impressions of others involve more than simply adding together individual traits. While research on impression

formation has become far more sophisticated over the years since Aschs early work, both the methods that Asch developed & many of his basic ideas about impression formation have withstood the test of time & are still reflected in studies being conducted today.

Impression formation: A Cognitive Approach The study of Impression formation has been investigated from several different perspectives for many decades. Initial research on Impression formation focused on the question of how we combine so much diverse information about others into unified impression. According to one view (Anderson) we combine this information into a weighted average in which each piece of information about other another person is weighted in terms of its relative importance. The various factors that were found to influence the relative weight age were as follows: 1. The Sources of Input: The information from sources we trust or admire is weighted more heavily than information from sources we distrust (Rosenbaun & Levin). 2. Positive & Negative Nature of Information: We tend to weight negative information about others more heavily than positive information. 3. Unusual or Extreme Behaviour: The information that describes behaviour or traits that are unusual or extreme are moved valued & weighted. 4. Primary Effect:Information received first tends to be weighted more heavily than information received later.

Modern investigators have attempted to understand impression formation in terms of the basic knowledge of social cognition, i.e. the ways in which we notice, store, remember & integrate social information. According to cognitive view our basic ideas about how impressions are formed & changed is influenced by two factors: -

EXAMPLES: It refers to concrete examples of behaviour that others have performed that are consistent with a given trait. According to this view hen we make judgements about others, we recall examples of their behaviour & base our judgment (& our impressions) on these. For example, we may recall that our first meeting with a person, how he/she was rude, made criticism about others, & did not co-operate with a sick person who was with us. We will recall all these pieces of information & conclude that this person possesses the trait of inconsideration. ABSTRACTIONS: It refers of mental summaries that are abstracted from repeated observations of others behaviour. According to this view when we make judgement about others we simply bring our previously formed abstractions to mind, & then use these as the basis for our impressions & pour decisions. If we have previously judged a person to be unfriendly, pessimistic, etc., we will combine these traits into an impression of this individual. A large number of research evidence (Klein & Loftus, Klein et al) supports the view that concrete examples of behaviour & mental abstractions play a role in impression formation. The nature of impressions considerably shifts as we gain increasing experience with others. Research studies by Sherman & Klein have explained how our impressions on others develop. According to them our initial impression on others consists primarily of examples of behaviour they have shown that are indicative of various traits. After we had more experience with people, however, our impressions shift towards consisting mainly of abstractions mental summaries of their behaviour on many occasions.

In sum, existing evidence indicates that information does not occur in a cognitive vacuum. On the contrary, mental framework representing our previous experience in many social situations, & basic cognitive processes relating to the storage, recall & integrating of social information, play a role in it.

Impression management in the employment interview Looking good to prospective employers The desire to make a favourable impression on others is universal. In one way or another, we all do things to attempt to control how other people see us, often attempting to get them to think of us in the best light possible. This process is known as impression management. Generally, individuals devote considerable attention to the impressions they create in the eyes of others-especially when these others are important, such as prospective employers. The impressions prospective employers form of us may be based on subtle behaviors, such as how we dress & speak, or more elaborate acts, such as announcing our accomplishments. They may be resulted of calculated efforts to get others to think of us in a certain way or to be the passive, unintended effects of our. When it comes to the employment interview, for example, there are several things job candidates commonly do to enhance the impressions they make. In recent study researchers audio taped the interviews between college students looking for jobs & representatives of companies that posted openings at the campus job placement center. The various statements made by the candidates were categorized with respect to the impression management techniques they used. Several tactics were commonly observed. These specific tactics, gives an example of each, & shows the percentage of candidates who used the techniques. Interestingly, the most common technique was self-promotion, which is, flatly asserting that one has desirable characteristics. In this case, candidates commonly described themselves as being hardworking, interpersonally skilled, goal oriented, & effective leaders.

Importantly, the study also found that candidates found that candidates used the impression management techniques with great success. The more they relied on these tactics, the more positively they were viewed by the interviewer along several important dimensions (e.g., fit with the organization). This study not only confirms that job candidates do indeed rely on impression management techniques during job interviews but also that these cultivate the positive impressions desired. With this in mind, the job interview may be seen as an ongoing effort on behalf of candidates to present them favorably & for interviewers to try to see through those attempts to judge candidates accurately. As the evidence suggests, this task may not be a simple as it seems.

IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE DESCRIPTION

FREQUENCY USING TECHNIQUE (%)

Self-promotion

Directly describing oneself in appositive manner for the situation at hand (e.g., I am hard worker). Describing past events that make oneself looks good

100

Personal stories

(e.g., In my old job, I worked late anytime it was needed). Expressing beliefs that are assumed to be held by the

96

Opinion conformity

target (e.g., agreeing with something the interviewer says). Claming responsibility for successful past events

54

Entitlements

(e.g., I was responsible for the 90 percent sales increase that resulted).

50

Making statements that flatter, praise, or commitment Other enhancement the target (e.g., I am very impressed with your companys growth in recent years). Claming that a positive event was more positive than Enhancements it really was (e.g., not only did our department improve, it was best in the entire company). Describing how one succeeded despite obstacles that Overcoming obstacles should have lowered performance (e.g., I managed to get a 3.8 average although I worked two part time jobs). Accepting responsibility for ones poor performance Justifications but denying the negative implications of it (e.g., our team didnt win a lot, but its just how you play the game that really matters). 17 33 42 46

Corporate Image: impression management by organisations Not only individuals but also entire organizations desire to cultivate positive impressions. These impressions are known as corporate image. As you might imagine, the impression an organisation makes on people can have a considerable effect on the way these individuals relate to it. Extending our discussion on his job recruitment setting, not only do individual candidates want to make good impressions on prospective employers but employers also want their job offers to be accepted by the best candidates. Research has shown that a companys image is strongly related to peoples interest in seeking employment with it. Specifically, it has been found that the more favourable a companys reputation is considered to be (based on a fortune magazine survey); the more interested prospective employees are in working there. This is important insofar as organisations

must recruit the best prospective employees to perform at high levels. Given this important point, it seems worthwhile to consider exactly what factors contribute to corporate image. One thing that influences a companys image is the amount of information people have about it from recruitment ads. In general, longer ads are associated with more positives images. This may not only because of what is said in the ad itself but, also the mere length of the ad itself. Specifically, because recruitment ads emphasize the benefits of employment with a firm, longer ads describe more benefits than shorter ones, thereby creating even stronger positive images. Moreover, to the extent that people believe that longer ads reflect a companys commitment to obtaining good employees (by their willingness to invest in a large ad); they may be more impressed with a company as a prospective place to work. Another mechanism that an organization uses to promote its corporate image is its annual report- a companys official statement to its stockholders on its activities during the previous year & its current financial state. These booklets contain such things as letters from CEOs & descriptions of projects & future plans-in short, information that helps shape the image of the company in the minds of both employees & stakeholders. Traditionally, annual reports have been stirringly beautiful, glossy booklets with elaborate photography & glitzy images, trappings of success designed to instill confidence in the minds of inventors. As todays investors are looking for value, companies are going out of their way to cultivate the impression that they are not wasting money. Looking too successful by squandering money on elaborate annual reports may raise questions about where the profits are going. So, whether these publications are elaborate or just plan vanilla, annual reports are designed to cultivate the right corporate image- whatever that may be. Clearly, just lie individuals, organizations also stand to benefit by making positive impressions on others & work hard at doing so.

Charismatic leadership The term Charismatic leadership refers to followers perception that a leader possesses a divinely inspired gift & is somehow unique & larger than life. A charismatic leader is the one who knows all the techniques of impression management & knows when & how it is to be used. A Charismatic leadership is idealized, i.e. Worshipped by his followers. He/she is considered as a superhuman or a spiritual figure. Some important characteristics of Charismatic leaders are as follows: Trust in the correctness of the leaders belief. Unquestioning acceptance of the leader Affection for the leader Willing obedience A leader is more likely to be perceived as a Charismatic leader if he/she has the following characteristics: Strong need for power High level of self-confidence

Strong convictions High degree of concern for followers needs An excellent communication style Some important behaviors that are typically found to be present among Charismatic leaders are as follows: Use of impression management techniques to maintain followers confidence in the leader A Charismatic leaders is articulate & has clarity of goals Have high expectations from followers Has full faith & confidence in the followers Charismatic leaders are influential & have a profound effect on the followers because of the following factors: Such leaders usually porpoise a vision. They describe, in vivid, emotion provoking terms, an image of what their society or group can & should become. Charismatic leaders go beyond stating a dream or vision. They also offer a route for searching it. They tell their followers, in straightforward term, how to get from here to there. Charismatic leaders engage in framing. They define the goals for their group in away that gives extra meaning & purpose to the goals & to the actions needed to attain them. Most Charismatic leaders are also indulging in acts of self-sacrifice. They give up important personal benefits for him good of group & for the sake of their vision.

A Charismatic leader need not be always positive. In fact some characteristic leaders are a positive mask underneath which is hidden their true negative self. Some problems of negative Charismatic leaders are as follows: They may start grandiose projects only to face failure They may create elaborate vision but means to execute that vision may be absent in them. They generally fail to develop component successors Charismatic theory is interested in emphasizing on the characteristics of the leader. IMPRESSIVE COMMUNICATION Communication is one of the important aspects of impression management. When a person communicates, there are some types of qualities that a person must have in his/her communication like Body language, Power of words, and his/her Actions. Communication plays an important role to make an impression on others. Communication is among the major interactions between Individuals, Group & Other entities whether business, political groups & social organisations. It is significantly affects social relationships between individuals & groups for it is cited as a central element in the establishment of relationships between entities. In organisation, communication is a very important activity of executives & leaders at any level, managers spend a bigger percentage of their activities in receiving, sending, message & processing information. It is through communication that they give instructions, directives, advice, information about goals, etc. to their subordinates. Similarly it is through communication that they receive information upwards from their subordinates about performance, information about clarity of instructions, directives, goals & views, attitudes, opinions & suggestions to their employees. As such communication is cited as a factor which pays a very important role in managerial & organizational effectiveness. DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION: -

COMMUNICATION IS THE TRANSFER OF INFORMATION & UNDERSTANDING FROM ONE PERSON TO ANOTHER PERSON. IT IS A WAY OF REACHING OTHERS WITH IDEAS, FACTS & THOUGHTS & VALUE. I IS ABRIDGE OF MEANING AMONG PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN SHARE WHAT THEY FEEL & KNOW.BY USING THIS BRIDGE A PERSON CAN CROSS SAFELY THE RIVER OF MISUNDERSTANDING THAT SOMETIMES SEPRATES PEOPLE.(KEITH)

PURPOSE OF COMMUNICATION: The purpose of communication is informing others & becoming informed, evaluating an organizations inputs & outputs, directing others & being directed, influencing others & being influenced. Communication basically integrates the managerial functions & it also relates an enterprise to its external environment. EFFECTS OF POOR COMMUNIOCATION: Poor communication has a drastic effect on production & individual relationships. It leads to confusion, mistakes, wastages & accidents. Employees become frustrated & morale is undermined resulting in lack of motivation & low productivity, unrest & strikes follow. Very little information is sent upward to managers who are unaware of the situation as the complaints, grievances &b trouble spots & reach the lower levels. There is general feeling of dissatisfaction & therefore, the absence of co-operation.

SELF Though we often talk about self as one whole identity, we display multiple selves. We choose to present ourselves depending on a situation. According to the psychologist, William James, a man generally shows a different side of himself to different groups he meets. For e.g. he would show one side of himself to his friends while showing another side of him to his kids. He keeps his self- presentation changing depending on what others expect from him.

SELF-MONITORING DEFINITION: -

Self-monitoring is one important component of self-concept. It can be defined as a personality disposition that ranges from the tendency to regulate ones behavior on the basis of the situation (high self-monitors) to the tendency to regulate ones behavior on the basis of internal factors (low self-monitors). It is also defined as the extent to which a person observes their own self-expressive behavior & adapts it to the demands of the situation. Self-monitoring theory is a contribution to the psychology of personality, proposed by Mark Snyder in 1974. The theory refers to the process through which people regulate their own behavior in order to "look good" so that they will be perceived by others in a favorable manner. It distinguishes between high self-monitors, who monitor their behavior to fit different situations, and low self-monitors, who are more cross-situationally consistent. According to Snyder & Gangstead, individuals high in Self-monitoring are thought to regulate their expressive self-presentation for the sake of desired public appearances, & thus be highly responsiveness to social & interpersonal cues of situationally appropriate performances. Individuals low in Self-monitoring are thought to lack either the ability or the motivation to regulate their expressive self-presentations. Their expressive behaviors, instead, are thought to functionally reflect their own enduring & momentary inner states, including their attitudes, traits & feelings.

In organisational life, both high & low self-monitors are subject to criticism. High selfmonitors are sometimes called as chameleons, who rapidly adapt their self-presentation to their surroundings. Low Self-monitors on the other hand, are criticised for being in the own world & for being insensitive to others. Snyder designed a questionnaire to assess self-monitoring called the Self-Monitoring Scale, based on the assumption that high self-monitoring could be defined as consisting of: 1. High concern with the social appropriateness of one's actions; 2. Use of social comparison information; 3. Ability to monitor one's behavior to fit different situations; 4. Ability to do this in specific situations; 5. Trait variability. MEASUREMENT OF SELF-MONITORING: Snyder who introduced this concept has developed a test to measure self-monitoring behavior: The self-monitoring scale was criticised as being too overly broad by Lennox & Wolfe. In order to overcome the drawback of the drawback of the self-monitoring scale, they devised the revised scale to measure only two dimensions as follows: I. Sensitivity to the expressive behavior of other (I can usually tell when Ive said something inappropriate by reading it in the listeners eyes). II. And the ability to modify ones self-presentation (I find that I can adjust my behavior to suit different people & different situations).

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HIGH & LOW SELF-MONITIORS: -

There are considerable behavioral & motivational differences between high &^ low selfmonitors & some of the important features of high & low self-monitors are as follows: 1) High self-monitors more often use he third person (he/she, his her, their, etc.) as compared to low self-monitors who use the first person (I, me, my ,mine, etc,.)

2) Those who are high in self-monitoring were found to respond best to advertising that was image-based whereas low self-monitors responded to those advertisement that were quality based (DeBono & Packer) 3) Those individuals who are high on self-monitoring show greater confidence in ones decision, regardless of whether their decision was right or wrong. 4) High self-monitors make interpersonal choices on the basis of their external quality, while low self-monitors make choices based on how much they like the other person. 5) It has also been found that in a romantic relationship those who are low in selfmonitoring are more committed to other individuals & hence, have fewer & longer lasting relationship. 6) High & low self-monitoring is also related to extrinsic versus intrinsic dating relationship. Jones found that when asked about their motivation in selecting a dating partner, low self-monitors tend to stress intrinsic motives (such as similarity) more than high self-monitors do, while high self-monitors stress motives (such as the helpfulness of the partners connections) more than low self-monitors do. 7) It has also been found that those individuals who score low on self-monitoring are found to be self-centred, closed minded, insensitive to the opinions of others, & lacing in social skills. While those who score high on self-monitoring are found to be sensitive to the feelings of others, open-minded and socially skillful. 8) Howells found that high self-monitors had more positive personality characteristics than low self-monitors. He found that students scoring high on the self-monitoring scale were

more sociable, affectionate, energetic, sensitive, intellectually curious, & open as compared to students scoring low. Low self-monitors were also found to be less socially competent & less confident about taking risks in social situations.

SOCIAL IDENTITY

Social identity is ones definition of oneself. It is our view of our-self & it also includes how we evaluate ourselves. Social identity can be defined as an individuals definition of himself, who he or she is? It also includes personal attributes (self-concept) along with membership in various groups (aspects shared with others).

Social identity generally includes the following: a. Ones Social-concept & his/her unique features b. Ones gender & relationship (e.g. man, women, divorced, son, daughter, etc) c. Vocation or avocation (e.g. student, doctor, sports person, actor, teacher, etc) d. Attributes that people dislike (e.g. over weight, drug peddler, etc) e. Ethnicity & religion (e.g. Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, etc)

Our Social identity considerably influences our interpersonal relationship. It indicates the way in which we like or dislike others. Changes in ones social contact also bring about changes in ones Social identity, which require considerable adjustment.

The two most important components of Social identity are as follows: Self & components of self such as self-concept, self-esteem, self-focussing, selfmonitoring & self-efficacy Gender, especially the social determinants of gender identity, gender roles & the way behaviour is influenced by these attributes.

SELF-ESTEEM Self-esteem is an evaluation of ones self. Self-esteem refers to an individuals attitude about himself or herself, involving self evaluation along positive/negative dimension. A person with high self-esteem perceives himself or herself as better, more capable & of greater worth than does someone with a low Self-esteem. Self-esteem as a personality trait is considerably influenced by ones childhood experiences. Kaplan & Pokorny found that married adults who scored lower in self-esteem had childhood experiences that included negative events lie fathers death, the hospitalization of a parent for mental illness, remarriage of a parent, etc. in other research with adults, low selfesteem was found to be associated with many unpleasant childhood experiences such as worries about grades, fear of being punished by the parent & the self-perception of being physically unattractive. One reason why negative perceptions can lead to low self-esteem can convince a young person that he or she is less worthwhile than others.

Recent research literature suggests that high low self-esteem is correlated with the following: Positive feelings about oneself Perceiving oneself as having strength & abilities in important areas of life Realizing that we have strength as well as weakness

That our strengths are more important than our weakness

Ones low self-esteem influences many areas of our life & functioning. A brief summary is presented below. Low Self-esteem: Individuals who are low in self-esteem report more negative emotions such as depression Low self-esteem individuals are more effected & concerned with social evaluations, because these individuals are less certain about self-worth Those who are low in self-esteem react by complementing sources of positive feedback & derogating sources of negative feedback Individuals with low self-esteem perform poorly in interpersonal situations

Those low in self-esteem react badly to all failure & to negative feedback of all kinds. Individuals who have low self-esteem also have a tendency to over generalize on the basis of failure. For example: - failure to get a date with one person would make them think that they are not beautiful, worthwhile, etc. & that they will never, in life, get a date.

HIGH SELF-ESTEEM: High self-esteem leads to positive feelings about oneself Individuals who are high in self-esteem perform better academically, are better adjusted psychologically, less afraid of failure & death, express anger appropriately & engage in self-enhancing behaviours, such as evaluating their own groups work positively.

Individuals who have high self-esteem have a tendency to attribute failure to external rather than internal causes & to perform better following either success or failure. Individuals who have high self-esteem have social sills, which are better, developed as compared to individuals who are low in self-esteem Individuals who have high self-esteem function better in interpersonal situations than do those with low self-esteem.

Why do we engage in self-evaluation? There are three motives, according to Sedikides, in evaluating our-self. These are as follows: Self-assessment (seeking accurate self-knowledge whether positive or negative) Self-enhancement (seeking favourable self-knowledge) Self-verification (seeking fair obvious self-knowledge & that is probably true) Individuals generally prefer self-enhancement & they leas preferences to selfassessment. Research studies have also shown that most people do not really want o now more

about themselves, rather, they want either positive information that simply confirms what they already know.

There are some individuals who individuals who only want positive information about themselves. The self-esteem of such individuals can be enhanced by external events. Providing experiences to such individuals, which would create positive mood, enhances their self-esteem.

Organisation Based Self-esteem (OBSE): -

Pierce et al. developed an important concept of self-esteem, which is great importance to the students of management. It is called as organisation Based Self-Esteem. It is defined as the self perceived value that individuals have of themselves as organization members acting within an organizational context. Individuals who score high on OBSE tend to view themselves as important, worthwhile, effectual & meaningful within the context of their employing organisation.

Factors influencing OBSE: Three important factors that are found to increase organizational based self-esteem are as follows: Managerial Respect: -

OBSE tends to increase when employees believe their supervisors have a genuine concern for employees welfare. Organisational structure: Flexible, organic organisation structure generates higher OBSE than do mechanistic (rigid, bureaucratic) structures. Job complexity: Complex & challenging jobs are foster higher OBSE than do simple, repetitious & boring jobs.

OBSE influences many important aspects of an individuals behaviour in an organisational context (Matejka & Dunsing). Some of these are as follows: Global self-esteem Job-performance Intrinsic motivation General satisfaction Citizenship behaviour: it involves doing things beneficial for the organisation itself. Organisational commitment & satisfaction.

Increasing self-esteem on-the-job: It has been shown that managers can help build employee self-esteem in the following ways: -

By being supportive & showing concern for personal; problems, interests, contributions, etc By providing work to employees which is challenging & which suits individuals values, skills & abilities By providing work to employees which involves variety By striving hard to achieve & maintain management-employee cohesiveness & trust Developing faith in each employees self-management ability.

THEORIES OF IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

There are various theories of impression management/self-presentation. The theory called Symbolic Interactionism, by C.H.Cooley and G.H.Mead, stressed that participants in social interactions try to take the role of the other and see themselves as others see them. Another theory, called presentation of the self in everyday life, by Erving Goffman says that the social interaction is a theatrical performance. Every person chooses a face as a background for social interaction. Both, these theories agree that we present ourselves depending on the situation and others perception about us. Sometimes we want to look good and sometimes we just want to maintain necessary performance so that we do not look bad. Jones and Pittman identified five tactics of selfpresentation that the person may adapt. They are: 1) Ingratiation: -

This is a class of strategic behaviors illicitly designed to influence a particular other person concerning the attractiveness of one's personal qualities. The goal of ingratiator is being likeable. This involves complimenting another person or indulging in flattery with certain amount of credibility and honesty. It also involves conforming, another persons view point. It has been observed that we like people who think or act like us. Thus presenting ourselves in the same way can generate favorable response from others. 2) Intimidation: In this strategy the person arouses fear among others to get the work done. He does not care about being likeable, all he wants is to control others and exercise his powers. 3) Self- promotion: This is a kind of advertising. The self-promoter wants to be seen as competent in certain areas. He may acknowledge minor flaws in his skills while emphasizing stronger points of his personality. However, if his claims do not match his abilities, then he may create a very bad impression. 4) Exemplification: In this strategy, the person tries to elicit the impression of moral worthiness and integrity while creating a feeling of guilt among others. When a person says, I will finish this work even if I fall sick but you go and enjoy. he is using this strategy. 5) Supplication: In this strategy the person advertises his weaknesses in order to get sympathy. The person portrays himself as helpless to get the help from others. Although, a person may use all the five tactics on different occasions, some people specialize in one or two tactics. Sometimes they use more than one strategy to influence others. Self-presentation tactics seem to be a matter of selecting certain characteristics and omitting others rather than a deliberate deception. Some people may stick to one tactic for so long that it may become a consistent aspect of their personality.

Impression-management is neither good nor bad, it is an integral part of our social interaction and everyone gets involved in it everyday.

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM (H COOLEY & GW MEAD)

Symbolic interactionism A leading American social psychological theory which focuses upon the ways in which meanings emerge through interaction. Its prime concern has been to analyse the meanings of everyday life, via close observational work and intimate familiarity, and from these to develop an understanding of the underlying forms of human interaction. The theory has four key factors. The first highlights the ways in which human beings are distinctly symbol-manipulating animals. It is through symbols that they, alone of all the animals, are capable of producing culture and transmitting a complex history. Interactionists are always concerned to study the ways in which people give meaning to their bodies, their feelings, their selves, their biographies, their situations, and indeed to the wider social worlds in which their lives exist. Research strategies such as participant observation are employed, which enable the researcher to gain access to these symbols and meanings. There is a broad affinity here to semiology, but unlike at least some positions in semiology which seek the structures of language, Interactionists are more concerned with the ways in which meaning is always emergent, fluid, ambiguous, and contextually bound. This leads to a second factor: that of process and emergence. For the interactionist, the social world is a dynamic and dialectical web, situations are always encounters with unstable outcomes, and lives and their biographies are always in the process of shifting and becoming, never fixed and immutable. Attention is fixed, not upon rigid structures (as in many other versions of sociology), but upon streams of activity with their adjustments and outcomes. Concepts such as career, negotiated order, becoming, encounters, and impression management

are

central

to

this

approach.

A third focus of interactionism highlights the social world as precisely thatinteractive. From this point of view there is no such thing as a solitary individual: humans are always connected to others. The most basic unit of interactionist analysis is that of the self, which stresses the ways in which people can (indeed must) come to view themselves as objects, and assume the role of others through a process of role-taking. A fourth theme, derived from Georg Simmel, is that interactionism looks beneath these symbols, processes, and interactions in order to determine underlying patterns or forms of social life. Interactionists seek generic social processes. Thus, while they may study the lifeexperience of doctors, dance-band musicians, drug-users, and the dying, they can detect common processes at work in all such seemingly disparate groupings. Symbolic interactionism developed in the University of Chicago, in the first few decades of this century, and first achieved prominence when the Chicago School came to dominate early American sociology. However, it again became very influential during the 1960s, as a challenge to the dominance of Talcott Parsons and Grand Theory (sometimes being referred to, during the heyday of functionalism, as the loyal opposition). It was particularly influential in the development of the labeling theory of deviance, but also in such fields as occupational research (Everett Hughes), medical sociology (Anselm Strauss), and in the study of classroom interaction. Strauss has pioneered a number of developments in interactionist theory. From his early work on identity (in Mirrors and Masks, 1969) to his formulation of the concept of negotiated order, his work exemplifies a major methodological concern with qualitative research (usually, for him, in medical settings), the development of appropriate strategies for doing such research (the so-called grounded theory approach), and the building of case-study theory which moves beyond itself into a more formal sociology. In the 1970s interactionism attracted considerable criticism for its neglect of social structure, power, and history. More recent interactionist writings have shown this critique to be misguided; and, in the process, have revitalized the theory. For example, Sheldon Stryker has attempted to enunciate a version of symbolic interactionism which more clearly relates the

conventionally micro sociological concerns of that perspective to the organizational and societal levels of analysis, mainly by an imaginative restatement of role theory. In particular, Stryker has been concerned with the idea of role-making, the active creation of roles (rather than mere taking of them), where some social structures permit more such creativity than do others. In the 1990s interactionism has provided analyses of a range of new phenomena, and has become more theoretically sophisticated (some might say eclectic) in creating links to postmodernism (in the work of Norman Denzin), feminism, semiology, and cultural theory.

THE PRESENTAION OF SELF IN EVERYDAY LIFE Erving Goffman's The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, published in 1959, provides a detailed description and analysis of process and meaning in mundane interaction. Goffman explores the details of individual identity, group relations, the impact of environment, and the movement and interactive meaning of information. His perspective, though limited in scope, provides new insight into the nature of social interaction and the psychology of the individual. Goffman employs a "dramaturgical approach" in his study, concerning himself with the mode of presentation employed by the actor and its meaning in the broader social context. Interaction is viewed as a "performance," shaped by environment and audience, constructed to provide others with "impressions" that are consonant with the desired goals of the actor. The performance exists regardless of the mental state of the individual, as persona is often imputed to the individual in spite of his or her lack of faith in -- or even ignorance of -- the performance. Goffman uses the example of the doctor who is forced to give a placebo to a patient, fully aware of its impotence, as a result of the desire of the patient for more extensive treatment. In this way, the individual develops identity or persona as a function of interaction with others, through an exchange of information that allows for more specific definitions of identity and behavior.

The process of establishing social identity, then, becomes closely allied to the concept of the "front," which is described as "that part of the individual's performance which regularly functions in a general and fixed fashion to define the situation for those who observe the performance". The front acts as a vehicle of standardization, allowing for others to understand the individual on the basis of projected character traits that have normative meanings. As a "collective representation," the front establishes proper "setting," "appearance," and "manner" for the social role assumed by the actor, uniting interactive behavior with the personal front. The actor, in order to present a compelling front, is forced to both fill the duties of the social role and communicate the activities and characteristics of the role to other people in a consistent manner. This process, known as "dramatic realization", is predicated upon the activities of "impression management," the control (or lack of control) and communication of information through the performance. In constructing a front, information about the actor is given off through a variety of communicative sources, all of which must be controlled to effectively convince the audience of the appropriateness of behavior and consonance with the role assumed. Believability, as a result, is constructed in terms of verbal signification, which is used by the actor to establish intent, and non-verbal signification, which is used by the audience to verify the honesty of statements made by the individual. Attempts are made to present an "idealized" version of the front, more consistent with the norms, mores, and laws of society than the behavior of the actor when not before an audience. Information dealing with aberrant behavior and belief is concealed from the audience in a process of "mystification," making prominent those characteristics that are socially sanctioned, legitimating both the social role of the individual and the framework to which the role belongs. Goffman explores nature of group dynamics through a discussion of "teams" and the relationship between performance and audience. He uses the concept of the team to illustrate the work of a group of individuals who "co-operate" in performance, attempting to achieve goals sanctioned by the group. Co-operation may manifest itself as unanimity in demeanor and behavior or in the assumption of differing roles for each individual, determined by the desired intent in performance. Goffman refers to the "shill," a member of the team who "provides a visible model for the audience of the kind of response the performers are seeking," promoting psychological excitement for the realization of a (generally monetary) goal, as an example of a

"discrepant role" in the team. In each circumstance, the individual assumes a front that is perceived to enhance the group's performance. The necessity of each individual to maintain his or her front in order to promote the team performance reduces the possibility of dissent. While the unifying elements of the team are often shallower and less complete than the requirements of performance, the individual actor feels a strong pressure to conform to the desired front in the presence of an audience, as deviance destroys the credibility of the entire performance. As a result, disagreement is carried out in the absence of an audience, where ideological and performance changes may be made without the threat of damage to the goals of the team, as well as the character of the individual. In this way, a clear division is made between team and audience. Goffman describes the division between team performance and audience in terms of "region," describing the role of setting in the differentiation of actions taken by individuals. Extending the dramaturgical analysis, he divides region into "front," "back," and "outside" the stage, contingent upon the relationship of the audience to the performance. While the "official stance" of the team is visible in their front stage presentation, in the backstage, "the impression fostered by the presentation is knowingly contradicted as a matter of course," indicating a more "truthful" type of performance). In the backstage, the conflict and difference inherent to familiarity is more fully explored, often evolving into a secondary type of presentation, contingent upon the absence of the responsibilities of the team presentation. To be outside the stage involves the inability to gain access to the performance of the team, described as an "audience segregation" in which specific performances are given to specific audiences, allowing the team to contrive the proper front for the demands of each audience. This allows the team, individual actor, and audience to preserve proper relationships in interaction and the establishments to which the interactions belong. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, though detailed, does not provide a comprehensive description of interactive processes. In exploring the construction of presentation among individual and teams, Goffman does not fully explore the nature of marginalized individuals, the importance of ritual or ceremony in the dramaturgy, or the construction of character. A reading of these complementary notions from Goffman's later work, including

Stigma and Interaction Ritual, provides a vehicle for expanding the analysis of the interaction of everyday life into the broader experiences of human interaction. In this sense, Goffman depicts extraordinary circumstances as a means of developing the character central to the experience of everyday life. Through an investigation of his work in a broader context, the relationship between the forces that shape society and the individual becomes clearer. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life is a work that lends itself well to a macro sociological reading. By placing Goffman's work in the context of the writings of other thinkers, a beneficial link between the micro- and macro-structures of society becomes visible. An important link may be made between Goffman and Durkheim may be made in an inquiry into the concept of "spontaneity." In The Presentation of Self, the importance of spontaneity emerges as an aspect of the performance, as the actor seeks to create a front that does not appear to be contrived. Spontaneity allows for the realization of the "true" self, an idealized type of interaction that allows the individual to realize a desired face. In The Division of Labor in Society, Durkheim describes a macro sociological model of spontaneity, a "finely articulated organisation in which each social value...is appreciated at its true worth". Durkheim, though primarily concerned with labor, describes a type of social interaction that, like Goffman's model, reaffirms the existing social environment through the notion of "truth." Each individual is bound to the contemporary social organization, while attempting to realize a sense of freedom in expressing truth. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life provides penetrating insight into the nature of interpersonal interaction and the institutions to which interaction more strongly applies. Despite an unusual, anecdotal methodology, Goffman's work displays an uncommon analytical rigor in dealing with a comparatively unexplored area of social thought. Through an inquiry into the everyday life of humanity, the book provides a strong foundation for the understanding of micro sociological phenomena, an understanding bolstered by an investigation of his other writings. By limiting his work to a dramaturgical study, however, Goffman eliminates the possibility of applying the activities of the mundane world to the larger social world, a problem

that may be reconciled by examining concepts employed in the book through the work of macro theorists.

IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES IN AN INTERVIEW: There are different types of qualities which an interviewee must have in his /her life for making an impression on the interviewer. The qualities that can impress the interviewer at the time of interview are as follows: PERSONAL QUALITIES: This area includes the personal qualifications required in the position: physical appearance, health, dress & growing, voice quality diction, vocabulary poise, alertness & aggressiveness. Most of the qualities are assessed by the interviewers observations rather than by the applicants answers to his questions. ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: This area covers the type of schooling, quality of grades, class standing, social activities, honors & awards & athletic accomplishments. Questions in this area can provide a

good indication of an applicants initiative, independence, reliability, intellectual competence & emotional stability. OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIENCE: This area emphasis not merely an applicants technical competence but also the level of responsibility & sill he has attained in previous jobs, the position level & salary progression achieved & reasons for leaving former jobs. Questions in this area should focus at obtaining evidence of good judgment, initiative, drive & energy & ability to assume responsibility. INTERPERSONAL COMPETENCE: This area includes the applicants ability to get along with others. It is not enough to evaluate this area on the basis of the applicants behavior during the interview. Specific questions must be asked about his family, history, leisure-time activities, hobbies & community interests to ascertain his degree of social adjustment.

Waiting for an interview

Interviewer is taking an interview

Interviewee is selected for the job

LIST OF QUESTIONS: Before going towards in an interview, an interviewee must prepare himself/herself through different types of questions that can be asked /there are any chances to be asked in an interview through a interviewee can make impression on the interviewer. The questions are: What are your long & short range objectives? What is it about the position that particularly attracted to your interest? What kinds of things have you done that we should be particularly interested in? Here is a problem. How would you go about solving it?

What kinds of things you dont like to do? Tell me about a product, organization & person & so on you admire? Why? What has been your most significant accomplishment? Tell me why it was significant? Which of your personal strengths, do you think will be useful to this company? Do you prefer working alone or in a team? How did you get along with your subordinates & superiors? What would be the ideal job for you? Why? Why do you wan to your current position? What was your most disappointment experience in your current position? What you might have done to improve the situation? What has been your best job so far? Why?

Are you willing to travel? Have you ever just taken a thing or a situation & improved? Tell me about it. Have you ever been in a situation where you have taken independent charge of a job & provided a leadership?

THE IMPORTANCE OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS IN AN INTERVIEW Imagine yourself in the position of being interviewed for a job. The things that you required to impress the interviewer are: * How you dress,

* *

The way you sit at the time of responding the questions, How you smile & look at the interviewer can all have powerful effects of first impression that is formed on you. Research has shown that superficial clues, such as those above, do influence the

first impression formed (Bull & Rumsey). The actual configuration of your face, something largely beyond your control unless you have plastic surgery, can effect the first impression. FOR EXAMPLE: - Adults with a Baby Face, large eyes & small nose relative to the rest of the face-may be perceived as more simple, honest & kind, but also as a submissive socially incomponent & powerless. People we judge as very attractive & generally perceived as interesting, warm, outgoing & socially skilled, such traits are regarded as central to impression formation & hence exert a high degree of influence.

HOW TO DO AN IMPRESSIVE PRESENTATION Whether you speak to an audience of ten or one hundred, you will be judged 55 percent by your body language, 38 percent by voice quality and 7 percent by your words. Perfect your presentation by using a video camera or testing your speech out on friends, co-workers or family.

STEPS FOR MAKING IMPRESSIVE PRESENTATION: Your topic should be clear. You should include enough research or data to back up your presentation. You should open your speech creating interest by using questions, stories, analogies or comparisons. You should use effective pausing and voice range. You should make good eye contact with your audience. You should give proper time for your speech.

You should do a recap of your speech when closing to refresh the audience. You must have a strong close by using a quotation, slogan or a story that ties into your topic.

HOW TO HANDLE THE CROSS-QUESTIONS: Now that you have prepared your speech and delivered it, how will you handle the cross- questions? Be sure to tell your audience prior to your delivery that you will take questions at the end of your presentation. This will allow you to covey your entire message without interruption. At the end, you may have a "challenging" person asking you questions. Perhaps you have already answered their questions once of twice.

Take the time to explain that you only have five more minutes of question answering and you will gladly meet with the person after other people have had a chance to ask their questions. In the beginning of question asking, if no one speaks up, have your own question prepared that is geared to your audience. You might say, "This is a question I frequently get asked ..." By doing so, you may also jump start questions from others in the audience. Sometimes it is hard to be the first one to ask a question. The most important elements of your speech are the beginning and the end. Be sure you do not weaken a powerful ending because of an ineffective question and answer session.

Three points to remember regarding questions: a) Restate the question b) Give the facts or statistics c) What is the benefit of your answer to the person asking the question, and to your community?

TOP 9 WAYS TO MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION ON WORK

It is important that you make a good impression at work. If you make a good impression on your boss, he or she is more likely to give you more responsibility which can lead to promotions and raises. Here are nine ways to make a good impression at work. 1. Use Proper Office Etiquette: Using good manners will help you make a good impression with your boss and also your co-workers. Office etiquette includes everything from the proper way to use email to knowing when, where, and how to use your cell phone while at work.

2. Face Up to Your Mistakes: When you make a mistake at work, which everyone inevitably does at some point, face up to it? Don't ignore your error or place the blame on others. Take responsibility and come up with a solution to fix your mistake. Your boss may not be too happy about it, but he/she will at least be impressed with your response.

3. Know When to Call in Sick to Work: Do you think coming to work when you are sick instead of staying at home will impress your boss? Reasonable bosses know that a sick employee not only isn't productive, he or she can spread an illness around the office rendering everyone else unproductive. Call in sick when you need to. 4. Come Through in a Crisis: When the unexpected happens at work, which will make a better impression on the boss -- the employer who wrings his hands and does nothing or the one who springs into action? Of course it's the employee who deals with the crisis quickly and effectively.

5. Know What Topics to Avoid Discussing: Avoiding inappropriate topics may not help you make a good impression at work but it will keep you from making a bad one. Subjects that do not make for good workplace conversation include politics, religion, and health problems and other personal issues. 6. Manage Your Time Effectively: Your ability to complete projects in a timely manner will help you make a good impression on your boss. You should demonstrate that you know how to manage your time effectively by handing in projects when, or even before, your deadline. 7. Dress Appropriately: Make a good impression at work by wearing the right clothes. You should dress the right way for the "role you are playing." If you aspire to be a leader at work, dress like one.

8. Avoid Offending Your Co-Workers: Make a good impression or avoid making a bad one by not doing things that offend your co-workers. Always show respect towards your co-workers. The last thing a boss wants brought to his attention is the uncivil actions of one of his employees. 9. Represent Your Company Well at Business Meetings: When you represent your employer at a business meeting making a good impression on other attendees will in turn help you make a good impression on your boss. Dress appropriately, network on your employer's behalf, and bring back information.

Things to Do to Impress Your Boss When You Don't Deserve It Having a boss to impress but not the aptitude to do it? Then here are some tips to impress your superiors: 1. Work during lunchtime, lunch during work time: Or you can come early and work first, and then eat during work. Why? Bosses are only out of their room when they're arriving in the morning or leave for a break. This is the 'impression window', where you should display all your fake commitments towards your work. When they're in their room, you can then display your real commitment towards their doom. 2. Plan (imaginatively) your progress: When you sign in the morning, always plan what you should do for the entire day. When your boss suddenly calls you, show him that you're prepared and committed to resolve your assignments for the day. Then you can proceed with your nap.

3. See your boss for pointers: Bosses dislike passive workforce. See them regularly, asking important pointers on your task and explaining your progress (see above if you don't have one). FIND SOMETHING TO ASK. It displays your willingness to develop. These should also give you some peace of mind to relax in your cubicle, saving you from his surprise lurch to your table for updates and questions.

4. Subscribe to relevant RSS feeds: If your office PC is connected to the internet, subscribe to the Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds from related websites in your industry. RSS feeds are updates (depends on the site) presented in tablature format providing you with quick insight and summary on the latest information you need. 5. Always bring some sort of documents around: When you go around to other department for a little chat, don't forget your papers - any papers. Roll it and walk fast. It gives an impression that you're on a formal assignment. When you drop by your target's desk, put the papers on the desk and point at it in regular intervals while enjoying your irrelevant conversation. 6. Always keep documents and word processors ready: Before you steal your company's time for your Friends or long surfing, make sure your Excel (or any application software you use for WORK) is loaded and ready. DO NOT MINIMIZE THEM. It eases your cover-up in case of your boss makes a surprise attack. 7. Never Submit Your Assignments Early: -

If not, you'll be given new task, and again you have to be starting your work early.

Being Lazy Is Not That Bad People talk about productivity. Being effective. Becoming enterprising, dynamic, energetic, exuberant, and lively. Blah, blah, blah. Every way you'll see people lecturing about these over-hyped terms. Hence, there are 5 points that every lazy person should remember: 1. Lazy people always discover shortcuts: Come on... Do you think you stumbled upon CTRL+V while purposely reading the manual book? Or using the shorter trip home because "I don't like to waste money on petrol"? Lazy people always discouraged by bureaucracy and standard operating procedures. So they tend to find some work-around for a certain task. And the fact that they're too lazy to face the consequence, they even find ways to do it legally.

2. Lazy people sprung off new inventions: -

Telephone was never invented for 'discovery of communication evolution'. In fact, communication evolves because of our sluggishness. Remote controls because of our lethargic @55 reluctant to split with our sofa. Bluetooth because "Why do we have to always point the sensors?" laziness with infrareds. Internet banking because we're too lazy to queue. I-pods because "the discman is too heavy"... Optical mouse because were not that keen to clean the balls. Audio books??? Yeah, right. And. have you ever seen the 'revolutionary' Segway? 3. Lazy people buoys the service sector: With lazy people, companies find it increasingly difficult to motivate and inspire them. That's why training consultants are hired. Motivational camps are on the rise. And with lazy people constantly looking for medical leave (MC), clinics flourish. These people are often fired, so employment agencies are sought to do a better job in sourcing human capital. Heck, we're too lazy to keep our floor clean, that's why cleaning contractors exist! 4. Lazy people brings balance to the social hierarchy: What is right? When there is left. Who is hardworking? When there are lazy people. Lazy people are a relative reference to judge who is diligent. So they must exist so that management can offer promotion to the hardworking employees. Imagine all people work at the same rate, comes to the office at the same time, finish their work on schedule. Hard is it to find who deserves promotion? 5. Lazy people encourage thinking: I'm too lazy to think the fifth blessing, so why don't you figure out yourself.

Business Meetings

How to Make the Most of Business Meetings: Business meetings range from gatherings of small groups of people to large conferences with hundreds, or even thousands, in attendance. It is those mega meetings that many people find stressful. Here are pointers to help you make the most of business meetings and relieve some of the stress you may feel when you find you have to attend one. Before You Go to a Business Meeting:

Meet Other Attendees in Advance: Get to know as many people as possible before you attend the conference.

Look Your Best: When you look good, your confidence goes up. Make sure your hair and nails are well groomed.

Dress Appropriately: Find out what type of atmosphere is needed. Bring Clothes that Travel Well or bring an iron. You don't want your clothes to look rumpled.

Pack Comfortable Shoes: You may be on your feet for long periods of time.

At the Business Meeting:

Introduce Yourself to Others: Making the first move may make you feel less vulnerable.

Smile: Smiling (only when appropriate, of course) helps you look approachable. Psych Yourself Up: Remember the qualities others like about you. Get People to Talk About Themselves: Everyone likes to do this and it will take the focus off you.

Beware of Alcohol: You don't want to become too uninhibited.

When the Business Meeting is over: -

Take Home Something Valuable: This could be an idea you may be able to implement or a new person to add to your network.

Keep in Touch: Maintaining contact with those you met at the conference will make the next conference easier.

ARTICLES In all likelihood You will ascend the corporate ladder if you up your popularity at office. Heres how to increase your likeability factor: Its more important to be respected than lied. There is no book of management or work place practices which will tell you the contrary. Yet, as a new, young workforce is redefining office life the world over, study after study is proving this conventional wisdom wrong-finding instead that the road to success is more often a series of popularity contents. A recent research at Columbia university showed that jobs, pay raises & promotions were more apt to be awarded based on a workers charisma than on his or her academic background or professional qualifications. Many firms back in India to have found that during corporate downsizing, hiring & firing decisions boil down to how well people are liked by their superiors. Its not enough jus to a good job; you have to be likeable in the eyes of your employer. Now the good news is that likability is a skill that can be learned. When people encounter you, they subconsciously ask themselves four questions that determine your likability. 1 1 They seek friendliness. They ask themselves if you are relevant to them.

1 1

They deliberate whether you have empathy for them. they ask themselves if you are real- i.e. authentic & honest

There are four-step process from a person can increase his/her likelihood: Increase your friendliness: Your friendliness is a function of your ability to communication openness & welcomes others. Make an effort to greet people cheerfully, smile often & adopt a friendly mindset that you communicate through positive body language & words. Increase your relevance: No, it doesnt mean you become a chronic attention-seeker. Your relevance has to do with your connection to others interests, wants & needs. The more people relevant you are, the more people like you. Relevance has three levels: A. contact: The odds are, likability will increase with functional distance, such as sitting next to someone at a party or living nearby. B. Mutual interests: Having common mutual interests or experiences makes people feel validated & generates a sense of community & -personal respect. Guys with an enhanced experience of dating might succeed here! C. Value: Relevance is the strongest when the value you offer meets another persons wants & needs. This produces positive attitudes in the persons mind & contributes to your allure.

To become more relevant, find ways to connect with the interests & needs of others. Know what theyre passionate about outside of work. Be aware of their emotional needs & willing to respond to them. show empathy: Your empathy reflects your capacity to see things from another persons point of view & to experience his or her feelings yourself. When you connect with someones feelings, & they believe you are with them, it delivers a psychological hug. As yourself, do I Know how that person is feeling about his or her situation these days? Understand what it must feel like to perform the persons tasks day be it caring for dadajee at home or managing a heavy workload? Share the same emotions about key issues? By making yourself more emotionally available, your connection with people - & your likability will grow dramatically. keep it real: Realness is consistency between your beliefs & actions. To be true to yourself & others, you need to. a. Do what you want to be doing in life. b. Live with purpose

c. Commit to the principles of your work. d. Be the same person on the outside as you are on the inside. e. Be direct & honest with others.

Likability comes down to creating positive emotional experiences in others. When you make others feel good, they tend to gravitate to you. UNEASY LIES THE HEAD Here are five lies employees always use at office & how to better handle them.. People can impress others through lie. To help bring more honesty into the workplace, here are five lies through a person can impress others: 1. ID BE HAPPY TO Think about the last few times youve said youd be happy to do something. How often was that statement sincere? When a supervisor or colleague sends some work your way & you would rather work on more pressing tasks, you dont know how to turn him down without losing your job. Therefore, if a new assignment may interfere with your other work; ask your boss which tasks have the highest priorities so you dont miss a deadline. 2. NO, I DONT HAVE ANY QUESTIONS Who hasnt been given an assignment that just didnt make sense, but when the boss asked if you had any questions you stayed silent? After all, you dont want o be that person who dont wan o be that person who doesnt understand whats going on! Preface your question by saying that you just want to be certain you understand everything completely. 3. TOO MUCH TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD Okay, sometimes there is, but more often than not, you slap the snooze button on your alarm a few times before you realize you should already be half way to work.

Face up to it. Be ready to explain yourself if you have a history of consistent tardiness. After all, your late arrivals are noticed even if nobody says anything, so your excuses will run dry eventually. 4. IM NOT SICK, ITS JUST ALLERGIES The only thing people like than getting sick is using their personal days to stay home. If you have too much work to take a day off or you dont have any personal days left, you migh t be tempted to pull one over on your flu-fearing co-workers & attribute the sniffles to allergy season dont. Addressing the issue by saying, I hope Im not coming down with a cold; I have many things to do. 5. IM RIGHT ON SCHEDULE Youve got a deadline for project & when your boss stops by to check on your progress, you wipe the sweat from your forehead & say everythings going to be planned. I am working on it, might be the better response. This answer lets the boss know youre hard at work without lying about how much youve accomplished. Although you might not to think it makes much a difference as long as the work is done on time, you could find yourself in need of some advice just before the deadline & youll be caught lying if youre asking about something you said was already done. ASK MASTER

QUESTIONING YOUR BOSS CORRECTTLY IS BENEFICIAL FOR YOUR JOB AS WELL AS CAREER. 1. YOU REALLY PAID SOMEONE FOR THAT HAIRCUT? 2. MUSTT YOUR LUNCH ALWAYS INCLUDE GARLI?

3. HOW DOES YOUR WIFE EVEN TOLERATE YOU? These are probably some questions youd ask your boss if given the chance. But you have to curb your desires if you have any desires if you have any desire to keep your job. With bosses, there are certain questions to keep to you. Unfortunately, some of us have a tendency to keep all questions to ourselves, even when speaking up can help our careers. Workers choose silence over dialogue because they worry about damaging credibility, fear retaliation from key decision-makers or doubt their voices will make a difference. And when employees choose silence, progress suffers. Whether you keep quiet because youre afraid of embarrassing yourself or you dont think your questions mean much, you should start speaking up. Here are nine questions to ask your boss that can help your career. (Just dont as them all at once your boss is probably a busy person.) 1. HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS? Employees often forget that their performances are graded in some form or another. In order to understand how you work is quantified, you should be speaking the same language as your boss. Find out if your manager is only concerned with numbers & results or if how you achieve them also matters. Then, you base your future work on his or her priorities. 2. WHAT AREAS DO I NEED TO DEVELOP TO ADVANCE MY CARRER? This question shows your boss you are in control of your future & are not waiting for someone else to make things happen. If you can articulate what your career goals are, your boss can tell you what experience you need to gain before you can move up the ladder. 3. WHICH OF MY STRENGTHS WILL HELP MY CARRER? Okay, this does not mean you dont know your own my strengths. You might thin you know what your strengths & weakness are, but your boss could have a different opinion. This

question isnt excuse to beg for a compliment; its an opportunity to show the bo ss you want to steer your own career. 4. HOW OFTTEN ARE PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS CONDUCTED & WHO IS IN CHARGE OF THEM? Basic questions such as this one are crucial to your performance. Understanding the mechanics of your job should be a top priority at all times. Mae sure you know if you have quarterly or annual goals to aim for & how they impact your daily tasks. 5. WHAT ARE HE OPTIONS FOR GROWTH IN OUR COMPANY? Although you might expect this questions belongs only in a job interview, its worth asking even after youve been employed for a few years. Company structures change all the times & you should now what opportunities are open to you if you want to advance. Once you know what your options are, you can decide what your next move is, whether its aiming for a new position or looking for a job with a better future. 6. DO I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY? This ones to avoid embarrassment. When you have a project that has many components or a new set of guidelines, be certain you have a grasp on what your task is. Tackling an assignment without knowing youre on the right path leaves the opportunity for a rude awakening on the due date. Check with boss-jee to ensure you understand everything the way he or she intends it. If you don ask the right questions, you could derail your own career even though youre fully capable of doing the work. Caution! Use resistant when asking the question. No boss wants to repeat him or herself ad nauseam. 7. WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PRIORIY WE NEED TO FOCUS ON? You may not sound lie a five star hotel attendant but this simple question is important but often forgotten. Even if you cant help, your boss will take note of your offer. Its lonely at

the top, so if your boss sees you r boss sees you as someone who wants them to succeed, you stand out.

8. WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PRIORIY WE NEED TO FOCUS ON? This one often goes unasked because employees fear appearing incompetent. In reality, it shows concern about your responsibilities & your teams goals. When you have several ongoing projects & your boss adds more to your workload, knowing how to priorities grows difficult. Managers want to hear from employees who are concerned with improving business. 9. CAN I TAKE ON THIS TASK? Too many employees take a lasses-faire attitude toward their cash careers & relinquish control to their bosses have their own lives to worry about & dont have time o map your future. Rather than let your career meander, look for opportunities to prove you have initiative & leadership skills. Find ways to build experience & gain skills that you currently lack. 10 REASONS WHY YOUR BOSS HATES YOU YOU MAY HAVE ENOUGH REASONS TO HATE YOUR BOSS. BUT THE BOSS ALSO HAS SOME OF HIS OWN TO FEEL HIM SAME. HERE ARE SOME OF THEM All the subordinates in this world hate their bosses. They make us work for long hours, nitpick everything we do & expect far more perfection than Einsteins Mathematical calculations. We bitch about them to every possible soul who he doesnt have access to & the reasons why we hate them are never ending. However, changes are your boss feels the same. Heres why: i. TURNING UP LATE

One day, the rickshaw broke down. The next day, the alarm didnt go off. The day after, your bai didnt turn up. Agreed, we all are hum\an, things change last minute & appointments can be missed. However, it really bothers your boss when he reaches office before you, even if you were the first person to leave office the day before. It conveys a care-a-damn attitude towards office etiquette & also that you are nothing but a lazy soul who cant pull himself out of bed.

ii.

ZERO INITIATIVE

All of us are born with a basic level of IQ. Use it more often & you can put a lot of things straight & need not bother the boss who is already pre-occupied with a dozen things under the sun. For example, if the interest is not working, dont give lame excuses. Call the technical department & get it fixed! iii. TOO MUCH INITATIVE

One thing hats worse than lack of initiative is taking too much initiative. You may be looking to score brownie points but why get into things that dont serve any purpose? Your boss has asked you to follow up with a client. However, you not only call times up 10 times a day but also visit them in their office with a photocopy of the proposal & a bouquet of flowers! Not happening. In short, do as told & leave the rest to your boss. iv. BITCHING & WHINING: -

The canteen guy served ice cold chai & the lift attendant forgot to stop the lift where you wanted to get off. Big deal! You arent he prime minister of neither India nor a Taliban leader who will get their fingers chopped for such criminal behavior. Dont make an issue out of it. Also, dont bitch about colleagues. It serves no purpose, spreads negative vibes in office & hampers work output. Your boss is not free to pay attention to your cry baby crap. v. DISLOYALITY: -

You say your boss has an obligation to keep the staff happy. Then why isnt he reciprocated with an equal support & loyalty? You point out his mistakes in public & leave no opportunity to let other departments know what a big looser he is. And when you want to see him in trouble, you dont even mind leaking confident ional information to your friends in the rival company. Its this lack of loyalty that he hates you for.

vi.

LACK OF INTEREST

Its your boss duty to give top notch results. But what can he do when his team doesnt care about the company? Even your boss feels the urge to let it go, a times but he cannot. Try& understand his point of view & show that you are interested in the company affairs. vii. BEST FRIENDS? SORRY!

No, they dont want to be on your face book account & dont care where you hang out during weekends. Simply because they want to keep their personal & professional life miles apart. You may think that getting personal with your boss will earn you brownie points when its time for annual increment but that need not be the case. Let your work speak. viii. PETTTY LYING

Want a casual leave? Have a personal matter to attend to? Feel like working from home today? Well, and then tell him! But never make petty excuses for your laziness & to cover up your incompetence. If you cant help making such excuses, please do not expect them to believe you. This shows that you think they have no brains & that they can easily be taken for a ride. Few things are as insulting as this. ix. CHILDISHNESS

You just saw a video on a television & cant wait to tell your boss. But wait, does your boss really care? Remember, you may look up to him for experience & ideas but your boss is not your mom. So please spare him the unnecessary details. x. WANTING THEIR JOB

They spend all their time protecting you from the wrath of the big superiors & cover up for the team when something goes wrong. And all you do is something goes wrong. And all you do is scheme all day as to get hold of their job. Its not fair, is it?

PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL THROUGH IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT

The process by which individuals attempt to control the impression others form of them

More

likely

used

by

high

self-monitors

than

low

self-monitors

High self-monitors try to read the situation

It is commonly accepted that individuals in organisations use impression management tactics to control the information available to others about themselves in order to control the image presented. In recent years, more and more research attention has been placed on how (i.e., what tactics are used) individuals can manage or manipulate the impressions others hold of them. Impression management research generally has focused on how a subordinate can manage the impressions of the boss.

Techniques of performance appraisal through impression management:-

Conformity: Agreeing with someone elses opinion in order to gain his or her approval.

Excuses: Explanations of a predicament-creating event aimed at minimizing the apparent Severity of the predicament.

Apologies: Admitting responsibility for an undesirable event and simultaneously seeking to get a Pardon for the action.

Acclamations: Explanation of favorable events to maximise the desirable implications for oneself.

Flattery: Complimenting others (superiors) about their virtues in an effort to make oneself appear perceptive and likable.

Favours: Doing something nice for someone to gain that persons approval.

Association: Enhancing or protecting ones image by managing information about people and things With which one is associated. Remember "Successful people look successful!" By remembering these points, you can help to more quickly advance your career.

USING IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT TO EXCEL IN YOUR CAREER

Most people looking to move up the corporate ladder realize the importance of mastering job-related skills. But what they may not also know is that soft skills - the way they carry themselves, dress, interact with others - can be just as important in determining whether they will or will not be promoted, and may even be creating a negative image without their knowledge. For example, I knew two managers who were competing for the same promotion. Both were equally technically competent and mentally ready for the move. Yet, one had outstanding social skills, dressed for the position and could easily strike up a conversation with anyone. The other was sloppy in appearance, hid in a corner and had poor eye contact at social events. Guess who got the promotion?

Conversely, there are also many professionals who think that they are great at networking, making small talk, and connecting with people when in reality they exude an unprofessional image. Having well-rounded socializing skills are not an option, but a necessity of business life.

With

this

in

mind,

here

are

few

tips

on

how

to

improve:

Set goals. Where do you want to be in one, three and five years from now? Do you want a promotion? A new job or career? What are you willing to do to achieve them? Write them down and review them periodically to keep on track. Take a good look at yourself or better yet, ask your mentor for feedback: Unfortunately, we never see ourselves as others do. If you are not getting the results you want, ask for feedback from others to better understand what is holding you back.

Commit to the change you want to create: To make any change in behavior you must practice the new skill repeatedly for twentyone days. Set aside time to do this and make it a priority.

Dress appropriately: Wear clothes that fit well and are appropriate for each business occasion. Understand the difference between traditional business attire and the different levels of business casual. Wear clothes that say you are there for business and should be taken seriously. If you wear it to the beach, on a hot date, or to the park - it's not appropriate for business. Learn how to properly shake hands: Touch thumb joint to thumb joint. Make it firm - not a bone crusher or a loose fish handshake. People form an impression of you by your greeting. Make sure they've formed a good one. Keep your body language open: In business, many professionals are not aware of how they are communicating with their body. Fidgeting or not making eye contact, will give you away. Keep a smile on your face and your body language open.

Fake it until you feel it: If you feel as if you have already achieved your goal, it will happen. Individuals that maintain an upbeat attitude portray a positive image and attract positive company. CONCLUSION Impression management is a technique used by the people/employees to make the things easy for them. In todays world, people dont want to work hard to impress others through their performance & hence, they try to use different types of impression management techniques. Impression management is something called as an EXTRA EFFORT done by the employees to impress their superiors. In modern world, Impression management is used always in all fields. People are using the theory to look different from others. The competition is increasing day by day & to compete with others impression management always plays an important role in every field of work. Impression management is almost used in all the fields that are as follows: -

Corporate

(Employees tries to impress his/her superior for performance appraisal) (Businessman tries to impress his/her customers to sell his products) (A player tries to impress his/her coach to get selected in team)

Business

Sports

Impression management can be treated as a Bias method because it can put down someones effort & can be useful for them for those who done less work & use more these types of theories knowingly or unknowingly. It is useful at the time of interview, to know someones

behaviour, to improve the personality of an individual, etc. Hence, impression management is neither good nor neither bad for an organisation. According to my point of view, an individual can make impression on others by doing 3 good things. They are as follows: Good work, Good work, Good work.

http://dc602.4shared.com/download/ObPhssXK/Ketenaga_kerjaanglobalization.MPG?tsid=20140107-085046-2fcbff84

You might also like