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Signature 签名：ContentIntroduction (2)1. Attitudes and Behavior (2)1.1Attitude (2)1.2Cognitive Dissonance (3)1.2.1Definition of Cognitive Dissonance (3)1.2.2Way to Solve Cognitive Dissonance (3)1.3Attitude Influence Behavior (4)2. Reinforcement Theory and Prediction of Behavior (4)2.1 Reinforcement Theory (4)2.2 Prediction of Behavior (5)3. Personality and Prediction of Behavior (6)3.1 Personality Characteristics and Prediction of Behavior (6)3.2 The Big Five Model and Prediction of Behavior (6)3.3 Type A Personality and Prediction of Behavior (7)3.4 If I Was Her (7)4. Attribution Theory (8)5. Organizational Culture and Behavior (9)5.1 Organizational Culture Influence Behavior (9)5.2 Factors Contribute to the Organizational Climate (9)5.3 Creating an Ethical Organizational Culture (10)Conclusion (11)Reference (11)What Customers Don’t Know Really Will Hurt Them IntroductionElena had started working for a car rental company two years ago. She wants to move up the ranks into management. She worked hard and she was good at her job.However, one day her supervisor told her lie to customer. She was stunned and asked her supervisor why, her supervisor said “If you’re going to be a manager, you need to know how to make money. Always take the best deal you can get.”Elena didn’t want to jeopardize her chance of becoming a manager. In the months that followed, Elena found she can lie to customer without pressure from her supervisor.All the things going well until one day, her customer, Jim Reynolds had reserved the less expensive compact car. However, when checking the car, Elena noticed a large lump on the tire. She knew the lump could be dangerous, but she didn't want to give Mr. Reynolds the new luxury sedan for the same price as the compact car.Unfortunately, Mr. Reynolds crashed into another car, seriously injuring himself and the other driver. The legal department manager asked Elena, whether she was aware of the tire’s condition before renting the car to Mr. Reynolds.As an OB consultant, my supervisor gives me this case. After reading the case, I will perform an analysis of the case based on OB concepts and theories.1. Attitudes and Behavior1.1AttitudeElena held the default attitude toward lying to customers.From the case we can see that Elena was stunned when her supervisor told her lie to customer. She didn’t want to lie to customers, but she also didn’t want to jeopardize her chance of obtaining a management position, so she lies to her customers. Then lying to customer became her second nature, she can lie to customers without pressure from hersupervisor. So I say that Elena held the default attitude toward lying to customers.1.2Cognitive Dissonance1.2.1Definition of Cognitive DissonanceResearch has generally concluded that people seek consistency among their attitudes and between their attitudes and their behavior. The cognitive dissonance theory explains the linkage between attitudes and behavior. Any form of inconsistency is uncomfortable and that individuals will attempt to reduce the dissonance and the discomfort. The individuals will find an equilibrium state in which attitudes and behavior are again consistent.Elena had experience dissonance when her supervisor first told her lie to a customer. When her supervisor planned to rent the SUV when he knew that it was reserved and at a high price, Elena was stunned and asked why. To Elena’s nature, she didn’t want to lie, but she also didn’t want to lose her chance to gaining a management position. At last, she followed her supervisor’s advice and lie to her customer.1.2.2Way to Solve Cognitive DissonanceThe individuals can alter either their attitudes or behavior, or develop a rationalization for the discrepancy.To Elena, she altered her attitude toward lying to her customer, from stunned when her manager first told her lie to customer, to let lying to customers became her second nature. At the same time, she altered her behavior. At first, she didn’t want to lie to customers. Then she followed her manager’s advice and lie to her customers. At last, she can lie to her customers without pressure from her supervisor.Of course, she also develops a rationalization for the discrepancy. That is in this way she can make more money and can be appreciated by her manager and get the chance ofobtaining a management position.1.3Attitude Influence BehaviorWe held that attitudes affect behavior. Because of altering the attitude toward lying to customer, Elena changed her behavior. She was good at her job at beginning and did n’t lie to customer. Then she lies to customer in order to please her manager. At last, she can lie to customer without pressure from her supervisor.Early research on attitudes assumed that they were causally related to behavior. That is attitudes that people hold determine what they do.However, in the late 1960s, this assumed relationship between attitudes and behavior was challenged by a review of the research. The reviewer concluded that attitudes were unrelated to behavior or, at least, only slightly relation.More recent research has demonstrated that attitudes significantly predict future behavior and confirmed that the relationship can be enhanced by taking moderating variables into account.2. Reinforcement Theory and Prediction of Behavior2.1 Reinforcement TheoryReinforcement theory says that behavior is a function of its consequence. What controls behaviors is stimulus; that is, consequences immediately following a behavior that increase the probability that the behavior will be repeated.We shape behavior by systematically reinforcing each successive step that moves the individual closer to the desired response. There are four ways in which to shape behavior: through positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction. There are two major types of reinforcement schedules continuous and intermittent. A continuous reinforcement schedule reinforces the desired behavior each and every time itis demonstrated. In an intermittent schedule, not every instance of the desirable behavior is reinforced, but reinforcement is given often enough to make the behavior worth repeating.In this case, to Elena, the stimulus of reinforcement is her supervisor’s appreciation. Under this reinforcement, she was motivated to lie to customers. Her supervisor told her that she was a strong candidate for management and would probably be running her own rental office within the next year. When her supervisor told her to lie to customer first time, the manager said if she want to be a manager, she need to know how to make money. Though Elena didn’t want to tell lies, she was intrigued by a management position at the same time. So she lies to her customer. Before she rent the car with lump to Mr. Reynolds, she thought about what her supervisor told her and knew that he probably would be upset if she didn’t get a high rate out of their new luxury sedan.2.2 Prediction of BehaviorWith reinforcement theory in mind, I think that Elena will not confess to the legal representative.In this case, we can see that through the manager’s intermittent reinforcement, Elena learned to lie to her customers. The reinforcement affects her behavior and her behavior of telling lies is hard to extinction. So I think she will lie to the legal representative by habit as I referred. Telling lies became her second nature.On the one hand, the stimulus of her supervisor’s reinforcement is her supervisor’s appreciation. That is to say if she did what her manager told her to do, such as tell a lie, she may get a promotion, moving to management. That is what Elena want, if she told the truth, becoming a manager would be out of the question.On the other hand, with reinforcement theory in mind, if Elena confesses to the legal representative, she will be punished. The punishment is not only lose the chance of becoming a manager, but also liable. So, I think Elena will not confess to the legal representative.3. Personality and Prediction of Behavior3.1 Personality Characteristics and Prediction of BehaviorFrom the case we can see that Elena’s characteristics are aggressive, ambitious, telling lie become second nature, and goodness in a certain degree. As we see, she was intrigued by the possibilities of joining the company and moving up the ranks into management. She worked hard and good at her job and praised by her customers because of her great service and courtesy. She can lie to customers without pressure from her supervisor. She was goodness because she didn’t want to lie to her customers the first time her supervisor told her to lie.Personality traits are the enduring characteristics that describe an individual’s behavior. The more consistent the characteristic and the more frequently it occurs in diverse situations, the more important that trait is in describing the individual.I thought if the goodness occurs more frequently, Elena may confess to the legal representative. However, lie has become her habit. Besides, she was too eagerly to get promotion, and so ambitious that she will not confess to the legal representative.3.2 The Big Five Model and Prediction of BehaviorAccording to the big five model, there are five basic dimensions underlie all others and encompass most of the significant variation in human personality. The five factors are: (1) Extraversion can captures one’s comfort level with relationships.Instead of extravert, I thought Elena was introvert. She is tending to be timid. When her supervisor first told her to lie to customer, she obeyed. She dared not resist her manager, fearing to lose the opportunity to become a manager. As I said, she was timid. She was scared, I though she will confess to the legal representative.(2)Agreeableness this dimension refers to an individual’s propensity to defer to others. Highly agreeable people are cooperative, warm, and trusting.In this case, Elena was a highly agreeable person, she was not antagonistic. So she will confess when the legal representative asked her.(3)Conscientiousness is a measure of reliability. Those who score low on this dimension are easily distracted, disorganized, and unreliable.Such as Elena, at first she is a highly conscientious person, but gradually, she was not responsible to her customer.(4)Emotional stability this dimension taps a person’s ability to withstand stress. People with positive emotional stability tend to be calm, self-confident, and secure. People with high negative score tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and insecure.Elena, when the legal representative asked if she know the tire’s condition before renting the car to Mr. Reynolds, she regretted. There is no doubt that Elena was nervous, anxious and depressed. Under all those pressure, she may confess that she really known the condition of the tire.(5)Openness to experience addresses one’s range of interests and fascination with novelty.From all I analysis above I guess Elena will confess to the legal representative.3.3 Type A Personality and Prediction of BehaviorA person with a type A personality is “aggressively involved in a chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time, and, if require to do so, against the opposing efforts of other things or other persons. Type A has desirable traits such as high drive, competence, aggressiveness, and success motivation.Elena is a person with type A personality, she is under moderate to high levels of stress. Type A’s demonstrating their competitiveness by working long hours. In addition, she is a person success motivation. For the purpose of promotion, she may not confess to the legal representative.3.4 If I Was HerIf I was her, I will confess to the legal representative.The same with Elena, I am a person aggressive but I, also a person who is honest. When I make a mistake then I will change.In the big five model, in stead of extravert, I am introverts and tend t be timid. If I don’t confess, when they check out, I will be punished more severely. Besides, I am not a person with high positive emotional stability, when I faced with this event, I will become anxious, depressed and panic.So I will confess to the legal representative to obtain inner peace and then I will correct my mistake seriously.4. Attribution TheoryI attribute Elena’s behavior to external factors.Attribution theory suggests that when we observe an individual’s behavior, we attempt to determine whether it is internally or externally caused.Internally caused behaviors are those that are believed to be under the personal control of the individual. External caused behavior is seen as resulting from outside causes; that is, the person is seen as having been forced into the behavior by the situation.In this case, Elena lie to her customer seen as forced into the situation that if she do according her manager, she may move up to the management.Whether it is internal caused behavior or external caused behavior is depends largely on there factors: distinctiveness, consensus and consistency.(1)Distinctiveness refers to whether an individual displays different behaviors in different situations. Because Elena was too eagerly looking forward to get promotion, she was forced to lie to customer sometimes. However, in the case, we just seen she tell lie to customers not anybody else or other situations.(2)If anyone who faces a similar situation responds in the same way we can say the behavior shows consensus. In Elena’s company, I think that in order to please the manager, she is not the just one lie. Many of her colleagues may also tell lies in the samesituation.(3)The last one is consistency in a person’s action. After this event, Elena had been learned. Then she will correct her mistake not tell lie to customer in the future. So her consistency is low.Here is the attribution of Elena’s behavior:5. Organizational Culture and BehaviorIn this case we can see that the rental office’s climates are outcome orientation and aggressiveness. It is because of this, Elena learned to lie to her customer at last lying become her second nature and eventually leading to this accident.5.1 Organizational Culture Influence BehaviorThe rental office’s climate is tending to tell a lie to customer, aggressiveness and outcome orientation.To some extent, Elena’s company has a strong culture. That is to say her rental office’s core values are both intensely held and widely shared. This strong culture will have a great influence on the behavior of its members because of the high degree of shared and intensely creates an internal climate of high behavior control.Because of this climate, when Elena experience dissonance, she altered her attitude towards lie to customer, then she altered her behavior and lie to her customer.5.2 Factors Contribute to the Organizational ClimateOrganizational climate has a direct relationship with organizational values and business philosophy. At the same time, it also has a directly related to the organization’s leadership. In other words, the leader of an organization has a direct influence and even decisive role on the organization’s climate.If the rental office’s value is customer-oriented, business philosophy is to provide quality customer service then there will not be lie and Jim Reynolds’s accident.If the manager of the rental office is not a person outcome orientation, he will not told Elena to tell lie to customer even if it means losing another customer. He was too concerns about make money.5.3 Creating an Ethical Organizational CultureThere are many things we can do to improve the ethics at this office, I suggest a combination of the following practices:(1)Avoid the utilitarian. Utilitarianism is consistent with goals like efficiency, productivity and high profits. Like in Elena’s company, they make profits at the expense of the benefit of customers. People, who do things like this, should be punished.(2)Be a visible role model. If the manager behaves well, the employees will do what their managers like to see.(3)Communicate ethical expectations. The ethical expectation should state the office’s primary values and the ethical rules that employees are expected to follow. For example, make service customers loyalty as the rental office’s value. The primary ethical rules may be do not lie to customers and hurt them.(4)Provide ethical training. Set up ethical training programs, and clarify what they could do and what they should not do.(5)Visibly reward ethical acts and punish unethical ones. The office should reinforce the right things to increase the expected behavior, and avoid unethical action by punish. (6)Provide protective mechanisms. The office needs to provide formal mechanisms so that the employees can discuss ethical dilemmas and report unethical behavior without fear of reprimand. In this office, before Jim Reynolds’ accident, other colleagues of Elena’smust know the behavior of Elena. However, the reason why she can lie so many times but nobody stop her is that they may fear of reprimand.ConclusionIn this paper, I use cognitive dissonance theory analysis how the attitude influence Elena’s behavior.I use reinforcement theory and personality traits explain Elena’s behavior and predict that she may not confess to the legal representative. However, according to the big five model I think Elena will confess to the legal representative. From the type A personality, I predict that Elena will not confess to the legal representative. If I was her I will confess and correct my mistake.Through attribution theory analysis I attribute Elena’s behavior to external factor.There are organizational values, business philosophy and organization’s leadership that contribute to the rental office’s current climate and I carry out several steps to improve the ethics at this office.ReferenceA.W. Wicker, “Attitudes versus Action: The Relationship of Verbal and Overt Behavioral Responses to Attitudes Objects,”Journal of Social Issues, autumn 1969, pp.41-78.B. F. Skinner, Contingencies of Reinforcement,(East Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1971)I. R. Newby-Clark, I. McGregor, and Mi. P. Zanna, “Thinking and Caring About Cognitive Consistency: When and for Whom Dose Attitudinal Ambivalence Feel Uncomfortable?”Journal of Social Psychology,February 2002, pp.157-166.J. Cullen and Victor, “The Organization Ethical and Climates,”Administrative Science Quarterly, March 1988, pp.101-125.Kraus, “Attitudes and the Prediction of Behavior: A Meta-Analysis of the Empirical Literature,”personality and social Psychology Bulletin, January 1995, pp.58-75.McCrae, “Special Issue: The Five-Factor Model Issues and Applications,”Journal of Personality, June 2001, pp.303-315.M. Friedman and R. H. Rosenman, Type A Behavior and Your Heart (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1974), p.84.N. M. Ashkannasy,”Organizational Culture and Climate, “Academy of Management Journal, June 2000, pp. 131-145.Y. Wiener, “Forms of Value Systems: A Focus on Organizational Effectiveness and Cultural Change and Maintenance,”Academy of Management Review, October 1988, p.536.。