Theory of planned behavior | attitude, subjective norm, intention & behavior | leadership theory

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[Game of Theories: #5] Theory of planned behavior explains human behavior from the perspectives of intentions. This theory was proposed by Icek Ajzen. First, what are intentions? “Intentions are assumed to capture the motivational factors that influence a behavior. “They are indications of how hard people are willing to try, of how much of an effort they are planning to exert, in order to perform the behavior. As a general rule, the stronger the intention to engage in a behavior, the more likely should be its performance.”

First, attitudes toward the behavior are a function of readily accessible beliefs regarding the behavior’s likely consequences. Those beliefs are called behavioral beliefs. A behavior belief is the person’s subjective probability that performing a behavior will lead to a certain outcome or provide a certain experience. For example, to cast vote of “no” in a committee I serve, I consider how important my vote of “no” is for the final outcome. If a majority of committee members have indicated that they would vote “yes,” then my vote of “no” may not have an important impact on the final outcome, which is the majority vote. Here, my belief of how important my vote is for the final outcome influences my intention, which ultimately influences my behavior (i.e., how I vote in the committee).

Second, subjective norm refers to “the perceived social pressure to perform or not to perform the behavior”. For example, even though I, not my supervisor, am the one with the voting power in the committee, but my supervisor and my supervisor’s supervisor have made it clear, both explicitly and implicitly, that they want my vote to be “yes.” Deep down in my heart, I believe that voting “yes” is morally wrong. But my belief that my vote of “no” would be disapproved by my supervisor and my supervisor’s supervisor influences my intention to comply with them. The social pressure from the organizational hierarchy and powerholders’ preference can influence my intention, and ultimately my behavior in the committee.

Third, perceived behavioral control refers to “the perceived ease or difficulty of performing the behavior and it is assumed to reflect past experience as well as anticipated impediments and obstacles”. Control factors could be required skills and abilities, availability or lack of time, money, cooperation by other people, and many others. A control belief is defined as “a person’s subjective probability that a given facilitating or inhibiting factor will be present in the situation of interest.” For example, the decision of my promotion will be made right after I cast a vote in the committee. To be promoted, I need the support from my supervisor and the supervisor’s supervisor. So I have less perceived behavioral control than the case in which the decision of my promotion will be made in five years.

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