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Cognitive Dissonance

The document discusses cognitive dissonance theory, introduced by Leon Festinger in 1957, and its relevance to employee attitudes in the workplace. It highlights how misalignment between personal values and job expectations can lead to psychological discomfort, negatively impacting employee performance and behavior. The article emphasizes the importance of addressing cognitive dissonance to maintain a positive work environment.

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dafield.192
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29 views2 pages

Cognitive Dissonance

The document discusses cognitive dissonance theory, introduced by Leon Festinger in 1957, and its relevance to employee attitudes in the workplace. It highlights how misalignment between personal values and job expectations can lead to psychological discomfort, negatively impacting employee performance and behavior. The article emphasizes the importance of addressing cognitive dissonance to maintain a positive work environment.

Uploaded by

dafield.192
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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University of Johannesburg

College of Business and Economics

Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management

First name: Danielle

Family name: Field

Student number: 221127185

Module: Industrial Psychology 1AB

Title/Topic: Job Interview/ Job Satisfaction

Lecturer: Prof Carin Hill

Due date: 24/01/2021

Date submitted: 23/01/2021

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Cognitive Dissonance

I have chosen this academic article as it specifically relates to the theory of cognitive
dissonance within the management environment, and how this theory relates to the
attitude of employees in today’s more modern workplace. In this article there are
also a number of examples that describe and explain cognitive dissonance, which
makes this theory easier to understand for a beginner like myself.

Cognitive dissonance theory was first introduced by Leon Festinger in 1957, which
describes the feeling of an inner incompatibility or inconsistency between attitudes,
beliefs or behaviours. These opposing thoughts create a psychological discomfort,
which people seek to alleviate, as we tend to try maintain a more consistent
emotional state. We do this by changing our attitude or behaviours, justifying our
behaviour or minimising the importance of the cognition.

We can relate this theory to the attitudes in the workplace in a number of ways. An
employee can feel uneasy or uncomfortable if their values or beliefs are not aligned
with that of the business, and are expected to do tasks that go against these beliefs.
An employee can also experience cognitive dissonance if their level of pay does not
match their level of responsibility. An unfavourable performance review for work
completed, which an employee feels differently about, could lead to a feeling of
dissonance. Unresolved cognitive dissonance amongst employees creates a
negative attitude, and could result in negative behaviour or consequences in the
workplace.

It is important to understand that cognitive dissonance in the workplace will drive an


employee’s attitude and behaviour. This could then result in adverse effects to
overall employee performance and attendance, and ultimately have a negative
impact of the organisation.

References:

Amanda S. Hinojosa, William L. Gardner, H. Jack Walker, Claudia Cogliser, Daniel


Gullifor (2017) A Review of Cognitive Dissonance Theory in Management
Research: Opportunities for Further Development

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