John's Attribution Theory

1. What does the behavior of John’s coworkers toward John suggest about their attributions for his initial manner of dress?

The attribution theory seeks to explain how we decide what the causes are for a person’s behavior. Based on John’s coworkers’ behavior towards him on his first day, their behavior suggests that they were initially uncomfortable with him based on his manner of dress. For the employees that were used to dressing in a casual, and laid-back manner, they may have made an immediate decision of John based on his very professional dress. His professional attire may have given them the impression that John was not approachable, strict, and uptight. As John began to dress in a more laid-back manner, his coworkers began to approach

John was affected by the social influence of his coworkers. John noticed that his coworker’s seemed hesitant to approach him and simply stared awkwardly at him. In response to the actions of his coworkers to treat him as different based on his manner of dress, he sought out to conform to his coworker’s and the environment by adjusting his dress to more casual. As he dressed more casually, his coworkers warmed up to him and began to become more relaxed around him. Thus, the processes involved in John’s decision to change his manner of dress, were social influences, and

Most employee handbook packets will include a section for dress code. I would insure if I were a human resources director for a company that each new employee understands the dress code expectations. Furthermore, I would insist that every new employee be introduced to their immediate coworkers on their first day, this would allow the workers to give the new employee a chance to present themselves before they make a negative judgment. If John had been given the opportunity to be introduced to his new coworkers on his first day they may not have made the same split-second judgments of him based on his manner of dress. I believe these strategies would be very easy to justify to the company president as implementing a dress code in an employee handbook is essential to most businesses. If a business does not have a dress code implemented, it leaves the opportunity for an employee to dress in an inappropriate manner and there be no basis for disciplinary actions. As far as introducing a new employee, it can be easily argued that, especially in a team work-based environment, formally introducing a new employee is extremely beneficial the coworker’s being able to function properly as a