Selective Perception Case

Selective Perception

Selective perception is a process where an individual sees what he or she wants to see based on personal values and beliefs. People will perceive what he or she believes is right, while ignoring other opposing viewpoints. People’s understanding of things begins with exposure to certain stimuli. As one goes on about his or her life, one’s behavior becomes shaped by these events. As this behavior becomes etched in one’s brain, how we respond to events becomes more of an expectation rather than what may be right (Buzzle, 2013).

In many aspects of one’s life, including the business world, each person has engaged in selective perception at least one time. In a retail environment, each person in a selected department will view their section as being most important to the business. It can be seen that each person (no matter where they are located at work) understand that the business functions as a whole, but will perceive that their section is more important than any other section because it’s their own belief. Spending all your time in a section and not knowing what other sections are doing makes one feel and think in this manner. The same goes for leadership. One may see a leader or manager reprimand employees for doing (or not doing) something wrong, but will not reprimand others for doing the same thing. We perceive favoritism without knowing all the facts (Robbins & Judge, 2013).

In regard to communication, some people will perceive that one’s tone or what he or she is saying means something other than what it does. In the workplace, selective perception can lead to problems if an employee feels they are being treated differently, even if it’s not true (Robbins & Judge, 2013).

References:

Buzzle (2013). Selective perception. Retrieved December 11, 2014 from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/selective-perception.html

Robbins, S. R. & Judge, T. A. (2013). Organizational behavior (15th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.