Chapter 3

tacit knowledge

the work-related practical know-how that employees acquire through observation and direct experience on the job

emotional stability

the tendency to be calm, relaxed, and secure

agreeableness

the tendency to be courteous, forgiving, tolerant, trusting, and softhearted

skill

a learned talent that a person has acquired to perform a task

cognitive dissonance

a mental state of anxiety that occurs when there is conflict among an individual's various cognitions (eg attitudes and beliefs) after a decision has been made

ability

a person's talent to perform a mental or physical task

personality

a stable set of characteristics and tendencies the determine commonalities and differences in the behavior of people

work behavior

anything a person does in the work environment

attitude

mental states of readiness learned and organized through experience

extroversion

one of the big 5 personality dimensions; a trait that indicates a person's outgoing, sociable behavior

mental ability

refers to one's level of intelligence and can be divided into subcategories, including verbal fluency and comprehension, inductive and deductive reasoning, associative memory, and spacial orientation

openness to experiences

reflects the extent to which an individual is broad-minded, creative, curious, and intelligent

locus of control

specifies a person's belief that they do or do not master their own fate

consciensciousness

tendency to be dependable, organized, thorough, and responsible

diversity

the attributes that make people different from one another, including age, ethnicity, gender, physical attributes, race, and sexual/ affectionate orientation

affect

the emotional aspect of attitude; often learned from parents, teachers, and peer group members

cognitive

what individuals know about themselves and their environment; implies a conscious process of acquiring knowledge