Dispositional influences on a decision versus a situation affecting a decision is a classic example of what comes first, the chicken or the egg. Is the person affecting the environment, or is the environment influencing the person? Taking either side, the side of the dispositional influences or the environment, is the wrong approach to looking at this issue. The answer to the question of what affects what is that they both affect each other. Recent research is pointing to a complicated interaction of the environment and the disposition of someone. This affects and defines a work environment. A negative work environment is usually the result of people with negative dispositions wielding their influence upon it. This can happen at any level of the chain of command, from the top down, or from the bottom up.
Maya Rossignac-Millan writes in her 2011 essay “Dispositional and Situational Influence on Emotions in Moral Decision Making” that “Until recently, the general trend in moral psychology followed Kohlberg’s (1969) lead, depicting moral actions and beliefs as rationalized decisions” (The new trend, according to her is to look at computer mapping of decision and see how they vary across different individuals. This issue is similar to to the nature versus nurture debate in psychology which is one of the “oldest issues in psychology” (Cherry, 1). In looking at what affects what in a business setting, I think it is appropriate to lead with realizing that both affect each other, and while we can point to patters in people’s behavior, one of the hallmarks of humanity is people defying expectations. It is possible to be positive in a negative environment just as it is possible to be positive in a negative environment.
Works Cited:
Rossignac-Milon, Maya . "Dispositional and Situational Influences on Emotions in Moral Decision-Making." University of Geneva. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~jarek/maya/MRM11b.pdf>.
"What Is Nature Versus Nurture?." About.com Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://psychology.about.com/od/nindex/g/nature-nurture.htm>.
