Ch. 1 - Intro to Organizational Behaviour Flashcards
What are some traits of good coworkers?
-approachable
-flexible
-transparent
-involved in optional meetings
What are some traits of bad coworkers?
-micromanaging
-bad manners
-inexperienced
-absent
Organizational Behaviour (OB)
Field of study devoted to understanding, explaining, and ultimately improving the attitudes and behaviours of individuals and groups in organizations.
Human Resource Management (HR)
Focuses on the applications of OB theories and principles in organizations
What is the difference between an OB study and a HR study?
OB studies explore the relationship between OB concepts (eg. learning and job performance) while HR explores how to apply OB concepts to reach a goal (eg. how to structure training to promote employee learning).
Bureaucracy
An organizational form that emphasizes the control and coordination of its members through:
-strict chain of command
-formal rules/procedures
-high specialization
-centralized decision-making
Human Relations Movement
Field of study that recognizes that the psychological attributes of individual workers and the social forces within work groups have important effects on work behaviours.
True/False: There are some OB practices that are more effective than others in every situation.
False. While some OB practices can be more effective in a certain situation, other practices have their strengths as well. You need to evaluate the situation instead of blindly following a “best” OB practice.
Why do most organizations not implement OB practices even though there is clear evidence that they are effective?
Due to the Rule of 1/8, only 1/2 of firms understand the connection between managing people and profit with 1/2 of those firms will give up after making 1 change and seeing little results. Only about 1/2 of the remaining firms will stick with their changes long enough to derive economic benefits.
What are an employee’s 2 primary goals?
-Job Performance (able to do their job well)
-Organizational Commitment (be part of an organization they respect)
What factors affect job performance and organizational commitment?
-Individual Characteristics and Mechanisms (eg. Motivation, stress, personality, etc.)
-Relational Mechanisms (eg. Communication, leadership, team characteristics)
-Organizational Mechanisms (Organizational Structure, Organizational Culture and Change)
Resource-Based View
Rare and inimitable resources help firms maintain a competitive advantage (they make resources more valuable)
Give an example of possessing a “rare” resource
A firm has a monopoly in a particular market (no competition)
History [created by people]
A collective pool of experience, wisdom, and knowledge that benefits the organization
Is the correlation between job satisfaction and job performance strong?
No, the correlation between job satisfaction and job performance is weak (but noticeable enough that when combined with other factors, job satisfaction plays a role in increasing job performance)
