Chapter 1

Question 1

organizational behavior (OB)

Answer 1

the study of what people think,
feel, and do in and around
organizations

Question 2

organizations

Answer 2

groups of people who work
interdependently toward some
purpose

Question 3

What makes people feel more satisfied with their purchase?

Answer 3

scientific research shows people are more satisfied when there are low number of alternatives.

Question 4

Work-life integration

Answer 4

Degree that people are effectively engaged in their various work and nonwork roles and have a low degree of role conflict across those life domains

Question 5

Diversity and the inclusive workplace:

Answer 5

• Surface-level: The observable differences in people- ethnicity, gender, and age.
• Deep-level: Differences in beliefs values and psychological differences.

Question 6

Organizational effectiveness:
Is it fulfilling the goals set by organizations?

Answer 6

No, because:

• Goal level may be set too low
• Measurement difficulties (public organisations)
• Goals (must) change

Question 7

What is organizational effectiveness

Answer 7

• Good fit with external environment (open systems view)
• Effective transformation of inputs to output through human capital.
• Satisfy needs of key stakeholders.

Question 8

Open systems say there should be a..

Answer 8

External fit: With external environment

Internal fit: Efficient transformation of inputs to outputs.

Inputs like - Raw materials, human resources, information, financial resources, equipment, laws, norms which are transformed to outputs-products, services, shareholder dividend, community support, waste, pollution.

Question 9

human capital

Answer 9

the knowledge, skills, abilities,
creative thinking, and other
valued resources that
employees bring to the
organization

Question 10

Stakeholders

Answer 10

Include customers, suppliers, the
local community and national society, interest groups, stockholders, governments, and
many other entities that affect, or are affected by, the company’s objectives and actions

Question 11

Effectiveness depends on

Answer 11

acquiring (recognizing) knowledge, sharing knowledge,
using knowledge,
storing knowledge,
if needed, Unlearning knowledge.

Question 12

MARS-model

Answer 12

Motivation- what people want,

Ability- what people can do

Role Perceptions- what people know,

Situation- work environment which all together give us behavior and results- the outcome variable

Question 13

task performance

Answer 13

the individual’s voluntary goal directed behaviors that
contribute to organizational
objectives; includes proficient,
adaptive, and proactive task
performance

Question 14

proficient task performance

Answer 14

how well employees perform
the work efficiently and
accurately

Question 15

What happens if one of the 4 elements of the MARS model is low?

Answer 15

the employee is less likely to engage in the behavior or will perform it poorly.

Question 16

The employee Motivation (MARS) has 3 elements

Answer 16

Direction - the path along which people steer their effort.

Intensity- the ammount of effort allocated with the goal

Persistence- the length of time that the individual continues to exert effort toward an objective

Question 17

Ability (MARS) consists of 3 things

Answer 17

Aptitudes - natural talents

Learned capabilities - physical and mental skills and knowledge you have aquired

Habits - tendencies to engage in specific behaviors in response to contextual cues and enacted with little conscious awareness or reflection

Question 18

role perceptions (MARS)

Answer 18

How clearly people understand what is expected
of them in their organizational roles.

1. Understands the specific duties or consequences for which the employee is account- able. In reality, employees are sometimes evaluated on performance that was never mentioned as part of their job duties. This role ambiguity may be increasing as firms move away from precisely defined job descriptions to broader work responsibilities.
2. Understands company expectations of task scheduling priority and performance criterion
   priority.
3. Understands the preferred behaviors or procedures for accomplishing tasks. Role ambiguity
   exists when an employee is skilled at performing a task in multiple ways, but is unsure which way the company prefers.

These perceptions range from role clarity to role ambiguity.

Question 19

Challenges because of technological change

Answer 19

• tethering people to their jobs for longer hours
• reducing their attention spans at work
• increasing techno-stress

Question 20

Benefits of globalization

Answer 20

• lower costs
• greater access to knowledge and innovations

Question 21

When does work-life balance occur?

Answer 21

When people manage to minimize conflict between their work and nonwork demands

Question 22

Telecommuting

Answer 22

An arrangement whereby, supported by information technology, employees work from home one or more workdays per month rather than commute to the office

Question 23

Advantage of telecommuting (4)

Answer 23

• Telecommuters usually experience better work-life balance because they have more time and somewhat more control to juggle work with family obligations
• attractive for younger job applicants, and turnover is usually lower among telecommuting employees
• higher productivity
• reduce greenhouse gas emissions and office expenses

Question 24

Disadvantage of telecommuting

Answer 24

• More social isolation, including weaker relationship with coworkers
• receive lss word-of-mouth information which may have implications for promotional opportunities and workplace relations
• lower team cohesion and a weaker organizational structure

Question 25

Jobs are better suited to telecommuting when the tasks do not require

Answer 25

- resources at the workplace - the work is performed independently from coworkers - task performance is measurable

Question 26

surface-level diversity

Answer 26

the observable demographic or physiological differences in people

Question 27

Deeper-level diversity

Answer 27

Differences in the psychological characteristics of employees, including personalities, beliefs, values and attitudes

Question 28

The systematic research anchor

Answer 28

OB knowledge should be based on systematic research, which typically involves forming research questions, systematically collecting data, and testing hypotheses against those data

Question 29

Evidence based management

Answer 29

The practice of making decisions and taking action based on research evidence

Question 30

The multidisciplinary anchor

Answer 30

The field should welcome theories and knowledge from other disciplines, not just from its own isolated research base

Question 31

The contigency anchor

Answer 31

The effect of one variable on another variable often depends onthe characteristics of the situation of people involved. A single solution or outcome rarely exists. A particular action may have different consequences under different conditions

Question 32

The multiple level of analysis anchor

Answer 32

What goes on in organizations can be placed into three levels of analysis - individual - team - organization

Question 33

intellectual capital

Answer 33

a company's stock of knowledge

Question 34

Human capital

Answer 34

stock of knowledge, skills and abilities among employees that provide economic value to the organization

Question 35

Structural capital

Answer 35

Knowledge embedded in an organizations's system and structures

Question 36

Relationship capital

Answer 36

The value derived from an organization's relationships with costumers suppliers and others

Question 37

corporate social responsibility (CSR)

Answer 37

organizational activities intended to benefit society and the environment beyond the firm’s immediate financial interests or legal obligations

Question 38

Practical orientation anchor

Answer 38

Ensure that OB theories are useful in organizations

Question 39

The literature has identified a few types of tactics to manage role boundaries, some of which are often applied in combination

Answer 39

Scheduling time blocks Creating physical role spaces Applying technological boundaries Communicating role boundary expectations

Question 40

SITUATIONAL FACTORS (MARS)

Answer 40

The situation has two main influences on individual behavior and performance. One influence is that the work context constrains or facilitates behavior and performance. Employees who are motivated and skilled and know their role obligations will nevertheless perform poorly if they lack time, budget, physical work facilities, and other resources. The second influence is that the work environment provides cues to guide and motivate people. For example, companies install barriers and warning signs in dangerous areas. These workplace features are situational factors that warn employees to avoid the nearby hazards

Question 41

counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs)

Answer 41

voluntary behaviors that have the potential to directly or indirectly harm the organization

Question 42

Evidence-based management

Answer 42

The practice of making decisions and taking actions based on research evidence

Question 43

Why do organizational leaders and others overlook evidence-based knowledge?

Answer 43

1. Organizational decision makers are bombarded with ideas from consultant reports, guru websites, and other sources that are popular, visually appealing, and accessible. In contrast, most OB research is found in relatively obscure journal articles that have restricted access and, consequently, low readership. 2. Management fads often gain public attention because their sources are rewarded for being persuasive, not for having a strong evidence-based foundation. In contrast, OB researchers are usually rewarded for carefully testing the validity of their theories, not for convincing the public that their research findings are important. 3. Organizational decision makers sometimes ignore or dismiss evidence-based knowledge that contradicts their preconceived beliefs. This problem is caused by various perceptual errors and decision-making biases that we discuss in this book. 4. Good OB research is necessarily generic rather than relevant to a specific situation or industry. Leaders therefore have the difficult task of figuring out which theories are relevant to their unique situation. 5. Leaders often exhibit herd mentality when choosing new organizational practices. They tend to embrace ideas that their peers at other companies are using even when those trendy practices lack evidence of their validity or relevance. Following the herd gives decision-makers more confidence in the fad and that their reputation is protected if the intervention falls short of expectations.

Question 44

adaptive task performance

Answer 44

how well employees modify their thoughts and behavior to align with and support a new or changing work process or work setting

Question 45

In the mars model .... influences ability, role perceptions and particularly motivation.

Answer 45

personality

Question 46

Dark Triad and Workplace Behavior

Answer 46

Organizational politics- Using influence tactics for personal gain at the expense of others and the interests of the entire organization. Serious white-collar crime activity. Workplace aggression or bullying may be predicted by psychopathy. Poor decision making may be predicted by psychopathy. Ineffective team behaviors- Complex effect.