Chapter 1: What is Organizational Behaviour

Question 1

Organization
What is it?
Does size matter

Answer 1

• Consciously coordinated social unit, consisting of group of people and functions on continuous basis to achieve a goal. Etc Facebook, UofM
• size does not matter

Question 2

Organizational Behaviour

Answer 2

impact that individuals, groups, and structures have on employee behaviours within an organization

Question 3

Organizational Behaviour Impacts examples (4)

Answer 3

• Improve organizational effectiveness, performance, decisions and employee well-being
• people are engaged organizational members
• Organization who care about employers yield higher profitability
• relevant where people come together, share experiences, work on goals, meet to solve problems

Question 4

Organizational Behaviour Building Blocks (4)

Answer 4

Psychology, Social Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology

Question 5

Organizational Behaviour Building Blocks

Answer 5

OB draws from disciplines to formulate solutions for problems

Question 6

Psychology:

Answer 6

Scientific study of behaviour and mental processes that seeks to explain, and change behaviour of humans, animals.

Question 7

Psychology: Structuralism

Answer 7

How one senses, feels (inner thoughts)

Question 8

Psychology: Functionalism

Answer 8

Why one senses, feels, has certain emotions

Question 9

Psychology: Psychoanalysis and 2 examples

Answer 9

Personality is shaped by unconscious motives
Ex. Dreams, projections and association to root out repressed feelings and give insights (talk therapy)
Ex. Ask questions and answer through data gathering

Question 10

Social Psychology (3)

Answer 10

• Blends concepts from psychology and sociology
• how thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of individuals are influenced by presence of others
• how individuals move, interact, and are influenced in respective environments

Question 11

Sociology and 2 examples

Answer 11

Study people and their relation to their social environment or culture
Ex. Look at wider context of events, and society that channel individual behaviour. (Natural events and social causes)
Ex. Make issues public that are currently present as individual

Question 12

Anthropology

Answer 12

study a society to learn about human beings, activities, cultures and development of social structures/institutions.

Question 13

Anthropology: Beliefs

Answer 13

Religion, rules, practices, gifts, apply ethnography methods

Question 14

Anthropology: Fields (3)

Answer 14

• Political (question assumption of politics on development vs human need)
• Medical (Differing experiences of medicine and disease)
• Symbols (Their meaning and impact for one’s religion)

Question 15

How does Psychology Contribute to OB

Answer 15

informs us of psychological mechanisms behind individual level performances/behavior in organizations such as leadership, job satisfaction

Question 16

How does Social Psychology/Anthropology/Sociology Contribute to OB

Answer 16

informs us of mechanisms behind how the size of the collectives/groups of people function

Question 16

Phenomena

Answer 16

fact/situation that is observed to exist or happen

Question 17

How can we study OB to test and ensure its validity and practical relevance? (5)

Answer 17

Field Studies, Surveys, Lab Experiments, Case Studies, Meta-Analyses

Question 18

Field Studies and example

Answer 18

collect primary (firsthand) data on site through unobtrusive observation
Example: if concerned with lighting and employee activity - one could go to an organization and observe productivity in different rooms with different lights

Question 19

Surveys:

Answer 19

Collected primary data through questionnaires. Researchers do not need to be on-site (email/mailed/phone)

Question 20

Lab Experiments:

Answer 20

In laboratories, everything is under the researchers control. When everything else is the same for each study participants, any pattern found in the answers of those participants can only be attributed to the experimental intervention that the experimenter is interested in testing.

Question 21

Laboratories: Correlation

Answer 21

statistical measure/number that describes the size and direction of a relationship between two or more variables but does not attribute to causation

Question 22

Laboratories: Causation

Answer 22

one event is the result of the occurrence of the other event etc a cause-and-effect

Question 23

Case Studies:

Answer 23

Those interested studying a single event, individuals, or teams. Rather than generalizing conclusions, case studies seek to understand focal event, individual or team in much greater detail. Plethora of factors included

Question 24

Meta-Analyses:

Answer 24

Analysis of analyses. Researchers analyze past findings on same topic to gain big picture of our current understanding. Use secondary data and conclusion more robust because sample sizes are larger (combine studies)

Question 25

The Rigour (Thoroughness) of Organizational Behaviour: OB Looks at Consistencies….why?

Answer 25

Despite unique characteristics differentiating individuals, there are fundamental consistencies underlying behaviour of individuals

Question 26

The Rigour (Thoroughness) of Organizational Behaviour: OB Looks at Consistencies
Determining consistencies (2)

Answer 26

1. Figure out patterns of human behaviour and causes
2. Using knowledge towards a greater/accurate understanding of human behaviour at work.

Question 27

The Rigour (Thoroughness) of Organizational Behaviour: OB Look Beyond Common Sense:

Answer 27

Understand patterns theoretically and empirically…not just uncovering patterns.

Question 28

The Rigour (Thoroughness) of Organizational Behaviour: OB Look Beyond Common Sense:
Determining Common Sense (2)

Answer 28

1. Formulate theory that explains conceptual level why phenomenon happens and consequences
2. Validate theory using combination of methodologies

Question 28

The Rigour (Thoroughness) of Organizational Behaviour: OB has few Absolutes:

Answer 28

Few simple and universal principles in OB. Humans are complex so limit’s ability to make simple and accurate generalizations

Question 29

The Rigour (Thoroughness) of Organizational Behaviour: OB takes Contingency Approach:

Answer 29

Consider behaviour within context of it occurring (Person-situation interaction)

Question 30

Framework of Organizational Behaviour

Answer 30

Phenomena arise from individual/group/organizational level factors (Inputs). Through mediation of (Processes). Then influence important work (Outcomes).

Question 31

Framework of Organizational Behaviour important notes (3)

Answer 31

• Categorization created to effectively organize diverse range of phenomenon that OB studies
• Factors on different levels can and often do influence each other
• Factors on different levels often jointly influence another factor.