Chapter 10

Question 1

organization behaviour

Answer 1

a field of study that investigates the impact of individuals, groups, and structure on behaviour within organizations

Question 2

organizational culture

Answer 2

a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations

Question 3

culture

Answer 3

the soul of the org., the beliefs and values, and how they are manifested.

Question 4

what are the seven primary characteristics of an organization’c culture?

Answer 4

innovation and risk-taking, attention to detail, outcome orientation, people orientation, team orientation, aggressiveness, stability.

Question 5

innovation and risk-taking

Answer 5

the degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and take risks

Question 6

attention to detail

Answer 6

the degree to which employees are expected to exhibit precision, analysis, and attention to detail

Question 7

outcome orientation

Answer 7

the degree to which management focuses on results or outcomes rather than on technique and process.

Question 8

people orientation

Answer 8

the degree to which management decisions take into consideration the effect of outcomes on people within the organization.

Question 9

team orientation

Answer 9

the degree to which work activities are organized around teams rather than individuals.

Question 10

aggressiveness

Answer 10

the degree to which people are aggressive and competitive rather than easygoing.

Question 11

stability

Answer 11

the degree to which organizational activities emphasize maintaining the status quo in contrast to growth

Question 12

dominant culture

Answer 12

a system of shared meaning that expresses the core values shared by a majority of the orgs members

Question 13

core values

Answer 13

the primary or dominant values that are accepted throughout the organization

Question 14

subcultures

Answer 14

mini-cultures within an org. typically defined by department designations and geographical separation

Question 15

strong culture

Answer 15

a culture in which the core values are intensely held and widely shared. Greatly influenced by employee behaviour.

Question 16

what do cultures do?

Answer 16

-Boundary-defining
-Conveys a sense of identity for org. members
-Facilitates commitment to something larger than one’s individual self-interest
-Enhances stability; the social glue that helps hold the org together by providing standards for what employees should say and do
-Serves as a control mechanism that guides and shapes the attitudes and behaviour of employees and helps them make sense of the org

Question 17

organizational climate

Answer 17

The shared perceptions organizational members have about their organization and work environment (team spirit)

Question 18

ethical work climate

Answer 18

the shared concept of right and wrong behaviour in the workplace that reflects the true values of the organization and shapes the ethical decision making of its members

Question 19

the five climate categories

Answer 19

instrumental, caring, independence, law and code, and rules.

Question 20

sustainability

Answer 20

an organizations practices that can be sustained over a long period of time because the tools or structures that support them are not damaged by the processes

Question 21

institutionalization

Answer 21

a condition that occurs when an org. takes on a life of its own, apart from any of its members, and acquires immortality

Question 22

how does culture creation occur?

Answer 22

-Hire and keep employees who think and feel the way the founders do
-Indoctrinate and socialize employees to their way of thinking and feeling
-Founders’ own behaviour encourages employees to identify with the founders and thereby internalize those beliefs, values, and assumptions

Question 23

how do organizational cultures form?

Answer 23

-Philosophy of organization’s founders
-Selection criteria
-Top management, socialization
-Organization’s culture

Question 24

socialization

Answer 24

the process that adapts new employees to an organization’s culture

Question 25

the socialization model

Answer 25

pre-arrival stage, encounter stage, metamorphosis stage

Question 26

pre-arrival stage

Answer 26

the period of learning in the socialization process that occurs before a new employee joins the organization

Question 27

encounter stage

Answer 27

the stage in the socialization process in which a new employee sees what the organization is really like and confronts the possibility that expectations and reality may diverge

Question 28

metamorphosis stage

Answer 28

the stage in the socialization process in which a new employee adjusts to the values and norms of the job, work group, and organization

Question 29

outcomes of the socialization model

Answer 29

productivity, commitment, turnover

Question 30

how do employees learn culture?

Answer 30

stories, rituals, material symbols, language

Question 31

positive organizational culture

Answer 31

culture that emphasizes building on employee strengths, rewards more than it punishes, and emphasizes individual vitality and growth