Chapter 11: Managing Individual Differences and Behavior

Question 1

Personality

Answer 1

The stable psychological traits and behavioral attributes that give a person his or her identity

Question 2

Big Five personality dimensions

Answer 2

They are (1) extroversion, (2) agreeableness, (3) conscientiousness, (4) emotional stability, and (5) openness to experience

Question 3

Core self-evaluation (CSE)

Answer 3

Represents a broad personality trait comprising four positive individual traits: (1) self-efficacy, (2) self-esteem, (3) locus of control, and (4) emotional stability

Question 4

Self-efficacy

Answer 4

Belief in one’s personal ability to do a task

Question 5

Generalized self-efficacy

Answer 5

Represents the belief in one’s general ability to perform across different situations

Question 6

Learned helplessness

Answer 6

The debilitating lack of faith in your ability to control your environment

Question 7

Self-esteem

Answer 7

Self-respect; the extent to which people like or dislike themselves

Question 8

Locus of control

Answer 8

Measure of how much people believe they control their fate through their own efforts

Question 9

Emotional stability

Answer 9

Is the extent to which people feel secure and unworried and how likely they are to experience negative emotions under pressure

Question 10

Emotional intelligence

Answer 10

The ability to cope, to empathize with others, and to be self-motivated

Question 11

Organizational behavior (OB)

Answer 11

Behavior that is dedicated to better understanding and managing people at work

Question 12

Values

Answer 12

Abstract ideals that guide one’s thinking and behavior across all situations; the relatively permanent and deeply held underlying beliefs and attitudes that help determine a person’s behavior

Question 13

Attitudes

Answer 13

Learned predisposition toward a given object

Question 14

Affective component of an attitude

Answer 14

The feelings or emotions one has about a situation

Question 15

Cognitive component of an attitude

Answer 15

The beliefs and knowledge one has about a situation

Question 16

Behavioral component of an attitude

Answer 16

Also known as intentional component, this refers to how one intends or expects to behave toward a situation

Question 17

Cognitive dissonance

Answer 17

Psychological discomfort a person experiences between his or her cognitive attitude and incomparable behavior

Question 18

Behavior

Answer 18

Actions and judgments

Question 19

Perception

Answer 19

Awareness; interpreting and understanding one’s environment

Question 20

Stereotyping

Answer 20

The tendency to attribute to an individual the characteristics one believes are typical of the group to which that individual belongs

Question 21

Explicit bias

Answer 21

Refers to the attitudes or beliefs that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in a conscious manner

Question 22

Implicit bias

Answer 22

Is the attitudes or beliefs that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner

Question 23

Halo effect

Answer 23

An effect in which we form a positive impression of an individual based on a single trait

Question 24

Recency effect

Answer 24

The tendency of people to remember recent information better than earlier information

Question 25

Causal attribution

Answer 25

The activity of inferring causes for observed behavior

Question 26

Fundamental attribution bias

Answer 26

Tendency whereby people attribute another person’s behavior to his or her personal characteristics rather than to situational ­factors

Question 27

Self-serving bias

Answer 27

The attributional tendency to take more personal responsibility for success than for failure

Question 28

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 28

Also known as the Pygmalion effect; the phenomenon in which people’s expectations of themselves or others leads them to behave in ways that make those expectations come true

Question 29

Employee engagement

Answer 29

A mental state in which a person performing a work activity is full immersed in the activity, feeling full of energy and enthusiasm for the work

Question 30

Stressors

Answer 30

Environmental characteristics that cause stress

Question 31

Job satisfaction

Answer 31

The extent to which one feels positive or negative about various aspects of one’s work

Question 32

Organizational commitment

Answer 32

Behavior that reflects the extent to which an employee identifies with an organization and is committed to its goals

Question 33

Prosocial behavior (PSB)

Answer 33

Voluntary behavior intended to benefit another, such as helping, donating, sharing, and comforting

Question 34

Prosocial motivation (PSM)

Answer 34

The desire to promote the well-being of others

Question 35

Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs)

Answer 35

Employee behaviors that are not directly part of employees’ job descriptions—that exceed their work-role requirements—such as constructive statements about the department

Question 36

Counterproductive work behavior (CWB)

Answer 36

Type of behavior that harms employees and the organization as a whole

Question 37

Diversity

Answer 37

All the ways people are unlike and alike—the differences and similarities in age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, capabilities, and socioeconomic background. See also Cultural differences

Question 38

Internal dimensions of diversity

Answer 38

Differences that exert a powerful, sustained effect throughout every stage of people’s lives

Question 39

External dimensions of diversity

Answer 39

Human differences that include an element of choice; they consist of the personal characteristics that people acquire, discard, or modify throughout their lives

Question 40

Glass ceiling

Answer 40

The metaphor for an invisible barrier preventing women and minorities from being promoted to top executive jobs

Question 41

Tokenism

Answer 41

Practice of doing something symbolic to prevent criticism and give the ­appearance that people are being treated fairly

Question 42

Transgender

Answer 42

A term for people whose sense of their gender differs from what is expected based on the sex characteristics with which they are born. See also LGBTQ

Question 43

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Answer 43

Act that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities

Question 44

Underemployed

Answer 44

Working at a job that requires less education than one has

Question 45

Ethnocentrism

Answer 45

The belief that one’s native country, culture, language, abilities, and/or behavior are superior to those of another culture

Question 46

Diversity climate

Answer 46

Represents employees’ perceptions about the extent to which an organization supports diversity

Question 47

Psychological safety

Answer 47

Reflects the extent to which people feel free to express their ideas and beliefs without fear of negative consequences

Question 48

Stress

Answer 48

The tension people feel when they are facing or enduring extraordinary demands, constraints, or opportunities and are uncertain about their ability to handle them effectively

Question 49

Burnout

Answer 49

State of emotional, mental, and even physical exhaustion

Question 50

Type A behavior pattern

Answer 50

Behavior describing people involved in a chronic, determined struggle to accomplish more in less time

Question 51

Roles

Answer 51

Sets of behaviors that people expect of occupants of a position

Question 52

Work-family conflict

Answer 52

Occurs when the demands or pressures from work and family domains are mutually incompatible

Question 53

Buffers

Answer 53

Administrative changes that managers can make to reduce the stressors that lead to employee burnout

Question 54

Employee assistance programs (EAPs)

Answer 54

Host of programs aimed at helping employees to cope with stress, burnout, substance abuse, health-related problems, family and marital ­issues, and any general problems that negatively influence job performance

Question 55

Holistic wellness program

Answer 55

Program that focuses on self-responsibility, nutritional awareness, relaxation techniques, physical ­fitness, and environmental awareness