Chapter 9 - Learning and Decision Making

Question 1

learning

Answer 1

a relatively permanent change in an employee’s knowledge or skill that results from experience

Question 2

decision making

Answer 2

the process of generating and choosing from a set of alternatives to solve a problem

Question 3

expertise

Answer 3

knowledge and skills that distinguish experts from novices and less experienced people
(easily able to do repetitive behaviour)

Question 4

two types of knowledge

explicit knowledge

Answer 4

• sitting down at a desk to learn / easily communicated
• training
• learned through books
• written or verbal communication
• general information

Question 5

two types of knowledge

tacit knowledge

Answer 5

• what employees learn through experience
• very difficult to articulate to others
• highly personal in nature
• based on experience
• job situation specific

Question 6

methods of learning

Answer 6

• tacit knoweldge is built off of explicit knowledge
• tacit knowledge = most important strategic asset
  -IMP: employees learn through reinforcement, observation and experience

Question 7

reinforcement

B.F skinner - operant conditioning

Answer 7

• oberserving the link between our voluntary behaviour and the consequences that follow it
• repeat behaviours that =positive and don’t repeat behaviours that=negative

Question 8

operant conditioning components

Answer 8

1. antecedent: what is expected from eployee
2. behaviour: action performed by employee
3. consequence: result that occurs after behaviour

Question 9

contingencies of reinforcement

positive reinforcement

Answer 9

a reinforcement contingency in which a positive outcome follows a desired behaviour

Question 10

contingencies of reinforcement

negative reinforcement

Answer 10

occurs when an unwanted outcome is removed following a desired behaviour
–> used to increase desired behaviours

Question 11

contingency

punishment

Answer 11

occurs when an unwanted outcome follows an unwanted behaviour

Question 12

reinforcement

extinction

Answer 12

• extinguish a behaviour by witholding a positive reinforcement that encouraged the behaviour

Question 13

fixed interval schedule

Answer 13

a schedule whereby reinforcement occurs at fixed time periods
- pay cheque

Question 14

variable interval schedule

Answer 14

a schedule whereby reinforcement occurs at random peirod of time
- studies show that this leads to HIGHER levels of performnce than fixed schedules
- supervisor walk by

Question 15

observation

social learning theory

Answer 15

theory that argues that people in organizations learn by observing others

Question 16

behavioural modeling

Answer 16

observing other people’s reactions and repeating the observed behaviour

Question 17

the modelling process

Answer 17

observing other people’s reactions and repeating the observed behaviour

Question 18

1. behavioural modelling

attentional processes

Answer 18

learner focuses attention on the critical behaviours exhibited by model

Question 19

2.model process

retention processes

Answer 19

learner must remember the behaviours of the model once it is no longer present

Question 20

3. modelling process

production processes

Answer 20

learner must have the appropriate skill set and be able to reproduce the behaviour

Question 21

4. the modelling process

reinforcement

Answer 21

the learner must view the model receiving the reinforcement for the behaviour and then recieve it themself

Question 22

goal orientation

learning orientation

Answer 22

a predisposition or attitude according to which building competence is deemed important

enjoy working on new kinds of tasks, even if they fail earlier

Question 23

goal orientation

peformance-prove orientation

Answer 23

a predisposition or attitude by which employees focus on demonstrating their competence so others think favorably of them

Question 24

goal orientation

performance avoid orientation

Answer 24

a predisposition or attitude by which employees focus on demonstrating their competence so that others will not think poorly

Question 25

# methods of decision making programmed decisions

Answer 25

somewhat automatic decisions because the decision maker's knowledge allows them to recognize the situation and the course of action to be taken

Question 26

# programmed decisions can come from intuition

Answer 26

emotionally charged judgements that arise through quick, nonconcious and holistic associations

Question 27

crisis situation

Answer 27

a change that results in an urgent problem that must be addressed immediately

Question 28

Five steps for communicating intent to others

Answer 28

1. here's what I think we face 2. here's what I think we should do 3. here's why 4. here's what we should keep our eye on 5. now, talk to me

Question 29

nonprogrammed decision

Answer 29

decisions made by employees when a problem is complex, new or not recognized

Question 30

# regarding programmed decisions general rule of thumb

Answer 30

higher in the corporate ladder = less programmed decisions

Question 31

rational decision-making model

Answer 31

a step by step approach to making decisions that are designed to maximize outcomes by examining all available alternatives

Question 32

rational decision making model: step by step

Answer 32

1. identify the criteria that are important in making the decision 2. generate a list of all available alternatives that might be potential solutions to the problem 3. evaluation of those alternatives against criteria 4. selct the alternative that results in the best outcome 5. implement the alternative

Question 33

# decision making problems/limited info bonded rationality

Answer 33

the notion that people do not have the ability or resources to process all available information and alternatives when making a decision

Question 34

# decision making problems/limited info Two major problems for making decisions

Answer 34

1. people have to filter and simplify information to make sense of their complex environment 2. people cannot consider every single alternative when making a joke

Question 35

# decision making problems/limited info satisficing

Answer 35

when a decision amker is doing who chooses the first acceptable alternative considered

Question 36

# faulty perceptions selective perception

Answer 36

tendency for people to see their environment only as it affects them and as it is consistent with their expecations | you only see what you want to see

Question 37

# faulty preceptions projection bias

Answer 37

the faulty perception by decision makers that make others think, feel and act as they do --> projecting thoughts/attitudes onto other people

Question 38

# faulty perception social identity theory

Answer 38

people identify themselves according to the various groups to which the belong and judge others according to the groups they associate with - based on demographics, job and where you're from

Question 39

# faulty perception stereotype

Answer 39

occurs when assumptions are made about others on the basis of their membership in a social group

Question 40

# faulty perception heuristics

Answer 40

simple and efficient rules of thumb that allow one to make deicisions more easily

Question 41

# faulty perception availability bias

Answer 41

the tendency for people to base their judgements on information that is easier to recall

Question 42

# decision-making biases anchoring

Answer 42

tendency to rely too heavily on one piece of information when making decisions

Question 43

# decision-making biases framing

Answer 43

tendency to make different decisions on the basis of how a question or situation is

Question 44

# decision-making biases representativeness

Answer 44

the tendency to assess the likelihood of an event by comparing it to a similar event and assuming it will be similar

Question 45

# decison makign bias contrast

Answer 45

the tendency to judge things erroneously based on a reference that is near to them

Question 46

# decision making bias Recency

Answer 46

the tendency to weigh recent events more than earlier events

Question 47

# decision making bias ratio effect

Answer 47

the tendency to judge the same probability of an unlikely event as lower when the probability is presented in the form of a ratio of smaller rather than of larger numbers

Question 48

# faulty attributions fundamental attribution error

Answer 48

the tendency for people to judge others behavior as being due to internal factors such as ability, motivation or attitudes

Question 49

# faulty attributions self serving bias

Answer 49

when one attributes one’s own failures to external factors and success to internal factors

Question 50

# faulty attributions consensus

Answer 50

did others act the same way under similar situations?

Question 51

distinctiveness

Answer 51

does this person tend to act differently in other circumstances?

Question 52

consistency

Answer 52

does this person always do this when performing this task?

Question 53

internal attribution

Answer 53

individual factors such as ability/motivation are to blame

Question 54

external attribution

Answer 54

environmental factors are to blame

Question 55

escalation of commitment

Answer 55

a common decison-making error, in which the decision maker continutes to follow a failing course of action

Question 56

what does training do?

Answer 56

gives employees more knowledge and a wider array of experiences that they can use to make decisions