Lecture 4-5 (Social Interaction & Group dynamics + The Organizational Context)

Question 1

Who are the authors of Attribution theory?

Answer 1

Jones & Nesbett

Question 2

What is Attribution theory?

Answer 2

Internal (personal) vs. external (situation, environment) attribution:

Fundamental attribution error; whereby individuals generally tend to explain the behaviour of others in terms of internal factors to a greater extent than external factors. For example, when analysing another’s behaviour, the tendency is to underestimate the impact of situational, external factors and overestimate the effect of personal, internal factors

Question 3

Who’s the author of “On stage”

Answer 3

Goffman

Question 4

Give example of authors who see “Person Perceptions” as theory driven

Answer 4

Goffman, Katz and Brady,

Question 5

Who sees “Interaction as a Social Exchange”?

And what is meant by that?

Answer 5

1) Homans
2) People choose to interact becuse they expect it to be profitable (psycologically: reward>cost)

If so then:

• Give rewards (smile, compliment)
• Accomodate (adapt behavior, adjust attitude)

Question 6

Name some influences on Group Development

Answer 6

• Shared identity
• Initiation
• Inter-group competition
• External threat & anxiety
• Similarity of members
• Team roles
• Group size
• Succes

Question 7

What is the equation for numbers og interactions to move a piece of information, based on group size?

THIS CANNOT BE THE RIGHT EQUATION, EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE ONE FROM THE SLIDES

Answer 7

n/2(n-1)

THIS CANNOT BE THE RIGHT EQUATION, EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE ONE FROM THE SLIDES

Question 8

What is group norms?

Answer 8

• Norms are unwritten, informal rules of behaviour that makes life more predictable for members
• Their nature is influenced by what has worked in the past, been a succes or found rewarding.

Question 9

Who’s the author of “Groupthink”

Answer 9

Irvin Janis

Question 10

What is Groupthink?

Answer 10

Question 11

What is power?

Answer 11

It is the ability to get someone to do something that they would otherwise not have done

Question 12

What are the sources of power?

Mention some

Who are the authors?

Answer 12

French & Raven

See picture, but key could be:

• Rewarded power
• Legitimate authority
• Expertise
• Personal bases

Question 13

Who conducted the study with electic shocks and what did it measure?

Answer 13

1) Milgram
2) Effect of authority (power)

Question 14

What are some Determinants of Obedience?

Answer 14

• Socialisation
• Perception of authority
• Overarching ideology
• Incremental sequence
• Obligation

Question 15

What is the state of the obedience?

• Meaning: How do e.g. the “teacher” react in Milgram

Answer 15

• Attend to authority figure (not the learner)
• Loss of responsibility (if it were up to me, I would not do this)
• Considerable strain resolved by: 1) denigration 2) denial 3) justification 4) dissent

Question 16

Mention some strategies to gain power

Answer 16

Question 17

Mention the 7’s

Answer 17

Structure, Systems, Style, Staff, Skills, Strategy and Shared values

Question 18

Who are the authors of the formal and informal model of organisations?

Answer 18

Williams, Woodward & Dobson 2002

Question 19

What is part of the informal model of the organisation compared to the formal?

Answer 19

“The way we think around here”

“The way we do things around here”

“The way we feel around here”

Question 20

Who said “differentiation requires mechanism for integration”?

And what is their organisational model?

Answer 20

1) Lawrence & Lorsch
2) 4 different types for groupings:

• Acitivity grouping
• Output grouping
• User/customer grouping
• Multifocused grouping (any combination)

Question 21

What should follow eachother according to Alfred Chandler?

Hint: 2 of the 7’s

Answer 21

Structure should follow strategy

Question 22

Which of these structural dimensions fit the strategy, according to Alfred Chandler?

Strategic:

1) Market differentiation

Structural characteristics:

a) High formalisation, high centralisation, high standardisation, low complexity
b) Moderate to high complexity, moderate to high formalisation, moderate centralisation
c) Low formalisation, decentralisation and flat hierarchy

Answer 22

b (moderate formalisation)

Question 23

Which of these structural dimensions fit the strategy, according to Alfred Chandler?

Strategic:

1) Cost control

Structural characteristics:

a) High formalisation, high centralisation, high standardisation, low complexity
b) Moderate to high complexity, moderate to high
c) Low formalisation, decentralisation and flat hierarchy

Answer 23

a) High formalisation

Question 24

Which of these structural dimensions fit the strategy, according to Alfred Chandler?

Strategic:

1) Innovation

Structural characteristics:

a) High formalisation, high centralisation, high standardisation, low complexity
b) Moderate to high complexity, moderate to high
c) Low formalisation, decentralisation and flat hierarchy

Answer 24

c) Low formalisation

Question 25

Who are the authors behind describing the differences between mechanistic and organic organizational structures?

Answer 25

Burns and Stalker

Question 26

How and especially why do mechanistic and organic organizational structures differ?

Answer 26

Companies facing a dynamic and uncertain environment may have to develop or maintain an organic organizational structure, whereas companies operating in a stable environment may benefit from developing or maintaining a mechanistic organizational structure

Question 27

Who defines culture as the social or normative glue that holds an organisation togehter?

Answer 27

Deal & Kennedy

Question 28

Who states that organisation culture is both an output and input?

Answer 28

Kroeber & Kluckhohn

Question 29

What is the idea with the Organisational Iceberg? And who us the author?

Answer 29

1) To show that many part of the organisation is hidden "beneath the water". Over the surface you find behaviour and myth, beneath values and beliefs. 2) Handy

Question 30

Where do Handy "belong"? a) Individual differences b) Organisational culture c) Social interaction

Answer 30

b

Question 31

Who sees "Culture as the product of Group Experience"?

Answer 31

Schein

Question 32

Schein operates with an interplay between three levels, what are they?

Answer 32

Behaviour --\> Values \<-- Basic Assumptions

Question 33

Who identifies 4 dimensions of culture and what data is he using?

Answer 33

1) Geert Hofstede 2) IBM surveys (in 74 countries)

Question 34

What are the 4 cultural dimensions that Geert Hofstede identifies? (and the one he added later)

Answer 34

Power Distance Individualism/collectivism Masculinity Uncertainty avoidance (added short/long term orientation later)

Question 35

Explain Power Distance (give an example of a country in each extreme)

Answer 35

Acceptance that power is distrubuted unequally in society Sweden not accepting, Malaysia is accepting

Question 36

Explain Individualism/collectivism (give an example of a country in each extreme)

Answer 36

Employer-employee relationsship is a contract versus employer-employee relationsship is basically moral UK versus China

Question 37

Explain Masculinity-Femininity (give an example of a country in each extreme)

Answer 37

Extent of differences between gender roles (Japan vs. Sweden)

Question 38

Explain Uncertainty Avoidance (give an example of a country in each extreme)

Answer 38

Dislike of unfamiliar, novel, uncertain situations - tolerance for ambiguity and chaos vs. there is a need for precision and formalisation (Denmark vs. Japan)

Question 39

How does Dubsons model of informal and formal organisations differ from Mckinseys 7's? And what is typycal of the process from the formal to the informal?

Answer 39

1) See picture. It is especially the "formal policies and procedures" + "Technology and Work processes" 2) The group-forming process: Forming, storming, norming, performing