Midterm 1

Question 1

Organizational behavior

Answer 1

Systematic study and application of knowledge about how individuals and groups act within the organization
-draws from other disciplines

Question 2

Levels of Analysis (in OB)

Answer 2

the individual, the group, the organization

Question 3

Diversity

Answer 3

compositional differences among people in a work unit
-Age Discrimination Act, Civil Rights Act, Americans with Disabilities Act
-most goes undetected, only extremes get reported
-w/o inclusion, groups that are diverse lower levels of cohesiveness, higher levels of conflict, lower levels of team performance, higher levels of turnover

Question 4

Inclusion

Answer 4

allowing individuals to bring aspects of themselves that make them unique in a group, while also being treated as organizational insiders
-participate fully, remove barriers, to the fair treatment
-turns diversity into an advantage

Question 5

similarity-attraction phenomenon

Answer 5

the tendency to be more attracted to individuals that are similar to us
-different people receive different treatment or just don’t get hired
-formal mentoring program helps diversity

Question 6

surface-level diversity

Answer 6

includes traits that are highly visible to us and those around us, race, gender, age
-people pay attention to this because they believe it is related to deep-level diversity
-affects relationships early on

Question 7

deep-level diversity

Answer 7

includes values, beliefs, and attitudes
-replaces surface-level perception eventually

Question 8

faultline

Answer 8

a group is split into subgroups, ex. men & women
-more conflict, less cohesive, less satisfaction and performance
-need to establish certain norms to work together successfully

Question 9

unconscious biases

Answer 9

stereotypes that are held outside of conscious awareness
-may rely on stereotypes when making decisions

Question 10

affirmative action

Answer 10

policies designed to recruit, promote, train, and retain employees belonging to a protected class
-controversial due to specifics not being defined
-simple elimination of discrimination, targeted recruitment, tie-breaker, preferential treatment

Question 11

terminal and instrumental values

Answer 11

end states people desire in life;
-leading a prosperous life, world at peace

views on acceptable modes of conduct
-honest, ethical, being ambitious

-values are formed early in life, especially from early family experiences that form dominant values
-values of a generation also change and evolve in response to the historical context that they grow up in

Question 12

personality

Answer 12

encompasses the relatively stable feelings, thoughts, and behavioral patterns a person has
-changes over long periods of time, but relatively stable
-when people have a lot of freedom at work, their personality will become a stronger influence over their behavior

Question 13

big 5 personality traits

Answer 13

openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

Question 14

openness

Answer 14

the degree to which a person is curious, original, intellectual, creative, and open to new ideas
-thrive with flexibility and learning new things
-in work, seek feedback on how they are doing and build relationships, highly adaptable to change

Question 15

Conscientiousness

Answer 15

degree to which a person is organized, systematic, punctual, achievement, oriented, and dependable

Question 16

extraversion

Answer 16

the degree to which a person is outgoing, talkative, sociable, and enjoys socializing

Question 17

agreeableness

Answer 17

the degree to which a person is affable, tolerant, sensitive, trusting, kind, and warm
-likable and get along with others

Question 18

neuroticism

Answer 18

the degree to which a person is anxious, irritable, temperamental, and moody
-perfectionist tendencies

Question 19

self-monitoring

Answer 19

the extent to which a person is capable of altering his or her actions and appearance in social situations
-less committed to company
higher levels of stress

Question 20

self-efficacy

Answer 20

a belief that one can perform a specific task successfully
-related to job performance bc they set higher goals

Question 21

internal and external locus of control

Answer 21

locus of control deals with the degree to which people feel accountable for their own behaviors
internal-> believe that they can control their own destiny and what happens to them is their own doing
external->feel that things happen to them because of other people, luck, or a powerful being

Question 22

stereotypes

Answer 22

generalizations based on perceived group characteristics
-when we see examples that go against our stereotypes, we tend to come up with subcategories
-also may simply discount the information

Question 23

selective perception

Answer 23

we pay selective attention to parts of the environment while ignoring other parts
-we see what we want to see and ignore information that may seem out of place

Question 24

organizational commitment

Answer 24

emotional attachment people have toward the company they work for
-connected to job satisfaction

Question 25

job engagement

Answer 25

investment of one's mental, emotional, and physical energies into work -enthusiasm, involvement, satisfaction

Question 26

psychological contract

Answer 26

unwritten understanding about what the employee will bring to the work environment, and what the company will provide in exchange

Question 27

psychological contract breach

Answer 27

when people do not get what they expect -leads to low job satisfaction and commitment

Question 28

organizational citizenship behavior

Answer 28

voluntary behaviors employees perform to help others and benefit the organization -explained by organization justice and interpersonal relationships, personality, job attitudes, and age

Question 29

organizational culture

Answer 29

system of share assumptions, values, and beliefs that indicate what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior within a given organization -strongest assets and biggest liability -might differ by industry -effective control mechanism for dictating employee behavior - consists of three levels: assumptions, values, and artifacts

Question 30

assumptions

Answer 30

reflect beliefs about human nature and reality

Question 31

values

Answer 31

shared principles, standards, and goals

Question 32

artifacts

Answer 32

visible, tangible aspects of organizational culture -physical environment, employee interactions, company policies, reward systems, other observable characteristics

Question 33

culture creation and maintenance

Answer 33

founder values and industry demands make up the early values, goals, and assumption. From there, attraction selection attrition, new employee onboarding, leadership, and reward systems make organizational culture

Question 34

Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA)

Answer 34

People are attracted to the cultures that they fit into. The company will. Companies will select employees that fit their culture. Attrition refers to the natural process in which candidate who do not fit in will leave the company