Perspectives on managing organisational behaviour

Question 1

Definition of Organisational Behaviour

Answer 1

How people interact with one another inside of an organization, which subsequently influence how the organization itself behaves and how well it performs.

Question 2

What are the 4 behavioural disciplines that affect OB?

Answer 2

1) Psychology
2) Sociology
3) Anthropology (Economics)
4) Political Science

Question 3

What are the 3 OB Levels of analysis?

Answer 3

1) Individual Level
2) Group Level
3) Organisational Level

Question 4

Individual Level aspects

Answer 4

-Personality
-Perception
-Motivation
-Learning
-Leadership

Question 5

Group Level aspects

Answer 5

-Building back of groups
-Group and team effectiveness
-Conflict
-Leadership
-Communication

Question 6

Organisational Level aspects

Answer 6

-The context
-Structure
-Strategy
-Culture
-Change

Question 7

Organisations as a machine

Answer 7

-Organisations are viewed as being made up of interlocking parts that fits together in logical order, increasing efficiency and maximising labour in order to produce a repeatable output

Question 8

2 People who viewed organisations as machines

Answer 8

1) F.W Taylor

2) Max Weber

Question 9

Taylor’s Beliefs

Answer 9

Believed that managers should take full responsibility for planning, coordinating and controlling of work and offer financial incentive to workers. (Scientific Management)

Question 10

Taylor’s Objectives

Answer 10

1)Efficiency
2)Predictability
3)Control

Question 11

Taylor’s 5 principles of scientific management (1911)

Answer 11

1)Clear division of responsibilities between management and workers
2)Use scientific methods to determine the best way of a doing a job
3)Scientific selection of person to do job
4)Training of selected worker
5)Surveillance of workers through hierarchies and supervision

Question 12

Disadvantage of Taylorism

Answer 12

1)Didn’t recognise group pressures affect on individuals
2)Ignored psychological needs
3)Ignored subjective side of work (Significance of work, social relationships)
4)Ignored importance or rewards (achievement, satisfaction, recognition)

Question 13

Webber’s Beliefs

Answer 13

Concerned with the best way to structure an organisation using ‘legitimate authority’ and ‘bureaucracy’.

Bureaucracy emphasised speed, precision, regulation, clarity, reliability, and efficiency.

Question 14

6 characteristics of bureaucracy

Answer 14

1) Job Specialisation
2) Authority Hierarchy
3) Formal Selection
4) Rules and Procedures
5) Impersonality and impartiality (equality with rules)
6) Recording

Question 15

Advantages of bureaucracy

Answer 15

1) Standardisation of work (predictability)
2) Less waste of resources to analyse if goals are being met
3) Less time spent on decision making

Question 15

Advantages of bureaucracy

Answer 15

1) Standardisation of work (predictability)
2) Less waste of resources to analyse if goals are being met
3) Less time spent on decision making

Question 16

Disadvantages of bureaucracy

Answer 16

1) bound by ‘too much red tape’ leading to negative aspects/dysfunctions
2) psychological needs not considered (creativity)
3) jobs become boring and routine
4) only the minimum level of acceptable performance are achieved
5) climate of alienation

Question 17

Hawthorne Studies (1920-30)

Answer 17

Individual behaviours is modified both positively and negatively by the group they are a member in.

Question 18

Elton Mayo Experiment

Answer 18

Workers were more responsive to social forces of their own peer group than management.
He placed groups at the centre of out understanding of human behaviour in organisations.

Question 19

Mayo Experiment Example

Answer 19

Bank Wiring Observation Room (1931-32)

The men agreed on a suitable output they should produce for the day to deter negative consequences from managers (higher expectations, piece rate cut)

Question 20

Hawthorne Experiment Example

Answer 20

Relay Assembly Test Room Experiments (1927-33)

6 women had changes made to their environment (rest pauses, hours of work,) showing continuous improvement to output due to increase attention from researchers.

Question 21

Mary Parker Follett Theory

Answer 21

Advocated replacing bureaucracy with group networks in which people solve problems

Question 22

Organisations as a brain

Answer 22

Organisations monitor and sense important aspects of their environment reporting it to operating authorities that guide their behaviour. Additionally detect and correct discrepancies.

Question 23

Culture in organisations

Answer 23

Values and beliefs help build shared meanings and assumptions between coworkers through social interactions and groups.

Helps to create a vision enabling a clear direction to attain org objectives

Question 24

Organisations as a political system

Answer 24

Organisations have patterns of competing interests, conflicts and power plays.

Can be viewed as the unofficial way things happen

Question 25

Plato’s Cave

Answer 25

Plato uses the cave as a symbolic representation of how human beings live in the world, contrasting reality versus our interpretation of it. These two ideas reflect the two worlds in the story: the world inside the cave, and the world outside.

Question 26

Organisations as Flux and Transformation

Answer 26

Orgs are able to adapt and change continuously (new products, processes).

Question 27

Organisations as an instrument of domination

Answer 27

An organization is a means to impose one’s will on others and exploit resources for personal gains.

Question 28

Dilemma of organisational design

Answer 28

The inconsistency between individual needs and aspirations compared to the organisations

Question 29

OB involves the examination of what factors?

Answer 29

External environment
Internal structure
Functioning and performance of org
Behaviour of groups and individuals

Question 30

Positivist perspective

Answer 30

Use research methods and modes of explanation in natural science to study/understand business.

Reactive effects from knowledge of study affects results.

Question 31

Constructivist perspective

Answer 31

Because we are self-defining creatures who attach meanings to our behaviour, social science is different from natural sciences. ‘Reality is socially constructed’.

Question 32

Variance explanation of OB

Answer 32

Identifies relationships between independent and dependant variables.

Quantitative and based on positivist perspective

Question 33

Process explanation of OB

Answer 33

Uses narratives which show how factors produce and outcome by combining and interacting over time in a given context.

Quantitative and qualitative.

Both positivist and constructivist.