Chapter 1: Making OB Work for Me

3 Step Approach

1. Define the problem 2. Identify potential causes using OB concepts to describe the problem 3. Make recommendations and (if appropriate) take action

Contingency Approach

Calls for using organizational behavior concepts and tools that best suit the situation, instead of trying to rely on "one best way"

Lack of Objectivity

Common sense can be overly subjective and lack a basis of science

21st Century Skills

Communication Collaboration Cooperation Management Decision making Problem solving

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one

3 Skills Most Valued by Employers

Critical thinking Problem-solving Teamwork

Organizational Behavior

Describes an interdisciplinary field dedicated to understanding and managing people at work

Portable Skills

More or less relevant in every job, at every level, and throughout your career

Causes of Unethical Behavior

Motivated Blindness Ill-Conceived goals Indirect Blindness Overvaluing Outcomes Slippery Slope

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems

Overvaluing Outcomes

We give a pass to unethical behavior if the outcome is good

Indirect Blindness

We hold others less accountable for unethical behavior when it's carried out through third parties

Motivated Blindness

We overlook the unethical behavior of another when it's in our interest to remain ignorant

Ill Conceived Goals

We set goals and incentives to promote a desired behavior, but they encourage a negative one

Soft Skills

Relate to human interactions and include both interpersonal skills and personal attributes

Over-reliance on Hindsight

- Common sense works best in well-known or stable situations with predictable outcomes - Common sense is weak in responding to unknown or unexpected and lacks vision for the future

Lack of Rigor

- People comfortable with common-sense responses may not apply the effort required to appropriately analyze and solve problems - If you lack rigor, then you are unlikely to define the problem accurately, identify the true causes, or recommend the right courses of action

Knowing-Doing Gap

Identifies the gap between what people know and what they actually do

Problem Solving

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions

Problem

Is a difference or gap between an actual and a desired state or outcome

Problem Solving

A systematic process for closing these gaps

Situation Factors

Are all the elements outside ourselves that influence what we do, the way we do it, and the ultimate results of our actions

Person Factors

Are the infinite characteristics that give individuals their unique identities

Hard Skills

Are the technical expertise and knowledge required to do a particular task or job function

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying; taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate and not interrupting

Ethics

Guides behavior by identifying right, wrong, and the many shades of gray in between

Ethical Dilemmas

Situations with two choices, neither of which resolves the situation in an ethically acceptable manner

Interactional Perspective

States that behavior is a function of interdependent person and situation factors