MGMT 363 Discussion Questions

What is a psychological contract? Why is it important? What psych contracts do you currently have?

A psychological contract is what an employee expects to put into their job and what they expect the business to give them for their inputs. This is important because this sets expectations for both sides of the equation and if the contract conditions aren't met, then it allows for one party to leave.

Some have argued that people, not orgs, make decisions and that the study of "organizational" decision making is therefore pointless. Do you agree or disagree?

People in orgs make decisions that affect the org. Also the decisions people make change depending on their organization.

How does the role of information in the rational model of decision making differ from the role of information in the behavioral model?

Rational Approach - in-depth analysis enables choice on basis of information instead of emotions or social pressure -information can be limited by time or cost contraints, manager's ability to process information Behavioral Approach - Admin model (meaningful subset of information -bounded rationality, procedures, sub-optimizing, satisficing) Information Required for Decision Making -condition of certainty (outcomes known) -condition of risk(certainty unknown but enough info to estimate probabilities) -condition of uncertainty(insufficient info to estimate outcome)

As a manager, how would you go about trying to build higher levels of employee satisfaction, motivation, and engagement?

Satisfaction: Two Factor Theory Motivation: Equity/Expectancy Theory Engagement: empowerment

What are the primary similarities and differences between job enrichment and the approach proposed by job characteristics theory?

Similarities - responsibility is a characteristic which matches with enrichment, gives the employe more duties and control over their work and schedule in order to increase job satisfaction. Differences - characteristics theory includes knowledge of outcome and meaningfulness of job which is not included in enrichment.

Why are employees having their performance measured and evaluated all the time instead of simply being left alone to do their jobs?

So that the employee is consistently aware of how they are measuring up against the goals set by the org, management, and themselves. Allows employees to continue to adjust themselves and their goals to better help the organization reach their goals.

Can performance on some jobs simply not be measured?

Some jobs might require more qualitative examination which can be disrupted by biases. most jobs can be measured in some way, that measurement just might not be completely accurate.

If your boss wasn't sure it would be worth the investment to change the company's hiring practices to include an evaluation of applicants' attitudes, what would you tell them?

attitudes (cognition + affect + intention) affect how employees choose to respond to their environment which could impact their work and therefore the company.

Identify at least 3 ways in which globalization of business affects businesses in your community.

(1) communication and transportation, (2) new foreign markets, (3) outsourcing of labor to foreign markets

Some say that changing to a team-based arrangement "just makes sense" for orgs. What are the 4 primary reasons why this might be so?

(1) need for creative brainstorming, (2)less management involvement, (3) need for greater efficiency with less workers, (4)cut operating costs - C&S Wholesalers Case

Describe at least three points in the decision-making process at which information plays an important role.

(1) problem defined (2) alternative solutions (3) evaluate alternatives

What roles do changing technologies play in your daily activities?

- communication - transportation - classroom knowledge

Why will learning about OB help you to get a better job and a better career, and be a better manager?

-allows you to be a better employee, better manager, and achieve a better bottom line

Do the relationships between performance and satisfaction suggested by Porter and Lawler seem valid? Cite examples that both support and refute the model.

-if rewards are adequate, high lvls of performance may lead to satisfaction (high rewards can lead to motivation if the threat of them being taken away is offered)

Why does it make sense to discuss several different models of decision making?

-types of decisions -rational approach (multi-step process, Evidence-based Model) -behavioral approach (admin model - bounded rational, other behavioral forces, integrated approach)

What are the components of an individual's attitude? Relate each component to an attitude you currently have about something.

Components = cognition + affect + intention cognitive dissonance - 2 conflicting attitudes why attitudes change (new info, change in object of attitude, object becomes less important)

which do you think is more important to team performance, surface-level or deep-level diversity? Why?

Deep level diversity is more important to team performance because issues will arise based on differences in beliefs, opinions, and the basic things that make people different. Although surface-level diversity might pose a challenge in certain cases, usually the deep-level issues are what people are more passionate about.

Some people believe that individuals working in an organization have basic human rights to satisfaction with their work and the opportunity to grow and develop. How would you defend this position? how would you argue against it?

Defend - if people have access to basic human rights and satisfaction with work (Maslow's hierarchy of needs) they will be more dedicated to their company, more motivated toward company goals, and less likely to look for outside opportunities. Argue - an organization can't expect to satisfy the needs of every single employee. Some employees will need to be more provided for compared to other employees. This is because an organization doesn't have unlimited resources. Yet the allocation of these opportunities is up to the manager and should reflect company policies and motivate employees.

Do you think that it would be easy to influence a subordinate's attitudes, values, or emotions? Why? Which would have the largest influence on the employee's behavior? Why?

Depending on available resources, it could be simple to influence emotions, but attitudes and values come from an employee's own interpretation of events and even background so they would be harder to influence. The largest influence on an employee's behaviors is their values because these often act as a motivational factor.

How can diversity create a competitive advantage for a firm?

Diversity can create a competitive adv in different ways. If a team is more heterogeneous, they are more likely to come up with creative ideas because the team will have different opinions and backgrounds. A more homogeneous group might be able to agree on a conclusion, but their ideas might be less unique and creative comparatively.

Do you think emotional intelligence is important to managers? how would you assess emotional intelligence in deciding who to promote to a managerial position?

Emotional intelligence is important to managers as it relates to motivation and job performance. Also managers appreciate those employees who can get along with other employees. Using behavioral questions during an interview would be a good way in assessing emotional intelligence.

Select a "popular" individual. Describe this individual's personality via the Big Five traits and explain how these traits affect how you perceive this individual.

Hermione Granger - (1) agreeableness - moderate to high ability to get along with others, (2) Conscientiousness - high ability to get work done on time - juggled more than her fair share of classes by using a time turner necklace, (3) neuroticism - low levels of disruptive moods like depression and outbursts, (4) extrovert - high level of extroversion in order to make friends with Harry, (5) openness - moderate to high level of openness to new ideas through learning different subjects - didn't believe that fortune telling was an actual skill.

Some people have suggested that understanding human behavior at work is the single most important requirement for managerial success. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?

I agree with this statement because if you know why an employee is behaving in a certain way at work, you know what motivates them. This could potentially allow for higher yields and better quality of output.

If you were denied a job because of your score on a personality test, what would be your reaction?

I would be interested to see what kind of personality they are looking for and what kind of test they were using.

If a subordinate came to you and said they felt the company's new diversity hiring initiative was unfair and would compromise their well deserved opportunities for advancement, how would you respond?

I would respond by explaining why such an initiative is necessary and that opportunities for current employees won't diminish due to this new initiative. I would also put groups of employees through diversity seminars so they could understand the importance of recruiting diverse employees.

What can leaders do to be effective when team members are from different cultures and have different expectations about how the leaders should behave?

Leaders should - acknowledge differences, be accepting of differences, be understanding of differences, demonstrate acceptance and understanding.

What do you think are the most important things a manager does? Is how a manager does these things also important? Why or why not?

The most important thing a manager does is motivate employees towards completion of company goals and higher efficiency. How a manager goes about this is also key because there could be room for improvement.

What are your personal opinions about international outsourcing in the garment industry? Do you think lower prices are worth sending US jobs to other countries? Explain.

The problem with outsourcing in the garment industry is the lax regulations in other countries in regards to child labor and safe working conditions. By outsourcing to areas holding looser regulations, companies are committing their support. Yet this also allows companies to create a competitive advance for themselves through lowering operational costs.

Discuss the following statement: "group cohesiveness is the good, warm feeling we get from working in groups and is something that all groups leaders should strive to develop in the groups they lead"

There are stages of development for groups that typically fall into the same steps. (1) mutual acceptance (2) communication and decision making (3) motivation and productivity (4) control and organization. This final stage is usually when group cohesiveness is the highest and members get that "warm feeling". yet not every group will make it to this stage because of time or other constraints. Also, not every group needs to make it to this stage.

What motivational problems might result from an org's attempt to set up work teams?

There might be discouragement that leads to abandoning the project, if the project is quit there could be major costs in terms of economic and employee morale.

if your supervisor exhibits bullying behaviors, what would you do?

When it comes times to internal reviews, I would report that their behavior doesn't align with company values

Do you think a team contract would improve the effectiveness of teams?

a team contract could help define the goals, purpose, and expectations of the team.

Do you think that concerns regarding ethics will become more or less important in business? Why?

concerns regarding ethics will become more important to businesses as the ways to be unethical change and aren't clearly defined for every industry. The increase in technology has changed the ethical nature of some industries but hasn't been strictly defined as one way or the other.

Which of Gardner's multiple intelligences do you feel are most important for managers?

emotional intelligence since it relates to how employees work together and can affect performance measures and company goals.

what are the motivational consequences of increased employee involvement from the frame of reference of expectancy and equity theories?

equity - based on perception of employee in terms inputs/outputs - but there might be another reason between disparity, employees might expect to be more involved in how rewards are allocated around an organization. Since they are more involved, they might expect high rewards to match the greater inputs and effort they are putting into their jobs. If they don't see an increase in outputs than they might become dissatisfied again.

What individual differences do you feel are most important to organizations?

individual differences that are most important to organizations include: culture, ability, background, motivation, organizational citizenship.

Which do you feel is more important to team performance, informational diversity or demographic diversity? Do multicultural teams increase this type of diversity?

informational diversity. yes

If you were a manager, what individual differences would be important to you in hiring an assistant Why?

motivation and personality?

Do you think expectancy theory is too complex for direct use in organizational settings?

motivation depends on how much we want something and how likely we think we are to get it - effort-to-performance expectancy - performance-to-outcome expectancy - outcome - valence Guidelines -determine primary outcomes each employee wants -decide what lvls/kinds of performance are needed to meet org goals -make sure the desired lvls of performance are possible -link desired outcomes and desired performance -analyze the situation for conflicting expectancies -make sure rewards are large enough -make sure overall system is equitable for everyone

There are 4 basic managerial functions. Based on your own experiences and observations, provide an example of each function.

planning and decision making, organizing, controlling, and leading

Do terminal or instrumental values have a larger influence on you behavior at work?

terminal values have a larger influence since they are long term goals that dictate how I act in order to reach them.