Organizational Behavior Exam 1 Study Guide

intuition

"gut feelings" not necessarily supported by research

3 components of attitudes

(ABC's of attitudes): affective (feelings and emotions), behavioral (intention to behave a certain way), cognitive (factual evaluation): these components are interdependent

Trait Activation Theory

(TAT) Predicts that some situations, events, or interventions "activate" a trait more than others

moderating variable

(contingency variable) changes the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable

What is an example of a qualitative study?

-Case study: researcher explores a bounded system(s) (cases) over time through detailed, in-depth data collection primarily through observation, occasionally backed up by interviews, records and documents

What four elements determine the strength of a situation?

-Clarity: degree to which cues about work duties and responsibilities are available and clear -Consistency: extent to which cues regarding work duties and responsibilities are compatible with one another -Constraints: extent to which individual's freedom to decide or act is limited by forces outside their control -Consequences: degree to which decisions or actions have important implications for the organization and its members, clients, suppliers and so on

GLOBE Framework vs Hofstede's Framework

-Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness: nine dimensions on which national cultures differ (more dimensions than Hofstede)

What two types of PE fit that are important in the workplace?

-PJ (Person-Job) fit theory: identifies six personality types and proposes that the fit between personality type and occupational environment determines satisfaction and turnover -PO (Person-Organization) fit theory:people are attracted to and selected by organizations that match their values, and leave when there is no compatibility

How can we measure personality?

-Self report surveys: individuals evaluate themselves on a series of factors (may not be as accurate) -Observer rating surveys: coworker or another observer does the rating (predict job success more than self-ratings alone) Combination of Self report and observer surveys

What are the two ways in which job satisfaction is measured?

-Single global rating: response to one question such as "all things considered how satisfied are you with your job" and scale of 1-5 (less time consuming) -Summation of job facets: identifies key elements in a job (work itself, pay, promotion, supervision, coworkers, overall) and respondents rate these on a standardized scale and researchers add the ratings to create an overall job satisfaction score (helps managers zero in on problems & respond faster)

What are the different types of values?

-Terminal values: desirable end-states of existence (goals a person would like to achieve) ex. economic success -Instrumental values: preferred modes of behavior or means of achieving terminal values (modes of behavior) ex. personal discipline -Cultural values: Hofstede (power distance, individualism vs collectivism, masculinity vs femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term vs short-term orientation)

Situation Strength Theory

-The way personality translates into behavior depends on the 'strength of the situation' (The degree to which norms, cues, or standards dictate appropriate behavior) -Personality traits drive behaviors in 'weak situations'

What are values and value systems?

-Values are basic convictions about what is right, good, or desirable and they influence attitudes and behaviors -A value system ranks values in terms of intensity

Responses to Job Dissatisfaction

-exit: leaving the organization (active, destructive) -voice: actively and constructively attempting to improve conditions through suggestions, discussions, etc. -loyalty: passively waiting for conditions to improve (constructive) -neglect: passively allowing conditions to worsen through chronic absenteeism, reduced effort and increased error rate (destructive)

Outcomes of Job Satisfaction

-higher job performance -more organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) -higher customer satisfaction -higher life satisfaction

What are some of the causes of job satisfaction?

-job conditions: (work itself, social interactions and supervision) interesting jobs that provide training, variety, independence and control are more satisfying. Quality of exchange btwn leaders and employees more strongly related to job satisfaction in individualistic countries -Personality: Ppl with positive core self-evaluation (CSE: believe in inner worth and basic competence) are more satisfied with job -Telecommuting: positively correlated to job satisfaction up to 15 hours then negatively correlated (upside down U-shaped curve) -Pay: less correlated with job satisfaction once comfortable living standard is reached -Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): self-regulated actions to benefit society or the environment beyond what is required by law. When personal values fit with CSR, more satisfied. Ppl want CSR to be genuine and authentic

What are the quantitative studies?

-lab experiment: artificial environment created in which the researcher manipulates one or more independent variables under controlled conditions -field experiment: similar to a lab experiment but conducted in a real organization -field survey: info collected by asking a sample of the population questions -meta-analysis: aggregate quantitative reviews: allows a researcher to quantitatively synthesize the studies on a certain topic and determines if they consistently produce similar results

Advantages and disadvantages of each research design

-lab experiment: control over variables (able to imply causation), difficult to generalize -field experiment: selection bias, real organization, enhanced validity but less control than in lab -field survey: easily quantified, reaching out to large population with limited cost, responses affected by social desirability, no in-depth info about context -meta-analysis: summarizing and organizing existing research findings, evidence only from published sources -Case study: in-depth, not generalizable

Disciplines that contribute to OB

-psychology: science that seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change the behavior of humans and other animals -social psychology: area of psychology that blends concepts from psychology and sociology to focus on the influence of people on one another -sociology: study of people in relation to their social environment or culture -anthropology: study of societies to learn about human beings and their activities

Management Skills

-technical: ability to apply specialized knowledge or expertise -human/interpersonal: ability to understand, communicate with, motivate, and sup- port other people, both individually and in groups -conceptual: mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations

Managerial Activities

-traditional management: decision making, planning, and controlling -communication: exchanging routine information and processing paperwork -human resource management: motivating, disciplining, managing conflict, staffing, and training -networking: socializing, politicking, and interacting with outsiders

What are the criteria for evaluating research?

-validity: is the study measuring what it claims to be measuring? -reliability: are study methods producing stable and consistent results? -generalizability: Can the results be extended to individuals other than those who participated in the study?

What is Person-Environment (PE) fit and what is it associated with?

-viewed as the match between an individual's personality/values and their environment -PE fit is associated to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and performance

What are 3 popular personality frameworks and surveys?

1. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): very common in organizations, Individuals classified in 4 either-or dichotomies (extravert vs introvert-outgoing vs shy, sensing vs intuitive- routine and order vs unconscious processes and big picture, thinking vs feeling- reason and logic vs values and emotions, judging vs perceiving-control vs flexibility), no scientific support 2. Big Five Personality Model: Significant body of research, Five basic dimensions underlie all other personality dimensions (OCEAN: Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism) 3. Dark Triad: Focuses on three negative personality traits (Machiavellianism: person is pragmatic, maintains emotional distance and believes ends justify the means, win in the short term, not well liked; Narcissism: person with grandiose sense of self-importance and arrogance, one of the largest predictors of CWB; psychopathy: lack of concern for others and lack of guilt or remorse when actions cause harm)

What are the 5 traits of the Big Five Personality Model in detail?

1. Openness to experience: how much a person is characterized by imagination, sensitivity, curiosity (more creative and innovative) 2. Conscientiousness: how much a person is responsible, dependable, persistent, and organized (strongest predictor of job success) 3. Extraversion: how much a person is sociable, gregarious, and assertive (often arise as leaders) 4. Agreeableness: how much a person is cooperative, trusting, and good natured (better liked but lower levels of career success) 5. Emotional stability (Neuroticism): How much a person is calm, self-confident, and secure, as opposed to nervous, depressed, and insecure (strongly related to life and job satisfaction and reduced burnout)

Organizational Behavior (OB)

A field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization's effectiveness

Counterproductive behaviors

Actions that actively damage the organization, including stealing, behaving aggressively toward coworkers, or being late or absent (generally predicted by job dissatisfaction)

model

An abstraction of reality, a simplified representation of some real-world phenomenon

Relationship between attitudes and behavior

Attitudes can shape our behavior and vice versa

evidence-based management (EBM)

Basing managerial decisions on the best available scientific, organizational and experiential evidence, as well as organizational values and stakeholder concerns

Why do only few absolutes apply to organizational behavior?

Because we are not alike, our ability to make simple, accurate, and sweeping generalizations about ourselves is limited. Two people often act very differently in the same situation, and the same person's behavior changes in different situations

Main activities of effective managers

Communication (44%), HRM (26%), networking least

Power distance

Degree to which people accept that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally. If power distance is lower, POS is more important

Steady State Theory

Each worker has a typical level of job satisfaction called "steady state" or equilibrium and different situational factors at work can temporarily move a worker from this state

Why is it important to complement intuition with systematic study in our attempts to understand behavior within organizations?

If we make all decisions with only our intuition, we're likely working with incomplete information and by relying on intuition alone is made worse because we tend to overestimate the accuracy of what we think we know. It is important to understand all of the potential benefits and risks associated with our decisions.

Discuss the growing importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace

It is important to have interpersonal skills because "good places to work" tend to have better financial performance, lower turnover of quality employees, higher quality applications and there is a strong association between high quality workplace relationships and job satisfaction, lower stress and decreased turnover.

systematic study

Looking at relationships, attempting to attribute causes and effects, and drawing conclusions based on scientific evidence.

Main activities of successful managers

Networking (48%) and communication (28%), least amount of HRM

What are the parts and levels of the OB model?

Parts: inputs (variables like personality, group structure, and organizational culture that lead to processes), processes (Actions that individuals, groups, and organizations engage in as a result of inputs and that lead to certain outcomes) and outcomes (Key factors that are affected by other variables) Levels: individual, group, organizational

What are the main disciplines that contribute to OB research and how do they contribute to our understanding of OB?

Psychology: learning, perception, personality, emotions, training, leadership effectiveness, needs and motivational forces, job satisfaction, decision-making processes, performance appraisal, attitude measurement, employee-selection techniques, work design, and job stress Social Psychology: how to implement change and best reduce barriers to its acceptance, also important contributions to the study of group behavior, power, and conflict Sociology: study of group behaviors, organizational culture, formal organization theory and structure, organizational technology, communications, power, and conflict Anthropology: understanding differences in fundamental values, attitudes, and behavior among people in different countries and within different organizations

contingency variables

Situational factors or variables that moderate the relationship between two or more variables.

ethical dilemmas and ethical choices

Situations in which individuals are required to define right and wrong conduct

Surface level vs deep level diversity

Surface level: age, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, physical and mental abilities Deep level: attitudes, personality and values

task performance

The combination of effectiveness and efficiency at doing core job tasks

productivity

The combination of the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization

effectiveness

The degree to which an organization meets the needs of its clientele or customers

group cohesion

The extent to which members of a group support and validate one another while at work

group functioning

The quantity and quality of a group's work output

withdrawal behavior

The set of actions employees take to separate themselves from the organization

Personality

The sum of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others OR Regularities in feeling, thought, and action that are characteristic of an individual and influence his/her behaviors (more stable in adults and more changeable in adolescents)

What are some changes in organizations right now?

The typical employee is getting older, the workforce is becoming increasingly diverse, and global competition requires employees to become more flexible and cope with rapid change.

Discrepancy Model of Job Satisfaction

To determine how satisfied they are with their jobs, employees compare their job to some "ideal job" (this can be used in combination with the job facets model)

organization

a consciously coordinated social unit, composed of two or more people, that functions on a relatively continuous basis to achieve a common goal or set of goals.

job satisfaction

a positive feeling about one's job resulting from an evaluation of its characteristics

hypothesis

a tentative explanation of the relationship between 2 or more variables

variable

any general characteristic that can be measured and changes in value

cognitive dissonance

any incompatibility between two or more attitudes or between behavior and attitudes

Moderating variables between attitudes (independent variable) and behaviors (dependent variable)

attitude's importance, correspondence to behavior, accessibility, social pressures, direct experience with the attitude

Core self-evaluations

bottom-line conclusions individuals have about their capabilities, competence, and worth as a person, people with high CSE's may thrive in organizations with high CSR

How do people try to resolve dissonance?

change their behavior, change their attitude, rationalize or trivialize (say it's unimportant) the inconsistency

efficiency

degree to which an organization can achieve its ends at a low cost

organizational survival

degree to which an organization is able to exist and grow over the long term

causality

direction of cause and effect

organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)

discretionary behavior that is not part of an employee's formal job requirements, but which promotes the effective functioning of the organization

employee engagement

employee's involvement in, satisfaction with, and enthusiasm for their work

psychological empowerment

employees' belief in the degree to which they affect their work environment, their competence, the meaningfulness of their job, and their perceived autonomy in their work

Personality traits

enduring characteristics that describe an individual's behavior

attitudes

evaluative statements, either favorable or unfavorable, about objects, people, or events

research question

gap in the literature or in managerial practice that deserves further exploration

manager

get things done through other people in an organization

What 3 factors influence our desire to resolve dissonance?

importance of the elements creating dissonance, degree of influence we believe we have over the elements, and the rewards of dissonance

How are Effective Managers defined?

in terms of quantity and quality of their performance and the satisfaction and commitment of employees

self-monitoring

individual's ability to adjust behavior to external, situational factors, pay close attention to behavior of others and more capable of conforming

theory

model or framework that describes a set of related concepts or hypotheses to explain a certain phenomenon

Management functions

planning (process that includes defining goals, establishing strategy, and developing plans to coordinate activities), organizing (Determining what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks are to be grouped, who reports to whom, and where decisions are to be made), leading (function that includes motivating employees, directing others, selecting the most effective communication channels, and resolving conflicts), controlling (Monitoring activities to ensure that they are being accomplished as planned and correcting any significant deviations)

independent variable

presumed cause of some change in the dependent variable

stress

psychological process that occurs in response to environmental pressures

Heredity

refers to those factors that were determined at conception, The Heredity Approach argues that the explanation of personality lies in the molecular structure of the genes, located in the chromosomes.

Proactive personality

someone who identifies opportunities, shows initiative, takes action, and perseveres until meaningful change occurs (does not need much oversight)

How are Successful Managers defined?

speed of promotion within their organization

positive organizational scholarship

studies how organizations develop human strengths, foster vitality and resilience, and unlock potential

Purpose of research

systematic gathering of info to help in the search of the "truth"

What does the study by Vukasovic and Bratko (2015) on personality and heredity show?

that 40% of personality is attributable to heredity and 60% to the environment

Job involvement

the degree to which a person identifies with a job, actively participates in it, and considers performance important to self-worth

organizational commitment

the degree to which an employee identifies with a particular organization and its goals and wishes to maintain membership in the organization

Perceived Organizational Support (POS)

the degree to which employees believe an organization values their contribution and cares about their well-being

correlation coefficient

used to indicate the strength of the relationship between 2 or more variables -1 is perfect negative, 1 is perfect positive -a high value does not imply causality

dependent variable

variable the researcher is interested in explaining

Hawthorn Studies (Mayo, 1933)

wanted to study the effects of the physical environment on productivity and found that no matter the conditions, productivity increased bcz the workers reacted to the increased attention they received