Organizational Behavior Midterm

Research on job characteristics indicates that

people who have a high growth need tend to expect their jobs to help them build new skills.

A term for all of a person's relatively stable feelings, thoughts, and behavioral patterns is

personality

Laura takes a personality survey and finds she strongly exhibits the trait of agreeableness. Laura can be described as

pleasant, tolerant, sensitive, and kind.

Hofstede found that countries differ on the equality or hierarchy among people, which he referred to as

power distance

One way to satisfy self-actualization needs is to

pursue a master's degree through a company's tuition reimbursement program.

Maslow's theory of motivation has been criticized because

research does not support the argument that satisfied needs no longer motivate behavior.

Countries high in power distance and authoritarianism respond negatively to

review systems where lower-level employees give performance feedback to their managers.

An applicant-matching software program would indicate which personality trait would provide the best person-organization fit with a Wall Street investment firm?

risk-taking

A factor in whether employees are absent from work, even when they are unhappy at their job, is their level of

guilt

A position high in autonomy allows an employee to

have freedom to decide how to perform their tasks

In comparing Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory to Alderfer's ERG theory

ERG theory recognizes more than one need may operate at one time

Needs-based theories propose that a manager's job is to determine what employees' needs are and then to

create the work environment that meets those needs.

Maslow's theory of motivation suggests

employee needs are ordered.

In the United States, employers may use some electronic monitoring of employees as long as

employees are notified in advance

Generally, people from Europe and the United States have higher levels of ___________ than those from Asia and Africa.

extraversion

Choosing a job that offers health care as part of its benefit package over a position that pays more but has no health care benefits might reflect the job seeker's concern about

family security

Reasoning abilities, verbal and numerical skills, analytical skills, and intelligence are all

general mental abilities.

Ability refers to

having the skills and knowledge required to perform the job

Marlene routinely volunteers to organize the company holiday party and summer picnic. Marlene demonstrates a high level of

organizational citizenship behaviors.

An attitude is

our opinions, beliefs, and feelings about our environment.

When companies provide training to employees to teach them new skills, it results in positive changes in employees' jobs and careers. This method is called

upskilling

Praising the employee occasionally when the person shows up on time is an example of a(n) ___________ of reinforcement.

variable ratio

Marshall was unhappy that he didn't get a raise, so he quit and found a better paying job. This illustrates the concept of

voluntary turnover

The primary reason for employee turnover is

work attitudes

A Gallup study indicates ___________ of Americans indicate they find their work meaningful.

about one in ten

For men, which personality trait relates negatively to income level?

agreeableness

Individuals high in self-monitoring tend to

be more successful in their careers.

Empathy is to agreeableness as sociability is to

extraversion

In considering workplace distributive justice, it is accurate to note that

high levels of justice create higher levels of organizational citizenship behaviors.

Performance is a function of the interaction between

motivation, ability, and environment.

Which element is related to lower levels of organizational commitment?

negative affective disposition

Often the root cause of a self-fulfilling prophecy is

stereotyping

Our values reflect

what is most important to us

How could a firm best satisfy an employee's safety needs?

Create a job security clause in the employment contract.

Scraping personal data about employees from social media and using them in organizational decision making

Introduces data privacy concerns.

An organization using essay type performance reviews subjects thousands of completed performance evaluations to a text analysis. By comparing the number of words used and the emotional tone of the words, used, the analyses showed that when evaluating female employees, managers wrote shorter and used more negative words to describe employee performance. This is an example of which type of study?

Machine learning

Research indicates that groups with faultlines exhibit what characteristic?

Teams with strong faultlines have the potential to perform well if they can establish certain norms.

A workgroup has three Caucasian males who are new employees and three Black females who have been with the firm an average of 15 years. How would you categorize the likely faultline in this group?

There will be a strong faultline in the group.

Gender discrimination is prohibited by which law?

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

Santiago wants to thoroughly understand the issues that created the severe economic straits Boeing currently finds itself experiencing. He should consider what kind of a research study?

a case study

An entity that takes on different values during the research process is

a variable

If traffic is bad, Beth sometimes cannot pick up her daughter at daycare on time. She asks her boss if she can leave an hour earlier each day, and work at home a few hours each weekend. Both Beth and her boss are happy with this arrangement. This workplace solution is an example of

an I-deal.

A faultline is

an attribute along which a group is split into subgroups.

Organizational culture consists of three levels:

assumptions, artifacts, and values.

An example of a deep-level diversity traits is

attitudes

Someone who prefers to learn by listening to others is likely someone who prefers

auditory learning.

According to the formula for the motivating potential score of a job, the most important elements in deciding motivation potential are

autonomy and feedback

Cultural assumptions lie below the awareness level. They reflect

beliefs about human nature and reality.

Among the limitations associated with using personality tests in employee selection is

candidates faking their answers.

"People are generally dishonest" is an example of a

cultural assumption.

Security, safety, and social equality are all examples of

cultural values

Person-job fit refers to the

degree to which a person's skill, knowledge, abilities, and other characteristics match the job demands.

An analytic approach that focuses on understanding what has happened in the past is

descriptive analytics.

Compositional differences among people in a work unit are referred to as

diversity

A person who prefers kinesthetic learning, prefers

doing things and by actively engaging with the material.

How a company manages your data and respects your privacy is a(n) ___________ decision.

ethical

Predictive analytics is used in organizational behavior research to

focus on what is likely to happen.

Organizational behavior may be analyzed at different levels of analysis. Studying how a manager's personality affects departmental effectiveness is an example of which level of analysis?

group

Companies in cultures high in uncertainty avoidance tend to

have written employment contracts for employees.

An individual described as ethnocentric believes that

his or her culture is superior to other cultures.

Organizational behavior is the study of

individuals and their behaviors at work

Someone with a preference for _________ learning is typically a student who prefers to learn things by trial and error.

kinesthetic (tactile)

Research conducted outside the workplace and performed under very controlled conditions is called a

lab study

Amar took geometry in high school but did not use this knowledge for years. During an internship in college, he needed geometry to solve a problem and found that he remembered how to apply the various formulas. In this situation, Amar was relying on

long-term memory

Cultures that are comfortable in unpredictable situations and have high tolerance for ambiguity are best described as

low uncertainty avoidance cultures.

The "M" in "SMART" goals stands for

measurable

A measure that is high in validity

measures what it is intended to measure.

Boeing decides to lay off some of its IT workers, and instead have the same services provided by Dell. This is an example of:

outsourcing

Collectivistic cultures are those in which

people tend to have strong bonds to their groups, and group membership forms a person's self-identity.

Research on the interactionist perspective suggests

people who fit into their organization tend to be more satisfied with their jobs.

During an experiment, the control group

receives no experimental manipulation.

Lindsey administered a test to a job candidate three different times. She is looking at the scores and sees that they are 85, 87 and 85 out of 100, and notes that the scores are fairly consistent. In other words, the test is

reliable

Learning and reviewing information multiple times over a longer period of time is a learning technique known as

repetition

A tendency to attribute our successes to internal causes and our failures to the situation is evidence of

self-serving bias

A group with a defined set of values unique to a limited cross-section of the organization is

subculture

Researchers use meta-analysis to

summarize research findings from studies on related topics.

Demographic traits make up a part of

surface level diversity

For researchers, hypotheses are

tentative guesses for expected observations that can be tested.

Research indicates that the most important determinant of ethical behavior in an organization is

the leadership commitment to ethical behavior.

Evaluating organizations against the performance criteria of economic, social, and environmental viability refers specifically to

the triple bottom line.

In analyzing the data, a researcher notes that as employee absences increase, scores on performance evaluations decrease. This suggests

there is a correlation between employee absenteeism and employee performance.

Shared principles, standards and goals are

values

By using a combination of oral and visual modes in a workplace presentation, the audience

will more likely have their preferences met.

Research indicates that Millennials tend to value

work-life balance.

A management by objectives program includes

developing action plans.

Scientific management's focus is on

efficiency

Research on performance incentives suggests

75% of all American companies use a merit pay system

Frederick Taylor's work led to a fundamental change in management philosophy. Which statement describes this change?

It paved the way for today's automation and standardization

According to Rokeach, which statement is accurate about values?

Values are hierarchically ordered.

Marisol always seems to know who to talk to in her organization to get things done. When her immediate supervisor seemed less than enthusiastic about her proposal, she made sure to mention it to the manager in another department who shared it with his boss. Marisol was just approached about implementing her proposal. Marisol seems to have

a proactive personality.

A piece rate system refers to

a program where employees are paid based on individual output produced.

A recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) study reveals that ___________ indicate relative job satisfaction.

almost all respondents

Structural empowerment refers to

aspects of the work environment that give employees discretion, autonomy, and ability to do jobs effectively.

Findings on personality indicate that between the ages of 20 and 40, we

become more emotionally stable and conscientious.

Individuals with an internal locus of control

believe that what happens to them is their own doing.

A key element of the scientific management philosophy is

breaking down jobs into their simplest components to facilitate specialization.

Fair hearing refers to

ensuring that there is two-way communication during the appraisal process and the employee's perspective is heard.

Individuals who expect yearly wage increases without exhibiting increased performance may be labeled

entitleds

Companies may systematically track employee work attitudes through

exit interviews

Job enlargement involves

expanding the tasks performed by employees to add more variety

Jake wonders if his late nights at the office over the past year have boosted his overall performance. This is an example of which aspect of expectancy theory?

expectancy

According to Maslow, an example of physiological needs may be satisfied by

food

Brant is the quarterback of his college football team. The team was 10-0, but lost this week after what Brant says was a very bad call by the referee. You can't remember him ever complaining about referees, so you decide that this call is truly why the team lost. Your attribution was based on the fact that Brant displays

high consistency

Markus said, "If I just hadn't had that argument with my girlfriend last night, I wouldn't have been so upset and I would have done much better on my sales presentation today." Markus exhibits

high external locus of control.

Camila sees herself as a good person and a good employee. She is confident about her capabilities and derives great satisfaction from doing her job well. Based on what we know, we can say that Camila has

high self-esteem

An example of extinction is

ignoring a coworker who is telling dirty jokes

Positive reinforcement tends to

increase the desired behavior.

General mental ability is most important in which area of work?

management

Role conflict, role ambiguity, organizational politics, and job insecurity are indicators of

stress at work

In expectancy theory, valence is

the anticipated satisfaction that will result from an outcome.

Interactional justice is understood to be

the degree to which people are treated with respect, kindness, and dignity in interpersonal interactions.

Research on relationships at work indicates

the development of a trust-based relationship with the manager is positively related to job attitudes.

Organizational commitment refers to

the emotional attachment people have toward the company they work for.

Job crafting allows ___________ to make changes to the job description.

the employee

Skill variety refers to

the extent to which the job requires a person to utilize multiple high-level skills.

Job satisfaction refers to

the feelings people have toward their jobs.

Research on equity theory suggests

those who feel over-rewarded experience little distress over the situation.

Companies can reduce the temptation to behave unethically by

withholding rewards from those who are demonstrating unethical behaviors.

Making sense of how people behave at work depends on understanding

their work attitudes.

360-degree feedback is

designed to provide feedback for developmental purposes.

Negative affective people experience more

nervousness and anxiety.

According to acquired needs theory, individuals with a high need for affiliation

none of the above

A criticism of Herzberg's theory of motivation is that

All of the above

Individuals who perceive severe inequity often strive to "balance the scales" by performing which action?

All of the above

A factor which helps determine employee empowerment is

All of the above: manager's leadership style, access to information, organizational structure

How can managers best influence the perceptions of expectancy theory?

Conduct employee surveys periodically to ascertain what employees consider to be rewards for performance and integrate that in some manner into the performance evaluation program.

Joaquin works as a math instructor at a local high school. Although he earns less than many of his friends, he values education and routine, and enjoys having his weekends and summers free. What can we reasonably assume about Joaquin's work life?

He has a high degree of person-organization fit.

Employees with which personality trait are most likely to experience high job satisfaction?

Those who are strong in agreeableness.

Companies using sales commissions reward employees with

a percentage of sales volume or profits generated.

In attribution, low distinctiveness is characterized by

a person behaving the same way in different situations.

What is the most powerful influence over job performance?

cognitive ability

People with which personality traits are most likely to exhibit citizenship behaviors?

conscientious and agreeable

Across a variety of occupations and jobs, what personality trait most uniformly predicts how high a person's performance will be?

conscientiousness

Theft and sabotage at work are examples of what type of behaviors?

counterproductive work behaviors

Norene is being considered for a managerial position at a prestigious firm. She completes a Thematic Apperception Test as part of an assessment center exercise for prospective managers. Facilitators will examine the results carefully for their manager choices knowing that

individuals high in need for achievement may find it difficult to delegate authority to subordinates.

If you say to yourself, "As soon as I finish reading this chapter in my textbook, I am going to play Guitar Hero for an hour," this specific goal has motivated you because

it has energized you to keep going until you have accomplished the goal.

Organizations wishing to increase worker motivation should pay particular attention to

job design.

The degree to which a person successfully fulfills the factors included in the job description is called

job performance

If one looks at the number of studies conducted on attitudes, what seems to be the most important with respect to one's job?

job satisfaction

When an ethical climate exists at a firm, studies suggest people are

less likely to want to leave the firm.

In an employment review, adequate notice refers to

letting employees know what criteria are used in appraisal.

Markus keeps saying to his boss, "I'm really concerned that I won't be able to lead the project team. I just haven't done this before. Maybe you should ask someone else." Markus seems to have

low self-efficacy.

Anna sees five of her coworkers going out to lunch together and is sure that they must hate her because no one asked her to go. What Anna forgot is that she usually isn't in the office on Tuesdays, so they didn't even realize she was there. Anna may have

low self-esteem

Attitude surveys conducted by companies produce more useful information if

management is perceived as credible by employees.

Job specialization can

minimize training costs.

In the workplace, motivation refers to

the intention of achieving a goal, leading to goal-directed behavior.

In simulations examining whether reinforcement theory explains ethical behavior, researchers found that

the severity of expected punishment was the primary predictor of whether subjects were inclined to behave unethically.

Internal attribution attributes someone's behavior to

their specific characteristics.