WGU OBC1
Decentralized decision making
- lower level managers are empowered to make important decisions
Centralized decision making
- top managers make all key decisions
Explain the OD process.
-DIAGNOSIS: What is the problem and it's causes - could you variety of data gathering techniques such as interviews, surveys, observation, etc. -INTERVENTION: What can be done to solve the problem? - determine the treatment that will actually address the cause of the problem -EVALUATION: Is the intervention working? - develop measures and metrics to monitor the impact of the change -FEEDBACK: What does the evaluation suggest about diagnosis and effectiveness of how the intervention was implemented?
Discuss Kotter's eight steps for leading organizational change.
1.Establish a sense of urgency-Unfreeze the organization by creating a compelling reason for why change is needed 2.Create the guiding coalition-Create a cross-functional, cross-level group of people with enough power to lead the change 3.Develop a vision and strategy-Create a vision and strategic plan to guide the change process 4.Communicate the change-vision-Create and implement a communication strategy that consistently communicates the new vision and strategic plan 5.Empower broad-based action-Eliminate barriers to change, use target elements of change to transform the organization 6.Generate short-term wins-Plan for and create short-term "wins" or improvements 7.Consolidate gains and produce more change-The guiding coalition uses credibility from short-terms wins to create change. Additional people are brought into the change process as change cascades throughout the organization 8.Anchor new approaches in the culture-Reinforce the changes by highlighting connections between new behaviors and processes and organizational success John Kotter believes that organizational change fails for one or more of eight common errors. He proposed eight steps that organizations should follow to overcome these errors.
Explain the difference between closed and open systems.
A closed system is a relatively self-sufficient entity An open system is an organism that must constantly interact with its environment to survive
Contrast high and low self-monitoring individuals, and discuss the ethical implications of organizational identification.
A high self-monitor strives to make a good public impression by closely monitoring his or her behavior and adapting it to the situation. Very high self-monitoring can create a "chameleon" who is seen as insincere and dishonest. Low self-monitors do the opposite by acting out their momentary feelings, regardless of their surroundings. Very low self-monitoring can lead to a one-way communicator who seems to ignore verbal and nonverbal cues from others. People who supplant their own identity with that of their organization run the risk of blind obedience and groupthink because of a failure to engage in critical thinking and not being objective about what they are asked to do.
Define the term learning organization.
A learning organization proactively creates, acquires, and transfers knowledge throughout the organization These organizations constantly seek new information from the external environment and seek to develop their employees. They also pursue experts to employ and stay up to date on practices that affect their business.
TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE Resistance to change increases as changes go from adaptive, to innovative, to radically innovative.
Adaptive change is lowest in complexity, cost, and uncertainty. Reintroducing a familiar practice. Innovative changes fall midway on the complexity, cost, and uncertainty continuum. Introducing a new practice to the organization. Radically Innovative Changes complexity, cost, and uncertainty are the highest. Introducing a practice to the industry.
Explain the difference between affirmative action and managing diversity.
Affirmative action is an outgrowth of equal employment opportunity legislation and is an artificial intervention aimed at giving management a chance to correct past discrimination. Managing diversity entails creating a host of organizational changes that enable all people to perform up to their maximum potential.
What is the likelihood that each of these would be effective in promoting organizational interests as well as individual self-interests? Highly unlikely to be effective-1 May or may not be effective-2 Highly likely to be effective-3
Attacking or blaming others - 3 Using information as a political tool - 2 Creating a favorable image (impression management) - 1 Developing a base of support - 1 Praising others (ingratiation) - 3 (as long as it is perceived to be sincere) Forming political coalitions with strong allies - 2 (as long as those allies also have org's interests at heart) Associating with influential people - 3 Creating obligations (reciprocity) - 2 (indicates compliance rather than commitment, may or may not yield long-term benefits for org.
Resistance can be lowered by following these guidelines
Avoid surprises Promote real understanding Set the stage for change Make tentative change
Explain how managers can prevent organizational decline.
Because complacency and organizational narcissim are the the leading causes of organizational decline, managers need to create a culture of continuous improvement. Decline automatically follows periods of great success if preventive steps are not taken to avoid the erosion of organizational resources (money, customers, talent, and innovative ideas).
Building Empowerment Through Ownership
Believe in what you propose SR. management must be behind equity ownership and devote the necessary resources to sustaining it over time. Be patient because a transition to employee ownership takes time to "take" - maybe 1 to 2 years. Communicate the meaning of ownership Remind employees of their ownership with signs, banners, bulletin boards, company staionery, websites, speeches, informal talks. Share profit-and-loss information Employees are entitled to see all info about the company as long as it is aligned with SEC regulations Educate workers about company's financials, give business-literacy training Make it worthwhile financially Design the system to benefit the employees financially, increase people's shareholdings every hear of their tenure. Turn your owners into decision makers Give employees discretion in how they do their jobs and to act on ways to improve them. At Whole Foods, workers are responsible for hiring people into their work groups. They are paid based on team performance so employee want to ensure they get the best workers and are invested in achieving that.
What are the outcomes of Influence attempts
COMMITMENT - a strong positive response The person will agree and carry out the request because they truly believes it is the right or best thing to do. THIS IS THE BEST OUTCOME. COMPLIANCE - completion of request The person will agree only because there is something positive in it for him/her or something negative will happen if they don't RESISTANCE - a strong negative response Request will be disregarded, influence attempt is unsuccessful
Describe the four characteristics common to all organizations,
COORDINATION OF EFFORT, which is achieved through formulation and enforcement of policies, rules, and regulations DIVISON OF LABOR, where the COMMON GOAL is pursued by individuals performing separate but related tasks HIERARCHY OF AUTHORITY, which provides a control mechanism dedicated to making sure the right people do the right things at the right time.
How does one manage organizational politics.
Create and open-book management system Make sure every employee knows how the business works and has a personal line of sight to key results Have nonfinancial people interpret periodic financial and accounting statements for all employees Since organizational politics cannot be eliminated, managers need to keep it within reasonable bounds. Measurable objectives for personal accountability are key. Participative management also helps, especially in the form of open-book management. Formal conflict resolution and grievance programs are helpful. Overly political people should not be hired, and employees who get results without playing political games should be publicly recognized and rewarded. The "how-would-it-look-on-TV" ethics test can limit political maneuvering.
Common phases of change are:
DENIAL - trouble accepting the inevitable SADNESS - realization of the things you'll miss RESISTANCE - may have a sense of turmoil and think of the impact on you and your family EXPLORATION - begin to consider and research the new reality to make yourself more comfortable ACEEPTANCE - consider the positive aspects of the change Remain Objective knowing these phases helps you keep perspective, talk to others if you feel yourself backsliding into earlier stages Stay Positive Focus on the impact on others and trying to help them Stay Accountable for Outcomes Focus on your work, prioritize, problem solve
What are unfavorable impression management tactics
Decreasing performance—restricting productivity, making more mistakes than usual, lowering quality, neglecting tasks. • Not working to potential—pretending ignorance, having unused capabilities. • Withdrawing—being tardy, taking excessive breaks, faking illness. • Displaying a bad attitude—complaining, getting upset and angry, acting strangely, not getting along with coworkers. • Broadcasting limitations—letting coworkers know about one's physical problems and mistakes, both verbally and nonverbally.
Process Enablers:
Design: The comprehensiveness of the specification of how the process is to be executed Performers: The people who execute the process, particularly in terms of their skills and knowledge Owner: A senior executive who has responsibility for the process and its results Infrastructure: information and management systems that support the process Metrics: The measure the company uses to track the process's performance
Howard Gardner's updated concept of multiple intelligences.
Disciplined Mind - requires of mastery of major subject areas Synthesizing mind - selects information from different sources and puts them together Creating mind - poses new questions, offers new solutions, and new ways of thinking Respectful mind - responds sympathetically and constructively to differences among individuals and groups Ethical mind - conceptualizes how to strive toward good work and good citizenship
Define diversity and review the four layers of diversity.
Diversity represents the individual differences that make people different from and similar to each other. Diversity pertains to everybody. It is not simply an issue of age, race, gender, or sexual orientation. The layers of diversity define an individual's personal identity and constitute a perceptual filter that influences how we interpret the world. Personality is at the center of the diversity wheel. The second layer of diversity consists of a set of internal dimensions that are referred to as surface-level dimensions of diversity. The third layer is composed of external influences and is called secondary dimensions of diversity. The final layer of diversity includes organizational dimensions.
What are hard tactics (summarize lessons from research)
EXCHANGE:: Promising some benefits in exchange for complying with a request. COALITION BUILDING: Persuading by seeking the assistance of others or by noting the support of others. LEGITIMATING: Pointing out one's authority to make a request or verifying that it is consistent with prevailing organizational policies and practices. PRESSURE: Seeking compliance by using demands, threats, or intimidation.
Which source of power would be most applicable when influencing the following targets? Your manager
EXPERT AND REFERENT (PERSONAL POWER)
Discuss the external and internal forces that create the need for organizational change.
EXTERNAL Demographic characteristics Technological advancements Shareholder, Customer, and Market changes Social and political pressures INTERNAL Human resource problems High turnover Perceptions of unfair treatment Managerial Behavior/Decisions Excessive interpersonal conflict Inadequate direction or support
Explain Schwartz's value theory and describe three types of value conflict.
Each value possesses motivational mechanisms that drive behavior. POWER ACHIEVEMENT HEDONISM STIMULATION SELF DIRECTION UNIVERSAL ISM BENEVOLENCE TRADITION CONFORMITY SECURITY Some are consistent and positively related, whereas others are inconsistent and conflict with each other. Three types of value conflict are intrapersonal, interpersonal, and individual-organization.
Explain why Alice Eagly and Linda Arlie believe that a women's career is best viewed as traveling through a labyrinth.
Eagly and Carli believe that women were barred from achieving high-level managerial positions in the past, but that women now have busted through these barriers. They cite statistics showing that women have made progress in terms of obtaining CEO positions, managerial and administrative positions, and educational attainment; holding seats on boards of directors; obtaining leadership positions in educational institutions; and receiving federal court appointments. Eagly and Carli propose that women have made these strides by successfully navigating a labyrinth of twists, turns, and obstacles.
Discuss employee assistance programs (EAPs) and a holistic approach toward stress reduction.
Employee assistance programs help employees to resolve personal problems that affect their productivity. EAPs are typically funded by organizations or in combination with unions. A holistic approach toward wellness goes beyond stress-reduction techniques by advocating that people strive for a harmonious balance among physical, mental, and social well-being. This approach to stress management has five key components: self-responsibility, nutritional awareness, stress reduction and relaxation, physical fitness, and environmental sensitivity.
Describe seven basic ways organizations are structured.
FUNCTIONAL Organized according to business function (marketing, finance, etc.) DIVISIONAL STRUCTURE Organized by activities related to outputs (e.g., product or service type) MATRIZ STRUCTURE Horizontal cooperation necessary as is functional knowledge Typically organized by function vertically and product/service horizontally HOLLOW Outsourcing non-core processes to those more able - retain what you do well and outsource functions that others can do faster and cheaper MODULAR Outsources parts of a product rather than processes - ensure quality meets standards from other companies but assemble parts internally VIRTUAL Temporary company created to respond to an exceptional market opportunity - creates partnerships that help serves customers they wouldn't be able to without each other HORIZONTAL DESIGN FOR COLLABORATION Organize around complete workflow processes rather than tasks Flatten hierarchy and use teams to manage everything Appoint process team leaders to manage internal team processes. Let supplier and customer contact drive performance. Provide required expertise from outside the team as required.
Why is delegation the highest form of empowerment and discuss the connections among delegation, trust and personal inititative.
Followers are granted authority to make a decision. When the employee is competent, the employee shares the manager's task objectives, the manager has a long-standing and positive relationship with the employee, and when the lower-level person was also a supervisor. The manager has trust with the employee Delegation gives employees more than a participatory role in decision making. It allows them to make their own work-related decisions. Managers tend to delegate to employees they trust. Employees can get managers to trust them by demonstrating personal initiative (going beyond formal job requirements and being self-starters).
Discuss the stress moderators of social support, hardiness, and Type A behavior.
Four types of social support are Esteem support, showing that a person is accepted and respected despite any problems or inadequacies. Informational support, providing help in defining, understanding, and coping with problems. Social companionship, spending time with others in leisure and recreational activities. And instrumental support, providing financial aid, material resources, or needed services. Three personality dimensions contribute to hardiness. Commitment, having a sense of purpose and not giving up under pressure. Internal locus of control. When we believe that we influence the events that affect our lives, we tend to develop proactive coping strategies. And challenge, where change is perceived as an opportunity for growth and development, and not as a threat. The Type A behavior pattern is characterized by someone who is aggressively involved in a chronic, determined struggle to accomplish more and more in less and less time. Management can help Type A individuals by not overloading them with work despite their apparent eagerness to take on an ever-increasing workload.
Describe the values model of work/family conflict, and specify at least three practical lessons from work/family conflict research.
General life values determine one's values about family and work. Work/family conflict can occur when there is a lack of value similarity with family members. Likewise, work/family conflict can occur when one's own work values are not congruent with the company's values. When someone does not attain his or her values because of work/family conflicts, job or life satisfaction, or both, can suffer. Six practical lessons from work/family conflict research are (1) work/family balance begins at home (2) an employer's family-supportive philosophy is more important than specific programs (3) informal flexibility in work hours and in allowing people to work at home is essential to promoting work/family balance (4) mentors can help (5) individuals should take a proactive approach to managing work/family conflict (6) self-employment has its rewards, but it is associated with higher work/family conflict and lower family satisfaction.
What are favorable impression management tactics
Getting others to see us in a certain manner. job-focused (manipulating information about one's job performance), supervisor-focused (praising and doing favors for one's supervisor), and self-focused (presenting oneself as a polite and nice person)
Factors positively influenced by high OBSE and negatively impacted by low OBSE
Global self-esteem Job performance Intrinsic motivation General satisfaction Citizenship behavior Organizational commitment & satisfaction
Describe the four generic organizational effectiveness criteria.
Goal Accomplishment the organization achieves its goals—most widely used effectiveness criterion Does the organizations achieve its publicly stated goals and objectives? Resource acquisition: Does the organization acquire the necessary resources to pursue it's objectives? Internal Processes the organization functions smoothly with a minimum of internal strain Is the organization a "healthy system" in which information flows freely and employees are loyal, committed, satisfied and trusted. Strategic Constituencies Satisfaction the demands and expectations of key interest groups are at least minimally satisfied Are people who have a stake in the organization's operation or success satisfied.
Identify the four key components of emotional intelligence, and discuss the practical significance of emotional contagion and emotional labor.
Goleman's model says the four components are self-awareness self-management social awareness relationship management. People can, in fact, catch another person's good or bad moods and expressed emotions, much as they would catch a contagious disease. Managers and others in the workplace need to avoid spreading counterproductive emotions. People in service jobs who are asked to suppress their own negative emotions and display positive emotions, regardless of their true feelings at the time, pay a physical and mental price for their emotional labor. Managers who are not mindful of emotional labor may experience lower productivity, reduced job satisfaction, and possibly aggression and even violence.
Seeds of innovation
Hard work in a specific direction - most innovations come from dedicated people working hard to solve a well-defined problem Hard work with direction change - innovations often occur when people change their approach to solving a problem Curiosity - curiosity spawns experimentation and inventiveness Wealth and money - innovations frequently occur because economic viability depends on it Necessity - required to achieve a larger goal Combination of seeds - often innovation is a result of multiple factors
Identify at least five of Gardner's eight multiple intelligences, and explain "practical intelligence."
Harvard's Howard Gardner broadens the traditional cognitive abilities model of intelligence to include social and physical abilities. His eight multiple intelligences include linguistic logical-mathematical musical bodily-kinesthetic spatial interpersonal intrapersonal naturalist.
What is the right combination of influence tatics?
In general, research has shown that the combined use of tactics is the most effective. Hard ones are most effective used by themselves. Also, it is better to use a combination of softer tactics first and use the hard one's only as a last resort. Research has shown that using expert and referent power together get the best combinaltion of results and favorable reactions from lower-level employees.
Summarize the risks associated with an incremental versus a breakthrough approach to innovation.
Incremental business process innovations can generate more revenue gain or cost savings with less risk than radical ones Radical innovations are often too radical
Summarize the difference between incremental and breakthrough innovation.
Incremental innovation refers to simple changes or adjustments in existing products, services, or processes A breakthrough innovation is an innovation in a product, process, technology, or the cost associated with it that represents a quantum leap forward in one or more of those ways the difference is a breakthrough innovation is more riskier and more elaborate.
The four major types of stressors are
Individual, those directly associated with job duties, such as role ambiguity or overload, eye strain from computers, or freezing from being a snow plow operator in sub-zero temperatures. Group, which are caused by group dynamics or managerial behavior or harrassment. Organizational, which are caused by factors associated with, for example, the organizational culture; and Extra-organizational, those factors outside the organization such as work/family balance issues or socioeconomic status.
Explain the model of innovation.
Innovation is a dynamic process that involves the simultaneous effects of seeds of innovation and challenges of innovation. That said, the benefits of innovation only occur when the interaction between seeds and challenges is nurtured by the nutrients of innovation, which include organizational culture, leadership, people, and execution.
Discuss the difference between innovation, invention, creativity, and integration.
Innovation is creating something new that is commercialized. In contrast, invention is simply the creation of something new and creativity is the process of developing something new or unique. Integration involves actions associated with getting multiple people, units, departments, functions, or sites to work together in pursuit of a goal, idea, or project. Innovation relies on invention, creativity, and integration.
Explain how attitudes affect behavior in terms of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior.
Intentions are the key link between attitudes and behavior in Ajzen's model. Three determinants of the strength of an intention are one's attitude toward the behavior subjective norm (social expectations and role models) the perceived degree of one's control over the behavior. Intentions, in turn, are powerful determinants of behavior.
Explain intrapreneurship and how to enable it to thrive.
Intrapreneurship is entrepreneurship in large organizations. Many firms now claim that they seek to encourage intrapreneurship. For intrapreneurship to work, individual intrapreneurs need freedom and support to pursue perceived opportunities, be allowed to fail, and do more of the same more easily if they succeed.
Describe Lewin's change model and the systems model of change.
Kurt Lewin developed a three-stage model of planned change which explained how to initiate, manage, and stabilize the change process. Unfreezing Creates the motivation to change Benchmarking Data Financial data, emerging trends Changing Provides new information, new behavioral models, or new ways of looking at things Refreezing Helps employees integrate the changed behavior or attitude into their normal way of doing things A systems model of change takes a big picture perspective of change. It focuses on the interaction among the key components of change. The three main components of change are inputs, target elements of change, and outputs. The target elements of change represent the components of an organization that may be changed. They include organizational arrangements, social factors, methods, and people.
Which source of power would be most applicable when influencing the following targets? Your peers/co-worker
LEGITIMATE, EXPERT, AND REFERENT
Principles of Influence
LIKING: The more we like the other person, the more likely we'll comply with their requests RECIPROCITY: The belief that both good and bad deeds should be repaid in kind. SOCIAL PROOF: Role models and peer pressure are powerful forces CONSISTENCY: Once individuals have stated a commitment they tend to act in accordance with that commitment. AUTHORITY: People tend to defer to and respect credible experts. SCARICTY: Requests that emphasize scarcity or the fact that some object, opportunity, or outcome will soon no longer be available, are difficult to resist.
Enterprise Capabilities:
Leadership: Senior executives who support the creation of processes Culture: The values of customer focus, teamwork, personal accountability, and a willingness to change Expertise: Skills in, and methodology for, process redesign Governance: Mechanisms for managing complex projects and change initiatives
Converging Learning Style
Like to ask "how" Prefer to focus on specific, practical problems Prefer deductive reasoning (using general principles to understand specifics)
Diverging Learning Style
Like to ask "why" and to study problems from different angles Are people-oriented and prefer to explore situations from a solid base of information Like to brainstorm and deal with feelings
Research on lying has revealed these four lessons:
Lying is difficult to detect on the interpersonal level Lying is partly caused y structural constraints and conflicts. Lying is partly caused by individual differences Lying is partly caused by reward structures. Managers are faced with many circumstances in which they may be tempted to lie - this table shows the consequences of lying in each of four situations. Generally, lying hurts one's reputation and long-term relationship with others. One exception may be in the situation where you are holding someone's confidence. To the extent that it is truly important to hold the confidence, lying by omission may actually do more good than harm because it will build relationships with the individual and others who later recognize the importance of omission.
three primary determinants of organization-based self-esteem.
Managerial respect Organizational structure Job complexity
Identify when each of the seven organization structures is the right fit.
Mechanistic organizations and functional structures may be necessary when tight control is important and the environment is stable. Organic organizations allow for innovation in a rapidly changing environment. Divisional structures are a good fit when the organization needs deep knowledge of varied customer groups and the ability to respond to customer demands quickly. A matrix organization can deliver the advantages of functional and divisional structures if the company has superior managers who communicate extensively, foster commitment and collaboration, and negotiate effectively to establish goals and priorities consistent with the organization's strategy. A horizontal design is a good fit when specialization is less important than the ability to respond to varied or changing customer needs. Hollow, modular, and virtual designs are best when organizations have suitable partners they trust; efficiency is very important; the organization can identify functions, processes, or product components to outsource; and in the case of a virtual organization, when the need to be met is temporary.
Discuss Burns and Stalker's findings regarding mechanistic and organic organizations.
Mechanistic organizations are rigid, command-and-control bureaucracies. These are important when there is a need for uniform product quality, speedy service, and cleanliness, with McDonalds serving as an excellent example of this. Organic organizations are fluid and flexible networks of multitalented people. People in these organizations perform a variety of tasks. Gore is an example of an organic organization because people don't have job titles, nor do they report to anybody. Gore uses a very team-based structure.
Other specific intelligence-related predictors of job performance are:
Numerical ability Spatial ability Inductive reasoning
Define organizational development.
OD applies behavioral science principles, methods, and theories adapted from the fields of psychology, sociology, education, and management to help it achieve its goals. Organization development is a set of tools or techniques that are used to implement planned organizational change. OD is broader in focus and has a diagnostic focus. OD is guided by a four-step process. The steps are (1) diagnosis, (2) intervention, (3) evaluation, and (4) feedback.
Describe the three key elements of the entrepreneurship process.
Opportunity is focusing intensely on solving problems and benefits to customers rather than product or service ideas someone just dreams up. Resources involve money and time. Key people, the entrepreneurial team, need to bring technical skill, business skill, and key characteristics to the new venture endeavor for it to succeed.
Describe the model of organizational commitment.
Organizational commitment reflects how strongly a person identifies with an organization and is committed to its goals. Organizational commitment is composed of three related components: affective commitment continuance commitment normative commitment. In turn, each of these components is influenced by a separate set of antecedents: An antecedent is something that causes the component of commitment to occur. .
What are French and Raven's five bases of power
Position - derived from one's position and status within the organization REWARD: If you do it I'll give you something COERCIVE: If you don't do it something bad will happen LEGITAMITE: Do it because the boss asks you to Can be positive or negative Personal - derived from one's personal characteristics, relationship with others, and behavior towards others EXPERTt: Do it because I know a lot about this subject REFERENTt: Do it because you like me
Distinguish between positive and negative emotions, and explain how they can be judged.
Positive emotions—happiness/joy, pride, love/affection, and relief—are personal reactions to circumstances congruent with one's goals. Negative emotions—anger, fright/anxiety, guilt/shame, sadness, envy/jealousy, and disgust—are personal reactions to circumstances incongruent with one's goals. Both types of emotions need to be judged in terms of intensity and the appropriateness of the person's relevant goal.
Assimilating learning Style
Prefer theoretical models and inductive reasoning (drawing generalizations from specifics) Enjoy the search to new knowledge Prefer a disciplined rather than random search for the "right" answer
Accommodating learning Style
Prefer to have a plan and systematically experiment Good at interpreting immediate circumstances Good interpersonal skills and adept at influencing others
Cognitive Appraisal of Stressors
Primary Appraisal determining whether a stressor is irrelevant, positive, or stressful Secondary Appraisal assessing what might and can be done to reduce stress
To ensure long-term sustainability through effective business processes, organizations need
Process Enablers Enterprise Capabilities Companies can use their evaluations of the enablers and capabilities, in tandem, to plan and assess the progress of process-based transformations."
Explain how psychological capital, deliberate practice, luck, and humility can pave your road to success.
Psychological capital (PsyCap) can be built through self-efficacy, optimism (positive attributions), hope (goal setting), and resiliency. Deliberate practice involves following the 10,000-hour rule with a demanding, repetitive, and assisted program of improvement. Lucky people stay involved to maximize their chance opportunities, follow their lucky hunches, expect to be lucky no matter the circumstances, and turn bad luck into good fortune. Humble people factor the contributions of others and good fortune into their perceived success.
What are soft influence tactics (summarize lessons from research)
RATIONAL PERSUASION: Using logical arguments and facts to persuade another that a desired result will occur. INSPIRATIONAL APPEAL: Arousing enthusiasm by appealing to one's values and beliefs CONSULTATION: Asking for participation in decision making or planning a change INGRATIATION: Getting someone to do what you want by putting that person in a good mood or getting him or her to like you. PERSONAL APPEAL: Appealing to feelings of loyalty and friendship before making a request
Which source of power would be most applicable when influencing the following targets? Your subordinate
REWARD, COERCIVE, LEGITIMATE (POSITION POWER) EXPERT AND REFERENT (PERSONAL POWER)
Define self-efficacy, and explain its sources.
Self-efficacy involves one's belief about his or her ability to accomplish specific tasks. Those extremely low in self-efficacy suffer from learned helplessness. Four sources of self-efficacy beliefs are prior experience, behavior models, persuasion from others, and assessment of one's physical and emotional states. High self-efficacy beliefs foster constructive and goal-oriented action, whereas low self-efficacy fosters passive, failure-prone activities and emotions.
Define self-esteem, and explain how it can be improved with Branden's six pillars of self-esteem.
Self-esteem is how people perceive themselves as physical, social, and spiritual beings. Branden's six pillars of self-esteem are live consciously be self-accepting take personal responsibility be self-assertive live purposefully have personal integrity.
Describe the positive and negative effects of diversity by using social categorization theory and information/decision-making theory.
Social categorization theory implies that similarity leads to liking and attraction, thereby fostering a host of positive outcomes. This theory supports the idea that homogeneity is better than heterogeneity because diversity causes negative interpersonal processes and group dynamics. The information/decision-making theory is based on the notion that diverse groups should outperform homogenous groups because diversity is positively associated with task-relevant processes and decision making.
Describe the proactive personality and internal locus of control.
Someone with a proactive personality shows initiative, takes action, and perseveres to bring about change. People with an internal locus of control, such as entrepreneurs, believe they are masters of their own fate.
Organizational Structure Terms
Span of control The number of people reporting directly to a given manager Staff Personnel - denoted by dotted lines Provide research, advice, and recommendations to line managers Line managers - denoted by solid lines Have authority to make organizational decisions
Identify and describe the Big Five personality dimensions, and specify which one is correlated most strongly with job performance.
The Big Five personality dimensions are extraversion (social and talkative) agreeableness (trusting and cooperative) conscientiousness (responsible and persistent) emotional stability (relaxed and unworried) openness to experience (intellectual and curious). Conscientiousness is the best predictor of job performance.
Five assumptions of Lewin's Change Model are as follows:
The change process involves learning something new, as well as discontinuing current attitudes, behaviors, and organizational practices. Change will not occur unless there is motivation to change. People are the hub of all organizational changes. Resistance to change is found even when the goals are highly desirable. Effective change requires reinforcing new behaviors, attitudes, and organizational practices.
Coping Strategies
The control coping strategy directly confronts or solves problems. The escape strategy avoids or ignores stressors and problems. And symptom management focuses on reducing the symptoms of stress.
Identify alternative strategies for overcoming resistance to change.
The first step is to use the dynamic model of resistance to diagnose the causes of employee resistance. The second is to consider characteristics in the work environment that may represent obstacles to change. These obstacles then need to be eliminated. Finally, managers can adopt one or more of the generic strategies for overcoming resistance to change. education + communication participation + involvement facilitation + support negotiation + agreement manipulation + co-optation explicit + implicit coercion.
Describe Lewin's systems model of change.
The four main components of the systems model of change are INPUTS, STRATEGIC PLAN, TARGET ELEMENTS OF CHANGE, and OUTPUTS In addition to providing a framework for diagnosing what to change and how to evaluate the success of a change effort, the systems model of change is based on the notion that all change—no matter how large or small—has a ripple effect throughout the entire organizational system.
Explain the dynamic model of resistance to change.
The model contradicts the traditional assumption that resistance to change is caused by irrational and self-serving recipients. Rather, resistance is viewed as being caused by the dynamic interactions among three key sources of resistance. They are recipient characteristics, change agent characteristics, and the quality of the change agent-recipient relationships. Managers need to consider all three sources of resistance when trying to manage resistance to change.
Identify the three components of attitudes and discuss cognitive dissonance.
The three components of attitudes are affective cognitive behavioral. The affective component represents the feelings or emotions one has about a given object or situation. The cognitive component reflects the beliefs or ideas one has about an object or situation. The behavioral component refers to how one intends or expects to act toward someone or something. Cognitive dissonance represents the psychological discomfort an individual experiences when his or her attitudes or beliefs are incompatible with his or her behavior. There are three main methods for reducing cognitive dissonance: change an attitude or behavior belittle the importance of the inconsistent behavior find consonant elements that outweigh dissonant ones.
Identify the barriers and challenges to managing diversity.
There are 10 barriers to successfully implementing diversity initiatives: (a) inaccurate stereotypes and prejudice (b) ethnocentrism (c) poor career planning (d) an unsupportive and hostile working environment for diverse employees (e) lack of political savvy on the part of diverse employees, (f) difficulty in balancing career and family issues (g) fears of reverse discrimination (h) diversity is not seen as an organizational priority (i) the need to revamp the organization's performance appraisal and reward system (j) resistance to change.
Discuss the organizational practices used to effectively manage diversity as identified by R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr.
There are many different practices organizations can use to manage diversity. R Roosevelt Thomas Jr identified eight basic responses for handling any diversity issue: include/exclude, deny, assimilate, suppress, isolate, tolerate, build relationships, and foster mutual adaptation. Exclusion, denial, assimilation, suppression, isolation, and toleration are among the least preferred options. Inclusion, building relationships, and mutual adaptation are the preferred strategies.
Highlight the managerial implications of increasing diversity in the workforce.
There are seven broad managerial implications: (a) To attract the best workers, companies need to adopt policies and programs that meet the needs of all employees; (b) managers should consider progressive methods to recruit, retain, and integrate Hispanic workers into their organizations; (c) mentoring programs are needed to help minorities advance within the organizational hierarchy; (d) there will be a shortage of qualified people in technical fields; (e) on-the-job remedial skills and literacy training will be needed to help the growing number of dropouts and illiterates cope with job demands; (f) organizations will need to provide tangible support education if the United States is to remain globally competitive; and (g) there are three broad recommendations for managing an aging workforce.
Discuss the key recipient and change agent characteristics that cause resistance to change.
There are six key recipient characteristics (1) an individual's predispostion toward change (2) surprise and fear of the unknown (3) fear of failure (4) loss of status and/or job security, (5) peer pressure (6) past success. The five key change agent characteristics include the following: (1) decisions that disrupt cultural traditions or group relationships, (2) personality conflicts (3) lack of tact or poor timing (4) leader ship style 5) failing to legitimize change.
Review the myths about innovation
There are two key myths about innovation. The first is the myth that innovation involves an epiphany or eureka moment. The second is that innovation can be systematized.
The Paradox of Self-Reliance in the Age of Empowerment
They must rely on themselves They muse be able to figure things out with minimal supervision Develop collaborations and coalitions to move their projects along Work comfortable amidst ambiguity and insecurity that surround those projects They must develop their capacities to work in conditions that require self-reliance There is however a paradox at the heart of self-reliance People are only capable of being fully self-reliant when they feel securely attached to trusted others When people are distracted by anxiety—from fear of failure, the lack of certainty, the difficulty of tasks—it is difficult for them to forge ahead and explore new territories The paradox managers face: how to support others who must rely mostly on themselves, without retreating to the traditionally controlling managerial stance.
Impression Management Tips
Tone down the star quality - while you may have lots of good ideas, hold off on them until you've gained some credibility with your coworkers by doing your assigned job well Don't be Mr. Personality - be pleasant and polite but tone down your gregariousness until you are more comfortable with your coworkers (and they are more comfortable with you) Get the inside scoop - don't be too blunt in asking how things really get done, start by finding the someone who seems well-connected and ask about work-related preferences, not personalities Give 'em something to talk about - get on the good side of influential people and this may lead to many more people warming to your presence. Get others to "toot your horn".
Discuss French and Raven's responsible use of power.
Upward influence - typically rational persuasion is most common - coalitions are also used Lateral tactics - personal appeal, reciprocity, ingratiation, exchange, and legitimization are also used. Downward - Expert and referent When the leader stands to benefit they may use a personal appeal or ingratiation approach. When it is a peer and/or the objective is clearly in alignment with organizational objectives the rational approach would work best. Responsible and ethical managers strive to use socialized power (primary concern is for others) rather than personalized power (primary concern for self). Research found higher organizational commitment among employees with bosses who used uplifting power than among those with power-hungry bosses who relied on dominating power.
Review the demographic trends pertaining to racial groups, educational mismatches, and an aging workforce.
With respect to racial groups, Asians and Hispanics are expected to have the largest growth in the population between 2000 and 2050, and minority groups will constitute 49.9% of the population in 2050. Minority groups also are experiencing a glass ceiling. There is a mismatch between workers' educational attainment and occupational requirements. The workforce is aging.
Being Politically Proactive
You want others to see your idea as you see it. To do so you need to put yourself in their shoes to understand how your idea will be perceived by them and then tailor your approach accordingly. Political competence is methodical. You have to thoroughly prepare and analyze the organizational landscape to know what direction to go in. Determine potential allies and resisters to more effectively build a coalition. Words and approach matter. Use language they will understand - don't talk over them or belittle their understanding of the issue. Know your audience and what words and language will resonate with them. The small stuff makes a big difference. Even if people disagree with your strategic goals, you may be able to find common ground in more tactical decisions. Agreeing on these issues may build trust that can help them embrace your longer-term ideas in the future.
Intelligence is the
capacity for constructive thinking, reasoning, and problem solving.
What are organization politics and explain what triggers it.
intentional enhancement of self-interest but the self-interest should be aligned with the org's interests Politics isn't about winning at all costs. It's about maintaining relationships and getting results at the same time." TRIGGERS Unclear objectives Vague performance measures Ill-defined decision processes Strong individual or group competition Any type of change Organizational politics is defined as intentional acts of influence to enhance or protect the self-interests of individuals or groups. Uncertainty triggers most politicking in organizations. Political action occurs at individual, coalition, and network levels. Coalitions are informal, temporary, and single-issue alliances.
Explain the concept of Mutuality of Interest
is balancing individual and organizational interests through win-win cooperation
Define the term stress, and describe the model of occupational stress.
is defined as a behavioral, physical, or psychological response to stressors; and stressors are environmental factors that produce stress. According to the occupational model of stress, the stress process begins when an individual cognitively appraises stressors. This appraisal then motivates an individual to choose a coping strategy aimed at reducing stressors, which, in turn, results in a variety of stress outcomes.
Explain what is meant by continuous improvement and how it contributes to incremental innovation
is the process of relentlessly trying to find ways to improve and enhance a company's products and processes from design through assembly, sales, and service
Personal initiative
occurs when individuals go beyond formal job requirements and become active self-starters. Personal initiative is important in establishing trust with a manager and ensuring that he or she will think of you for developmental assignments to be delegated.
Successful performance depends on the right combination
of effort, ability, and skill.
Participative management can
promote perceptions of procedural justice, organizational commitment, and job involvement.
What is empowerment and the degrees
sharing varying degrees of power with lower-level employees to tap their full potential Empowerment is not an either-or, all-or-nothing proposition. It can range from merely consulting with employees, to having them actively participate in making decisions, to granting them decision-making authority through delegation. DOMINATION CONSULTATION PARTICIPATION DLEGATION
personnel selection researchers have found
verbal ability, numerical ability, spatial ability, and inductive reasoning to be valid predictors of job performance for both minority and majority applicants.
