Chapter 1 - Making OB Work For Me

3 - Step Journey

1.) Define the problem 2.) Identify Potential Causes Using OB concepts and Theories 3.) Make Recommendations and take action

Contingency Approach

Using OB concepts and tools as situationally appropriate, instead of trying to rely on "one best way"

Portable Skills

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

Person factors

represent the infinite number of characteristics that give individuals their unique identities

Interactional perspective

states that behavior is a function of interdependent person and environmental factors

Hard Skills

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

Human Capital

the productive potential of an individual's knowledge, skill, and experiences

Social Capital

the productive potential resulting from relationships, goodwill, trust, and cooperative effort

Soft Skills

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

Organizational Behavior

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

Ethical Dilemmas

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

Environmental characteristics

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

Integrative Framework

Inputs, Processes, Outcomes

Ethics

concerned with behavior - right verses wrong, good versus bad, and the many shades of gray in between

Problem

a difference or gap between an actual and a desired situation

Problem Solving

a systematic process of closing gaps