1a,b - What is OB; Research Methods

Question 1

organizational behavior

Answer 1

field of study dedicated to understanding and improving human behavior in organizations

Question 2

resource value

Answer 2

a product/service should be..
1. rare
2. inimitable
- history/culture
- numerous small decisions
- socially complex resources

Question 3

rule of 1/8

Answer 3

1/2 of companies believe there is a connection b/w OB practice and profit..

1/2 of companies of that half implement a comprehensive approach..

and 1/2 of that half persist long enough to see profit

= 1/8 of companies successfully use OB practices

Question 4

methods of knowing (4), how do we know things?

Answer 4

experience
intuition (seems obvious)
authority (respected source)
science (studies replicate it)

Question 5

scientific method

Answer 5

theory ->
hypothesis ->
data ->
verification ->

Question 6

phase I: develop a theory

Answer 6

theory- collection of assertions that specify how/why/when variables are related

we build theories through introspection/observation/in-depth interviews

Question 7

phase II: create hypothesis

Answer 7

take a theory and express it in specific predictions that can be tested w/ data

Question 8

phase III: collect data

Answer 8

takes hypotheses and finds ways of measuring the variables in them

Question 9

reliability

Answer 9

degree to which measure is free from random error

Question 10

sources of random error (4)

Answer 10

interviews- unusual circumstances
tests- poorly worded questions
surveys- judgement, mood
references- mood of reference-giver

Question 11

reliability is increased by (3)

Answer 11

repetition in items- asking same type of questions multiple times and correlate answers

repetition in times- giving the same test multiple times and correlate scores/answers

repetition in raters- interview applicants w/ multiple interviewers and correlate scores

Question 12

validity

Answer 12

extent to which a measure assesses what it is meant to assess

Question 13

measures assessing validity:
content validity

Answer 13

not statistically derived
relies on expert judgement

Question 14

measures in assessing validity:
predictive validity

Answer 14

send the survey to participants ->
correlate it with performance several months later

Question 15

hypothesis testing

Answer 15

once variables are measured in reliable and valid manner, tested using statistics like correlation

Question 16

correlation

Answer 16

“r,” an index of the relationship b/w 2 variables

1 = perfect correlation
0 = no correlation
-1 = perfect negative correlation

Question 17

r is positive when….
r is negative when….

Answer 17

values increase together
one value increases as the other decreases

Question 18

r = .5
r = .3
5 = .1

Answer 18

strong
moderate
weak

Question 19

sampling error

Answer 19

sample may differ from larger population; may reduce our confidence that our correlation is truly accurate

as sample size increases, sampling error decreases

Question 20

correlation does not prove causation; causality requires… (3)

Answer 20

correlation
temporal precedence (# of firefighters and size of fire)
elimination of alternative explanations