ch 1: introduction to the field of organization behavior Flashcards
organizational behavior
the study of what people think, feel and do in and around organizations
what does organizational behavior look at
employee behaviours, decisions, perceptions and emotional responses
o How individuals and teams in organizations relate to one another and to their counterparts in other organizations
o How organizations interact with their external environments
levels of analysis
the individual, team, organization
organizations
groups of people who work interdependently toward some purpose
first organizations
o Have existed for as long as people have worked together – 3500BC
- More than 1000 years ago Chinese factories were producing 125 000 tons of iron each year
characteristics of an organization
o Interdependence + organised relationship – structured communication, task coordination, collaboration
o Collective purpose
when has Harvard changed the name of its MBA human relations course to organizational behavior
1940s
organizational effectiveness
an ideal state in which an organization has a good fit with its external environment, effectively transforms inputs to outputs through human capital, and satisfies the need of key stakeholders
what is organizational effectiveness not
just fulfilling the goals set by organizations – goal level may be set too low, measurement difficulties (public organisations), goals (must) change
open systems
the view that organizations depend on the external environment for resources, affect their environment through their output and consist of internal subsystems that transform inputs to outputs
input and output open systems
o Input – raw materials, HR, information, financial resources, equipment
o Output – products, services, shareholder dividents, community support, waste, pollution
closed systems
operate without dependence on or interaction with an external environment
fit
input, processes and output align with resources, needs and expectations of external environment
human capital
the knowledge, skills, abilities, creative thinking and other valued resources that employees bring to the organization
how can improving human capital enhance organization’s effectiveness
o Developing employee skills and knowledge directly improve individual behaviour and performance
o Companies with superior human capital tend to adapt better to rapidly changing environments – employees can perform diverse tasks
o Developing human capital means the company is investing in the workforce – increases motivatoin
what does effectiveness of the human capital depend on
acquiring (recognising) knowledge, sharing knowledge, using knowledge, storing knowledge, unlearning knowledge
stakeholders
individuals, groups, and other entities that affect, or are affected by, the organization’s objectives and actions
factors that influence the prioritization of stakeholders
stakeholder power, how executives perceive the organization’s environment, the organization’s culture, and the personal values of the corporate board and executive team
values
relatively stable, evaluative beliefs that guide a person’s preferences for outcomes or courses of action in a variety of situations
corporate social responsibility (CSR)
organizational activities intended to benefit society and the environment beyond the firm’s immediate financial interests or legal obligations
triple-bottom line philosophy
companies have a contact with society beyond stockholders and consumers
companies with positive CSR
better financial performance, more loyal employees, better relations with customers, job applicants and other stakeholders
anchors of organizational behavior
systematic research anchor, practical orientation anchor, multidisciplinary anchor, contingency anchor, multiple levels of analysis anchor
systematic research anchor
study organizations using systematic research methods
- Evidence-based management – the practice of making decisions and taking actions based on research evidence
- Corporate decision makers overlook evidence-based knowledge – difficult task of figuring out which theories are relevant to their unique situation, good OB research is necessarily generic (rarely described in the context of a specific problem in a specific organization), popular management fads easily gain popularity
o Most management ideas are adaptations, evolutionary and never proven + companies should embrace collective expertise + stories provide useful illustrations and preliminary evidence but
practical orientation anchor
ensure that OB theories are useful in organizations
- Most OB theories need to be useful in practice – debates because the high degree of methodological rigor demanded might conflict with this
- Impact – how well a theory finds its way into organizational life and becomes a valuable asset for improving the organization’s effectiveness
multidisciplinary anchor
import knowledge from other disciplines, not just create its own knowledge
contingency anchor
recognize that the effectiveness of an action may depend on the situation
- People and their work environments are complex – the effect of a variable depends on the characteristics of the situation or people involved
- Single outcome or solution rarely exists – particular actions may have different consequences under different conditions
multiple levels of analysis anchor
understand OB events from three levels of analysis: individual, team, organization
inclusive workplace + levels
a workplace that values people of all identities and allows them to be fully themselves while contributing to the organization
o Individual level – enables people to feel psychologically safe, engaged, valued, authentic, listened to, and respected
o Collective level – gives diverse groups voice through formal structures (diversity councils) and everyday processes (representation in teams and casual gatherings)
two types of diversity
o Surface-level diversity – the observable demographic or psychological difference in people such as race, ethnicity, gender, age and physical disabilities
o Deep-level diversity – differences in the psychological characteristics of employees (personalities, beliefs, values, attitudes)
when’s deep-level diversity revealed
when employees have conflicting perceptions and attitudes about the same situation and when they form like-minded informal social groups
does generational deep-level diversity exist
to some extent – also some differences are due to age and not cohort (similar attitudes at the same age)
how does diversity improve performance in the work place
o High informational diversity – tend to be more creative and make better decisions in complex situations
o Better decisions, employee attitudes, team performance
o These outcomes do depend on leadership, team structure, psychological safety perceptions, employee’s personal values
challenge of diversity
take longer to perform effectively together (communication problems and fault lines in informal group dynamics)
o Ex: teams in Formula 1 performed better as their diversity increased up to a point, but after they couldn’t coordinate as well
work life integration
the degree that people are effectively engaged in their various work and nonwork roles and have a low degree of role conflict across these domains
how do companies work-life integration
bringing kids or dogs to work
o Others: flexible working scheduling
o Ensuring that your various work and nonwork roles are aligned with personal characteristics
what % of workers in the US work at home at least some of the time
43%
advantages of remote work
better work-life integration (doesn’t improve when remote workers lack sufficient workspace and privacy at home), higher productivity (less stress, transferring some former commute time), reducing greenhouse gas emissions
disadvantages of remote work
higher levels of social isolation, weaker relationships with co-workers, less word-of-mouth information (promotions), lower team cohesion, weaker organizational culture
what does success of working remotely depend on
o Employees who work effectively from home – higher self-motivation, self-organization, need for autonomy, information technology skills + fulfil their social needs more from sources outside the workplace
o Jobs better suited to remote work – tasks don’t require resources at the workplace, the work is preformed independently from co-workers, task performance
o Effective companies also help remote workers maintain sufficient cohesion with their team and psychological connectedness with the organization – limiting the number of days they work from home, having special meetings or events where all of them assemble at the workplace, regularly using video communication and other technology that improves relatedness
indirect work
people hold positions in an agency and are temporarily assigned or indefinitely leased to client firms
contract work
the worker represents one organization that directly or indirectly provides services to a client organization
job satisfaction across different types of jobs
o Contract workers have the same job satisfaction as direct employers, agency workers have lower job satisfaction
models before MARS
o Performance = person X situation
o Performance = ability X motivation – skill-and-will model
o The ability-motivation-opportunity (AMO)
what’s the MARS model
a model depicting the four variables: motivation, ability, role perceptions and situational factors that directly influence an individual’s voluntary behaviour and performance
o Direct predictors of employee performance, customer service, co-worker collegiality, ethical behaviour
motivation in mars
the forces within a person that affect their direction, intensity, and persistence of voluntary behaviour
o Direction – the path along which people steer their effort – What is my goal?
o Intensity – the amount of effort allocated to the goal
o Persistence – the length of time that the individual continues to exert effort toward an objective
ability in mars
the natural aptitudes and learned capabilities required to successfully complete a task
o Aptitudes – the natural talents that help employees learn specific tasks more quickly and perform them better – higher finger dexterity, IQ
o Learned capabilities – the physical and mental skills they have acquired
o Competencies – broad, characteristics of a person that result in superior performance
what can organizations do based on ability
o Select those who already demonstrate the required competencies
o Match with job demands – redesign the job so that employees are given tasks only within their current abilities
o Train if possible
predictive values for job performance
o Yes: general mental ability/IQ tests – conscientiousness, interview (structured), integrity tests
o No: unstructured interview, reference checks, job experience in years, years of education, interests, age
o IQ matters even for unskilled work, but especially important when requires cognitive abilities
role perception in mars
the degree to which a person understands the job duties assigned to or expected of them (no ambiguity)
o Understand the specific duties or consequences for which they’re accountable
o Understand the priority of their various tasks and performance expectations – quality vs quantity
o Understanding the preferred behaviours or procedures for accomplishing tasks
o Employees with role clarity perform work more accurately and efficiently
situational factors in mars
o The work context constrains or facilities behaviour and performance
o Provide information that directs and motivates people
categories of individual behavior
task performance, organizational citizenship, counterproductive work behaviours, joining and staying with the organization, maintaining work attendance
task performance
the individual’s voluntary goal-directed behaviours that contribute to organizational objectives
o Proficient task performance – performing the work efficiently and accurately (accomplishing the assigned work at or above the expected standard)
o Adaptive task performance – how well employees modify their thoughts and behaviour to align with and support a new or changing environment
o Productive task performance – how well employees take the initiative to anticipate and introduce new work patterns that benefit the organization – can bring about change in oneself, coworkers and the workplace to achieve a better future
organizational citizenship behaviors
various forms of cooperation and helpfulness to others that support the organization’s social and psychological context
o Can be directed towards individuals (assisting others with their work, sharing work resources), cooperation toward the organization (supporting the company’s public image)
o OCBs also increase team performance where members depend on one another
o Negative consequences – taking away from performing tasks
counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs)
voluntary behaviours that have the potential to directly or indirectly harm the organization
o Harassing coworkers, creating unnecessary conflict, deviating from preferred work methods, being untruthful, stealing, sabotaging work, wasting resources
