Chapter 1 Flashcards
organizational behavior (OB)
the study of what people think,
feel, and do in and around
organizations
organizations
groups of people who work
interdependently toward some
purpose
What makes people feel more satisfied with their purchase?
scientific research shows people are more satisfied when there are low number of alternatives.
Work-life integration
Degree that people are effectively engaged in their various work and nonwork roles and have a low degree of role conflict across those life domains
Diversity and the inclusive workplace:
- Surface-level: The observable differences in people- ethnicity, gender, and age.
- Deep-level: Differences in beliefs values and psychological differences.
Organizational effectiveness:
Is it fulfilling the goals set by organizations?
No, because:
- Goal level may be set too low
- Measurement difficulties (public organisations)
- Goals (must) change
What is organizational effectiveness
- Good fit with external environment (open systems view)
- Effective transformation of inputs to output through human capital.
- Satisfy needs of key stakeholders.
Open systems say there should be a..
External fit: With external environment
Internal fit: Efficient transformation of inputs to outputs.
Inputs like - Raw materials, human resources, information, financial resources, equipment, laws, norms which are transformed to outputs-products, services, shareholder dividend, community support, waste, pollution.
human capital
the knowledge, skills, abilities,
creative thinking, and other
valued resources that
employees bring to the
organization
Stakeholders
Include customers, suppliers, the
local community and national society, interest groups, stockholders, governments, and
many other entities that affect, or are affected by, the company’s objectives and actions
Effectiveness depends on
acquiring (recognizing) knowledge, sharing knowledge,
using knowledge,
storing knowledge,
if needed, Unlearning knowledge.
MARS-model
Motivation- what people want,
Ability- what people can do
Role Perceptions- what people know,
Situation- work environment which all together give us behavior and results- the outcome variable
task performance
the individual’s voluntary goal directed behaviors that
contribute to organizational
objectives; includes proficient,
adaptive, and proactive task
performance
proficient task performance
how well employees perform
the work efficiently and
accurately
What happens if one of the 4 elements of the MARS model is low?
the employee is less likely to engage in the behavior or will perform it poorly.
The employee Motivation (MARS) has 3 elements
Direction - the path along which people steer their effort.
Intensity- the ammount of effort allocated with the goal
Persistence- the length of time that the individual continues to exert effort toward an objective
Ability (MARS) consists of 3 things
Aptitudes - natural talents
Learned capabilities - physical and mental skills and knowledge you have aquired
Habits - tendencies to engage in specific behaviors in response to contextual cues and enacted with little conscious awareness or reflection
role perceptions (MARS)
How clearly people understand what is expected
of them in their organizational roles.
- Understands the specific duties or consequences for which the employee is account- able. In reality, employees are sometimes evaluated on performance that was never mentioned as part of their job duties. This role ambiguity may be increasing as firms move away from precisely defined job descriptions to broader work responsibilities.
- Understands company expectations of task scheduling priority and performance criterion
priority. - Understands the preferred behaviors or procedures for accomplishing tasks. Role ambiguity
exists when an employee is skilled at performing a task in multiple ways, but is unsure which way the company prefers.
These perceptions range from role clarity to role ambiguity.
Challenges because of technological change
- tethering people to their jobs for longer hours
- reducing their attention spans at work
- increasing techno-stress
Benefits of globalization
- lower costs
- greater access to knowledge and innovations
When does work-life balance occur?
When people manage to minimize conflict between their work and nonwork demands
Telecommuting
An arrangement whereby, supported by information technology, employees work from home one or more workdays per month rather than commute to the office
Advantage of telecommuting (4)
- Telecommuters usually experience better work-life balance because they have more time and somewhat more control to juggle work with family obligations
- attractive for younger job applicants, and turnover is usually lower among telecommuting employees
- higher productivity
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions and office expenses
Disadvantage of telecommuting
- More social isolation, including weaker relationship with coworkers
- receive lss word-of-mouth information which may have implications for promotional opportunities and workplace relations
- lower team cohesion and a weaker organizational structure
Jobs are better suited to telecommuting when the tasks do not require
- resources at the workplace
- the work is performed independently from coworkers
- task performance is measurable
surface-level diversity
the observable demographic or physiological differences in people
Deeper-level diversity
Differences in the psychological characteristics of employees, including personalities, beliefs, values and attitudes
The systematic research anchor
OB knowledge should be based on systematic research, which typically involves forming research questions, systematically collecting data, and testing hypotheses against those data
Evidence based management
The practice of making decisions and taking action based on research evidence
The multidisciplinary anchor
The field should welcome theories and knowledge from other disciplines, not just from its own isolated research base
The contigency anchor
The effect of one variable on another variable often depends onthe characteristics of the situation of people involved. A single solution or outcome rarely exists. A particular action may have different consequences under different conditions
The multiple level of analysis anchor
What goes on in organizations can be placed into three levels of analysis
- individual
- team
- organization
intellectual capital
a company’s stock of knowledge
Human capital
stock of knowledge, skills and abilities among employees that provide economic value to the organization
Structural capital
Knowledge embedded in an organizations’s system and structures
Relationship capital
The value derived from an organization’s relationships with costumers suppliers and others
corporate social responsibility
(CSR)
organizational activities
intended to benefit society and
the environment beyond the
firm’s immediate financial
interests or legal obligations
Practical orientation
anchor
Ensure that OB theories are useful in organizations
The literature has identified a few
types of tactics to manage role boundaries, some of which are often applied in combination
Scheduling time blocks
Creating physical role spaces
Applying technological boundaries
Communicating role boundary expectations
SITUATIONAL FACTORS (MARS)
The situation has two main influences on
individual behavior and performance.
One influence is that the work context constrains
or facilitates behavior and performance. Employees who are motivated and skilled and
know their role obligations will nevertheless perform poorly if they lack time, budget,
physical work facilities, and other resources.
The second influence is that the work environment provides cues to guide and motivate people. For example, companies install barriers and warning signs in dangerous areas. These workplace features are situational factors that warn employees to avoid the nearby hazards
counterproductive work
behaviors (CWBs)
voluntary behaviors that have
the potential to directly or
indirectly harm the
organization
Evidence-based management
The practice of making
decisions and taking actions
based on research evidence
Why do organizational leaders and others overlook evidence-based knowledge?
- Organizational decision makers are bombarded with ideas from consultant reports, guru websites, and other sources that are popular, visually appealing, and accessible. In contrast, most OB research is found in relatively obscure journal
articles that have restricted access and, consequently, low readership. - Management fads often gain public attention because their sources are rewarded for being persuasive, not for having a strong evidence-based foundation. In contrast, OB researchers are usually rewarded for carefully testing the validity of their theories,
not for convincing the public that their research findings are important. - Organizational decision makers sometimes ignore or dismiss evidence-based knowledge that contradicts their preconceived beliefs. This problem is caused
by various perceptual errors and decision-making biases that we discuss in this
book. - Good OB research is necessarily generic rather than relevant to a specific situation or industry. Leaders therefore have the difficult task of figuring out which
theories are relevant to their unique situation. - Leaders often exhibit herd mentality when choosing new organizational practices.
They tend to embrace ideas that their peers at other companies are using even when those trendy practices lack evidence of their validity or relevance. Following the herd gives decision-makers more confidence in the fad and that their reputation is protected if the intervention falls short of expectations.
adaptive task performance
how well employees modify
their thoughts and behavior to
align with and support a new
or changing work process or
work setting
In the mars model …. influences ability, role perceptions and particularly motivation.
personality
Dark Triad and Workplace Behavior
Organizational politics- Using influence tactics for personal gain at the expense of others and the interests of the entire organization.
Serious white-collar crime activity.
Workplace aggression or bullying may be predicted by psychopathy.
Poor decision making may be predicted by psychopathy.
Ineffective team behaviors- Complex effect.
