Chapter 1

Question 1

Organizational behavior

Answer 1

a field of study devoted to understanding, explaining and ultimately improving the attitudes and behaviors of individuals and groups in organizations

Question 2

Human resource management

Answer 2

takes the theories and principles studied in OB and explores the “nuts-and-bolts” applications of those principles in organizations.

Question 3

Strategic management

Answer 3

focus on the product choices and industry characteristics that affect an organization’s profitability.

Question 4

Resource-based view

Answer 4

describes what makes resources valuable (what makes them capable of creating long-term, profits for the firm)

resources - financial and physical resources plus knowledge, ability, and wisdom of the workforces and image, culture, and goodwill of the org.

Question 5

Inimitable

Answer 5

resource is more valuable when it is inimitable, meaning that it cannot be imitated.

Question 6

History

Answer 6

People create a history - a collective pool of experience, wisdom, and knowledge that benefits the organization.

Question 7

Numerous small decisions

Answer 7

people make many small decisions day in and day out, week in and week out

Question 8

Socially complex resources

Answer 8

people create socially complex resources like culture, teamwork, trust, and reputation. Called this because is’s not always clear how they came to develop, though it is clear which orgs do and do not possess them.

Question 9

Rule of one-eighth

Answer 9

one must bear in mind that 1/2 of orgs won’t believe the connection between how they manage their people and the profits they earn. 1/2 of those who do see the connection will do what many orgs have done - try to make a single change to solve their problems, not realizing that the effective mgmt of people requires a more comprehensive and systematic approach. Of the firms that make comprehensive changes, probably only about 1/2 will persist with their practices long enough to actually derive economic benefits. Since 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 = 1/8, at best 12% of orgs will actually do what is required to build profits by putting people first. Qaa

Question 10

Method of experience

Answer 10

People hold firmly to some belief because it is consistent with their own experience and observations.

Question 11

Method of intuition

Answer 11

People hold firmly to some belief because it “just stands to reason” - it seems obvious or self-evident

Question 12

Method of authority

Answer 12

People hold firmly to some belief because some respected official, agency, or source has said it is so.

Question 13

Method of science

Answer 13

people accept some belief because scientific studies have tended to replicate that result using a series of samples, settings, and methods.

Question 14

Theory

Answer 14

a collection of assertions - both verbal and symbolic - that specifify how and why variables are related, as well as the conditions in which they should and should not be related.

Question 15

Hypothesis

Answer 15

written predictions that specify relationships between variables

Question 16

Correlation

Answer 16

abbreviated (r), describes the statistical relationship between two variables. Can be positive or negative and range from 0 (not statistical relationship) to 1 (perfect statistical relationship)

Question 17

Causal inference

Answer 17

establishing that one variable really does cause another. Requires establishing 3 things:
1) that the 2 variables are correlated
2) that the presumed cause precedes the presumed effect in time
3 that no alternative explanation exists for the correlation

Question 18

Meta-analysis

Answer 18

takes all of the correlations found in studies of a particular relationship and calculates a weighted average

Question 19

Evidence-based management

Answer 19

a perspective that argues that scientific findings should form the foundation for management education, much as they do for medical education.