Dark side of OB HRM

Question 1

Explain counterproductive work behaviors and name synonyms

Answer 1

• counterproductive work behaviors are voluntary behaviors of organizational members that violate significant organizational norms, and in so doing, threaten the wellbeing of the organization and/or its members

synonyms:

• Workplace Deviance
• Workplace Aggression
• Anti-Social Behavior

Question 2

Name eight different forms (four interpersonal, four organizational) of counterproductive work behaviors

Answer 2

interpersonal:

• threats
• gossip
• sexual harassment
• favourism/ exlusion

organizational:

• gambling
• risk-taking
• cyberloafing
• political games

Question 3

Name consequences of sexual harassment at work

Answer 3

• emotional and psychological harm (e.g., fear, depression, and anxiety)
• jeopardized job performance and career trajectories (berufliche Laufbahnen)
• non-recognition, backlash or retaliation if victims speak up
• damage to th eorganization: hostility and anxiety among employees, withdrawal, reduced performance, high costs, law suits and reputation

Question 4

Name reasons for why we perform counterproductive work behaviors

Answer 4

• experiences at work: if work-related attitudes, values, beliefs are violated
• reflection of personality: doing evil things because you’re evil e.g. dark triad traits, dark side of charisma
• adaptation to socio-hierarchical or institutional context: context, societal inequalities

Question 5

Explain groupthink

Answer 5

• groupthink is a mode of thinking in which team members’ striving for unanimity overrides their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action (Janis, 1972)
• it is:
• • mostly about the pressure for conformity to norms
• • more likely to occur in groups with strong identity
• • more likely to occur when perceiving an outside threat
• famous examples: Challenger disaster, Pearl Harbor bombing, Bay of Pigs invasion (cf. Volkswagen scandal…)

Question 6

To what is groupthink closely related to?

Answer 6

• closely related to groupshift:
• • collective positions tend to be more extreme than individual positions
• • demonstrating uniqueness as opposed to outgroup
• • diffusion of responsibilities

Question 7

Name the eight components of groupthink

Answer 7

• invulnerability
• rationalization
• inherent morality
• stereotypes
• pressure
• self-censorship
• illusion of concensus
• mindguarding

Question 8

Explain group conformity

Answer 8

• our instincts dictate that being in peace with the group is more important than reporting accurate information
• effects are stronger when the majority group is larger and the context is more open -> anonymity can decrease the power of these effects
• consensus of the entire group is crucial -> when coalitions develop, it is much easier to deviate from the group

Merke:

• when we first have a partner, who then leaves… our conformity increases significantly
• this phenomenon still applies today (e.g., recent brain studies)

Question 9

Name and explain the experiments done by Milgram and Zimbardo and what they have in common

Answer 9

• Milgram (1963): Completely normal people give lethal shocks to an innocent person……!
• Zimbardo (1971): Escalation of prison experiment with de-individuation & de-humanization of ‘prisoners’
• > both became famous scientists with their experiments on people’s behavior
• > both heavily violated today’s ethical research standards
• > both studies were among the first that fueled ongoing replication crisis in psychology