final exam :( Flashcards
5-Stage Model of Group Development:
Forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning
Forming: Initial stage where members come together and acquaint themselves.
Storming: Conflict arises as members express opinions and vie for control.
Norming: Group establishes norms and cohesion increases.
Performing: Group reaches peak productivity; roles are clear and tasks are accomplished efficiently.
Adjourning: Group disbands after completing its task; feelings of loss may occur.
Punctuated Equilibrium Model:
Inertia Phase: Early stage where group establishes patterns of behavior.
Midpoint Transition: Critical moment halfway through the task’s duration, prompting reevaluation.
Second Phase: Increased focus and productivity as group strives to meet goals before deadline.
How do additive tasks, disjunctive tasks, and conjunctive tasks affect group size?
Additive tasks:
Group performance improves with larger group sizes.
Example: Brainstorming benefits from more participants generating ideas.
Disjunctive tasks:
Success chances increase with larger group sizes.
Example: Coding teams benefit from more members to find and fix errors.
Conjunctive tasks:
Limit group size to enhance performance.
Example: Assembly lines or mountain climbing, where slowest member limits group progress.
Diverse group membership leads to better performance with what kinds of tasks
Diverse group membership leads to better performance with cognitive creativity-demanding tasks and problems. Despite potential delays in forming, brainstorming, and norming due to cultural and personality clashes, diverse groups excel in tasks requiring varied perspectives. Additionally, any negative effects from age or generational differences tend to dissipate as group cohesion strengthens.
Why do groups suffer “process losses” as they become larger
performance difficulties that result from the problems of motivating and coordinating larger groups (think law of diminishing returns)
What is the difference between a rule and a norm? What are four types of norms with examples
for each
Rules are more formal and enforced with clear guidelines; norms are more informal and unstated expectations that people have of each other.
DP RS
Dress norms: Learned through observation, these norms dictate appropriate attire for specific jobs or organizations, such as steel-toed shoes for construction workers or suits for bank employees.
Performance norms: These norms dictate the expected level of effort in a group. Sometimes, individuals may be discouraged from working too hard if it makes others look bad.
Reward allocation norms: These norms govern how rewards should be distributed, with equitable reward allocation based on contribution and equal reward allocation advocating for everyone to receive the same reward.
Social interaction norms: These norms govern how colleagues interact within and outside the organization, such as the unwritten rule against dating colleagues even if it’s not explicitly prohibited.
What is group cohesiveness and what factors can contribute to increasing cohesiveness?
Group cohesiveness
The degree to which a group is especially attracted to its members
SS MTT
Factors that influence/increase cohesiveness:
1. Success: if groups are successful they like each other more, reciprocal with cohesion
2.Size: large groups are harder to be cohesive
- Member diversity: diverse members take time to develop cohesiveness, but will endwith a strong group
- Threat and competition: if people all want to be the best, they will work together well
- Toughness of initiation: Higher cohesion in hard to join groups bc ppl are proud. Ex.yacht clubs
What are collective efficacy and team reflexivity?
Collective efficacy: each team member believes they can effectively perform their task,and have faith in their group members
Team reflexivity: belief in adaptability, engagement, trust building (soft skills) in the group, teams discuss and reflect on team processes and goal
What is a role? What are key issues/deficiencies and consequences pertaining to roles?
Positions in a group that have a set of expected behaviours attached to them
Issues that arise:
SAC
- Status effects: the organization’s rank or social position can affect how people treat you or behave around you.
- (role) Ambiguity: the goals of the job or methods of performing the job are unclear.
- (role) Conflict: when you’re faced with an incompatible role
What is social loafing and how can it be counteracted?
Tendency to withhold physical or intellectual effort when performing a group task.
Counteracting methods:
1. Make individual performance more visible (call people out).
2. Ensure the work is interesting.
3. Increase feelings of indispensability.
4. Provide regular performance feedback.
5. Reward group performance.
What is the free rider effect and the sucker effect
(social loafers want a free ride)
(other ppl work less due to the social loafer’s unfairness/equity)
What are the different types of teams?
PS CV
Process Improvement Teams:
Description: Teams focused on enhancing the efficiency of producing a product or service.
Example: Gain sharing is a motivation pay system used in this type of team.
Self-Managed Work Teams:
Description: Work teams with varying levels of autonomy, ranging from full control to continuous supervision.
Example: PDP (Personal Development Planning) teams exhibit moderate autonomy, where partners are chosen, and tasks are supervised by a Teaching Assistant.
Cross-Functional Teams:
Description: Teams composed of individuals with expertise in different functional areas.
Example: A team comprising members from HR, marketing, and accounting, each serving as subject matter experts.
Virtual Teams:
Description: Teams that operate without physical face-to-face contact, leveraging technology for communication and collaboration across geographical boundaries.
Example: Global teams spanning multiple locations, relying on virtual communication tools.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of group decision-making?
Advantages:
○Decision quality - higher decision quality than individuals, because they have more ideas and can evaluate them better
○Decision acceptance and commitment - fully engaged and bonded
○Diffusion of responsibility - groups can share the burden of failed decisions
Disadvantages:
○Time - takes longer to make decisions due to process losses
○Conflict - infighting over resources, SMEs debating, political wrangling over territories and jurisdictions
○Domination - group meetings dominated by a single individual or small coalition, which won’t create synergy
○Groupthink - feel pressure for conformity
What are some approaches to improving group decision-making?
How to improve decision-making:
WEDD
○Whistle-blowing - not a role but is a cultural norm, it’s encouraged to have the capacity to call out something wrong
○ Encourage outliers - Cultural norm, people who have quirks that help the company
○Devil’s advocate - a role someone is appointed/assigned to identify and challenge weaknesses in proposed plans and decisions
○Disruptors - Cultural norm, being positively oppositional
What is organizational culture? What is a sub-culture
Organizational culture: shared beliefs, values, norms, way of being, and assumptions that exist in an organization. a subculture is a subculture within an organization
What is the Realistic Job Preview
RJP: Realistic job preview. A mechanism used by organizations to present both the desirable and undesirable aspects of a job or organization
What is the Psychological Contract and what does a breach mean?
Psychological contract: When an individual accepts the job, they enter the psychological contract with the employer. It consists of unwritten expectations on both sides. Reciprocal obligations and promises. (equity theory)
●Psychological contract breach: the perception that the organization has failed to fulfill one of its promises or obligations to the employee or that employees failed to fulfill their promises to the organization.
How do organizations develop early commitment in new recruits?
How to use escalation of commitment with a new recruit:
VIPI
●1. Visibility - commitment increases the more visible you make behaviour ex. Introduce new employees to all the other employees so everyone knows them.
●2. Involvment - get them involved so they feel like they’re involved Ex. give tasks to do right away
●3. Personal volition - Inner willpower and drive to stay, how “hangry” you are
●4. Irreversibility - get employees to feel like they cannot deny they’re a new employee or leave. They feel trapped and can’t quit.
What is the strategic importance of socialization?
Uncertainty Reduction Theory:
Newcomers seek to reduce uncertainty for a predictable work environment.
Socialization:
- sets the tone of employment relationship
- clarifies expectations
- Diminishes anxiety regarding fitting in and job satisfaction.
- Accelerates job satisfaction, commitment, and performance.
Transition from Compliance to Internalization:
Compliance: Conformity for rewards or avoidance of punishment.
Identification: Conformity due to attraction to norm promoters.
Internalization: Conformity out of genuine acceptance of beliefs.
Example:
Compliance: Doing coursework for good marks.
Identification: Proudly identifying as a student of a specific course.
Internalization: Understanding and believing in course concepts.
What are the six socialization tactics?
FSFS CI vs IR VDID
Formal vs. Informal (On-the-Job):
Formal orientation is customized for recruits, tailored to specific roles or departments, while informal orientation occurs on-the-job, with new recruits learning from experienced individuals.
Sequential vs. Random:
Sequential orientation follows specified steps for role adaptation, while random orientation lacks a predefined sequence.
Fixed vs. Variable (Timeframe):
Fixed orientation provides recruits with a precise timeframe for role transition, whereas variable orientation lacks a fixed duration.
Serial vs. Disjunctive:
Serial orientation involves experienced members guiding newcomers into similar positions, whereas disjunctive orientation does not rely on prior experiences.
Collective vs. Individual:
Collective orientation involves groups of recruits experiencing the same process together, like boot camps or fraternity pledges, while individual orientation processes recruits in isolation, such as apprenticeships.
Investiture vs. Divestiture:
Investiture orientation affirms the identity of recruits, building upon their skills and attitudes, while divestiture orientation strips away recruits’ self-confidence before rebuilding it, often seen in military or residential school settings.
What is socialization?
Socialization: a process in which an employee begins to adapt to the values, norms, and beliefs of the organization and its members (culture). Learn tasks, role, group, and org
What is the difference between orientation and socialization?
Orientation:
Orientation encompasses the formal introduction of new employees to the organization, providing them with essential information such as company history, policies, procedures, rules, regulations, and employee benefits. It serves as an initial orientation to the company’s structure, expectations, and resources, facilitating a basic understanding of the organization and its operations.
Socialization:
Socialization goes beyond the initial orientation and refers to the ongoing process through which employees adapt to the organizational culture and climate. It is a long-term, often informal process where employees gradually internalize the values, norms, and behaviors of the organization. Socialization involves not only fitting into the job and organization but also establishing compatibility with coworkers and forming a sense of organizational identification. Additionally, it may extend to off-job activities, such as social gatherings, which contribute to the development of relationships and integration into the organizational community.
What are the elements of a strong cultured organization?
- Strong culture: this is an organizational culture with intense and pervasive beliefs, values, and assumptions (pervasive = its everywhere)
- provides a great consensus concerning “what an organization is about” or what it stands for
What is mentoring? What are the two primary functions of a mentor
A mentor is an experienced or more senior person in the organization who gives a junior person
special attention, such as giving advice and creating opportunities to assist them during the early stages of their career.
- Career functions (coach, feedback)
- Psychosocial functions (role model, counselling)
What is the difference between proximal and distal socialization outcomes?
○Proximal (immediate) - people learn fast, quicker task mastery, social integration, role conflict decreases, role ambiguity decreases (you know what your job is), quicker to fit in
○Distal (long-term)- Job satisfaction, organization commitment, organizational identification(define yourself by the firm ex. I’m a Mcmaster student), organizational citizenship behaviour increases, stress decreases, turnover decreases
What are the three stages of socialization?
AER
Anticipatory (pre-arrival):
Employees form expectations about the organization and job before arrival, which may not always align with reality. Realistic job previews can provide helpful information. Situations like career fairs and interviews contribute to this stage.
Encounter:
Employees begin their new job, facing inconsistencies between expectations and reality. Orientation programs provide essential information about policies, procedures, and job duties, reducing anxiety and turnover while improving performance.
Role Management (Settling In):
Employees start to resolve inconsistencies and identify with the organization, transitioning from feeling like an outsider to an insider. This stage involves fine-tuning roles, managing work-life balance, and adopting new attitudes and behaviors to align with the organization.
What is the difference between a formal and informal leader?
Formal:
○Legitimacy - Assigned leadership roles. Ex. CFO, VP
○Role/position - They are expected to influence. Given specific authority to direct employees. No guarantee of true leadership. (Influence is creating intrinsic motivation in workers, but if they don’t have true leadership, they don’t do this)
Informal:
○No legitimate title - seemingly lower-level participants, no formal authority
○Positive power always - don’t need to use negative power
○Critical knowledge and experience - they have something special
What is proactive socialization?
Proactive socialization: encourage employees to play an active role in their socialization
What are the advantages and
disadvantages of a strong cultured organization
Advantages:
- Coordination is easier.
- Conflict resolution is easier.
- Financial success
Disadvantages
- Resistance to change damages innovation
- Culture clash during mergers or acquisitions
- Pathology
What are three quick ways to diagnose a culture?
SRS
- Symbols: the use of symbols can be used to reinforce cultural values (E.g, military dog tags , )
- Rituals: rites, rituals, and ceremonies can convey essence. (E.g, casual Fridays)
- Stories: the folklore of an organization. Stories about past organizational events. – this is a common aspect of culture.
How can you be involved in your socialization and culture adaptation?
By:
RS FN
Relationship building/framing
- initiating social interactions with people in your own department
Socializing/networking
-participate in social gatherings outside work ex. Employee parties
Feedback/information seeking
- requesting info about your performance on your job
- seek everything (ex., Competition, stakeholders) which helps your job, stay ahead of the curve
Negotiation - attempt to change your job duty that improves your job performance
What is Leadership?
The influence that particular individuals exert on the goal achievement of others in an organizational context. Motivating people and gaining their commitment
A leader versus a manager?
Managing is doing things right (by rules and policies). Leading is doing the right thing (by values)
●Managing: planning, delegating, organization, providing feedback
●Leading: providing influence, and goes deeper than managing
What is the difference between a transactional leader versus a transformational leader?
Transactional Leadership:
The managerial role focused on motivating through rewards for services rendered, employing contingent reward behaviour. Actions are positively related to employee attitudes and behaviors, enhancing perceptions of justice and reducing role ambiguity. Transactional leaders ensure good working conditions, physical safety, fair compensation, and productivity-enhancing work designs.
Transformational Leadership:
Leadership role arouses intense feelings and stimulates intellectual growth by encouraging risks and new ideas. Transformational leaders inspire intrinsic motivation, relying on personal sources of power like charisma. They build individualized relationships, provide meaning, and align followers’ expectations to exceed what they thought possible, fostering a common purpose.
What is the difference between universal leader influence and situation contingent leader
influence?
Universal leader influence: leaders are leaders because of some enduring aspect of their traits or behaviours regardless of the situation
Situation contingent leader influence: leaders adjust their traits or behaviours to fit the demands of the situation.
What do universal trait approaches teach us?
Universal trait approaches assert that certain individuals are innately predisposed to leadership, emphasizing traits like charisma and personal qualities.
What is the difference between the two universal behavior approaches of “Initiating Structure”
and “Initiating Consideration”
Initiating Structure:
Focuses on task accomplishment through organizing, planning, and labor division, leading to higher performance.
Initiating Consideration:
Emphasizes leader approachability and personal concern for employees, fostering higher job satisfaction.
What is a contingency trait approach to leadership?What did Fiedler’s Contingency Model teach
us with examples?
Contingency Trait Approach to Leadership:
Leadership effectiveness is contingent upon the interaction between leader traits and situational factors.
it teaches that leaders can change based on the situation, and different leader traits correspond to different situational traits
What is the LPC scale?
LPC (least prefered coworker): A current or past co-worker with whom a leader has had a difficult time accomplishing a task
What were Fiedler’s Leadership Orientations?
Least Preferred Co-Worker Scale (LPC score), if the total score is high, you are a relationship-oriented leader, if your score is lower, you’re a task-oriented leader. You see this because task-oriented leaders are more judgmental as they want a task done, while relationship-oriented values good relationships so they’re more lenient
