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MBUA522 > Intro to the Field of Org Behavior > Flashcards

Intro to the Field of Org Behavior Flashcards

1
Q

What is Organizational Behavior (as a subject field).

A

Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of what people think, feel and do in and around organizations.

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2
Q

What is an organization?

A

Organizations are groups of people who work

interdependently towards some purpose.

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3
Q

What are the 2 key features of organizations?

A
  1. They are collective entities.
  2. Their members have a collective
    sense of purpose.
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4
Q

What are the three main reasons that OB is important?

A
  1. Influencing - Influence organizational events.
  2. Understanding - Comprehend and predict work events.
  3. Accuracy - Adopt more accurate personal theories.
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5
Q

Why does learning OB help you influence organizational events?

A
  1. By helping you work well with others

2. By helping you accomplish personal and org goals.

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6
Q

Why does learning OB help you comprehend and predict work events?

A
  1. Satisfy curiosity.
  2. Reduce anxiety.
  3. Predict future events.
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7
Q

Why does learning OB help you adopt more accurate work theories?

A
  1. Correct false common sense.

2. Confirm and refine personal theories.

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8
Q

What are some of the challenges facing contemporary OB organizations?

A
  1. Technological change
  2. Globalization
  3. Increasing workforce diversity
  4. Changing employment relationships
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9
Q

Why are technological changes challenging based on OB theory?

A

Because it changes the patterns of behavior between people in organizations e.g. social media, messaging, remote working.

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10
Q

Why is globalization challenging based on OB theory?

A

Globalization requires additional knowledge and skills such as emotional intelligence, a global mindset, non verbal communication and conflict handling.

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11
Q

Why is increasing workforce diversity a challenge?

A
  1. Diverse teams take longer to perform.

2. Diversity can cause dysfunctional conflict (which in turn causes reduced info sharing and morale).

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12
Q

What is surface level diversity?

A

Diversity across external traits e.g. gender, age, race.

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13
Q

What is deep-level diversity?

A

Diversity across internal characteristics e.g. values, beliefs, personality.

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14
Q

What are the potential advantages of diversity?

A
  1. More diverse viewpoints and skills, which can improve decision making quality.
  2. Potentially higher financial returns.
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15
Q

Who are particularly affected by the negative effects of work-life interference?

A

Women, mothers and other working carers.

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16
Q

What is the most common kind of remote work?

A

Tele-work (or Tele-commuting). Also known as working from home.

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17
Q

What are the benefits of remote work?

A
  1. Very popular amongst job applicants (so good to attract talent with).
  2. Improve work life balance for most via commute cutting.
  3. Improve productivity.
  4. Improve org resilience.
  5. Reduce negative externalities.
18
Q

What are the challenges of remote work?

A
  1. Social isolation.
  2. Loss of cohesion.
  3. Loss of equity between remote and those unable to do so.
  4. Loss of work life balance (in some circumstances).
  5. Loss of employee visibility at work.
19
Q

What are the anchors of OB and why are they brought up?

A

The ‘anchors’ are basically a fancy way of saying that they are the core principles that OB is based on/around.

20
Q

What are the different ‘anchors’ (principles) of OB?

A
  1. Systematic research anchor
  2. Multidiscipliary anchor
  3. Contingency anchor
  4. Multiple levels of analysis anchors
21
Q

What is the systematic research anchor about?

A

OB theory and practices should be based on systematic research, data collection, testing.

22
Q

Why don’t corporates apply evidence based practices?

A
  1. Too much information.
  2. Research is pretty generic.
  3. Stuff that is just a fad generally gets good marketing.
  4. Decision making biases.
23
Q

What are recommendations by OB academics to improve evidence based practices?

A
  1. Be skeptical.
  2. Rely on expertise over charisma.
  3. Rely on evidence over anecdotes.
  4. Try and remain neutral.
24
Q

What is the multidisciplinary anchor about?

A

This anchor outlines that the OB field should welcome theories and knowledge in other disciplines, not just from its own isolated research base.

25
Q

What is the contingency anchor about?

A

Emphasis on the contingency here - basically it’s saying that things may happen differently in different situations. One size does not fit all.

26
Q

What is the multiple-levels of analysis anchor about?

A

This anchor outlines that OB examines orgs at different ‘levels’ (of abstraction): Individual, team and organization level.

27
Q

What is considered to be the ‘ultimate dependent variable’ in OB theory?

A

Organizational effectiveness.

28
Q

What is now considered to be an outdated way of measuring organization effectiveness?

A

How well an organization achieves it’s stated objectives/targets.

29
Q

What’s the best way to measure org effectiveness?

A

Combining 4 perspectives:

  1. Open systems
  2. org learning
  3. HPWP
  4. stakeholders
30
Q

What is the open systems perspective of org effectiveness?

A

Open systems refers to how an organization lives within an external environment which it interacts with (via inputs and outputs). In this theory orgs are effective when they ‘fit’ well with the external environmental conditions (by monitoring, influencing and moving across).

31
Q

What are the characteristics of an effective org transformation process?

A

It being adaptive (responsive) and innovative (better than competitors).

32
Q

What is the Org Learning perspective of Org effectiveness?

A

This view measures organizations effectiveness at acquiring, sharing, using and storing knowledge.

33
Q

According to the Org Learning perspective - What is the thing that organizations need to manage in order to stay effective.

A

Intellectual Capital.

34
Q

What are the three kinds of intellectual capital.

A
  1. Human capital.
  2. Structural capital.
  3. Relationship capital.
35
Q

What is structural capital?

A

This is the information that is stored in org systems/structures.

36
Q

What is relationship capital?

A

This is value that is derived via relationships with stakeholders (think goodwill and brand image).

37
Q

What are the four ‘learning processes’ whereby org get and maintain intellectual capital?

A
  1. Acquire
  2. Store
  3. Share
  4. Use
38
Q

What is the HPWP perspective of Org effectiveness?

A

HPWP (High Performance Work Practices) states that orgs improve their overall effectiveness by improving their human capital (people).

39
Q

How do HPWPs contribute to Org performance?

A
  1. They develop employees abilities.
  2. Higher human capital = better adaptability.
  3. More motivated/positive employees.
40
Q

What is a stakeholder (hint: its in the name).

A

It’s anyone with a stake of some kind in the org.

41
Q

What is the stakeholder perspective of Org effectiveness?

A

This perspective states that org are effective when they satisfy their stakeholder’s needs and expectations. It incorporates values, ethics and corp social responsibility.

MBUA522 (6 decks)

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