OB - Breyer Flashcards
Describe Organizational Power
The ability of one person or group to cause another person or group to do something they otherwise might not have done - the potential or capacity to influence decisions and control resources
Describe Organizational Influence
The ability to actually affect the behavior of others in a particular direction
What is organizational politics
mg. engage in political activities to increase their power and pursue goals that favor their individual and group interests
Name the 4 formal power sources
legitimate power
reward power
coercive power
information power
Name 3 sources of organizational conflict
- Differentiation
- Task relationships
- Scarcity of resources
what is political decision making
decision making with active disagreement over goals
what are coalitions
group of managers who join forces politically
name 3 informal power sources
expert power
referent power
charismatic power
what legitimate power (former or informal )
actual power to control and use resources to accomplish goals
what is reward power (formal or informal)
power to give raises, promotion, praise, projects, etc (formal)
what is coercive power (formal or informal)
power to give or withhold punishment
what can managers do if they have formal power
power to restructure operations and hire mgs. at all levels
what is information power (formal or informal)
power from access to and control over information that others perceive to be important (org. networks, understanding org. politics and processes or access to information at the executive level)
What “Exchange” mean
implicite understanding what each other could give to each other. not always spoken but understood - based on idea that if you do for me, I will do for you
what is “Reciprocity” mean
if you do something for me, then i SHOULD do something for you. goes both ways (if you hurt someone, they will likely want to hurt you back) “i owe you one”
what are connotative definitions
an associative or secondary meaning in addition to the formal meaning. (common meaning or first thing that comes to someones mind when the hear the word)
What is expert power (formal or informal)
different than information power - tied to professional knowledge (transportable and sometimes unrelated to job)
what is referent power (formal of informal)
Power that stems from being liked, admired and respected
what is charisma (formal or informal)
hard to define but know when you see - people follow because of ability to engage people and communication skills (inspirational) - intense commitment to the leaders goals
what is associational power
derives from ones connection to people with power
what are power dependent relationships (equation)
power f(V x S) - the amount of power a person has is a function of the scarcity of the outcomes or resources the individual controls.
value creates dependence and dependence creates power.
Scarcity creates dependence and dependence creates power
4 Functional Power sources (also called subunit power)
- control uncertain contiguities (events that might occur that need to be planned for)
- Irreplaceability
- Centrality
- Control & generate resources
what is a coalition
group of mgs. with similar interests who join forces to achieve their goals
what is political decision making (is it good or bad?)
when mgs. use their power to influence org. that allow the org to achieve goals or improve the use of resources - or when coalitions lobby for new strategies or change structure, it can lead to improvements in the org.
How can political tactics and power help an org.?
- mg can use power to control people & resources so that they cooperate to achieve an organizations current goals.
- mgs. can use power to engage in politics and influence the decision-making to promote new more appropriate organizational goals.
what type of power does the org. chart show?
legitimate
Describe PONDY’s 5 Stage Model of Conflict
latent conflict perceived conflict conflict is felt conflict is manifested conflict aftermath
Latent = conditions which provide potential for conflict
A. Competition for scarce resources
B. Drive for autonomy
C. Differing goals of subunits (eg. Athletics vs. Recreation)
Perceived Conflict
1 or more parties becomes aware of conflict potential
Conflict is felt
Anger, frustration, hostility
Conflict is manifested
exhibition of adversarial behavior ( apathy; rigid rules adherence; violence)
Conflict aftermath
conflict resolution/ basis for future conflict
Name the 10 mgt. roles
Figurehead. Leader. Liaison. Monitor. Disseminator. Spokesperson. Entrepreneur. Disturbance Handler. Resource Allocator. Negotiator.
Who created 10 mgt. roles in text
Mintzberg
Name the 3 mgt. role categories
Interpersonal
Informational
Decisional
Name the Interpersonal roles
Figurehead
Leader
Liaison
Name the Information roles
Monitor
Disseminator
Spokesperson
Name the decisional roles
Entrepreneur
Disturbance Handler
Resource Allocator
Negotiator
Figurehead –
As a manager, you have social, ceremonial and legal responsibilities. You’re expected to be a source of inspiration. People look up to you as a person with authority, and as a figurehead.
Leader –
This is where you provide leadership for your team, your department or perhaps your entire organization; and it’s where you manage the performance and responsibilities of everyone in the group.
Liaison –
Managers must communicate with internal and external contacts. You need to be able to network effectively on behalf of your organization.
Monitor –
In this role, you regularly seek out information related to your organization and industry, looking for relevant changes in the environment. You also monitor your team, in terms of both their productivity, and their well-being.
Disseminator –
This is where you communicate potentially useful information to your colleagues and your team.
Spokesperson –
Managers represent and speak for their organization. In this role you’re responsible for transmitting information about your organization and its goals to the people outside it.
Entrepreneur –
As a manager, you create and control change within the organization. This means solving problems, generating new ideas, and implementing them.
Disturbance Handler –
When an organization or team hits an unexpected roadblock, it’s the manager who must take charge. You also need to help mediate disputes within it.
Resource Allocator –
You’ll also need to determine where organizational resources are best applied. This involves allocating funding, as well as assigning staff and other organizational resources.
Negotiator
You may be needed to take part in, and direct, important negotiations within your team, department, or organization.
Tactics for increasing individual power
Tapping source of power Recognizing who has power Controlling the agenda Bringing in an outside expert Building coalitions and alliances
Tapping sources of functional & divisional power (doing what they do)
- Become irreplaceable
- Develop specialized skills or knowledge
- Become more central to organization
Recognizing who has power - 5 factors to consider when measuring who has power
- Source of power
- Consequence of power
- Symbols of power
- Personal reputations
- Representational indicators
Consequences of power
Who benefits from decisions i.e. - who is able to get resources allocated on their behalf
What are Contingency power?
Ability to reduce the uncertainty of future events by managing contingencies
What is Irreplaceability power?
No other division or functional team can perform its activity
Differentiation
- Differentiation in functional orientation - different priorities/focuses
- Status inconsistencies - one function/division considers itself to be more important than another
Task relationships
- Overlapping authority
- Task interdependence
- Incompatible evaluation systems
Overlapping authority
Two functions/divisions both claim authority over the same task
Task interdependence
One groups work flow depends on the work of another group
Incompatible evaluation systems
Inequitable performance evaluation systems that award some functions but not others
Scarcity of resources
The scarier they are, they more valuable they are - both create dependencies and potential for conflict
Negotiation
Groups with competing interests meet together to make offers, counter offers and concessions to resolve differences.
3 levels of conflict management
Individual
Group level
Organizational level
Individual level conflict mg. process
- Mg meets with both individuals to let them know how conflict is effecting organization - they are asked to express thoughts about conflict
- Mg. Summarizes dispute in written form
- Mg. Discusses report with each separately - determines which part each person can accept (to get to common solution)
- Meets with both to discuss agreement
Group conflict negotiation process
Negotiator
Mediator
Arbitrato
Five forms of negotiation
Accommodation Collaboration Compromise Avoidance Competition
Promoting compromise
Emphasis common goals Focus on problem, not the people Focus on interests, not demands Create opportunities for joint gain Focus on what is fair
Union mgt. Negotiations
Need longterm perspective
- Distributive bargaining - bargain over how to divide resources
- Attitudinal structuring - each tries to influence others attitudes
Sources of power
Understand how power people are getting their power in order to benefit from it and increase individual power
Symbols of power
Job titles, perks etc.
Personal reputations
Esteem held by colleagues
Stories told about successes and failures indicate personal reputation
representational indicators -
number of roles they have held and range of responsibilities - membership on influential committee, etc.
Controlling the agenda
What issues will be brought to attention of executives, ect.
Outside expert
Bring in experts to support your case
Coalitions and alliances
Make friends with everyone
4 functions of communication
Expressing feelings
Providing knowledge
Motivating org. Members
Controlling/coordinating group activities
Factors in motivating org members
- What outcomes are desired by staff
- Ensure they understand that success is confident upon high performance
- Ensure staff believe they can perform at high level
Valences (define)
The desirability of an outcome to an individual (expectancy theory)
Can be positive (wants outcome) or negative (does not want outcome)
What is a communication network
Set of pathways through which information flows within a group or org
4 Types of communication networks
Wheel
Chain
Circle
All channel
Characteristics of wheel networks
Information travels through central member of the group and is the only member to communicant information to group
Common with “pooled task interdependence” - group members work alone, but their collective effort is pooled
Example: geographically dispersed sales teams
What is OB
Study of factors that affect how individuals and groups act in org. and how they respond to their environment
4 functions of management
Planning
Organizing
Controlling
Leading
Planning
Decide org. Goals
Organizing
Establish rules and reporting relationships
Controlling
Evaluate success of goal achievement
Leading
Encourage and coordinate ind. and groups so they work toward goals
Org. Effectiveness
It’s abilities to achieve its goals
Self managed teams
Groups who are given authority and responsibility to manage outcomes of their org. Behavior
3 necessary mg. Skills
Human
Conceptual
Technical
3 elements of an open system
Input
Conversion
Output
OB challenges
- Changing social/cultural environment
- Evolving global environment
- Advanced IT
- Shifting work and employment relationships
social and cultural environment areas to consider
Ethics
Diverse workforce
Challenges of mg. diverse workforce
Decision making and performance
Flexibility
Fairness and justice
Workforce and empl. Challenges
Downsizing
Empowering staff
Outsourcing
Freelancers
4 principles to increase efficiency in workforce (f.w. Taylor)
- Understand work and tweak to reach maximum efficiency
- Codify tasks into written rules and SOP
- Carefully select staff that skills match task needs
- Determine fair performance level for tasks and a pay system that provides reward for pay about acceptable levels
Mary Parker follett contribution to OB
Cross Functional management giving power to those with the knowledge and not just the authority
Hawthorne studies
Experiments to determine what impacted productivity (famous illumination study)
Hawthorne effect
Attitudes towards a manger impact performance
Traits of theory x
Employees are lazy and must be monitored.
Lots of rules, SOP, rewards and punishments
Elements of Theory Y
Employees will do what is best for org. If given a chance
Less control needed
Work itself is the reward or punishment
Decentralized authority
What is Org. Design
Process where managers select and manage various dimensions and components of culture so that an org. can achieve its goals
What is contingency theory
the idea that the org. structure should be designed to match the set of contingencies (factors or conditions) that create the most uncertainty for the org.
Name 3 contingencies affecting org. design
Org. Environment
Org. Tech
HR & Employment Relationship
Name 3 types of technology
small-batch - customized, one of a kind products
mass production - automated machinery, same task over and over
continuos process - automated machinery, working in sequence
characteristics of chain networks
communication flows in sequence from one group member to the next.
Sequential Task interdependence (tasks must be completed in a specific order)
assembly type work where final product is result of sequential inputs
communication happens up and down hierarchy from one level to the next
characteristics of circle networks
members communicate with others who share common characteristics, i.e. experience, interests of areas of expertise. - propinquity communication
characteristics of all channel communication
all members communicate with all other group members
Reciprocal task interdependence - performance of one depends on the performance of others. everyones behaviors affect everyone else.
two types of org communication networks
Group (chain, circle, wheel all-channel)
Org. charts
three informal networks in org. (Krackhardt & Hanson)
Advice - to gather technical information
Trust - to share sensitive information
Communication - to communicate day to day ordinary work matters
Two parities in all communication
Sender - member who wants to share
Receiver - member who is intended to receive
Name the elements of the communication process
- Sender and the Message
- Encoding - turning message into words/symbols that receiver can understand
- The Medium - the conduit or pathway that carries the message
- Receiver and Feedback Loop
Two medias for communication
verbal
nonverbal
specialized language that groups develop to aid communication among themselves
jargon
specialized system that receivers use to receive information
decoding
6 Barriers to effective communication
Poor listening Lack of or inappropriate feedback Rumors and grapevine Workforce diversity differences in cross-cultural, linguistic styles filetering and information distortion
sources of communication noise
anything that hampers ore interferes with the communication process (
jargon, poor handwriting, bad mood,
perceptual biases, poor articulation,
selecting the wrong media, sending mixed messages (words and emotions are inconsistent), message context make interpretation difficult
personal characteristics that causes challenges in decoding
what is the purpose of communication
sharing information to reach a common understanding
what are the two phases of communication
- transmission
2. completing feedback loop to ensure communication has been effective
what is filtering
not sharing all the information which results in effective communication
what is information distortion
the change of information that result from travel through different senders and receivers - part of the filtering process
Factors in lack of or inappropriate feedback barriers to communication
likely when sender must give negative feedback
Factors in rumors and grapevine barriers to communication
likely to be spread when staff are left in the dark about a particular situation. rumors spread with information is not readily available to them. This applies to public figures as well.
rumors
informal and unsanctioned information and stories, spread through the “grapevine”, a set of informal communication pathways.
Information Richness Scale (from highest to lowest)
Face to face communication
verbal communication, electronically transmitted
personally addresses written communication
inter person written communication
Communication media tradeoff considerations
information richness vs. time spent
information richness vs. need for paper trail
Technical modes of communication
Internet and Intranet
Persuasive Communication
communication with the intent of getting receiver to accept, agree, follow, and seek to achieve the sender’s goals and objectives.
How to communicate persuasively
Characteristics of Sender (credible)
Active Listener
Use appropriate form of communication
Characteristics of Receiver (becomes the sender as soon as they reply to the original sender so sender characteristics apply to receiver)
Characteristics of a persuasive communicator
(referent and expert power, moral integrity and emotional intelligence, play “devil’s advocate”
poor articulation of an idea (barrier to communication) - another name
poor encoding
Arc of distortion
noisy communication because the emotions and thoughts are inconsistent
other sources of noise
arc of distortion
Johari window
Johari Window
aspects of communication that is
- Known to self,
- Unknown to self,
- Known to others,
- Unknown to others
Known to Self, Known to others (cell 1)
open communication cell - message sent and received as intended
Unknown to Self, Known to others (cell 2)
“I’m not angry cell”
Known to Self, Unknown to others (cell 3)
Facade or Political cell
Unknown to Self, Unknown to Others (cell 4)
psychotherapy cell
Arc of Distortion
We sometimes communicate inconsistent messages to others when our words (give) and our emotions (give off) communication do not match - receiver typically considers the emotional message (give off) as the truthful message
6 Supportive communication climates
- Descriptive
- Participative
- Spontaneous/Geniune
- Empathic
- Equality
- Open-minded
6 Defensive communication climates
- Evaluative
- Controlling
- Strategic
- Neutral/Indifferent
- Superiority
- Certainty
How do create a supportive climate
guidelines for effective listening
guidelines for effective feedback
guidelines for effective feedback
- Examine your own motives
- Consider the receiver’s readiness to hear your feedback
- Be descriptive, rather than evaluative
- Deal in specifics rather than generalities
- Offer feedback; do not impose it
- Offer feedback with a spirit of tentativeness
- Be open to receiving feedback yourself
- Avoid feedback overload
- Observe the behavior of the receiver for responses that confirm or disconfirm the feedback
