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Organisational behaviour > Organisational behaviour > Flashcards

Organisational behaviour Flashcards

1
Q

Organisation

A

a social arrangement for achieving controlled performance to achieve collective goals

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2
Q

Organisational behaviour

A

the study of behaviour in organisational settings the interface between human behaviour and the organisation

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3
Q

Individual characteristics e.gs

A

personality, values

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4
Q

individual processes e.g

A

learning, perception, motivation

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5
Q

Interpersonal processes e.g.s

A

trust, justice, power/politics

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6
Q

Theory for explaining behaviour with reference

A

Behaviour is a function of the person and the environment (Lewin,1931)

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7
Q

Intelligence theory with reference

A

General intelligence (g) (Spearman,1904)
People tend to get similar scores on each area of intelligence i.e. each area of intelligence is highly correlated

Idea of underlying ‘g’ has empirical support

Job complexity increases the positive relationship between GMA and job performance

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8
Q

GMA and job performance

w ref

A

Meta-analytic support (Hunter and Hunter,1984)
Person with high GMA learns more and quicker

GMA is often used in selection processes

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9
Q

Critical evaluation of ‘g’

A

Link between intelligence and success is robust

Specific cognitive abilities predict job performance better when they match the demands of the role

The test results in a ‘maximum performance paradigm’ i.e. the best you can perform in a test might not reflect everyday performance

Potential bias against minority HOWEVER, intelligence tests predict job performance across ethnic groups, use of culture free tests and other factors predict differences e.g. marital status

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10
Q

Alternative theories to intelligence only affecting job performance

A

Emotional intelligence as ability (Mayer et al., 2000)

Extends traditional models of intelligence and addresses individuals’ ability to
perceive, process and manage emotions and emotional information
effectively

Performance-based measure (MEIS)

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11
Q

Critical evaluation of E.I

A

Important for jobs with emotional demands
More difficult to measure (compared to GMA):
* Measurement issues for ability EI, e.g. scoring
* Potential for faking/impression management in
EI self-reports → Problematic for selection!
* Some evidence of EI predicting job performance

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11
Q
A
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12
Q

Personality w reference

A

Characteristics of the person that account for
consistent patterns of experience and action
(Pervinet al, 2004)

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13
Q

Trait theories w reference

A

The big 5 (Costa & McCrae, 1987)
Openness to Experience: like working with ideas and possibilities, ready to re-examine attitudes and values
Conscientiousness: organised , thorough and a desire to do things well
Extraversion: quantity and intensity of energy directed
outwards into the social world, outgoing, assertive
Agreeableness: being helpful to others, mindful of others’ feelings, preferring cooperation to competition, kind, sympathetic
Neuroticism: prone to worry and self-doubt, highly affected by their emotions in stressful situations

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14
Q

way to remember big 5 model

A

O
C
E
A
N

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15
Q

Critical evaluation of personality tests

A

consistency
Strength of relationship between a predictor and criterion

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16
Q

Big 5 predicting performance

w ref

A

Metanalytic evidence (Wilmot and Ones,2021)
Openness- positive impact on training performance
Conscientious- across a range of jobs
Extraversion- positive relationship in some jobs i.e. sales
Agreeableness- positively related to teamwork
Neuroticism (low)- army/ law enforcemnt

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17
Q

Importance of motivation (reference)

A

Given your ability to perform and an environment which allows you to perform motivation determines whether you will do it (Muchinsky,2006)

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18
Q

What motivates you (ref)

A

Intrinsic doing an activity for it’s inherent satisfaction

Extrinsic when an activity is done to attain a separable outcome
(Ryan & Deci,2000)

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19
Q

Needs theories for motivation

A

Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs (Maslow,1943)
Self actualisation
Esteem
Social
Safety
Physiological

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20
Q

Critical evaluation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

A

Very little empirical evidence

can people move down hierarchy

unclear how one need activates another

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21
Q

Process theories of motivation

A

Goal-setting theory (Locke & Latham,1990)

Goals provide direction, release energy and enhance persistency

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22
Q

critical evaluation of goal setting theory

A

Strong empirical support
But
Goals may conflict i.e. quantity or quality
Task performance only

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23
Q

Example of Goal setting theory

A

Lboro performance development review

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24
Q

Influences on attitude formation at work

A

Personality
Values (extrinsic/intrinsic)
Social influence
Work situation

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25
Q

Job design (ref)

A

the process of assigning tasks to a job including the interdependency of those tasks with other jobs (Bratton,2010)

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26
Q

Scientific management

w reference

A

(Taylor,1910)
Systematic approach of determining the best way to do a job through standardization

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27
Q

Critical evaluation of Taylorism

A

low job satisfaction lead to poor mental health/turnover and absenteeism

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28
Q

Job characteristics model

A

(Hackman & Oldham,1980)
Job Characteristics Psychological states
Skill variety
Task identity meaningfulness at
work
Task significance

Autonomy Experience and
responsibility

Feedback Knowledge of results at
work

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29
Q

Skill variety

A

Degree to which the work involves different activities

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30
Q

Task identity

A

The degree to which the job requires completion of a identifiable piece of work

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31
Q

Task significance

A

Degree to which the job has a substantial impact on the lives or work of other people

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32
Q

Autonomy

A

Freedom for people to take and implement decisions i.e. scheduling of work, use of tools and procedures to carry it out and independent decision making.

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33
Q

Feedback

A

The extent to which the job itself provides info on how well one is performing.

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34
Q

Critical evaluation of the job characteristics model

A

Lack of social context

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35
Q

Theory of purposeful work behaviour (ref)

A

(Barrick et al.,2013)
Individual differences in motivational strivings are linked to peoples preferences for goals and job characteristics

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36
Q

Attitudes

A

a predisposition to feel think and act towards some object person or event in a favourable way

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37
Q

Measuring attitudes

A
  • Almost always self-report
  • Likert scale- from agreement to disagreement
  • Range of items
  • Potential problem socially desirable responding
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38
Q

Components of job satisfaction

A
  • Pay/ benefits
  • Co-worker supervision
  • The work itself
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39
Q

Possible reasons for the relationship between job satisfaction

A

Job satisfaction causes job performance i.e. people tend to work harder when happy

Job performance causes job satisfaction

JS and JP are correlated due to another variable i.e. personality unconsciousness big 5 influence both

40
Q

Factors influencing job satisfaction

A

Procedural/distributive justice
personality differences
Job characteristics
Leadership behaviour

41
Q

Big 5 correlation with job satisfaction w ref

A

-.29 for Neuroticism, .25 for Extraversion, . and .26 for Conscientiousness.

42
Q

Why do those with high neuroticism have lower job satisfaction w ref

A

(Emmons et al1985)
in part, because they select
themselves into situations that foster negative affect

43
Q

Most important predictor for job satisfaction+ what it is w ref

A

(McFarlin & Sweeney, 1992,)
Distributive justice fairness of allocation of rewards

44
Q

Satisfying work theory w ref

A

(Hackman & Oldham, 1976)
Task identity
Skill variety
task significance
Feedback
Autonomy

45
Q

3 Forms of commitment w ref

A

(Allen & Meyer, 1990)
Affective-emotional attachment
Continuance- cost and risk of leaving
Normative- moral dimension (loyalty)

46
Q

Organisational Commitment w ref

A

(Mowday et al., 1979)

The relative strength of an employee’s identification with and involvement in an organisation

47
Q

Empirical findings of organisational commitment

A

High affective OC linked to high performance
High continuance OC sometimes linked to poor performance

48
Q

Job Satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job performance
Meta-analytic evidence:

A

JP (Judge et al., 2001)

49
Q

Critical evaluation of the Job attitude – Work behaviours relationship

A

Moderate (to strong) relations
Social pressure not to reveal attitudes
Lack of opportunity and/ ability

50
Q

Theory of planned behaviour w ref

A

(Ajzen & Madden, 1986)
Attitude
Subjective norm
perceived behaviour control i.e. having to be home at a certain time
Leads to intention which can lead to behaviour
(PBC can lead to behaviour directly)

51
Q

Example of attempts to alter behaviour

A

NHS ads for COVID aimed at changing social norm about covid

52
Q

Behaviour modification theory w ref

A

Operant conditioning (Skinner,1938)
Learned and reinforced response
Positive adds something
Negative takes something away
Reinforcement increases behaviour while punishment decreases it

53
Q

Business use of operant and conditioning w ref

A

to improve productivity absenteeism reduce theft etc (Martin& Pear,2019)
Financial rewards
private desk
Recognition

54
Q

Organisation behaviour modification w ref

A

(Luthans & Kreitner,1985)
5 stages
Identify critical behaviours i.e. unsafe
Measure them
Analyse behaviour
Develop intervention strategy
Evaluate intervention strategy

55
Q

Evaluation of behaviour modification theory w ref

A

May lead to a decrease in other behaviours that you want
as workers concentrate their efforts on behaviours that get
rewarded
Expensive
undermines intrinsic motivation
(Shaw & Gupta,2015)

56
Q

Social learning theory w ref and experiment

A

(Bandura, 1971)
People are not passive objects observational learning and self efficacy both important for learning
Bobo doll experiment adult attacks doll child copies

57
Q

Self-efficacy

A

belief in own ability to
master certain tasks and
reach specific goals –
central for personal agency

58
Q

Processes in observational learning w ref

A

(Bandura, 1971)
Attention- observing models behaviour
Retention- memorising behaviour
Production- rehearsing behaviour
Motivation- reinforcement of behaviour

59
Q

Self-efficacy is influenced by:

A

Self-assessment of past performance
* Verbal persuasion from other people
* Observational learning

60
Q

What does self-efficacy influence

A

Goals and activities a person chooses to engage
* How hard and long a person strives to achieve a goal
* Appraisal & emotions of person during tasks, (challenge vs
hindrance; hope vs. anxiety)

61
Q

Manager’s role in employee learning

A

Develop employee’s self-efficacy
Provide models/examples of desired behaviour
Allow opportunity for people to reflect
Appreciate individual differences

62
Q

Evaluation of Bandura’s work

A

Strong empirical support for importance of self-efficacy
Bandura’s many concepts have not been brought
together as one coherent theory
* Can be difficult to measure learning - not all social
learning can be easily observed

63
Q

Theory of planned behaviour

A

(Ajzen & Madden, 1986)
Attitude
Subjective norm
Perceived behavioural control(belief of a persona that they can perform required behaviour)
All lead to intention which leads to behaviour
PBC can lead to behaviour directly

64
Q

Evaluation of T Planned Behaviour w ref

A

(Conner & Armitage, 2001)
Meta-analytic results found
a) Intentions predict behaviour to a moderate degree
b) TBP variables predict intentions moderately well
Assumes humans are rational
Subjective norm weak predictor

65
Q

Process of perception w ref

A

Buchanan et al. (2017)
Bottom up:
brings the sensory input from the environment to the brain for interpretation
Top down: brain
uses knowledge, beliefs and expectations to help us interpret the sensory
information

66
Q

Process of perception - application

A

Successful interpersonal relationships depend on some overlap between our perceptual world

67
Q

Process of perception – critical
evaluation w ref

A

Dynamic interplay between bottom-up and top-down processes(Shelton et al, 2017)

68
Q

Fundamental Attribution Error

A

We are too inclined to see the person as the cause of their own behaviour. We neglect the influence of other persons involved (observers) and the general situation – especially when bad things happen

69
Q

Actor observer effect

A

Attributing other people’s behaviour to their character and one’s own behaviour to the situation

70
Q

Application of attribution theory w ref

A

Performance appraisal
Discrimination
Leadership attributions account for significant proportions of the variance in leadership behaviors (Martinko et al., 2007)

71
Q

Attribution theory w ref

A

Heider (1957) – people make causal attributions about events that happen around them –
These can be:
Personal- how skilled someone is
Situational- how difficult the task is

72
Q

Attribution theory critical evaluation

A

Attributional dimensions: Controllability: smallest amount of research attention

High predictive power, e.g.:
▪ attributions account for significant proportions of the variance in
leadership behaviors (Martinko et al., 2007)

73
Q

Halo effect

A

perception of a
person on one quality influences
positively the perception of them
on another quality

74
Q

Horns effect

A

general
judgements about a person are
made from the perception of a
negative characteristic

75
Q

Stereotyping w ref

A

simplifying the process of perception, making judgements of other people instead of dealing with a range of complex stimuli
(Mullins, 2016)

76
Q

Stereotype e.g w ref

A

Happy people viewed as more competent
(Todorov et al,2005)

77
Q

Perceptual Defence

A

The tendency to screen
out information that
we find perceptually
threatening or difficult
to process. i.e smoking

78
Q

Projection

A

attribution of your own
thoughts, feelings, values,
attitudes on to others.

79
Q

Unconscious bias

A

Is about unconscious social preferences and is closely
related to all other perceptual errors

80
Q

Group w ref

A

Schein’s (1980)
A group is a number of people who
interact with each other;
are psychologically aware of each other;
perceive themselves to be a group.

81
Q

Team w ref

A

Brill’s (1976)
A team is a group of people, each of whom possesses particular expertise; each of whom is responsible for making individual decisions; who together hold a common purpose

82
Q

Stages of team development w ref

A

(Tuckman 1965)
Stage 1: Forming- individualistic comms from leader to members
Stage 2: Storming- comms often aggressive, stress over roles dissipating energy
Stage 3: Norming- Informal experts emerge Communication to each other as well as to leader

Stage 4: Performing- Team is pro-active Team share leadership

83
Q

Critical evaluation of Tuckman’s Stages of Team Development Theory

A

Lack of quantitative research / The model was based on a literature review and observation of a limited number of small group settings

Recent theories recognize the complexity of group dynamics in today’s world and are not easily represented in a simple model (Humphrey et al,2014)

84
Q

team role def w ref

A

A tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way.“ (Belbin, 1981)

85
Q

Shaper contribution and weaknesses

A

Action oriented role. thrives on pressure. The drive and courage to overcome obstacles. Prone to provocation

86
Q

coordinator contribution and weaknesses

A

People oriented
Mature, confident, a good chairman(delegates well).
Can often be seen as manipulative

87
Q

Plant contribution and weaknesses

A

Cerebal oriented
imaginative, unorthodox. Solves
difficult problems.
Too pre-occupied to communicate effectively.

88
Q

Application of Belbin’s theory

A

Only as a tool for awareness of own strengths and abilities understanding own role within a team helps to deal better with the demands of the team environment

89
Q

Team Problems – Belbin Solutions

A

Conflict- team worker
Underachievement- Shaper
Mistakes prone- Monitor evaluator

-

90
Q

According to Belbin, each member performs two roles:

A

A functional role (professional knowledge)
A team role (pattern of team interaction)

91
Q

Critical evaluation of Belbin’s team roles

A

Reductionist – we are more than team roles
The interaction between situation and team task requirements needs to be better understood: Which roles required for which task in which situation?

92
Q

Pros of Decision Making in Teams

A

More information from different sources
Mutually acceptable solution

93
Q

Cons of Decision Making in Teams W REF

A

Pressures to conform experiment (Asch, 1951)
Lines of responsibility can become unclear

94
Q

Groupthink Definition w ref

A

is the psychological drive for consensus at any cost that suppresses dissent and appraisal of alternatives in cohesive decision-making groups.” (Janis, 1982)

95
Q

Suggestions for Minimising Groupthink

A

Impartial leader
Critical evaluators
Devil’s advocate
(Janis,1972)

96
Q

Definition of group polarisation w ref

A

Groups tend to make more extreme decisions than we might expect, given the initial preferences of group members (Bettenhausen, 1991)

97
Q

Why does group polarisation occur?

A

social comparison (we like to present ourselves in a socially desirable way)
persuasive argumentation (information consistent with the views held by the majority will dominate the group discussion)

Organisational behaviour (1 decks)

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