Organizational Behaviour

Question 1

Hawthorne studies

Answer 1

To examine how different aspects of the work environment, such as lighting, the timing of breaks, and the length of the workday, had on worker productivity.

Question 2

Hawthorne effect

Answer 2

When subjects of an experimental study attempt to change or improve their behavior simply because it is being evaluated or studied.

Question 3

Simon effect

Answer 3

In a two-choice task, the finding that the response to a stimulus is facilitated if the location of the stimulus corresponds to the location of the response, even though stimulus location is irrelevant to the task.

Eg: if a left keypress is the required response to a blue stimulus, reaction time will be quicker if this stimulus is presented on the left-hand side than if it is presented on the right (and vice versa).

Question 4

Simon’s four phases of decision making

Answer 4

Intelligence - Gathering information by examining reality, then identifying and defining the problem.

Design - Determining alternatives and evaluating them.

Choice - Selecting a tentative solution and testing its validity.

Implementation - Putting the selected solution into effect.

Question 5

Primary motives

Answer 5

Unlearned and physiological

• food, water

Question 6

Secondary motives

Answer 6

Learned through experience

• money, hardwork

Question 7

Theory X and Theory Y of motivation

Answer 7

Individuals view motivation is brought out in two ways:

X : negative - managers assume employees dislike work and coerce them to work
Y : positive - Managers view employees to be naturally interested so much so that they accept and seek responsibility

Question 8

Herzberg’s two factor theory of motivation

Answer 8

Hygiene factors (make person work less if not present)
- quality of supervision, pay, company policies, physical working conditions, relationship, job security

Motivating factors (make person work harder if present)
- promotional opportunities, personal growth, recognition, responsibility, achievement

Question 9

McClelland Theory of Needs

Answer 9

Need for Achievement
Need for Power
Need for Affiliation
Aff & Power combo

Question 10

Cognitive Evaluation Theory (CET)

Answer 10

Extrinsic rewards will reduce intrinsic interest in a task. Important are the needs of autonomy, competence and
relatedness.

Question 11

Goal setting by Edwin Loeke

Answer 11

• specific goals increase performance
• difficult goals lead to better performance
• feedback leads to better performance
• task characteristics define goal setting

Question 12

Equity theory by Stacy Adams

Answer 12

Employees perceive what they get from a job to what they put in and compare the same to others.
Creates guilt if there work requires less effort and more pay.

Question 13

4 referents points for comparison

Answer 13

Self inside - employees’ experiences in a different position inside the current organisation

Self outside - employees’ experiences in a different or same position outside

Other inside - another individual inside the same organisation

Other outside - another individual outside the same
organisation

Question 14

Galatea effect

Answer 14

Individual’s self-fulfilling prophecy; their own belief in their capability affecting their performance

Question 15

Expectancy theory by Vroom

Answer 15

Our actions are determined by our expectancy of results

Question 16

4 types of behaviours of employees by Hercy and Blanchard

Answer 16

1. unable and unwilling - leader needs to give clear and specific instructions
2. unable and willing - high task orientation and relationship
3. able and unwilling - supportive and participative style
4. able and willing – not much is required from the leader

Question 17

The IOWA Leadership Studies (1930) (Ronald Lippitt and Ralph White)

Answer 17

• Authoritarian - single man show
• Democratic - group decision
• Laissez-faire - complete freedom; no leadership

Question 18

Pygmalion / Rosenthal effect

Answer 18

Other people’s view affecting the individual’s performance

Question 19

Job analysis

Answer 19

Accurately describing the task or job.

Question 20

Task-oriented approach

Answer 20

Lists in detail the tasks that will be performed for the job; each task is rated on scales for how frequently it is performed, how difficult it is, and how important it is to the job.

Question 21

Worker-oriented approach

Answer 21

Describes the characteristics required of the worker to successfully perform the job

AKA job specification

Question 22

_____ described job satisfaction as the state of feeling resulting from appraising one’s job experiences.

Answer 22

Edwin Locke

Question 23

Downsizing

Answer 23

An increasingly common response to a business’s pronounced failure to achieve profit goals, and it involves laying off a significant percentage of the company’s employees.

Question 24

Merger

Answer 24

The joining of two organizations of equal power and status

Question 25

Acquisition

Answer 25

One organization purchases the other; the purchasing organization is usually the more powerful or dominant partner

Question 26

Telecommuting

Answer 26

Employees working at home and setting their own hours, which allows them to work during different parts of the day, and to spend part of the day with their family

AKA e-commuting, working remotely, flexible workspace, or simply working from home.

Question 27

____ popularized and developed the concepts of transactional leadership versus transformational leadership styles.

Answer 27

Bass (1985)

Question 28

______ leaders are manager.

Answer 28

Transactional

Question 29

4 attributes of a transformational leader

Answer 29

Charismatic (highly liked role models)

Inspirational (optimistic about goal attainment)

Intellectually stimulating (encourage critical thinking and problem solving)

Considerate

Question 30

3 basic types of teams

Answer 30

Problem resolution teams - for the purpose of solving a particular problem or issue

Creative teams - develop innovative possibilities or solutions

Tactical teams - execute a well-defined plan or objective

Question 31

______ encompasses the values, visions, hierarchies, norms, and interactions among its employees.

Answer 31

Organizational culture

Question 32

_____ refers to the science of designing a workplace to fit the needs of the users. It involves increasing efficiency and comfort and reducing workplace injuries that can result from poor design or workflow process.

Answer 32

Ergonomics

Question 33

Management by Objectives (MBO)

Answer 33

A management concept framework popularized by management consultants based on a need to manage business based on its needs and goals.

Question 34

Kaizen

Answer 34

A Japanese term meaning “change for the better” or “continuous improvement”; involve all employees.

Improvement in productivity as a gradual and methodical process.

Question 35

5 elements of Kaizen

Answer 35

teamwork
personal discipline
improved morale
quality circles
suggestions for improvement

Question 36

Quality circles

Answer 36

A group of workers who do the same or similar work, who meet regularly to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems.

Question 37

The introspection illusion

Answer 37

A cognitive bias in which people wrongly think they have direct insight into the origins of their mental states, while treating others’ introspections as unreliable.