Organizational Behaviour Flashcards
Hawthorne studies
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.
Hawthorne effect
When subjects of an experimental study attempt to change or improve their behavior simply because it is being evaluated or studied.
Simon effect
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).
Simon’s four phases of decision making
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.
Primary motives
Unlearned and physiological
- food, water
Secondary motives
Learned through experience
- money, hardwork
Theory X and Theory Y of motivation
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
Herzberg’s two factor theory of motivation
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
McClelland Theory of Needs
Need for Achievement
Need for Power
Need for Affiliation
Aff & Power combo
Cognitive Evaluation Theory (CET)
Extrinsic rewards will reduce intrinsic interest in a task. Important are the needs of autonomy, competence and
relatedness.
Goal setting by Edwin Loeke
- specific goals increase performance
- difficult goals lead to better performance
- feedback leads to better performance
- task characteristics define goal setting
Equity theory by Stacy Adams
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.
4 referents points for comparison
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
Galatea effect
Individual’s self-fulfilling prophecy; their own belief in their capability affecting their performance
Expectancy theory by Vroom
Our actions are determined by our expectancy of results
4 types of behaviours of employees by Hercy and Blanchard
- unable and unwilling - leader needs to give clear and specific instructions
- unable and willing - high task orientation and relationship
- able and unwilling - supportive and participative style
- able and willing – not much is required from the leader
The IOWA Leadership Studies (1930) (Ronald Lippitt and Ralph White)
- Authoritarian - single man show
- Democratic - group decision
- Laissez-faire - complete freedom; no leadership
Pygmalion / Rosenthal effect
Other people’s view affecting the individual’s performance
Job analysis
Accurately describing the task or job.
Task-oriented approach
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.
Worker-oriented approach
Describes the characteristics required of the worker to successfully perform the job
AKA job specification
_____ described job satisfaction as the state of feeling resulting from appraising one’s job experiences.
Edwin Locke
Downsizing
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.
Merger
The joining of two organizations of equal power and status
Acquisition
One organization purchases the other; the purchasing organization is usually the more powerful or dominant partner
Telecommuting
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.
____ popularized and developed the concepts of transactional leadership versus transformational leadership styles.
Bass (1985)
______ leaders are manager.
Transactional
4 attributes of a transformational leader
Charismatic (highly liked role models)
Inspirational (optimistic about goal attainment)
Intellectually stimulating (encourage critical thinking and problem solving)
Considerate
3 basic types of teams
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
______ encompasses the values, visions, hierarchies, norms, and interactions among its employees.
Organizational culture
_____ 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.
Ergonomics
Management by Objectives (MBO)
A management concept framework popularized by management consultants based on a need to manage business based on its needs and goals.
Kaizen
A Japanese term meaning “change for the better” or “continuous improvement”; involve all employees.
Improvement in productivity as a gradual and methodical process.
5 elements of Kaizen
teamwork personal discipline improved morale quality circles suggestions for improvement
Quality circles
A group of workers who do the same or similar work, who meet regularly to identify, analyze and solve work-related problems.
The introspection illusion
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.
