R&J Chapter 1 Flashcards
Organizational Behavior
A field of study that investigates the impact individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization’s effectiveness.
Four Managerial Activities
Traditional management, communication, human resources management, networking
Traditional Management
Decision making, planning, and controlling
Communication
Exchanging routine information and processing paperwork
Human Resources Management
Motivating, disciplining, managing conflict, staffing, and training
Networking
Socializing, politicking, and interacting with outsiders
Systematic Study
Looking at relationships, attempting to attribute causes and effects, and drawing conclusions based on scientific evidence
Evidence-based management (EBM)
The basing of managerial decisions on the best available scientific evidence
Intuition
An instinctive feeling not necessarily supported by research
Contingency variables
Situational factors or variables that moderate the relationship between two or more variables (x leads to y, but only when z is present, z is the contingency variable)
Positive Organizational Scholarship
An area of OB research that concerns how organizations develop human strengths, foster vitality and resilience, and unlock potential.
Ethical dilemmas
and ethical choices
Situations in which
individuals are
required to define right
and wrong conduct.
Model
An abstraction of
reality, a simplified
representation of some
real-world phenomenon.
Inputs
Variables like personality, group structure, and organizational culture that lead to processes.
Processes
Actions that individuals, groups, and organizations engage in as a result of inputs and that lead to certain outcomes.
Outcomes
Key factors that are
affected by some other
variables.
Attitudes
Evaluative statements or
judgments concerning
objects, people, or
events.
Stress
An unpleasant psychological process that occurs in response to environmental pressures.
Task Performance
The combination of
effectiveness and
efficiency at doing
core job tasks.
Organizational Citizen Behavior (OCB)
Discretionary behavior that contributes to the psychological and social environment of the workplace.
Withdrawal Behavior
The set of actions
employees take to
separate themselves
from the organization.
Group Cohesion
The extent to which members of a group support and validate one another while at work.
Group Functioning
The quantity and
quality of a group’s
work output.
Productivity
The combination
of the effectiveness
and efficiency of an
organization.
Effectiveness
The degree to which an
organization meets the
needs of its clientele or
customers.
Efficiency
The degree to which
an organization can
achieve its ends at a
low cost.
Organizational Survival
The degree to which an
organization is able to
exist and grow over the
long term.
