Research in OB Flashcards
What are the advantages of evidence based management?
Removes bias; you will be more likely to get the results that you actually want. Businesses are able to better predict what kind of effect their decisions will have
Why is evidence based management more likely to get desired results?
Research indicates the best practices; what tends to work, what has worked for other companies, etc. and you have proof that it is likely to work
What is research?
Finding out about the world through objective and systematic observation/information gathering
How is OB separate from personal opinions?
OB researchers follow strict methods to conduct quality research; this separates OB from opinion, intuition, and common sense, which are more likely to be biased and inaccurate
Explain how our intuitions can often be wrong
Because of own experiences, we can become overconfident in our ability to understand other people and how expect them to react to different situations in the workplace. Often these intuitions are wrong
Define empirical information:
Known through observation; must be verifiable by other people using same methods
Define falsifiable information
There must be a way to show empirically that a claim is NOT correct
What is the process of conducting OB research?
- Decide of your research/topic
- Review literature
- Articulate your theory and form your hypothesis
- Design study
- Collect data
- Analyze data and report findings
- Apply the findings (eg. define different actions you can take to improve a situation)
Define hypothesis
A formal statement of the expected relationship between two or more variables
Define theory
A set of statements about the inter-relationships between concepts that allow us to predict and explain various processes and outcomes. Must be testable
What is a moderator?
A moderator is a variable that changes the relationship between two other variables (eg. age: how a rude managerial style affects employees’ satisfaction/productivity depends on the employees’ age)
What is a mediator?
A mediator is a variable that explains the relationship between two other variables
What are the three types of research?
Observation, correlation, experimentation
What is participant observation?
When the researcher becomes in insider of the group; they become a functional member of the group that is being studied
What is one caution about participant observation?
By being part of the group, there is a possibility that you can change their natural behaviour (either positively or negatively). This can invalidate your study
What is direct observation?
When the research only watches from the outside of the group; they have no involvement in or with the group being observed
What are the advantages of observational design?
Depth, breadth, richness, spontaneity, realism. You can get a lot more information about people by watching them in their natural environment rather than asking them questions directly
What are the disadvantages of observational design?
Time and effort-intensive, lack of control, small number of cases, limited generalizability to other settings. More bias can be created if researchers don’t notice something/ignore something that might be important/pay more attention to things that aren’t as important
