Organizational Behavior: Big Five Personality, Cognitive Abilities & Teams

Personality

structures and propensities inside us that explain our characteristic pattern of thought, emotion, and behavior

when does your personality stop changing

at 30 years old

cultural values

shared beliefs about desirable end states of modes of conduct in a given culture

cultural values can

influence the development and expression of people's personality traits

Openness to experience adjectives

curious, imaginative, creative

Openness to experience is

helpful in jobs that are dynamic, creative, with opportunities to learn

Conscientiousness adjectives

dependable, organized, reliable

conscientiousness is

the biggest influence on job performance of any Big Five.

conscientiousness has

the strongest effect on task performance

agreeableness adjectives

kind, cooperative, sympathetic

agreeableness is

helpful in service jobs

communication striving is

strong desire to obtain acceptance

extraversion adjectives

talkative, sociable, passionate

most extraverts are

business owners

status striving

a strong desire to obtain power and influence within a social structure

positive affectivity

a dispositional tendency to experience pleasant, engaging moods like enthusiasm

Neuroticism adjectives

nervous, moody, emotional

neuroticism is

The best predictor of you not doing well in a job

Negative affectivity

tendency to experience unpleasant moods, such as hostility

There are few benefits from traits associated with neuroticism (T/F)

True

Ability

The relatively stable capabilities people have to perform a particular range of different but related activities

cognitive abilities

strong predictor of job performance

cognitive abilities is

acquiring and applying knowledge

verbal ability

understanding and expressing oral and written communication

Quantitative ability

number facility, mathematical reasoning

number facility

capabilities to do simple math operations like adding

mathematical reasoning

ability to choose and apply formulas to solve problems involving numbers

Reasoning ability

abilities associated with sensing and solving problems using insight, rules, and logic

deductive reasoning

applying general rules to specific problems

inductive reasoning

combining specific information to form general conclusions

spatial ability

associated with visual and mental representation and manipulation of objects in space

spatial orientation

knowing where one is relative to objects in the environment

visualization

imagining how something will look after is has been rearranged

Perceptual ability

being able to perceive, understand, and recall patterns of information

speed and flexibility of closure

making sense of information and finding patterns

perceptual speed

comparing information or objects with remembered information or objects

Emotional ability

emotional intelligence, related to understanding and use of emotions that affect social functioning

self-awareness

the appraisal and expression of emotions in oneself

other awareness

appraisal and recognition of emotions in others

Emotion Regulation

The ability to quickly recover from emotional experiences and control one's feelings

use of emotions

the degree to which people can harness emotions and employ them to improve their chances of being successful in whatever they are seeking to do

example of use of emotions

psyching yourself up

strength

degree to which the body is capable of exerting force

stamina

ability of lungs and circulatory system to work efficiently for prolonged times

flexibility and coordination

Ability to stretch, bend, twist, or reach

psychomotor

capacity to manipulate or control objects

sensory

capabilities associated with hearing or vision

general cognitive ability

explanation for the consistency in the levels of different cognitive abilities within a person

g-factor

overlap of all cognitive abilities; predicts task performance

teams

Two or more people working interdependently toward a common goal

team types

work, management, parallel, project, action

stages of team development

forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning

forming

members orient themselves to team boundaries

storming

conflict occurs because members remain committed to the ideas they bring with them to the team

norming

members realize they need to work together and begin to cooperate

performing

Members are comfortable in their roles, and the team makes progress toward goals.

adjourning

members experience anxiety and other emotions as they disengage and ultimately separate from the team

punctuated equilibrium

development in which not much gets done until the midway point of a project, and then the team increases effectiveness to meet its deadline

Task interdependence

the degree to which team members interact with and rely on other team members for the information, materials, and resources needed to accomplish work for the team

Goal interdependence

exists when team members have a shared vision of the team's goal and align their individual goals with that vision as a result

mission statement

helps clarify actions needed by team

Outcome interdependence

the degree to which team members share equally in the feedback and rewards that result from the team achieving its goals

Team processes

the different types of communication, activities, and interactions that occur within teams as it works towards its goal

Process gain

getting more from the team than you would expect according to the capabilities of its individual members

another name for process gain

synergy

Process loss

getting less from the team than you would expect based on the capabilities of its individual members

coordination loss

process loss due to the time it takes to coordinate work activities with other team members

social loafing

results from members feeling less accountable for team outcomes compared with their independent work from outside the team

motivation loss

process loss due to team members' tendency to give less effort on team tasks than they could

brainstorming

Process used to generate ideas

drawback of creative behavior

social loafing, hesitancy to express ideas in a group setting, production blocking as members wait their turn to express ideas

Nominal group techniques

Team members individually write ideas and then take turns sharing them with the group in round robin fashion

Boundary spanning

Relates to taskwork processes that involve individuals and groups who are not considered part of the team

ambassador activities

refer to communications that are intended to protect the team, persuade others to support the team, or obtain important resources for the team

task coordinator activities

involve communications that are intended to coordinate task-related issues with people or groups in other functional areas

scout activities

refer to things team members do to obtain information about technology, competitors, or the broader marketplace

Teamwork processes

interpersonal activities that facilitate the accomplishment of the team's work but do not directly involve task accomplishment itself

transition process

focus on preparation for future work

mission analysis

involves an analysis of the team's task, the challenges that face the team, and the resources available for completing the team's work

strategy formulation

refers to the development of courses of action and contingency plans, and then adapting those plans considering changes that occur in the team's environment

Goal specification

involves the development and prioritization of goals related to the team's mission and strategy

communication

The process by which information and meaning get transferred from a sender to a receiver

communication is

Most effective when its face-to-face

Network structure

the pattern of communication that occurs regularly among each member of a team

centralization

the degree to which communication in a network flow through some members rather than others

all-channel network is

highly decentralized, all team members communicate with each other

wheel-channel network is

highly centralized, all communication flows through a central figure

conflict management

activities that the team uses to manage conflicts that arise in the course of its work

Relationship conflict

Disagreements among team members in terms of interpersonal relationships or incompatibilities with respect to personal values or preferences

What does relationship conflict do

harms teams; negative

when does groupthink occur

when cohesion overrides critical thinking

Groupthink

flawed decision‑making pattern where a cohesive group prioritizes harmony and consensus over critical evaluation

effective goals are

specific and measurable; SMART Goals

Integrity

employees lose trust when leaders fail to act consistently with promises

Action learning

Team process training in which a team has the opportunity to work on an actual problem within the organization

Cross training

Training team members in the duties and responsibilities of their teammates

personal clarification

Training in which members simply receive information regarding the roles of the other team members

Positional modeling:

Training that involves observations of how other team members perform their roles

positional rotation

Training that gives members actual experience carrying out the responsibilities of their teammates

Potency

The degree to which members believe that the team can be effective across a variety of situations and tasks