WORK2218 Managing Organisational Behaviour Practice Flashcards

These flashcards cover the primary vocabulary, theories, and concepts mentioned throughout the Managing Organisational Behaviour (WORK2218) lecture notes, including motivation, attitudes, leadership, and change management.

Performance Formula

$P = M \times A \times E$ where P is Performance, M is Motivation, A is Ability, and E is Environment.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

– Level 5 (top) — Self-Actualisation: challenging job, achievement 

– Level 4 — Esteem: job title, status, recognition 

– Level 3 — Belongingness: friends at work, teamwork 

– Level 2 — Security: pension plan, job stability 

– Level 1 (base) — Physiological: base salary, food, basics

McClleland’s Theory of Needs

Need for Achievement (nAch): wants to excel and succeed — e.g. scientist

• Need for Power (nPow): wants to influence others — e.g. politician 

• Need for Affiliation (nAff): wants to belong and relate — e.g. volunteer 

Match job roles to the employee's dominant need for best motivation. 

Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

Autonomy: control over one's own work and decisions 

• Competence: feeling effective and able to grow 

• Relatedness: meaningful connection with others 

SDT explains why micromanagement destroys engagement even when pay is high. All 3 needs  must be met for sustained intrinsic motivation. 

Intrinsic Motivation

Behaviour performed for its own sake out of passion for the work itself.

Extrinsic Motivation

Behaviour performed for rewards (e.g., bonuses) or to avoid punishment (e.g., fear of demotion).

Overjustification Effect

The phenomenon where over-relyng on extrinsic rewards can undermine a person's intrinsic motivation.

Equity Theory

A process-based theory where individuals compare their input/outcome ratio against others: $\frac{\text{My Inputs}}{\text{My Outcomes}} = \frac{\text{Others' Inputs}}{\text{Others' Outcomes}}$

Expectancy Theory

Motivation based on three links: E → P (effort leads to performance), P → O (performance leads to rewards), and Valence (value of reward).

If any one of the three links is broken, motivation collapses — even if the other two are strong.

SMART Goals

Guidelines for goal setting: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based.

Job Charcterstic Model (JCM)- Hackman & Oldham, 5 core charcterstics

• Skill Variety: using different skills and talents 

• Task Identity: completing a whole, identifiable piece of work 

• Task Significance: the job has a real impact on others

• Autonomy: freedom and independence in how work is done 

• Feedback: clear information about performance results 

Outcomes when all 5 Job Charcterstics are present from the JCM

• High intrinsic motivation 

• High-quality work performance 

• Low absenteeism and turnover

Job Redesign Methods

•Job Enrichment (vertical): add higher-level responsibilities → boosts intrinsic motivation

• Job Enlargement (horizontal): more tasks at the same level → increases variety

• Job Rotation: periodic shifting between tasks → builds skill variety at low cost

• Flexitime / Job Sharing: flexible hours or split roles → motivation without pay increases

• Empowerment: workers set own goals and solve problems → boosts autonomy (SDT)

Reward Types

• Merit-based pay — tied to performance review

• Bonuses — one-time, not part of base salary

• Profit-sharing — employees share in company success

• Recognition programs — non-financial intrinsic rewards

What are the values

• Terminal values: end-states a person desires — prosperity, happiness, family security

• Instrumental values: preferred ways of behaving to achieve terminal values

• Intrinsic work values: the work itself matters — creativity, challenge

• Extrinsic work values: outcomes of work matter — pay, status, benefits

What are the value conflicts?

Intrapersonal — conflict within yourself (e.g. ambition vs. happiness) • Interpersonal — conflict between two people with different values • Individual–organisation — your values clash with the org's values (e.g. on diversity)

ABC Model of Attitudes

• Affective (A): your feelings about something

• Behavioural (B): your intended or actual behaviour

• Cognitive (C): your beliefs or knowledge about something

Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance: conflict between two attitudes, or between attitude and behaviour. Reduce by: changing the attitude, changing the behaviour, or rationalising.

5 Key Job Attitudes

• Job Satisfaction: overall feelings about your job

• Job Involvement: psychological identification with your role

• Organisational Commitment: wanting to stay and align with org goals

• POS (Perceived Org. Support): feeling the organisation cares about you • Employee Engagement: emotional and intellectual connection → discretionary effort

3 Types of Organizational Commitment

• Affective: WANT to stay — strong emotional attachment and identification with values

• Normative: OUGHT to stay — feels morally obligated to the organisation • Continuance: HAVE to stay — too costly to leave (financial, social)

EVLN Model

• Exit (E): actively leave the organisation — turnover

• Voice (V): actively speak up, propose solutions — constructive

• Loyalty (L): wait passively and hope things improve

• Neglect (N): reduce effort, counterproductive work behaviour (CWB)

Emotions

intense, discrete, short-lived-caused by a specific event

Moods

longer-lived intense-often no specific trigger

7 universal emotions

Happiness, Sadness, Fear, Anger, Surprise, Disgust, Contempt

Emotional Labour

When employees express organisationally desired emotions during work interactions — common in service work, management, negotiation

Surface Acting

Emotional labour where employees pretend to feel an emotion they do not, risking burnout.

Deep Acting

Emotional labour where employees internalise the required emotion to genuinely feel it. stronger rapport and trust, eg genuinelly empathizing with a difficult customer

Emotional Contagion

The process by which emotions spread unconsciously from person to person.

There can be postive contagion and negative contagion

Emotional Intelligence (EI) - 4 components

• Self-Awareness: understanding your own emotions as they happen

• Self-Management: regulating your own emotions and impulses

• Social Awareness (Empathy): sensing how others are feeling

• Relationship Management: effectively handling others' emotions to build trust and cooperation

Position Power- tiled to the role- lost when the role changes (name 3)

• Legitimate: authority from holding a formal position — e.g. CEO issuing a directive

• Reward: control over rewards — e.g. manager approving bonuses

• Coercive: control over punishments — e.g. threatening demotion

Personal Power (travels with the person across roles and organizations) name 4

• Expert: knowledge or expertise — e.g. senior consultant

• Informational: control over information flow — e.g. gatekeeper of reports • Referent: charisma and admiration — e.g. inspiring role model

• Persuasive: ability to use logic and facts — e.g. data-driven business case

Conflict: Types & De-esclation

• Functional (constructive): adaptive, seeks win-win outcomes, leads to new ideas

• Dysfunctional: emotional, destructive, focused on differences — increases stress and turnover

• Horizontal conflict: between groups at the same organisational level

• Vertical conflict: across different hierarchical levels

De-esclation tactics to do

• Listen empathetically — focus on the issue, not the person

• Use delaying tactics to let emotions cool

• Remind both parties that a win-win solution is possible

descalation tactics to avoid

Personal attacks

raising your voice

blaming either party

Negotiation Key Concepts (6)

• Interests: the underlying reasons and values — WHY they want something

• Positions: surface-level statements — WHAT they say they want (rarely the full picture)

• BATNA: Best Alternative To Negotiated Agreement — your best option if talks fail. Never fully reveal it.

• Resistance Point: the worst outcome you will accept before walking away

• Target Point: your most desired outcome — be assertive but fact-based

• ZOPA: Zone of Possible Agreement — the overlap between both parties' resistance points

Perception

The set of processes by which we become aware of and interpret information about our environment. KEY POINT: People behave based on their PERCEPTION of reality, not reality itself.

Attribution Theory- How we explain behaviour?

When we see someone behave a certain way, we try to explain it: is it because of WHO they are (internal) or the SITUATION they were in (external)

3 rules for judging internal vs. external cause:

• Consistency: does the person always behave this way? High consistency → internal cause

• Distinctiveness: do they behave differently in other situations? Low distinctiveness → internal cause

• Consensus: do others behave the same way in this situation? Low consensus → internal cause

Two Common attribution errors

• Fundamental Attribution Error: overestimate internal factors (blame the person), underestimate external factors (ignore the situation)

• Self-Serving Bias: take credit for successes (internal), blame external factors for failures

11 decision making biases

•Decision-Making Biases — know all of these • Availability bias: judge likelihood by how easily examples come to mind — e.g. fear of flying vs. driving

• Overconfidence bias: think you're better than you actually are

• Anchoring bias: over-rely on the first piece of information you see — e.g. 'on sale!' framing

• Representative bias: stereotype based on appearances — e.g. 'people wearing suits are lawyers'

• Confirmation bias: favour information that confirms what you already believe

• Sunk cost bias: continue investing because of past investment, even when it makes no sense

• Framing bias: the same information framed differently leads to different decisions

• Hindsight bias: 'I knew it all along' after the event — overestimating your prior knowledge

• Escalation of commitment: keep going on a failing course of action to avoid admitting you were wrong

• Bounded rationality: decisions are constrained by limited information, limited thinking capacity, and limited time — we can't always be rational

• Satisficing: choosing a 'good enough' option rather than searching for the optimal one

3 Types of Decisions

• Strategic: set the overall direction of the organisation — made by CEO, board, top management

• Tactical: how things get done — made by middle managers

• Operational: day-to-day execution decisions — made by all employees

Groups vs Teams

• Group: two or more people who interact to share information and make decisions within their individual areas of responsibility

• Team: interdependent, shared goal, shared accountability → creates positive SYNERGY: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Types of Groups

• Formal: Command group (permanent, reporting structure), Task group (temporary, specific problem)

• Informal: Friendship group, Interest group, Communities of practice

3 types of team interdependence

• Pooled: work separately toward a common goal

• Sequential: output of one person is the input for the next — assembly line

• Reciprocal: highly interdependent, continuous back-and-forth — e.g. coding teams

5 Group Performance Factors

• Composition: Homogeneous = better for simple or sequential tasks. Heterogeneous = better for complex or creative tasks.

• Size: Larger groups have more resources but more social loafing — members reduce individual effort when in a group.

• Norms: Standards for appropriate behaviour — help the group survive and reduce uncertainty. Enforced only for important behaviours.

• Cohesiveness: Commitment to staying together. HIGH cohesion + ALIGNED goals = best outcome. HIGH cohesion + MISALIGNED goals = worst outcome. • Informal Leadership: An unrecognised leader drawing on referent or expert power — can be an asset or disruptor

Tuckman's 5 Stages

• Forming: getting to know each other, polite, uncertain

• Storming: establish power, influence, and roles — conflict emerges

• Norming: establish norms and cohesion — team starts to gel

• Performing: high performance — team is focused on achieving goals

• Adjourning: team ends or disbands

Punctuated Equilibrium. Model

• First half: stability and low productivity (getting settled)

• Midpoint transition: surge in activity and major changes

• Second half: stability again, then a final sprint before deadline

Team Implementation Model

• Start-up → Reality/Unrest (performance dips) → Leader-centred → Tightly-formed → Selfmanaging (performance peaks)

ABI Model of Trust

Ability (competence), Benevolence (caring), and Integrity (honesty).

3 types of trust

• Calculus-based: based on rules and incentives — new teammates, formal contracts

• Knowledge-based: based on history of interactions — known colleagues, classmates

• Identification-based: based on shared identity and values — close friends, long-term partners Trust is multi-level: Interpersonal → Intra-team → Organisational.

Trait Theory- Good Leaders are Born

Focuses on stable personal characteristics. Currently accepted traits: emotional intelligence, drive, honesty, self-confidence, charisma, cognitive ability. Extraversion is the most predictive trait of leadership emergence. EI is critical for effective leadership.

Behaviour Theory- Good leaders are trained

Identifies what effective leaders DO, then trains others to do the same. Two dimensions:

• Employee-oriented: focus on relationships, interpersonal needs, individual differences

• Production-oriented: focus on tasks, technical aspects, group goals

Contingency Theory- It depends on context

Appropriate leadership style varies by situation. Effective leaders read the environment and adapt. Situational leadership: match your style to the follower's readiness level.

3 Contemporary Theories

• Transactional leadership: social exchanges — rewards for compliance, punishments for noncompliance. Maintains the status quo. Works for stable, routine environments.

• Transformational leadership: inspires followers through vision, development, and empowerment. Drives cultural change. More effective in dynamic, challenging environments.

• LMX (Leader-Member Exchange): leaders develop unique relationships with each subordinate. In-group: high trust, more autonomy, better outcomes. Out-group: less attention, routine tasks. Risk: in-group/out-group inequity

Schein's 3 Levels of Culture

• Artefacts: visible and tangible — open offices, awards, ceremonies, dress code

• Espoused values: what the organisation SAYS it believes — stated values, mission statements

• Assumptions: so deeply ingrained they're taken for granted — the invisible core of culture

Analogy: visiting someone's home. Artefacts = the furniture. Espoused values = what they tell you about their home. Assumptions = the unspoken rules you discover when you accidentally wear shoes on the carpet

Handy’s 4 Culture Types

• Power culture: centralised, controlled by a few key people — fast decisions, little bureaucracy

• Role culture: bureaucratic, driven by rules and procedures — stable but slow to change

• Task culture: project and expertise-focused — values results and collaboration • Support culture: people-centred, consensus-driven — values relationships and wellbeing

7 characteristics that differentiate cultures

• Innovation and risk-taking | Attention to detail | Outcome orientation • People orientation | Team orientation | Aggressiveness | Stability

Strong culture

core values are widely shared and intensely held → reduces turnover, increases performance consistency. BUT: 'A strong toxic culture is still toxic.' Strength amplifies whatever the values are — positive or negative.

4 forces driving change:

• People: new generations, skills gaps, workforce diversity, changing expectations

• Technology: AI, automation, global supply chains, new manufacturing methods

• Competition: global markets, emerging economies, new products and services • Climate change: resource management, sustainability pressures, extreme weather events

Lewin’s 3-step change model

• Unfreezing: create awareness of the need to change — break down the status quo

• Change: move from old to new ways of doing things

• Refreezing: make new behaviours permanent and resistant to reversal

Continuous Change Process Model

• Change agent: person responsible for managing the change — identifies problems, evaluates plans, measures results

• Transition management: systematically planning, organising, and implementing change on an ongoing basis

4 Organisation Development (OD) People-Change Techniques:

•Training: improve job skills — main risk: learning doesn't transfer back to the workplace

• Management development: build manager skills and perspectives through case studies, role play, experiential methods

• Team-building: improve group processes, goals, communication, and relationships

• Survey feedback: involve all employees in data analysis, problem identification, and solution development