Organizational Behavior Review

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts from organizational behavior.

Organizational Behavior (OB)

A field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations, aimed at improving organizational effectiveness.

Management Effectiveness

Understanding OB helps determine manager effectiveness; technical skills are important, but leadership and communication skills are critical.

Intuition in OB

Gut feelings and common sense used to predict behaviors, often complemented by systematic study.

Systematic Study

Examining relationships and using scientific evidence to predict human behaviors in organizational settings.

Independent Variables (X)

The presumed causes in OB research that are manipulated to observe changes in dependent variables.

Dependent Variables (Y)

Responses in OB research that are the subjects of prediction or explanation, such as productivity and turnover.

Workforce Diversity

The demographic variety of people within an organization, including differences in gender, race, age, religion, and more.

Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)

Discretionary behavior by employees that is not part of their formal job requirements but promotes the effective functioning of the organization.

Counterproductive Work Behavior (CWB)

Voluntary behavior that violates significant organizational norms, threatening the well-being of the organization and its members.

Personality

A relatively stable set of characteristics that influences an individual's behavior.

The Big Five Personality Dimensions

A framework identifying five key traits that describe human personality: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Openness to Experience.

Values in the Workplace

Stable, evaluative beliefs that guide preferences for outcomes, determining what is considered 'right' or 'wrong'.

Motivation

An inner drive that directs behavior toward goals, composed of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

Team Effectiveness

Measures of how well a team functions, influenced by factors like goals, trust, roles, and communication.

Transformational Leadership

A leadership style that inspires employees to exceed expectations by focusing on vision, inspiration, and individual consideration.

Transactional Leadership

Leadership that focuses on clear structure and rewards/punishments to manage followers, primarily achieving routine tasks.

Emotional Intelligence

The ability to perceive, understand, manage, and regulate emotions in oneself and others, critical for effective leadership.

Creating Organizational Culture

The process of establishing shared beliefs and values within an organization that guide member behavior.

Overcoming Resistance to Change

Strategies to address and minimize individuals' and organizational resistance to change initiatives.