Understanding Workplace Dynamics: Intelligence, Motivation, and Teams

Practical Intelligence

Ability to solve everyday problems by using knowledge gained from experience to adapt to, shape, and select environments.

Conscientiousness

The strongest and most positive personality trait affecting job performance across jobs, industries, and levels.

Core Self-Evaluations (CSEs)

Composed of generalized self-efficacy, self-esteem, locus of control, and emotional stability.

Internal Locus of Control

Taking personal responsibility for failures and successes.

Self-Esteem

Represents a general belief about your self-worth.

Emotional Stability

Associated with higher organizational citizenship behaviors.

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Ability to monitor, discriminate, and use one's own and others' emotions to guide thinking and actions.

Emotions

Complex, brief responses aimed at specific triggers.

Emotion Display Norms

Rules dictating which types of emotions are appropriate for organizational members to show.

Anger

Classified as a retrospective, backward-looking emotion.

Content Theories of Motivation

Focus on internal factors such as needs and satisfaction that energize employee motivation.

Process Theories of Motivation

Explain how internal and situational factors influence employee motivation.

Herzberg's Motivator-Hygiene Theory

Hygiene Factors prevent dissatisfaction but do not lead to satisfaction; Motivators improve satisfaction and drive employee motivation.

Equity Theory

People strive for fairness and justice by comparing inputs and outputs with others.

Expectancy Theory

Motivation depends on expectancy, instrumentality, and valence.

SMART Goals

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results, Time-bound.

Four-Step Goal Process

Set goals, promote goal attainment, provide support and feedback, create action plans.

Goal Achievement Factors

Ability, resources, and commitment are necessary for success.

Top-Down Job Design

Focuses on standardized tasks to increase efficiency but may lead to dissatisfaction.

Job Enlargement

Combining specialized tasks to increase variety in a job.

Job Rotation

Increases worker flexibility and enhances knowledge.

Job Enrichment

Provides opportunities for greater achievement and responsibility.

Job Characteristics Model

Enhances intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction.

Bottom-Up Approaches

Allow employees to proactively shape their work tasks.

Idiosyncratic Deals (I-deals)

Individualized employment agreements that drive intrinsic motivation.

Effective Performance Management System

Monitor and evaluate performance, review performance, and provide consequences.

Contingency Approach

Emphasizes doing what the situation requires rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Importance of Feedback

Potential to boost performance; serves instructional and motivational functions.

Factors Affecting Feedback Perceptions

Credibility of sources, fairness of the system, performance-reward expectancies.

Effective Feedback Guidelines

Keep feedback relevant, provide specific feedback close to the behavior, and focus on controllable factors.

Coaching

A developmentally focused process with specific performance goals.

Purpose of Rewards

Motivate employee behavior and recognize performance.

Alignment with Performance

Increases job satisfaction and encourages continued high performance.

Effective Use of Rewards

Rewards should be aligned with performance outcomes and not solely focused on monetary incentives.

Herzberg's Theory Application

Improve motivators and enhance hygiene factors to prevent dissatisfaction.

Equity and Justice Theories

Ensuring fairness and employee voice fosters satisfaction.

Expectancy Theory Application

Align efforts with clear rewards through expectancy, instrumentality, and valence.

Goal Setting

Goals must be specific, achievable, and aligned with organizational objectives.

Leniency Error

Consistently rating employees higher than they deserve.

Halo Effect

Allowing one positive trait to influence overall evaluation.

Central Tendency

Avoiding extreme ratings by placing all evaluations near the average.

Recency Effect

Emphasizing recent performance over the entire evaluation period.

Definition of a Group

Two or more freely interacting individuals who share norms, goals, and a common identity.

Formal Groups

Assigned by an organization to achieve specific goals.

Informal Groups

Form based on friendship or common interests.

Maintenance Role Example

Harmonizer.

Task Roles

Focus on keeping the group on track.

Maintenance Roles

Focus on keeping the group together.

Norms

Attitudes, opinions, feelings, or actions shared by two or more people that guide behavior.

Roles

Pertains to an individual's job or situation.

Establishing Group Norms

Norms can emerge on their own or be purposefully created.

Stages of Group Development

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, Adjourning.

Key Transition from Group to Team

Accountability shifts from individual to both individual and collective.

Social Loafing

Counteraction: Hold people accountable for their contributions.

Project Teams

Exist for a specific duration to complete a task.

Work Teams

Typically permanent.

Self-Managed Teams

Have administrative oversight for their task domains.

Cross-Functional Teams

Composed of specialists from different areas.

Virtual Teams

Disadvantage: Difficulty establishing cohesion and trust.

Task Interdependence

Team members depend on each other for information, materials, and resources.

Outcome Interdependence

Outcomes of task work are measured, rewarded, and communicated at the group level.

Trust in Teams

A reciprocal belief that another person will consider how their intentions and behaviors will affect you.

High-Performing Teams

Characteristics: Compelling team purpose and clear goals.

Team Charter

A plan detailing how the team will operate.

Team Performance Strategies

Purpose: To outline deliberate plans of what the team is to do.

Team Composition

The collection of jobs, personalities, knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience of team members.

Team-Based Rewards

Purpose: To foster collaboration by rewarding the team as a whole.

Team-Based Rewards

To foster collaboration by rewarding the team as a whole.

Conflict

Occurs when there is a perceived gap between what is desired and what is experienced.

Functional Conflict

Constructive conflict that can lead to positive outcomes.

Dysfunctional Conflict

Destructive conflict that can lead to negative outcomes.

Common Cause of Workplace Conflict

Personality differences.

Conflict Escalation Warning Sign

Tactics change.

Desirable Outcome of Managing Conflict

Learning.

Personality Conflicts

Based on personal dislike or disagreement and can be particularly harmful.

Contact Hypothesis

Increased interaction between members of different groups can reduce intergroup conflict.

Psychologically Safe Climate

Celebrating and reinforcing the value of differences between group members and their ideas.

Work-Life Conflict

Occurs when demands or pressures from work and life are mutually incompatible.

Achieving Work-Life Balance

An employer's family-supportive philosophy is more important than specific programs.

Bullying in the Workplace

Bullying has group-level implications and affects even those not directly bullied.

Best Strategy for Preventing Workplace Bullying

Develop a workplace bullying policy.

Programmed Conflict

To raise different opinions regardless of personal feelings.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

Speed.

Distributive Negotiation

One party wins and the other loses.

Rational Decision-Making

Identifying and choosing alternative solutions that lead to a desired state of affairs.

Power Definition

Power involves influencing others, not just marshalling resources.

Legitimate Power

Derived from an individual's formal position within an organization.

Psychological Empowerment Components

Meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact.

Soft Influence Tactics

Rational persuasion, inspirational appeals, and consultation.

Cialdini's Principles

Reciprocity, authority, scarcity, consistency, liking, and social proof.

Social Proof

People follow the lead of similar others.

Common Causes

Organizational justice, trust in co-workers, and negative affect (not transparent communication).

Sources of Uncertainty

Unclear objectives, vague performance measures, and ill-defined decision processes (not well-established decision-making protocols).

Trait Theory

This theory posits that certain inherent traits and characteristics make individuals effective leaders.

Common traits in Trait Theory

Intelligence, assertiveness, and empathy.

Critique of Trait Theory

While it highlights important leader attributes, it doesn't account for situational factors influencing leadership effectiveness.

Behavioral Theory

Focuses on specific behaviors and actions of leaders rather than their traits.

Key behaviors in Behavioral Theory

Task-oriented (initiating structure) and people-oriented (consideration) actions.

Application of Behavioral Theory

Emphasizes that effective leadership can be learned and developed through appropriate behaviors.

Contingency Theory

Suggests that the effectiveness of a leadership style is contingent upon the context and situation.