Organizational Behavior and Leadership: Key Concepts and Principles 1 Save Groups

Expert power

Power that comes from having specialized knowledge or skills

Transformational leadership

A leadership style that changes how employees view their work and motivates them to exceed expectations

Groupthink

Poor decision making that occurs when a group values agreement over critical thinking

Bounded rationality

The idea that decision makers are limited by information, time, and cognitive ability

Satisficing

Choosing a solution that is good enough rather than the optimal one

Public compliance

Changing behavior to fit in with others without changing personal beliefs

Private acceptance

Changing both behavior and beliefs because the influence is internalized

Formal power

Power that comes from an official position in an organization

Informal power

Power that comes from personal traits such as expertise or charisma

Initiating structure

Leadership behavior focused on defining roles, tasks, and goals

Consideration

Leadership behavior focused on trust, respect, and concern for employees

Group cohesiveness

The degree to which members are attracted to and motivated to stay in a group

Factors affecting group cohesiveness

Group size, similarity, competition, shared success, and exclusiveness

Authority persuasion principle

People are more likely to comply with requests from credible experts

Reciprocity persuasion principle

People feel obligated to return favors or concessions

Liking persuasion principle

People are more easily persuaded by individuals they like

Scarcity persuasion principle

People want things more when they are limited or rare

Social proof persuasion principle

People look to others to determine appropriate behavior

Consistency persuasion principle

People want to act in ways that are consistent with prior commitments

Irreplaceable department

A department whose skills are unique and critical to organizational success

Relationship-oriented leadership

Leadership style that prioritizes employee relationships and well-being

Task-oriented leadership

Leadership style that prioritizes completing tasks and achieving goals

Organizational culture

The shared values, beliefs, and norms that influence how employees behave

Building blocks of organizational culture

People, ethics, employment relationships, organizational structure, national culture

Conformity

Adjusting behavior or beliefs to match group norms

Compliance

Behavior change in response to a direct request

Obedience

Compliance with orders from an authority figure

Negotiation for collaboration

Focusing on shared goals, interests, fairness, and joint gains

Autocratic decision-making

Leader makes decisions alone without employee input

Consultative decision-making

Leader asks for input but makes the final decision

Facilitative decision-making

Leader encourages group discussion and consensus

Delegative decision-making

Leader gives decision-making authority to others

Organic organizational structure

A flexible structure suited for uncertain and rapidly changing environments

Mechanistic organizational structure

A rigid structure suited for stable and predictable environments

Transactional leadership

Leadership based on exchanges such as rewards for performance

Influence tactic used by transactional leaders

Reciprocity

Motivations for conformity

The need for belonging and the desire for certainty