BUS 301 Exam 1

Importance of OB

Organizational success depends on understanding and influencing people's behavior.

Big 8 Factors

Context/Situation, Ability, Personality, Values, Attitude, Perception, Motivation, Outside Work Environment.

Context/Situation

The environment and circumstances surrounding a person.

Ability

General mental ability; strongest predictor of job performance.

Personality

Consistent tendency to think, feel, and behave in certain ways.

Values

Things a person considers important or worthwhile.

Attitude

Positive or negative feelings about something.

Perception

How people interpret and make sense of reality.

Motivation

Force affecting choices, effort, and persistence.

Outside Work Environment

Personal life factors affecting work behavior.

Why Common Sense Is Not Enough

Common sense is opinion; research provides evidence-based conclusions.

Three Goals of OB

Description, Prescription, Application.

Description

Explain and understand behavior.

Prescription

Recommend best practices.

Application

Implement recommendations.

Contingency Approach

The best action depends on the situation and people involved.

POLCa

Planning, Organizing, Leading, Controlling, Adjusting.

Traditional Management

Planning, organizing, leading, controlling, adjusting.

Communication

Meetings, emails, phone calls, information sharing.

HRM

Hiring, training, evaluating, developing employees.

Networking

Building relationships and connections.

Successful Managers

Spend most time networking.

Effective Managers

Spend most time communicating and managing people.

Performance Currency

Quality of work and job performance.

Relationship Currency

Relationships and trust with influential people.

Why Employees Accept Jobs

Open communication, effect on personal life, nature of work.

Big Five Personality Traits

Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Openness.

Extraversion

Sociable, assertive, talkative.

Agreeableness

Cooperative, trusting, tolerant.

Conscientiousness

Dependable, organized, achievement-oriented.

Emotional Stability

Calm, secure, emotionally stable.

Openness

Imaginative, curious, creative.

MBTI

Myers-Briggs personality assessment.

MBTI Dimensions

E/I, S/N, T/F, P/J.

Internal Locus of Control

Belief that outcomes are controlled by oneself.

External Locus of Control

Belief that outcomes are controlled by luck, chance, or others.

Self-Esteem

Degree of positive self-evaluation.

Type A Personality

Aggressive, competitive, impatient, time urgent.

Intolerance of Ambiguity

Difficulty coping with uncertainty and change.

Values

What is important to an individual.

Traditionalists (1925-1945)

Hardworking, conservative, cautious, rule-oriented.

Baby Boomers (1946-1964)

Work defines self and others.

Generation X (1965-1979)

Independent, resilient, work to live.

Millennials/Gen Y (1980-2000)

Empowered, expect accommodation, value safety/security.

Generation Z (2001-present)

Current entering workforce generation.

Power Distance

Acceptance of unequal distribution of power.

United States Power Distance

Lower than average.

Individualism

Emphasis on independence and personal achievement.

Collectivism

Emphasis on loyalty and group performance.

United States Culture

Individualistic.

Uncertainty Avoidance

Discomfort with ambiguity and uncertainty.

United States Uncertainty Avoidance

Relatively weak.

Quantity of Life (Masculinity)

Competition, achievement, acquisition.

Quality of Life (Femininity)

Relationships and well-being.

United States Orientation

More quantity of life.

Long-Term Orientation

Focus on persistence and future rewards.

Short-Term Orientation

Focus on immediate results and stability.

United States Orientation

More short-term oriented.

Attitude

Belief + Value.

Global Disposition

General positive or negative outlook.

Positive Affect

Optimistic outlook.

Negative Affect

Pessimistic outlook.

Job Satisfaction

Attitude toward one's job.

Job Involvement

Identification and involvement with one's work.

Organizational Commitment

Loyalty and attachment to organization.

Cognitive Dissonance

Inconsistency among attitudes and behaviors causing discomfort.

Ways to Change Attitudes

Change beliefs, values, behaviors, or use persuasion.

Characteristics of Believable Communicator

Expertise, lack of bias, likability.

Emotional Intelligence

Using emotions intelligently.

Self-Awareness

Understanding your emotions.

Self-Regulation

Managing emotions appropriately.

Self-Motivation

Directing emotions toward goals.

Empathy

Understanding others' emotions.

Effective Relationships

Building positive relationships.

Perception

Interpreting sensory information to create meaning.

Attribution

Assigning causes to behavior or events.

Why Perception Matters

People act on perceptions, not reality.

Three Influences on Perception

Perceiver, Situation, Target.

Perceiver

Personality, values, attitudes, motives, experiences, expectations.

Situation

Context or environment affecting interpretation.

Target

Object or person being perceived.

Primacy Effect

First impressions dominate later information.

Recency Effect

Most recent information dominates judgment.

Reliance on Central Traits

One trait heavily influences perception.

Implicit Personality Theory

Assuming traits naturally occur together.

Projection

Attributing your characteristics to others.

Stereotyping

Judging based on group membership.

Internal Attribution

Cause comes from the person.

External Attribution

Cause comes from environment or situation.

Consensus

Do others behave the same way?

Consistency

Does behavior occur repeatedly?

Distinctiveness

Does behavior occur only in this situation?

Low Consensus

Suggests internal attribution.

High Consensus

Suggests external attribution.

High Consistency

Suggests internal attribution.

Low Consistency

Suggests external attribution.

Low Distinctiveness

Suggests internal attribution.

High Distinctiveness

Suggests external attribution.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overestimating internal causes and underestimating external causes when judging others.

Self-Serving Bias

Successes = internal causes; failures = external causes.