Principles of Management Exam #1 (Chapters 1-4) Vocab

Organizational Behavior (OB)

A field of study devoted to understanding, explaining, and ultimately improving the attitudes and behaviors of individuals and groups in organizations 

Human Resource Management

Takes the theories and principles studied in OB and explores the “nuts-and-bolts" applications of those principles in organizations 

Strategic Management

Focuses on the corporate tactics and industry characteristics that affect an organization’s profitability 

Resource-Based View

A model that argues that rare and inimitable resources help firms maintain competitive advantage 

Inmitable

Incapable of being imitated or copied 

History

A collective pool of experience, wisdom, and knowledge created by people that benefits the organization 

Numerous Small Decisions

People making many small decisions every day that are invisible to competitors 

Socially Complex Resources

Resources created by people, such as culture, teamwork, trust, and reputation. The source of competitive advantage is known, but the method of replicating the advantage is unclear 

Rule of One-Eighth

The belief that at best one-eighth, or 12 percent, of organizations will actually do what is required to build profits by putting people first 

Method of Experience

When people hold firmly to some belief because it is consistent with their own experience and observations 

Method of Intuition

When people hold firmly to some belief because it “just stands to reason” - it seems obvious or self-evident 

Method of Authority

When people hold firmly to some belief because some respected official, agency, or source has said it is so 

Method of Science

When people accept some belief because scientific studies have tended to replicate that result using a series of samples, settings, and methods 

Theory

A collection of verbal and symbolic assertions that specify how and why variables are related, as well as the conditions in which they should (and should not) be related 

Hypothesis

Written predictions that specify relationships between variables 

Correlation

The statistical relationship between two variables. Abbreviated r, it can be positive or negative and range from 0 (no statistical relationship) to 1 (a perfect statistical relationship) 

Casual Inferences

The establishment that one variable does cause another, based on covariation, temporal precedence, and the elimination of alternative explanations 

Meta-Analysis

A method that combines the results of multiple scientific studies by essentially calculating a weighted average correlation across studies (with larger studies receiving more weight) 

Evidence-Based Management

A perspective that argues that scientific findings should form the foundation for management education 

Analytics

The use of data (rather than just opinions) to guide decision making 

Job Performance

Employee behaviors that contribute either positively or negatively to the accomplishment of organizational goals 

Task Performance

Employee behaviors that are directly involved in the transformation of organizational resources into the goods or services that the organization produces 

Routine Task Performance

Well-known or habitual responses by employees to predictable task demands 

Adaptive Task Performance

Thoughtful responses by an employee to unique or unusual task demands 

Creative Task Performance

The degree to which individuals develop ideas or physical outcomes that are both novel and useful 

Job Analysis

A process by which an organization determines requirements of specific jobs 

Occupational Information Network (O*NET)

An online database containing job tasks, behaviors, required knowledge, skills, and abilities 

Citizenship Behavior

Voluntary employee behaviors that contribute to organizational goals by improving the context in which work takes place 

Interpersonal Citizenship Behavior

Going beyond normal job expectations to assist, support, and develop coworkers and colleagues 

Helping

Assisting coworkers who have heavy workloads, aiding them with personal matters, and showing new employees the ropes when they are first on the job 

Courtesy

Sharing important information with coworkers 

Sportsmanship

Maintaining a positive attitude with coworkers through good and bad times 

Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Going beyond normal expectations to improve operations of the organization, as well as defending the organization and being loyal to it 

Voice

When an employee speaks up to offer constructive suggestions for change, often in reaction to a negative work event 

Civic Virtue

Participation in company operations at a deeper-than-normal level through voluntary meetings, readings, and keeping up with news that affects the company 

Boosterism

Positively representing the organization when in public 

Counterproductive Behavior

Employee behaviors that intentionally hinder organizational goal accomplishment 

Property Deviance

Behaviors that harm the organization’s assets and possessions 

Sabotage

Purposeful destruction of equipment, organizational processes, or company products 

Theft

Stealing company products or equipment from the organization 

Production Deviance

Intentionally reducing organizational efficiency of work output 

Wasting Resources

Using too many materials or too much time to do too little work 

Substance Abuse

The abuse of drugs or alcohol before coming to work or while on the job 

Political Deviance

Behaviors that intentionally disadvantage other individuals 

Gossiping

Casual conversations about other people in which the facts are not confirmed as true 

Incivility

Communication that is rude, impolite, discourteous, and lacking in good manners 

Personal Aggression

Hostile verbal and physical actions directed toward other employees 

Harassment

Unwanted physical contact or verbal remarks from a colleague 

Abuse

Employee assault or endangerment from which physical and psychological injuries may occur 

Prosocial Counterproductive Behavior

Workplace behaviors that are intended to benefit others or the organization but, nevertheless, are also counterproductive because they violate norms, rules, policies, or laws; thus, they harm or could potentially harm the organization 

Knowledge Work

Jobs that primarily involve cognitive activity versus physical activity 

Service Work

Providing a service that involves direct verbal or physical interactions with customers 

Gig Work

Income-earning activities that are generally short term in nature, temporary, or involve freelance work, and which occur outside the traditional long-term employer-employee relationship 

Management by Objectives (MBO)

A management philosophy that bases employee evaluations on whether specific performance goals have been met 

Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS)

Use of examples of critical incidents to evaluate an employee’s job performance behaviors directly 

360-Degree Feedback

A performance evaluation system that uses ratings provided by supervisors, coworkers, subordinates, customers, and the employees themselves 

Forced Ranking

A performance management system in which managers rank subordinates relative to one another 

Social Performance Management

The use of a social media platform for performance management involving ongoing communication among managers and employees regarding recognition, sharing of goals, progress, and constructive feedback 

Organizational Commitment

An employee’s desire to remain a member of an organization 

Withdrawal Behavior

Employee actions that are intended to avoid work situations 

Affective Commitment

An employee’s desire to remain a member of an organization due to a feeling of emotional attachment 

Continuance Commitment

An employee’s desire to remain a member of an organization due to an awareness of the costs of leaving 

Normative Commitment

An employee’s desire to remain a member of an organization due to a feeling of obligation 

Focus of Commitment

The people, places, and things that inspire a desire to remain a member of an organization 

Erosion Model

A model that suggests that employees with fewer bonds with coworkers are most likely to quit the organization 

Social Influence Model

A model that suggests that employees with direct linkages to coworkers who leave the organization will themselves become more likely to leave 

Embeddedness

An employee’s connection to and sense of fit in the organization and community 

Volunteering

The giving of time or skills during a planned activity for a nonprofit or charitable group 

Exit

A response to a negative work event by which one becomes often absent from work or voluntarily leaves the organization 

Voice

When an employee speaks up to offer constructive suggestions for change, often in reaction to a negative work event 

Loyalty

A passive response to a negative work event in which one publicly supports the situation but privately hopes for improvement 

Neglect

A passive, destructive response to a negative work event in which one’s interest and effort in work decline 

Stars

Employees with high commitment levels and high task performance levels who serve as role models within the organization 

Citizens

Employees with high commitment levels and low task performance levels who volunteer to do additional activities around the office 

Lone Wolves

Employees with low commitment levels and high task performance levels who focus on their own career rather than what benefits the organization 

Apathetics

Employees with low commitment levels and low task performance levels who exert the minimum amount of effort needed to keep their jobs 

Psychological Withdrawal

Mentally escaping the work environment 

Physical Withdrawal

A physical escape from the work environment 

Independent Forms Model

A model that predicts that the various withdrawal behaviors are uncorrelated; engaging in one type of withdrawal has little bearing on engaging in other types 

Compensatory Forms Model

A model indicating that the various withdrawal behaviors are negatively correlated; engaging in one type of withdrawal makes one less likely to engage in other types 

Progression Model

A model indicating that the various withdrawal behaviors are positively correlated; engaging in one type of withdrawal makes one more likely to engage in other types 

Psychological Contracts

Employee beliefs about what employees owe the organization and what the organization owes them 

Transactional Contracts

Psychological contracts that focus on a narrow set of specific monetary obligations 

Relational Contracts

Psychological contracts that focus on a broad set of open-ended and subjective obligations 

Perceived Organizational Support

The degree to which employees believe that the organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being 

Job Satisfaction

A pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experiences. It represents how a person feels and thinks about their job 

Values

Things that people consciously or unconsciously want to seek or attain 

Value-Percept Theory

A theory that argues that job satisfaction depends on whether the employee perceives that their job supplies those things that they value 

Pay Satisfaction

Employees' feelings about the compensation for their jobs 

Promotion Satisfaction

Employees' feelings about how the company handles promotions 

Supervision Satisfaction

Employees' feelings about their boss, including the boss’s competency, communication, and personality 

Coworker Satisfaction

Employees' feelings about their coworkers, including their abilities and personalities 

Satisfaction with the Work Itself

Employees' feelings about their actual work tasks 

Meaningfulness of Work

A psychological state reflecting one’s feelings about work tasks, goals, and purposes, and the degree to which they contribute to society and fulfill one’s ideals and passions 

Responsibility for Outcomes

A psychological state indicating the degree to which employees feel they are key drivers of the quality of work 

Knowledge of Results

A psychological state indicating the extent to which employees are aware of how well or how poorly they are doing 

Job Characteristics Theory

A theory that argues that five core characteristics (variety, identity, significance, autonomy, and feedback) combine to result in high levels of satisfaction with the work itself 

Variety

The degree to which a job requires different activities and skills 

Identity

The degree to which a job offers completion of a whole, identifiable piece of work 

Significance

The degree to which a job really matters and impacts society as a whole