Organizational Behavior – Chapters 1-4 Key Vocabulary

Organizational Behavior (OB)

The study of what people think, feel, and do in and around organizations, including employee behavior, decisions, perceptions, and emotions.

Organization

A collective entity of people who work interdependently toward a shared purpose.

Open-Systems Perspective

View that organizations are effective when they maintain a good fit with the external environment by adapting, influencing, or relocating.

Organizational Learning Perspective

The belief that effectiveness depends on acquiring, sharing, using, and storing knowledge.

Intellectual Capital

All knowledge resources of an organization: human, structural, and relationship capital.

Human Capital

Employee knowledge, skills, and abilities that create value.

Structural Capital

Knowledge captured in an organization’s systems, processes, databases, and culture.

Relationship Capital

The value derived from an organization’s relationships with customers, suppliers, and other partners.

High-Performance Work Practices (HPWP)

Bundled workplace practices that enhance human capital and improve organizational effectiveness.

Stakeholders

Individuals, groups, or entities that affect or are affected by an organization’s objectives and actions.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Organizational actions that benefit society beyond the firm’s immediate interests.

MARS Model

Framework stating that Performance = Motivation × Ability × Role Perceptions, moderated by Situational Factors.

Motivation (MARS)

Internal forces that determine the direction, intensity, and persistence of voluntary behavior.

Ability (MARS)

A person’s natural aptitudes and learned capabilities required to successfully complete a task.

Role Perceptions (MARS)

How clearly people understand the duties, priorities, and expectations of their job roles.

Situational Factors (MARS)

Contextual constraints outside an employee’s control that affect performance.

Task Performance

Goal-directed behaviors that support organizational objectives; can be proficient, adaptive, or proactive.

Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)

Cooperative and helpful actions that support the social and psychological environment of the organization.

Counterproductive Work Behaviors (CWB)

Voluntary behaviors that have the potential to harm the organization or its members.

Presenteeism

Attending work while ill or otherwise impaired, leading to reduced productivity.

Absenteeism

Failure to attend work as scheduled.

Big Five Personality Traits

Five broad dimensions—Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, and Extraversion—describing human personality.

Conscientiousness

Trait reflecting organization, dependability, discipline, and goal-focus.

Agreeableness

Trait describing trust, helpfulness, tolerance, and flexibility.

Neuroticism

Tendency toward anxiety, insecurity, and emotional instability.

Openness to Experience

Imagination, creativity, curiosity, and willingness to try new things.

Extraversion

Outgoing, talkative, energetic, and sociable orientation.

Openness to Change (Values Quadrant)

Motivation to pursue innovative ways; includes self-direction, stimulation, and hedonism values.

Conservation (Values Quadrant)

Motivation to preserve the status quo; includes conformity, security, and tradition values.

Self-Enhancement (Values Quadrant)

Motivation driven by self-interest; includes achievement, power, and hedonism values.

Self-Transcendence (Values Quadrant)

Motivation to promote the welfare of others and nature; includes benevolence and universalism values.

Values Congruence

Similarity between an individual’s values and those of the organization.

Utilitarianism

Ethical principle advocating the greatest good for the greatest number.

Individual Rights Principle

Ethical principle emphasizing fundamental freedoms such as speech and security.

Distributive Justice Principle

Ethical principle that benefits and burdens should be distributed equally unless inequality is justified.

Moral Intensity

Degree to which an issue demands ethical principles.

Moral Sensitivity

Ability to recognize the presence of an ethical dilemma.

Individualism

Cultural value emphasizing independence and personal uniqueness.

Collectivism

Cultural value emphasizing duty to groups and group harmony.

Uncertainty Avoidance

Extent to which people tolerate ambiguity or prefer structured situations.

Achievement Orientation

Cultural tendency to value assertiveness, competitiveness, and material success.

Self-Concept

An individual’s self-perception comprising complexity, consistency, and clarity.

Complexity (Self-Concept)

Number of distinct roles or identities a person perceives about themselves.

Consistency (Self-Concept)

Compatibility among a person’s multiple self-perceptions.

Clarity (Self-Concept)

Degree to which a person’s self-beliefs are clearly defined and stable.

Self-Enhancement

Drive to maintain a positive self-view by perceiving oneself above average.

Self-Verification

Motivation to confirm and maintain one’s existing self-concept.

Self-Esteem

Extent to which individuals like and respect themselves.

Self-Efficacy

Belief in one’s capability to successfully perform a specific task.

Locus of Control

General belief about the degree of control over personal life events (internal vs. external).

Social Identity Theory

Theory that people define themselves by the groups to which they belong.

Selective Attention

Process of noticing certain stimuli while ignoring others based on novelty, intensity, etc.

Confirmation Bias

Tendency to seek and remember information that confirms existing beliefs.

Categorical Thinking

Organizing people and objects into preconceived categories.

Mental Models

Internal representations that help interpret and predict the world.

Stereotyping

Assigning traits to someone solely on group membership.

Self-Serving Bias

Attributing successes to internal factors and failures to external ones.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overemphasizing internal causes of others’ behavior while ignoring external factors.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Expectations about another person lead them to act in ways that confirm those expectations.

Halo Effect

General impression of a person based on one prominent characteristic.

False Consensus Effect

Overestimating how much others share our beliefs or behaviors.

Johari Window

Model for increasing self-awareness and mutual understanding by disclosing and receiving feedback.

Global Mindset

Ability to perceive, understand, and integrate cultural and business differences worldwide.

Emotions

Brief physiological, behavioral, and psychological episodes toward an object, person, or event.

Attitudes

Cluster of beliefs, feelings, and behavioral intentions toward a target.

Cognitive Dissonance

Emotional discomfort from inconsistencies among beliefs, feelings, and behavior.

Emotional Labor

Effort to display required emotions during job interactions.

Emotional Dissonance

Conflict between felt emotions and emotions expressed to comply with rules.

Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Ability to perceive, understand, regulate, and use emotions in oneself and others.

Job Satisfaction

A person’s evaluation of their job and work context.

EVLN Model

Four responses to job dissatisfaction: Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect.

Organizational Commitment

Emotional attachment (affective) or calculated attachment (continuance) to the organization.

Stress

Adaptive response to a situation perceived as challenging or threatening.

Distress

Negative, harmful stress that impairs functioning.

Eustress

Positive, motivating form of stress.

General Adaptation Syndrome

Model describing three stages of stress response: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

Stressors

Environmental conditions that place physical or psychological demands on individuals.

Psychological Harassment

Repeated, hostile behavior or comments that undermine another person’s dignity.

Work Overload

Stress condition arising when job demands exceed the person’s capacity.

Stress Management Strategies

Actions to remove the stressor, withdraw, change perceptions, control consequences, or seek social support.