orgb chap 1-4

Organizational behaviour

the study of what people think, feel, and do in and around organizations

organization

groups of people who work interdependently toward some purpose

2 key features of organizations

1. organizations are collective entities consisting of employees who interact in an organized way
2. members have a collective sense of purpose

open systems view

recognizes that organizations have numerous subsystems that transform the incoming resources in to outputs which are then returned to the external environment

are organizations open or closed systems

open

human capital

the knowledge, skills, abilities, creativity, and other valued resources that employees bring to the organization

how to boost organizational effectiveness through human capital development (3 points)

1. Improving employee skills and knowledge
2. better at adapting to rapidly changing environments


1. investing in and rewarding its workforce

stakeholders

include customers, suppliers, the local community and national society, interest groups, shareholders, governments, etc. that affect, or are affected by, the company's objectives and actions

role of stakeholders on organizational effectiveness

Organizations are more effective when they understand, manage, and satisfy stakeholder needs and expectations

what type of values play a key role in stakeholder relations

personal values

values

relatively stable, evaluative beliefs that guide our preferences for outcomes or courses of action in a variety of situations

corporate social responsibility (CSR)

consists of organizational activities intended to benefit society and the environment beyond the firm’s immediate financial interests or legal obligations. also called the triple bottom line philosophy

the 5 anchors of organizational behaviour knowledge

represent the principles on which organizational behaviour knowledge is developed and refined


1. systemic research anchor
2. practical orientation anchor
3. multidisciplinary anchor
4. contingency anchor
5. multiple levels of analysis anchor

The systemic research anchor

OB knowledge should be based on systemic research methods which support evidence-based management

the practical orientation anchor

ensures OB theories need to be useful and effective in practice in organizations

multidisciplinary anchor

the field of OB should welcome theories and knowledge from other disciplines, not just from its own isolated research base

contingency anchor

recognize that the effectiveness of one variable on another depends on the characteristics of the situation or people involved

multiple levels of analysis anchor

what goes on in organizations can be placed into three levels of analysis: individual, team, and organization

inclusive workplace at an individual level

enables people, irrespective of their backgrounds, to feel psychologically safe, engaged, valued, authentic, listened to, and respected

inclusive workplace at a collective level

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gives diverse groups voice through formal structures, such as diversity councils, and everyday processes, such as representation in teams and casual gatherings

surface-level diversity

the observable demographic and other overt differences among members of a group, such as their race, ethnicity, gender, age, and physical capabilities

deep-level diversity

differences in personalities, beliefs, values, and attitudes that we cannot directly see

consequences of diversity in the workplace

* usually take longer to perform effectively together due to numerous communication problems
* increases risk of dysfunctional conlfict

work-life integration

the extent to which people are effectively engaged in their various work and nonwork roles and have a low degree of role conflict across those life domains

remote work

Blending of work with other life roles at remote places, rather than at the organizations physical work site.

types of employement relationships

direct: a full-time, permanent job

indirect: work for an employment agency and are temporarily assigned (temps) or indefinitely “leased” to client firms

self employed contract work: a self-employed contractor represents an independent organization that provides services to a client organization

MARS model of individual behaviour and performance

* motivation, ability, role perceptions and situational factors
* All 4 factors are essential influences on an individual’s voluntary behaviour and performance

MARS: Motivation

represents the forces within a person that affect the direction (the path), intensity (amount of effort), and persistence (length of time) of effort for voluntary behaviour

MARS: Ability

includes both the learned capabilities and natural aptitudes required to successfully complete a task

learned capabilities

include the skills and knowledge that people acquire, such as through training, practice, and other forms of learning

aptitudes

natural talents that help employees learn specific tasks quickly and perform them better

MARS: Role perceptions

how clearly people understand what is expected of them, such as their job duties

MARS: Situational factors

Individual behavior and performance also depends on the situation, which is any context beyond the employee’s immediate control

Task performance

The individual’s voluntary goal-directed behaviours that contribute to organizational objectives

three types of task performance

proficient: performing the work efficiently and accurately

adaptive: how well employees modify their thoughts and behaviours to align with and support a new changing work process or work setting

proactive: how well employees take the initiative to anticipate and introduce new work patterns hat benefit the organization

organizational citizenship behaviorus (OCBS)

various forms of cooperation and helpfulness to others that support the organization’s social and psychological context

* can either be discretionary (don’t have to perform them) or can be job requirements

counterproductive work behaviours (CWBs)

voluntary behaviours that have the potential to directly or indirectly harm the organization or its stakeholders

presenteeism

showing up for work when unwell, injured, preoccupied by personal problems, or faced with dangerous conditions getting to work

personality

the relatively enduring pattern of thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that characterize a person, along with the psychological processes behind those characteristics

personality traits

the discernible patterns that are observed from a wide range of behaviours people engage in their daily lives

traits

broad concepts that allow us to label and understand individual differences; each trait implies that there is something within the person, rather than environmental influences alone, that predicts this behavioural tendency

what causes personality?

it is shaped by both nature and nurture

nature

our genetic or hereditary origins; the genes that we inherit from our parents

nuture

our socialization, life experiences, and other forms of interaction with the environment

executive function

part of the brain that monitors and regulates goal-directed behaviour to keep it consistent with our self-concept; self-view becomes clearer and more stable with age

five factor model of personality

the most researched and respected clustering of personality traits

CANOE: conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to experience, extraversion

Five Factor Model: Conscientious

organized, dependable, goal-focused, thorough, disciplined, methodical, industrious

Five Factor Model: Agreeableness

trusting, helpful, good-natured, considerate, tolerant, selfless, generous, flexible

Five Factor Model: Neuroticism

anxious, insecure, self-conscious, depressed, and temperamental

* Low neuroticism (high emotional stability) people are poised, secure, and calm

Five Factor Model: Openness to Experience

imaginative, creative, unconventional, curious, nonconforming, autonomous, and aesthetically perceptive

Five Factor Model: Extraversion

outgoing, talkative, energetic, sociable, assertive

best and weak overall personality predictors of task performance

best: conscientiousness and extraversion

weak: openness to experience

the dark triad

* Includes three socially undesirable personality traits: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy
* All have a common “dark core” consisting of either low humility/honesty or a tendency to malevolently undermine others to maximize one’s own gains

machiavellianism

strong motivation to get what they want at the expense of others

narcissism

evident in people who have an obsessive belief in their superiority and entitlement

psycopathy

social predators who ruthlessly dominate and manipulate others, yet without empathy or any feelings of remorse or anxiety

the dark triad in the workplace

Dishonesty is a core characteristic of the dark triad, so people with these traits are more likely to lie and deceive others at work

the myers-briggs type indicator categories

getting energy: extraversion or intraversion

perceiving information: sensing or intuitive

making decisions: thinking or feeling

orienting to the external world: judging or perceiving

values

stable, evaluative beliefs that guide our preferences for outcomes or courses of action in a variety of situations; personal values serve as a moral compass

value system

arrangement of values into a hierarchy of preferences; developed and reinforced through socialization

cultural values

values shared across a society

the Schwartz’s Values Circumplex 4 quadrants of values and their broad categories

openness to change: self determination, stimulation, and hedonism

conversation: conformity, security, and tradition

self-enhancement: achievement, power, and hedonism

self-transcendence: benevolence and universalism

how do personal values motivate our decisions and behaviour

1. values influence the attractiveness of choices
2. values frame our perceptions of reality
3. values help regulate the consistency of behaviour

value congruence

how similar a person’s values hierarchy is to the values hierarchy of the organization or any other entity (such as a team or society) 

ethics

the study of moral principles or values that determine whether actions are right or wrong and outcomes are good or bad

four ethical principles associated with most ethical issues

utilitarianism, individual rights, distributive justice, and the ethic of care

ethical principles: utilitarianism

the only moral obligation is to seek the greatest good for the greatest number of people; choose the option that provides the highest degree of satisfaction to those affected

ethical principals: individual rights

everyone has the same set of natural rights, such as freedom of speech, freedom of movement, the right to physical security, and the right to fair trial 

ethical principles: distributive justice

the benefits and burdens of similar individuals should be the same; otherwise they should be proportional

ethical principles: ethic of care

everyone has a moral obligation to help others within their relational sphere to grow and self-actualize

moral intensity

the degree to which an issue demands the application of ethical principles 

moral (ethical) sensitivity

a person’s ability to detect a moral dilemma and estimate its relative importance

having a code of ethical conduct

a statement about desired practices, rules of conduct, and philosophy about the organization’s relationship to its stakeholders and the environment

5 values with cross-cultural significance

individualism, collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and achievement-nurturing orientation

individualism

the extent to which we value independence and personal uniqueness

collectivism

the extent to which we value our duty to groups to which we belong and to group harmony

power distance

Refers to the extent to which people accept unequal distribution of power in a society

uncertainty avoidance

The degree to which people tolerate ambiguity (low) or feel threatened by ambiguity and uncertainty (high)

achievement-nurturing orientation

Reflects a competitive versus cooperative view of relations with other people

self-concept

an individual’s self-beliefs and self-evaluations and is defined at three levels

* individual self: view ourselves in terms of our personal traits
* relational self: view ourselves in connections to friends and co-workers
* collective self: view ourselves in roles in teams, organizations, etc.

what characteristics describe an individual’s self-concept

complexity, consistency, and clarity

complexity

the number of distinct and important roles or identities that people perceive about themselves

consistency

degree to which a person’s identities require similar personal attributes

clarity

the degree to which a person’s self-concept is clear, confidently defined, and stable

the four processes that shape self-concept and motivate a person’s decisions and behaviour

self-enhancement, self-verification, self-evaluation, and social self

self-enhancement

people are inherently motivated to perceive themselves (and to be perceived by others) as competent, attractive, lucky, ethical, and important

self-verification

stabilizes an individual’s self-view, which, in turn, guides their thoughts and actions

self-evaluation is defined by three elements, what are they

self-esteem: the extent to which people like, respect, and are satisfied with themselves; represents a comprehensive self-evaluation

self-efficacy:  a person’s belief that they can successfully complete a task

locus of control: a person’s general beliefs about the amount of control they have over personal life events

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the social self

exists at three levels (individual, relational, and collective) and the levels recognize two opposing human motivations that influence how people view themselves (motivation to be distinctive and different, motivation for inclusion and assimilation)

the social identity theory

people define themselves by the groups to which they belong or have an emotional attachment; social identity is the foundation of social identity theory

perception

the process of receiving information about and making sense of our surrounding environment

perceptual process

1. environmental stimuli are received through our senses
2. selective attention and emotional marker response
* process of attending to some information received by our senses and ignoring other information
* emotional markers play a role in storing and retaining information in memory
3. perceptual organization and interpretation
4. attitudes and behaviour (response)

mental models

knowledge structures that we develop to describe, explain, and predict the world around us; consists of visual or relational images in our mind

stereotyping

the perceptual process in which we assign characteristics of an identifiable group and then automatically transfer those features to anyone we believe is a member of that group; formed to some extent from personal experience

why do people stereotype

* it is a form of categorial thinking, is a nonconscious “energy-saving” process that simplifies our understanding of the world
* is motivated by the observer’s own need for social identity and self-enhancement and to maintain a positive self-concept → leads to a process of categorization, homogenization, and differentiation

process of stereotyping explained

categorization: comparison begins by categorizing people into distinct groups

homogenization: to simplify the comparison process, we tend to think people within each group are very similar to one another

differentiation: we assign more favourable characteristics to people in our social identity groups than to others

attribution theory

attribution involves forming beliefs about the causes of behaviour or events, can be internal (attributed to personal factors) or external (attributed to situational factors)

three attribution rules to decide if an individuals behaviour is caused by internal or external attribution

consistency (are these actions consistent with past actions)

distinctiveness (does this person act this way in other situations)

consensus (do other people act this way in this situation)

what are the errors that attribution process is susceptible to

self-serving bias and fundamental attribution error