org behavior study guide - chap 14-18

Job:

•     A job is a set of specified work tasks and responsibilities assigned to one position in the organization.

Work:

Work is the broader, overall activity and effort a person expends, which may span multiple tasks, roles, or even jobs over time

Scientific management / job specialization

•     Breaks jobs into simple, repetitive, standardized tasks to maximize efficiency (Frederick Taylor). Leads to high efficiency but low motivation/satisfaction over time.

Job simplification drawbacks

•     The downside of over-specialized jobs — boredom, fatigue, low motivation, high turnover.

Job rotation

Moves employees between different tasks/jobs periodically to reduce monotony - changes WHO does task, not task itself

Job enlargement

Adds more tasks at the SAME skill/responsibility level (horizontal loading) - more of the same w/o more meaning

Job enrichment

Adds tasks with GREATER responsibility, autonomy, and control (vertical loading) — Herzberg ( requires employee readiness)

Job Characteristics Model (JCM)

Redesigns jobs around 5 core dimensions to boost motivation

Job Characteristics Model (JCM) 5 dimensions

•     Number of different activities/skills a job requires.

•     Task identity: Completing a whole, identifiable piece of work start to finish.

•     Task significance: The impact the job has on others' lives, inside or outside the organization.

•     Autonomy: Freedom and independence in scheduling and carrying out the work.

•     Feedback: Direct, clear information about how well the job is being performed.

Contemporary Issues in Work Design

•     Flexible work arrangements: Telecommuting, compressed workweeks, flextime, job sharing — driven by technology and work-life balance demands.

•     Gig economy: Growth of freelance/contract/on-demand work reshaping what a “job” even looks like.

•     Team-based work design: Redesigning work around collaborative, cross-functional teams rather than individual jobs.

Differentiation

Dividing the organization into distinct units, departments, or subunits based on task, function, product, or geography.

Integration

•     : Coordinating and linking those differentiated units so they work together toward shared organizational goals.

Span of control

•     The number of employees a manager directly supervises. Wide span = flatter structure; narrow span = taller structure.

Chain of command

The unbroken line of authority from top to bottom of the organization.

Centralization / decentralization

How much decision-making authority is concentrated at the top (centralized) vs. spread throughout the organization (decentralized).

Formalization

•     The degree to which rules, procedures, and policies govern behavior. High formalization = rigid rules; low = flexible.

Complexity

•     How many distinct units, levels, or specialties exist (horizontal, vertical, and spatial complexity).

Five Structural Configurations

simple

functional

divisional

matrix

boundaryless

Simple structure

Flat, few rules, power centralized in one person (often the owner)

Small businesses, startups

Functional structure

Grouped by common function — marketing, finance, HR, operations (Single-product firms wanting efficiency/expertise)

Divisional structure

Grouped by product, service, customer, or geography, each with its own functions (Large, diversified companies)

Matrix structure

Combines functional + divisional; employees report to two managers (Complex projects needing shared resources)

Boundaryless structure

Minimizes internal and external boundaries (virtual, network, modular) - fast changing

mechanic structure

rigid, hierarchical, many rules, centralized decision making, narrow specialized jobs, stable env

organic

flexible, flat, few rules, decentralized, best in uncertain/ changing env

Reshaping forces

Globalization, rapid technological change, workforce diversity, and demand for speed/flexibility (pushing organizations toward flatter, more networked forms)

Emerging structures

Virtual organizations, network organizations, team-based structures, and boundaryless organizations that blur internal and external lines.

Factors that can hurt structure

•     Excessive centralization, poor span-of-control choices, or mismatched structure/strategy can slow decisions, reduce responsiveness, and hurt morale.

Artifact - Three Levels of Culture (Schein)

•     Visible, tangible elements — dress code, office layout, rituals, stories, logos. Easy to observe but hard to interpret correctly.

espoused values - Three Levels of Culture (Schein)

•     Stated values, norms, and philosophies the organization says it holds (mission statements, codes of conduct).

Basic underlying assumptions - Three Levels of Culture (Schein)

•     Deeply held, unconscious beliefs that truly drive behavior — the hardest level to see or change.

Four Functions of Culture

•     Identity: Gives members a shared sense of who “we” are.

•     Collective commitment: Encourages members to feel they're part of something larger than individual self-interest.

•     System stability: Reinforces the values and reduces uncertainty about how to behave.

•     Sense-making: Helps employees interpret events and understand “how things work around here.”

Five Ways Leaders Reinforce Culture

•     Attention: What leaders consistently measure, monitor, and comment on signals what matters.

•     Reactions to crises: How leaders respond to crises reveals and reinforces real priorities/values.

•     Role modeling: Leaders' own visible behavior sets the standard others imitate.

•     Allocation of rewards: What gets rewarded (and punished) teaches employees the real rules.

•     Criteria for hiring/promotion/firing: Who gets hired, promoted, and let go communicates what the culture values.

Stages of Organizational Socialization

Anticipatory (pre-arrival) - Before joining — forming expectations through recruiting materials, interviews, reputation

Encounter - Just after joining — comparing expectations to reality; potential “reality shock”

Change and Acquisition - change behavior to fit in

Outcomes of Socialization (satisfaction, low levels of stress)

Career Stage Model

Establishment - Entering the workforce; learning the ropes; building competence and acceptance in a new role

advancement - Achievement, growth, visibility; seeking promotion and increased responsibility

Maintenance - Sustaining performance; possibly mentoring others; reassessing goals and contributions

Withdrawal (decline) - Gradual disengagement from work; planning for and transitioning into retirement

expectancy theory

individ chooses org that maximizes positive outcomes and avoids negative outcomes - not willing to satisfice !

Satisfice

individ selects the 1st org that meets 1-2 important criteria

Career Anchors (Schein)- a person's self-perceived combination of talents, motives, and values that guides and constrains their career choices

1. 1. managerial competence - choose job based on growth

2. 2. tech function competence - want to be good at accounting w/o need to be manager

3. 3. security

4. 4. creativity

5. 5. independence

6. ---

   6. 6. sense of service

   7. 7. pure challenge

   8. 8. work life balance

External forces

Market/economic shifts, competition, technology, globalization, regulation

Internal forces

New leadership, changes in strategy, employee attitudes, restructuring needs

Incremental change

Small-scale adjustments to existing processes or structures (adding dental insurance)

strategic transformation

larger scale such as org restructing (change how they do business in certain departments)

Transformational change

org moves to radically different structure/ org (IBM changing from typewriters to software)

Managing Resistance to Change

Communication, participation, empathy/support, provide counseling

organization development (OD

through data — employee surveys, interviews, performance metrics, and turnover/absenteeism data

role negotiation

manager and individ meet to clarify expectations (pysch contract)

job redesign

alter jobs to improve the fit between individ skills and demansds of job

OD Intervention group Techniques

team building, survey feedback, Process consultation (outside consultant improves processes)

quality program

embed product + service quality exellence into the culture (raises aspirations)

Individual-focused techniques

coaching, skills training, Role negotiation, Career planning/counseling