Industrial Psychology Review: Organizational Theory and Development

VOCABULARY flashcards covering Organizational Theory (Classical, Neoclassical, Modern), motivation, leadership, team dynamics, and HR Management/Development based on the Industrial Psychology #BLEPP lecture notes.

Organization

Collectivities of parts that cannot accomplish their goals effectively if they operated separately; a social entity made up of people that agree on and work towards goals.

Organizational Theory

A set of propositions that explains or predicts how groups and individuals behave in varying organizational structures and circumstances.

Functional Principle

The concept behind division of labor stating that organizations should be divided into units that perform similar functions into areas of specialization.

Scalar Principle

Deals with the organization’s vertical growth and refers to the chain of command that grows with levels added to the organization.

Taylorism

A premise by Frederick Taylor that there is one best way to get the job done, mainly associated with high levels of job specialization and standardization.

Bureaucracy

An ideal form of organization described by Max Weber that includes formal hierarchy, division of labor, a clear set of operating procedures, and impersonality.

Division of Labor

The process where each job is a specialized position with its own set of responsibilities and duties; the division of tasks performed in an organization.

Operating Core

The part of an organization responsible for conducting basic work duties that give the organization its defining purpose, such as transforming raw goods into sellable products.

Strategic Apex

Associated with executive leadership, this part is responsible for the overall success of the entire organization.

Technostructure

The group within an organization that possesses specific technical expertise facilitating overall operation, such as accounting, HR, IT, and law departments.

Theories X and Y

McGregor’s theory where managers’ beliefs (lazy vs. motivated employees) determine how they behave toward those employees.

Chronic Self-Esteem

A person’s overall feeling about himself.

Galatea Effect

The relationship between self-expectations and performance.

Pygmalion Effect/Rosenthal Effect

The phenomenon where an employee’s self-esteem increases if they feel their manager has confidence in them.

Golem Effect

Occurs when negative expectations of an individual cause a decrease in that individual’s actual performance.

Skill Variety

A core job characteristic involving the use of different skills and talents to complete a variety of work activities.

Autonomy

A core job characteristic providing freedom, independence, and discretion in scheduling work and determining procedures.

Valence

The extent to which an employee values a particular consequence; the desirability of a particular outcome to an individual.

Instrumentality

The perceived relationship between the performance of a particular behavior and the likelihood that a certain outcome will result.

Expectancy

The perceived relationship between the amount of effort an employee puts in and the resulting outcome.

Unfreezing

The first step of Lewin’s Change Model where forces maintaining the status quo are broken down and the system is opened for change.

Role Conflict

Occurs when an individual is faced with incompatible or competing demands.

Organizational Climate

The shared meaning organizational members attach to the events, policies, practices, and procedures they experience.

Organizational Culture

The complex pattern of languages, values, attitudes, beliefs, and customs that give each organization its unique ‘flavor.’

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals to exert less effort in group work than in individual work, as studied by Max Ringelmann.

Groupthink

A state where members become so cohesive and like-minded that they make poor decisions despite contrary information.

Equifinality

Principle of Open System Theory stating that a system can reach the same end state in different ways.

Negative Entropy

The process by which organizations avoid movement toward disorganization or death by maintaining a continuous flow of energy from the environment.

Affective Commitment

The extent to which an employee wants to remain with an organization, cares about it, and is willing to exert effort on its behalf.

Continuance Commitment

The extent to which an employee believes she must remain with the organization due to time, expense, and effort already invested.

Normative Commitment

The extent to which an employee feels obligated to remain with the organization.

Paired Comparison

An appraisal method where every employee is compared with every other employee on a specific trait using the formula $\frac{n(n-1)}{2}$.

Critical Incident Method

A technique where a supervisor keeps a log of positive and negative examples of a subordinate’s work-related behaviors.

Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS)

A method that anchors a numerical rating scale with specific illustrative examples of good and bad performance.

Job Enrichment

Redesigning jobs to give workers greater responsibility in planning, execution, and evaluation of their work.

Manpower Planning

The systematic process of matching the internal and external supply of people with job openings anticipated over a specific period.

Strategic Planning

The process by which top management determines overall organizational purposes and objectives and how they are achieved.

Job Analysis

The systematic process for collecting and analyzing information about a job, considered the cornerstone of personnel selection.

Succession Planning

The ongoing process of systematically identifying, assessing, and developing organization leadership.

Appreciative Inquiry

A positive OD intervention that engages employees by focusing on positive messages and affirming past and present strengths.