BUAD USC 304 MIDTERM

organizational behavior

describes an interdisciplinary field dedicated to understanding and managing people at work

Contingency Approach

calls for using the OB concepts and tools that best suit the situation, instead of trying to rely on "one best way"

Hard Skills vs Soft Skills

hard skills are the technical expertise and knowledge required to do a particular task or job function, while soft skills relate to human interactions and include both interpersonal skills and personal attributes

portable skills

more or less relevant in every job, at every level, and throughout your career

ethical dilemma

a situation with two choices, neither of which resolves the situation in an ethically acceptable manner

What causes unethical behavior?

Ill-Conceived Goals

Motivated Blindness

Indirect Blindness

The Slippery Slope

Overvaluing Outcomes

problem

is a difference or gap between an actual and a desired state or outcome

problem solving

is a systematic process for closing these gaps

3 step approach to problem solving

1) Define the problem

2) Identify potential causes

3) Make recommendations and take action

USCCT

Uncovering business problems, challenges and opportunities

Selecting the most critical

Creating many potential solutions

Choosing the one with the most potential, and then

Translating it into an effective implementation plan.

person factors

represent the infinite number of characteristics that give individuals their unique identities

Situation factors

are all the elements outside ourselves that influence what we do, the way we do it, and the ultimate results of our actions

interactional perspective

states that behavior is a function of interdependent person and environmental factors

values

abstract ideals that guide one's thinking and behavior across all situations

Schwartz's Value Theory

Schwartz believes that values are motivational in that they "represent broad goals that apply across contexts and time

affective component

an attitude contains our feelings or emotions about a given object or situation

"i feel"

cognitive component

attitude reflects our beliefs or ideas about an object or situation

"i believe"

behavioral component

refers to the way we intend or expect to act toward someone or something

"i intend"

organizational commitment

reflects the extent to which an employee identifies with an organization and is committed to its goals

psychological contract

represent an individual's perception about the reciprocal exchange between him- or herself and another party

how can a manager increase employee commitment

1. hire people whose personal values align with the organization's.

2. make sure that management does not breach its psychological contracts

3. treat employees fairly and foster trust between managers and employees

flextime

is a policy of giving employees flexible work hours so they can come and go at different times as long as they work a set number of hours

employee engagement

as "the harnessing of organization members' selves to their work roles; in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performance

3 personal factors that contribute to employee engagement

personality, positive psychological capital, human and social capital

stressors

environmental conditions that cause stress

Perceived Organizational Support (POS)

reflects the extent to which employees believe their organization values their contributions and genuinely cares about their well-being

job satisfaction

an affective or emotional response toward various facets of one's job

5 predominant models of job satisfaction

1. need fulfillment

2. met expectations

3. value attainment

4. equity

5. disposition/genetic components

needs

are physiological or psychological deficiencies that arouse behavior

met expectations

represent the difference between what an individual expects to receive from a job, such as good pay and promotional opportunities, and what he or she actually receives

value attainment

satisfaction results from the perception that a job allows for fulfillment of an individual's important work values

equity theory

a theory that states that people will be motivated when they perceive that they are being treated fairly

Dispositional/Genetic Components

satisfaction is partly a function of both personal traits and genetic factors

motivation

describes the psychological processes "that underlie the direction, intensity, and persistence of behavior or thought"

intrinsic motivation

A desire to perform a behavior for its own sake

extrinsic motivation

a desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment

content theories

Focus on identifying factors, such as needs and satisfaction, that energize motivation

Process Theories

explain the process by which internal factors and situational factors influence employee motivation

McGregor's Theory X

is a pessimistic view of employees: they dislike work, must be monitored, and can be motivated only with rewards and punishment

"carrots and sticks"

Mcgregor theory y

is a modern and positive set of assumptions about people at work: they are self engaged, committed, responsible, and creative

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, self-actualization

Acquired Needs Theory (McClelland)

states that three needs - achievement, affiliation, and power - are major motives determining people's behavior in the workplace

need for achievement

desire for accomplishment, mastery of people, ideas, things, desire for reaching a high standard

need for affiliation

desire to associate with others, to be part of a group, to form close and intimate relationships

need for power

the extent to which an individual desires to control or influence others

self-determination theory

assumes that three innate needs influence our behavior and well-being - competence, autonomy, and relatedness

Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory

proposed that work satisfaction and dissatisfaction arise from two different factors - work satisfaction from so-called motivating factors and work dissatisfaction from so-called hygiene factors

hygiene factors

including company policy and administration, technical supervision, salary, interpersonal relations with one's supervisor, and working conditions - cause a person to move from a state of no dissatisfaction to dissatisfaction

motivating factors

including achievement, recognition, characteristics of the work, responsibility, and advancement - cause a person to move from a state of no satisfaction to satisfaction

Process Theories of Motivation

describe how various person factors and situation factors in the organizing framework affect motivation

Equity Theory

is a model of motivation that explains how people strive for fairness and justice in social exchanges or give-and-take relationships

Distributive Justice

perceived fairness of the amount and allocation of rewards among individuals

procedural justice

perceived fairness of the process used to determine the distribution of rewards

Interactional Justice

describes the quality of the interpersonal treatment people receive when procedures are implemented

voice climate

one in which employees are encouraged to freely express their opinions and feelings

Expectancy Theory

holds that people are motivated to behave in ways that produce desired combinations of expected outcomes

expectancy

represents an individual's belief that a particular degree of effort will be followed by a particular level of performance

Instrumentality

the perceived relationship between performance and rewards

Valence

describes the positive or negative value people place on outcomes

goal specificity

means whether a goal has been quantified

Edwin Locke and Gary Latham Theory of Goal Setting

1. goal specificity

2. certain conditions are necessary for goal setting to work

3. performance feedback and participation in deciding how to achieve goals are necessary but not sufficient for goal setting to work

4. goal achievement leads to job satisfaction, which in turn motivates employees to set and commit to even higher levels of performance

Mechanisms behind the power of goal setting

1. Goals direct attention

2. Goals regulate effort

3. Goals increase persistence

4. Goals foster the development and application of task strategies and action plans

Job Design

refers to any set of activities that involve the alteration of specific jobs or interdependent systems of jobs with the intent of improving the quality of employee job experience and their on-the-job productivity

Historical models of job design

top-down: managers changed employees' tasks with the intent of increasing motivation

recent model of job design

bottom up: employees can redesign their own jobs

emerging model of job design

(i-deals) idiosyncratic deals attempt to merge the 2 historical perspectives

Scientific Management

is "that kind of management which conducts a business or affairs by standards established by facts or truths gained through systematic observation, experiment, or reasoning"

job enlargement

puts more variety into a worker's job by combining specialized tasks of comparable difficulty

job rotation

calls for moving employees from one specialized job to another

job enrichment

modifies a job such that an employee has the opportunity to experience achievement, recognition, stimulating work, responsibility, and advancement

Jobs Characteristics Model

is to promote high intrinsic motivation by designing jobs that possess the 5 job characteristics

5 characteristics of job char. model

skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback

moderator

a variable that changes the relationship between two other variables

job crafting

represents employees' attempts to proactively shape their work characteristics

forms of job crafting

task boundaries, relational nature, cognitive crafting

idiosyncratic deals

represent employment terms individuals negotiate for themselves, taking myriad forms from flexible schedules to career development

positive OB

focuses on positive human characteristics that can be measured, developed, and effectively managed for performance improvement

amplifying effect

positive practices from one individual result in additional positive practices by others, which spur positivity in others, which generate other positive outcomes

prosocial behavior

positive acts performed without the expectation of anything in return

buffering effect

positive practices and resources reduce the impact of negative events and stressors

positivity effect

is the attraction of all living systems toward positive energy and away from negative energy, or toward that which is life giving and away from that which is life depleting.

positive deviance

as "successful performance that dramatically exceeds the norm in a positive direction."

strategies to increase your positivity

1. create high-quality connections

2. cultivate kindness

3. develop distractions

4. dispute negative self-talk and thoughts

mindlessness

Is a state of reduced attention expressed in behavior that is rigid, or thoughtless

mindfulness

is "the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment of moment"

attentional deficit

is the inability to focus vividly on an object

rumination

is the uncontrollable repetitive dwelling on causes, meanings, and implications of negative feelings or events in the past

benefits of mindfulness

-Increased Physical, Mental, and Interpersonal Effectiveness

-More Effective Communications

-More Balanced Emotions

-Personal Effectiveness

intention

an end point or desired goals you want to achieve

positive psychological capital

possess considerable hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism

signature strengths

positive traits that a person owns, celebrates, and frequently exercises

organizational climate

consists of employees' perceptions "of formal and informal organizational policies, practices, procedures, and routines

restorative justice

reflects a shared belief in the importance of resolving conflict multilaterally through the inclusion of victims, offenders, and all other stakeholders

compassion

is a shared value that drives people to help others who are suffering

temperance

is a shared belief in showing restraint and control when faced with temptation and provocation

organizational practices

are the procedures, policies, practices, routines, and rules that organizations use to get things done

virtuousness

represents what individuals and organizations aspire to be when they are at their very best

forgiveness

is the capacity to foster collective abandonment of justified resentment, bitterness, and blame, and, instead, it is the adoption of positive, forward-looking approaches in response to harm or damage

well-being

was the combined impact of 5 elements- positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and achievement

flourishing

represents the extent to which our lives contain PERMA