Comprehensive Study Notes - Organizational Behavior Vocabulary

Accommodation

• Definition: Playing down differences; highlights similarities; ignores the real essence; also known as smoothing

Acquired Needs Theory

• Definition: Motivation is driven by 1 or more of the 3 needs - need for achievement, need for affiliation and/or need for power
• Related needs: needs = { achievement, affiliation, power }

Active listening

• Definition: Focuses on problem solving from the standpoint of trying to help another person

ADA

• Definition: Hopes to eliminate employers' practices that treat people with disabilities unnecessarily different

Arbitration

• Definition: A neutral third party acts as a judge and has the power to issue a decision that is binding on all parties

Attitude

• Definition: A predisposition to respond in a positive or negative way to someone or something in one's environment

Attribution

• Definition: The process of developing explanations or assigning perceived causes for events

Avoidance

• Definition: No one acts assertively and everyone simply pretends the conflict doesn't exist

Brainstorming

• Definition: Actively generating as many ideas and alternatives as possible

Cohesiveness

• Definition: The degree to which members are attracted to and motivated to remain part of it

Collaboration

• Definition: Both parties recognize what is wrong and needs attention; also known as problem-solving; win-win

Collective intelligence

• Definition: Ability of a team to do well on a wide variety of tasks - applies to high performance teams

Communication

• Definition: The process of sending and receiving messages with attached meanings

Competition

• Definition: One party achieves a victory through force, superior skill or domination

Complex adaptive systems

• Definition: Organizations must adapt to survive because environments are constantly evolving

Compromise

• Definition: Each party is willing to give up something of value to the other; also known as cooperation

Conceptual skill

• Definition: Capability to think analytically and solve complex problems

Confirmation error

• Definition: The decision maker seeks confirmation for what is already thought to be true and neglects opportunities to acknowledge or find disconfirming information

Conflict

• Definition: Occurs whenever disagreements exist in a social situation over issues of substance, or when emotions create frictions between individuals/groups

Conflict resolution

• Definition: A situation in which the underlying reasons for dysfunctional conflict are eliminated

Consensus

• Definition: One alternative being favored by most and others agreeing to support it

Consultative decisions

• Definition: Inputs are gathered from others and the manager/leader uses information to arrive at a final choice

Contingency thinking

• Definition: Behavior and practices are tailored to fit the exact nature of the situation - there is no one best or universal answer to questions

Controlling

• Definition: Function of management - ensuring things go well by monitoring performance and taking corrective action as necessary

Coping

• Definition: Response to distress - requires cognitive and behavioral efforts

Counterproductive behaviors

• Definition: Purposeful behaviors that disrupt relationships, processes, production in the workplace

Cross-functional teams

• Definition: Consists of people brought together from different functional departments/work units to achieve specific purpose

Culture

• Definition: The learned, shared way of doing things in a society/organization

Decision making

• Definition: The process of choosing a course of action for dealing with a problem or an opportunity

Deflecting

• Definition: Shifting to another topic

Discrimination

• Definition: Unfair treatment of women and minorities in the workplace

Disruptive behaviors

• Definition: Dysfunctional activities that harm the group process

Distress

• Definition: Destructive stress that turns out to be dysfunctional for both the individual and organization

Distributed leadership

• Definition: Sharing of responsibilities for making tasks and maintenance contributions to move a team forward

Downward communication

• Definition: Follows chain of command from top to bottom

Emotional dissonance

• Definition: Emotions we actually feel are inconsistent with the emotions we try to project

Emotional Drives Model

• Definition: Motivation model that identifies 4 emotional drives/needs that people seek to satisfy at work and in daily living: acquire, bond, comprehend, defend

Emotional intelligence

• Definition: Ability to understand and manage emotions, both personally and in relationships

Emotional labor

• Definition: Relates to the need to show certain emotions in order to perform a job well

Emotions

• Definition: Natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood or relationships with others

Empathy

• Definition: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another

Employee engagement

• Definition: A profound connection with the organization and a passion for one's job

Escalating commitment

• Definition: Continuing and renewing efforts on a previously chosen course of action, even though it is not working

Eustress

• Definition: Constructive stress that results in positive outcomes

Evidence-based management

• Definition: Making decisions based on hard facts

Extrinsic rewards

• Definition: Positively valued work outcomes given to the individual by another

Feedback

• Definition: The process through which the receiver communicates with the sender by returning another message

Formal teams

• Definition: Those officially designated to serve certain purposes

Framing error

• Definition: Managers and teams evaluate and resolve a problem in the context in which they perceive it

Glass ceiling effect

• Definition: Invisible barrier that prevents women and minorities from promotions

Goal setting

• Definition: The process of developing/formalizing objectives that a person is responsible for accomplishing

Group dynamics

• Definition: Forces operating in teams that affect the way members relate to and work with one another

Groupthink

• Definition: The tendency of members in highly cohesive groups to lose their critical evaluative capabilities

Halo effect

• Definition: When one attribute is used to develop an overall impression of that individual or situation

Hindsight trap

• Definition: The decision maker overestimates the degree to which he or she could have predicted an event that has already taken place

Human skills

• Definition: Ability to work well with others

Impression management

• Definition: The systematic attempt to behave in ways that will create and maintain desired impressions in the eyes of others

Inclusion

• Definition: The degree to which the culture embraces diversity and is open to anyone who can perform a job, regardless of their diversity attributes

Individual decisions

• Definition: Manager or leader decides what to do without involving others

Individual differences

• Definition: Ways in which people are dissimilar in personal characteristics

Informal groups

• Definition: Groups that organically emerge with no assigned purpose - develop through personal relationships and create their own networks

Interpersonal barriers

• Definition: Occurs when individuals are not able to objectively listen to the sender due to things such as lack of trust, personality clashes, a bad reputation, stereotypes/prejudices

Intuitive thinking

• Definition: Ability to recognize quickly and readily the possibilities of a situation - flexible and spontaneous

Job burnout

• Definition: Result of extended distress - individual feels physically and emotionally exhausted

Job enrichment

• Definition: Adding dimensions to existing jobs to make them more motivating

Job involvement

• Definition: The extent to which an individual feels dedicated to a job

Job satisfaction

• Definition: How people feel about their work and work environment
• Additional note: An attitude reflecting a person's positive and negative feelings toward a job, co-workers and work environment - also known as morale

Johari's Window

• Definition: The "blind spot" - what others know about us that we don't know about ourselves; relates to developmental feedback

Lateral communication

• Definition: The flow of information across the organization

Lifelong learning

• Definition: Learning from day-to-day experiences - beyond "school years"

Locus of control

• Definition: The extent to which a person feels able to control his or her own life

Management by objectives

• Definition: A process of joint goal setting between managers and team leaders and those that report to them

Manager

• Definition: Someone whose job it is to directly support the work efforts of others

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• Definition: Motivation is driven by five levels of needs - physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization
• Levels: 1) physiological, 2) safety, 3) social, 4) esteem, 5) self-actualization

Mediation

• Definition: A neutral third party tries to engage the parties in a negotiated solution through persuasion and rational argument

Moods

• Definition: Generalized positive and negative feelings or states of mind that may persist for some time

Motivation

• Definition: The reason(s) one has for acting or behaving in a particular way

Multiculturalism

• Definition: The presence and respect for diversity within an organization

Negotiation

• Definition: The process of making joint decisions when the parties involved have different preferences

Nonverbal communication

• Definition: Communication through means other than words

Open systems

• Definition: Input from environment; transformation cycle; outputs; feedback; adjust, re-cycle

Organizational behavior

• Definition: The study of human behavior in organizations

Organizational behavior modification

• Definition: The use of extrinsic rewards to systematically reinforce desirable work behavior and to discourage unwanted work behavior

Organizational climate

• Definition: The shared perceptions among members regarding what the organization is like in terms of management policies and practices

Organizational commitment

• Definition: The degree of loyalty an individual feels toward the organization

Organizational culture

• Definition: The shared beliefs and values that influence the behavior of organizational members

Organizational identification

• Definition: The extent to which one feels personally identified with one's membership organization to the point that it becomes part of the self-concept

Organizational silos

• Definition: Units that are isolated from one another by strong departmental or divisional lines

Organizing

• Definition: Function of management - creating work structures/systems and arranging resources to accomplish goals/objectives

Perception

• Definition: The process by which people select, organize, interpret, retrieve and respond to information from the world around them

Personality

• Definition: The overall combination of characteristics that capture the unique nature of a person as person reacts and interacts with others

Personality traits

• Definition: Enduring characteristics describing an individual's behavior

Planning

• Definition: Function of management - defining goals, objectives, identifying actions needed

Prejudice

• Definition: A preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or experience

Probing

• Definition: Asking for additional information

Problem-solving teams

• Definition: Created temporarily to serve a specific purpose by dealing with a specific problem or opportunity

Projection

• Definition: The assignment of one's personal attributes to other individuals reflecting

Reinforcement

• Definition: The administration of a consequence as a result of a behavior

Relationship management

• Definition: An ability to establish rapport with others in ways that build good relationships and influence their emotions in positive ways

Role

• Definition: A set of expectations associated with a job or position on a team

Role ambiguity

• Definition: Occurs when a person is uncertain about his or her role or job on a team

Role conflict

• Definition: Occurs when a person is unable to meet the expectations of others

Role negotiation

• Definition: A process whereby team members meet to discuss, clarify and agree on role expectations each holds for the other

Role overload

• Definition: Occurs when too much is expected and someone feels overwhelmed

Role underload

• Definition: Occurs when too little is expected and someone feels underwhelmed

Selective listening

• Definition: Individuals block out information or only hear things that match preconceived notions

Selective perception

• Definition: The tendency to single out those aspects of a situation or person that are consistent with one's needs, values or attitudes

Self-awareness

• Definition: Being aware of your own behaviors, preferences, styles, biases, personalities, etc.

Self-concept

• Definition: The view individuals have of themselves as physical, social and spiritual beings

Self-esteem

• Definition: A belief about one's own worth based on an overall self-evaluation

Self-management

• Definition: The ability to think before acting and to be in control of otherwise disruptive impulses

Self-managing team

• Definition: Highly involved workgroup empowered to make decisions needed to manage themselves

Self-monitoring

• Definition: A person's ability to adjust his or her behavior to external, situational factors

Skill

• Definition: Ability to translate knowledge into action that results in desired performance

Social awareness

• Definition: The ability to empathize, to understand the emotions of others, and to use this understanding to better relate to them

Social capital

• Definition: Relationships and networks that can be called upon as needed to get work done through other people

Social identity

• Definition: Refers to the ways in which peoples' self-concepts are based on their memberships in certain groups

Social learning theory

• Definition: How learning takes place through the reciprocal interactions among people, behavior and environment

Social loafing

• Definition: The tendency of people to work less hard in a group than they would individually

Stakeholders

• Definition: People, groups and institutions that are affected by decisions and therefore have an interest

Stereotype

• Definition: A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing

Stigma

• Definition: A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance or person

Synergy

• Definition: The creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts - accomplishing more through teamwork than alone

Systematic thinking

• Definition: A decision is approached in step-by-step and analytical fashion

Task performance

• Definition: Quality and quantity of work produced by an individual, team, work unit or organization as a whole

Team

• Definition: A group of people brought together to use their complementary skills to achieve a common purpose for which they are collectively accountable

Team building

• Definition: A sequence of planned activities designed to gather and analyze data on the functioning of a team and to initiate changes designed to improve teamwork and increase team effectiveness

Team decisions

• Definition: Group members work together to make the final choice

Teamwork

• Definition: Occurs when team members accept and live up to their collective accountability by actively working together so that all of their respective skills are best used to achieve team goals

Technical skill

• Definition: Ability to perform specialized tasks using knowledge or expertise gained from education or experience

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

• Definition: Protects individuals against employment discrimination

Type A orientation

• Definition: Characterized by impatience, desire for achievement and perfectionism - obsessive behavior

Type B orientation

• Definition: Characterized as easygoing and less competitive - patient in their relationships with others

Upward communication

• Definition: The flow of messages from lower to higher organizational levels

Values

• Definition: Broad preferences that one believes are important to the way you live and work

Virtual team

• Definition: Members work together through computer mediation rather than face-to-face

Workforce diversity

• Definition: Presence of individual differences based on gender, race, ethnicity, age, ability and sexual orientation