MENT Exam 1
8/28/25 – Introduction to OB
What is Organizational Behavior (OB)?
The study of attitudes and behaviors of individuals and groups within organizations.
Focus: how people act, think, and feel at work → goal is to predict, explain, and improve workplace behavior.
Why Organizations Matter
Definition: collection of people working together with resources toward a purpose not achievable alone.
Organizations are hierarchies (org chart: team leader → managers → directors → CEO).
Resource-Based View (RBV)
Org success comes from rare, valuable, inimitable resources (esp. people).
You can’t just copy another company’s practices.
Examples:
Google/Meta: playful, collaborative culture → attracts innovators.
Apple: top-down, design-focused culture → creates consistent brand.
Message: success = unique people + culture, not a template.
Rule of ⅛ (why change fails)
½ of organizations don’t believe people drive profit.
½ of those that do only try one superficial change.
½ of those fail to stick with it long-term.
→ Only 1 in 8 organizations truly change → sustainable improvements are rare.
Future of Work
Talent = scarce resource.
Companies offering flexibility, purpose, and growth win the best employees.
Levels of Analysis in OB
Individual: personality, motivation, perception.
Group/Team: leadership, communication, conflict.
Organization: culture, structure, change.
Why You Hate Work (Energy Project, NYT)
Only 30% of employees engaged.
Four universal human needs:
Physical: rest, recovery, energy management.
Emotional: feeling valued and respected.
Mental: focus, autonomy, control.
Spiritual: sense of purpose and meaning.
Companies that meet more needs → higher productivity & profits.
Google & Prasad Setty’s People Analytics
Data-driven HR decisions.
Promotions based on committee evaluation, not just one manager.
Eight traits of great managers (on exam): coaching, empowerment, caring, results focus, communication, career support, vision, technical expertise.
gDNA study: gratitude predicts long-term happiness at work.
9/2/25 – OB Research Methods
Ways of Knowing
Experience: personal, but biased.
Intuition: gut feeling, but error-prone.
Authority: experts can be wrong.
Science: systematic, replicable, least biased.
Evidence-Based Management (EBM)
Use scientific research to make managerial decisions, rather than tradition or gut instinct.
Examples of OB Findings
Structured interviews = stronger predictors of success than unstructured ones.
General mental ability (GMA) = best predictor of job performance.
Conscientiousness + emotional stability = better hires than just agreeable people.
Specific + challenging goals > vague “do your best.”
Money only motivates when tied to performance in a fair system.
Team gender diversity boosts performance in complex problem-solving.
Research Process
Theory → Hypothesis → Data → Verification → Theory.
Theory = framework (what, how, why, when).
Hypothesis = specific prediction.
Data = behaviors, outcomes, surveys.
Verification = statistics.
Data Collection Methods
Surveys: Likert scales, large sample sizes.
Experiments: manipulate variables to show causation.
Archival data: preexisting records (ex: CEO narcissism study using photos/letters).
9/4/25 – Scientific Method & Measurement
Scientific Method
Steps: observe → research → hypothesis → test → analyze → share results.
Meta-analysis: study that summarizes findings across many studies.
Measurement
Reliability = consistency (e.g., weighing yourself three times and getting the same number).
Validity = accuracy (the scale actually measures true weight).
Can be reliable but not valid → consistently wrong.
Correlation vs. Causation
Correlation coefficient r = -1 to +1.
Stronger correlation = tighter data cluster.
Correlation does not imply causation → need:
Temporal precedence (cause before effect)
Covariation (they change together)
Elimination of alternatives
Job Performance
Behaviors (what you do) vs Outcomes (results).
3 components:
Task performance = duties in job description (routine, adaptive, creative).
Citizenship behavior = voluntary extra-role behaviors.
Counterproductive behavior = actions harming org.
9/9/25 – Job Performance & Commitment
Citizenship Behaviors (OCBs)
Organizational: Voice, Civic Virtue, Boosterism.
Interpersonal: Helping, Courtesy, Sportsmanship.
OCBs improve team effectiveness and morale.
Counterproductive Behaviors (CWB)
Production deviance: wasting resources, substance abuse.
Property deviance: theft, sabotage.
Political deviance: gossip, incivility.
Personal aggression: harassment, abuse.
Organizational Commitment
Affective: emotional attachment, want to stay.
Continuance: costs of leaving, need to stay.
Normative: moral obligation, ought to stay.
Erosion model: employees with fewer social bonds more likely to leave.
Performance Management Systems
MBO: goal-setting, progress reviews.
BARS: behaviorally anchored rating scales → concrete examples.
360-degree feedback: ratings from peers, subordinates, self.
Forced ranking: stack employees → creates competition but can harm teamwork.
Exit-Voice-Loyalty-Neglect (EVLN)
Exit: leaving the job.
Voice: constructive feedback.
Loyalty: passive support.
Neglect: withdrawal, reduced effort.
Types of employees:
Stars (high commitment + performance) → use voice.
Citizens (high commitment, low performance) → show loyalty.
Lone Wolves (low commitment, high performance) → likely to exit.
Apathetics (low commitment + performance) → neglect.
9/11/25 – Personality
Why Personality Matters
Hiring, promotions, and team fit often based on personality.
Shapes job satisfaction, leadership, communication.
Personality Frameworks
Type A/B → outdated, oversimplified.
MBTI → popular but unreliable (low test-retest reliability, poor prediction of performance).
Big Five (OCEAN) → most valid, used in research.
Big Five Traits
Openness: imaginative, curious, creative.
High = adaptability in dynamic jobs.
Low = practical, prefer routine.
Conscientiousness: organized, dependable, achievement-oriented.
Strongest predictor of performance and commitment.
Extraversion: outgoing, assertive, talkative.
Linked to leadership & job satisfaction.
Agreeableness: cooperative, warm, trusting.
Good for customer service, teamwork.
Not strong predictor of performance.
Neuroticism: anxious, insecure, moody.
High = emotional instability, stress-prone.
Low (emotional stability) = better performance & commitment.
9/16/25 – Personality & Perception
Nature vs Nurture
Twin studies: ~50% of personality is genetic.
Personality stable but can change with life experience.
Perception
Process of interpreting environment → guides behavior.
Perceptions can matter more than reality in shaping actions.
Attribution Theory
How people explain causes of behavior.
3 Cues:
Consensus: do others act this way?
Distinctiveness: does this happen across situations?
Consistency: does it happen often with same person/event?
Internal attribution = blame the person.
External attribution = blame the situation.
9/18/25 – Perception Biases
Common Biases
Fundamental Attribution Error: overestimate personal factors, underestimate situational ones (others).
Self-Serving Bias: success = me, failure = external (ourselves).
Confirmation Bias: seek info that supports pre-existing beliefs.
Selective Perception: see what you want to see.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: belief leads to behavior that makes it true.
Halo Effect: one positive trait → overly positive impression overall.
Horns Effect: one negative trait → overly negative impression overall.