CHAPTER 1: THE FIELD OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 1: THE FIELD OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR CHAPTER SYNOPSIS The chapter introduces Organizational Behavior (OB) as an important field of study. OB has four essential characteristics: (1) the use of the scientific method that informs research; (2) a focus on three levels of analysis; (3) a multidisciplinary perspective that borrows from psychology, sociology, and quality management; and (4) an orientation toward improving organizational effectiveness and the quality of life at work. Theory X and Theory Y are discussed as philosophies of management. Theory X is an older style of management philosophy that holds that workers are inherently lazy, try to avoid work, and need close supervision. Theory Y is commonly found in today s organizations and assumes that people have a psychological need for work and desire responsibility and achievement. OB is guided by two basic assumptions: (1) the dynamic nature of organizations and (2) the contingency approach to understanding and studying human behavior. Historically, OB has evolved as a field of study with its origins rooted in the scientific management approach of Fredrick Winslow Taylor, Elton Mayo s human relations movement (with a focus on the famous Hawthorne Studies), and classical organizational theory (characterized by Max Weber s analysis of bureaucracy). The traditional areas of inquiry continue in OB. However, the field is rapidly expanding by including topics such as diversity in the workplace, crosscultural aspects of behavior, alternative work arrangements, ethics in the workplace, and advances in technology. The dynamic nature of organizations and significant environmental forces have given rise to rapidly developing topics that promise to ensure that OB will continue to be an interesting field of study.. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES At the end of the chapter, students will be able to; DEFINE organizational behavior (OB) DESCRIBE the major characteristics of the field of OB DISTINGUISH between the Theory X and Theory Y philosophies of management IDENTIFY the fundamental assumptions of the field of OB DESCRIBE the historical roots of the field of OB CHARACTERIZE the nature of the field of OB today Page 1of 11

2 ISSUES FOR REVIEW AND DISCUSSION 1. What are the advantages of and disadvantages of using survey research for this purpose? How would you go about preparing an appropriate questionnaire? Advantages: You can get responses from all workers, assure workers that their opinion is valuable to you, and you can obtain new perspectives. Disadvantages: You will need to analyze and interpret the data, you may falsely raise expectations that workers wishes will be addressed. Conduct interviews to determine the appropriate questions to ask, determine what the industry standards are, identify appropriate benchmarks for best practices, or retain the services of a consultant. 2. What are the advantages of and disadvantages of using an experiment for this purpose? How would you go about designing and conducting one? Advantages: More economical than surveying all workers, could use illumination as the key variable to determine whether there is an effect on efficiency and/or productivity. Disadvantages: As was the case in the Hawthorne experiments, workers may increase productivity due to your observations; workers could manipulate productivity if they know they are the subjects of a study. The design would include variables of the degree of illumination and time periods and the effect on productivity. You may increase or decrease the levels of illumination at various times. 3. What are the advantages of and disadvantages of using some type of qualitative research for this purpose? How would you go about doing so? Advantages: You would not need as much time to conduct individual interviews with workers regarding light levels and output. Disadvantages: You may not be able to determine the overall productivity of the group. You would not know how output is affected. A focus group could be used that explores all of the issues and enables the group to provide immediate feedback. Page 2of 11

3 4. What do you think would be the most appropriate type of research to shed light on the question? Explain your answer. Students should be able to identify the goals of their research design, the data gathering methods, and how they would implement their results. They should be able to discuss the limitations and the strengths of the approach they select. Page 3of 11

4 CHAPTER 2: ORGANIZATIONAL JUSTICE, ETHICS, AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CHAPTER SYNOPSIS The concept of organizational justice is introduced in this chapter. The forms of organizational justice (distributive justice, procedural justice, interpersonal justice, and informational justice) are explained. The relationships between the forms of organizational justice and tips for promoting justice in the workplace are discussed in detail. Suggestions for promoting organizational justice include: paying workers what they deserve, offering workers a voice, the importance of following fair procedures, and explaining decisions in ways that demonstrate dignity and respect. Ethical behavior in organizations is examined by highlighting crises that have gained the public s attention in recent years. Ethics are explained, in part, through the concept of moral values. A question is raised as to why companies should care about ethical behavior. The benefits for companies that practice good ethics include improved financial performance, reduced operating costs, enhanced corporate reputations, and an increased ability to attract and retain employees. The legal regulations that provide minimum acceptable standard that companies must adhere to are explored citing contemporary acts such as Sarbanes-Oxley and the Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations (2003). The discussion shifts to individual differences using cognitive moral development as the theoretical framework. The components of corporate ethics programs are described including the importance of ethics training and ethics audits. The chapter concludes with a discussion of corporate social responsibility and the virtuous circle of financial performance. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES At the end of the chapter, students will be able to; IDENTIFY four different forms of organizational justice and the organizational impact of each on individuals and organizations DESCRIBE things that can be done to promote organizational justice EXPLAIN what is meant by ethical behavior and why organizations should be concerned about ethics DESCRIBE the individual and situational factors responsible for unethical behavior in organizations and methods for minimizing such behavior EXPLAIN the idea of the pyramid of corporate social responsibility DESCRIBE the nature of the relationship between socially responsible behavior and financial profitability in organizations Page 4of 11

5 ISSUES FOR REVIEW AND DISCUSSION 1. What form of justice appears to have been violated by the new pay policy? Explain your answer. This could be the result of either distributive, procedural, or informational justice concerns. Distributive would be the general perception of unfairness of the organization s policy change; procedural justice perceptions could arise due to the way in which the policy was changed; informational in that the policy was simply changed. 2. In this case, the new pay policy was implemented without first discussing it with store managers. Do you think that the theft rate might have been lower had this been done? What else could be done to reduce the growing theft rate? Perhaps, one might argue that if the policy had been discussed and reasons provided for it, informational justice would have been perceived as fair. Other actions the company may have considered would be to have a discussion with the store managers on ways in which to reduce costs and maintain productivity. 3. The company s code of ethics expressly prohibits theft, but other than being handed a copy along with other company documents and forms upon being hired, hardly anyone pays attention to it. What do you think could be done, if anything, to enhance the effectiveness of the code of ethics as a weapon for combating the theft problem? Answers will vary widely. An emphasis on ethics training may have enhanced the code and prevented the increased theft rate. According to the text, the absence of such training leads to the perception that the ethics code is window dressing and will be ignored if read at all. 4. Do you believe that good ethics is good business? Explain your answer. People promoting ethical behavior in business argue that ethical decision making is good for business. Benefits of being ethical include: i. Improved financial performance: People prefer to deal with ethical organizations. ii. Reduced operating costs: Efforts to protect the natural environment also help save money. Page 5of 11

6 iii. Enhanced corporate reputation: Customers are loyal to businesses perceived as being ethical. iv. Increased ability to attract and retain employees: People like to feel proud of where they work. Page 6of 11

7 CHAPTER 3: PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESS IN ORGANIZATIONS: PERSONALITY, PERCEPTION AND LEARNING CHAPTER SYNOPSIS This chapter introduces the roles that personality, emotion, perception, and learning play in explaining and understanding individual differences in organizational behavior. Personality dimensions are discussed beginning with the cluster of personality traits known as the Big Five. Type A and Type B behavior patterns represent another key personality variable. Other characteristics influence performance including self-efficacy, self-esteem, and the strength of an individual s desire to excel, which is termed achievement motivation. Emotions are overt reactions that express people s feelings about a specific event. They exert a powerful influence on people s behavior in the workplace. Emotional dissonance and emotional intelligence significantly contribute to success on the job. Moods are unfocused, relatively mild feelings that exist as background to our daily experiences and can influence job behavior. Social perception is a very important process in a wide variety of organizational situations. Several different approaches as to how the process works are examined in the chapter. Social identity theory, attribution, and making correspondent inferences affect our social perception. Several important types of biases interfere with making accurate judgments of others. Fundamental attribution error, the halo effect, and self-fulfilling prophecies are examined in this light. The broad and fundamental process of learning is explored in detail. Two of the most prevalent forms of learning that occur in organizations are operant conditioning and observational learning. The relationships between a person s behavior and the consequences of that behavior are collectively known as contingencies of reinforcement. The application of learning in organizations is considered in depth. Finally, a discussion on sharing what is known in an organization (knowledge management) concludes the chapter. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES At the end of the chapter, students will be able to; DEFINE personality and EXPLAIN the nature of its effects on behavior in the workplace DESCRIBE personality dimensions that are responsible for individual differences in organizational behavior DEFINE social perception and EXPLAIN the process of attribution DESCRIBE social identity theory and Kelley s theory of causal attribution and EXPLAIN the various biases that make the social perception process imperfect DEFINE learning and DESCRIBE the two basic kinds of learning that occur in organizations Page 7of 11

8 EXPLAIN various ways in which principles of learning are applied in organizations ISSUES FOR REVIEW AND DISCUSSION 1. What personality characteristics would you recommend the company seeks to find in its prospective employees? Which ones should it avoid? Explain your answers. Individuals, who are high in self-monitoring, have high self-esteem; have relatively high need for achievement, and high in self-efficacy, would want to avoid those who demonstrate low levels of these characteristics. The firm would rely on self-starters, individuals who could cope with high levels of change in the work environment, and those who would perform at high levels to advance themselves while pursuing organizational goals. 2. What types of biases and inaccuracies may be expected in the process of appraising employees job performance? What can be done to minimize the impact of these factors? Attribution bias and the halo effect potentially would be problematic. To minimize these factors, one could employ the use of 360-degree feedback where bias would be minimized (or at least diffused) across many individuals within the organization. 3. What do you understand by the term personality? Should employers administer personality tests to job candidates? Personality is the unique and relatively stable patterns of behavior, thoughts, and emotions shown by individuals. Or, personality refers to the lasting ways in which any one person is different from all others. An assessment of a candidate s personality is important when matching people to jobs and organizations. The big five dimensions of personality provide one measure of a person s personality that can be used to ascertain whether that person would be suitable for the job and fit in to the organization s culture. For example, people who are highly extroverted tend to succeed in managerial and sales jobs. 4. Distinguish between self-efficacy and self-esteem. What steps can organizations take to boost the self-esteem of their employees? Self-efficacy is a person s belief in his or her own capacity to perform a task. It involves beliefs about one s competence and is a predictor of people s work behavior. Self-esteem is the extent to which people hold positive or negative Page 8of 11

9 views about themselves. It is related to feelings of self-worth. People with low self-esteem tend to be less successful in work-related activities. An organization can boost and maintain the self-esteem of its employees by making people feel valuable, competent, more secure, and empowered. 5. Do people with a high need for achievement make better managers? Need for achievement refers to an individual's desire to excel at various tasks to succeed and do better than others. They prefer tasks that are moderately challenging, take personal credit for success, and need regular feedback. For this reason, they tend to focus on their own success and are reluctant to delegate authority to others. Managers with a high need for achievement tend to keep organizational power in the hands of just a few people, failing to empower their team members as needed. Page 9of 11

10 CHAPTER 4: COPING WITH ORGANIZATIONAL LIFE: EMOTIONS AND STRESS CHAPTER SYNOPSIS The first part of the chapter describes the problematic nature of stress in organizations. The discussion of key stressors identifies both cognitive and physical response to stress in organizational life. Stress reactions can have damaging behavioral, psychological, and/or medical effects. Major causes of stress in the workplace include occupational demands, conflict between work and nonwork, role ambiguity, and overload. Stress reduction programs in organizations include employee assistance programs (EAPs), wellness programs, and stress management programs. The second part of the chapter provides a comprehensive discussion of careers. Holland s theory of occupational choice provides insight into the person-job fit. Career anchors and job opportunities provide some guidance as to career choices. The chapter moves to a discussion on the challenges associated with established careers including the career plateau, career development interventions, making career changes, and planning for retirement CHAPTER OBJECTIVES At the end of the chapter, students will be able to; DISTINGUISH between emotions and moods EXPLAIN how emotions and moods influence behavior in organizations DESCRIBE ways in which people manage their emotions in organizations IDENTIFY the major causes of organizational stress DESCRIBE the adverse effects of organizational stress IDENTIFY various ways of reducing stress in the workplace ISSUES FOR REVIEW AND DISCUSSION 1. Assuming that levels of stress are high in the company, what problems would you expect to see in individuals, both physiologically and with respect to their job performance? Stress is related to 50 to 70 percent of physiological illnesses. One might expect, if the stressors are left unchecked, that individuals would begin to be absent more often, may take ill, become distracted, and job performance may wane as a result of the stressors individuals are experiencing. Page 10of 11

11 2. What steps can the company take to reduce the levels of stress encountered on the job? The company can initiate wellness programs, stress management workshops, and implement EAP programs in order to prevent and/or address results of stressors in the workplace. 3. You consider the possibility that the stress stems from having the wrong people in the job. What could you do to ensure that the people who work in your company are particularly well-suited to the jobs they perform? Prior to hiring individuals, Human Resources could administer a diagnostic as part of the application process. This diagnostic could assess person-job fit along the lines of Holland s theoretical perspective. 4. How do the employees emotions and moods influence behavior in organizations? Emotions are overt reactions that express themselves about events. For example, an employee feels angry after being reprimanded for poor performance or becomes anxious when hearing rumors about potential layoffs. Emotions can have a negative effect on job performance. A mood is an unfocused, relatively mild feeling that exists as background to one s daily experiences. Moods fluctuate during the course of the day. If moods are upbeat, their impact on performance can be positive. 5. Why should organizational leaders be concerned about stress? Stress is the pattern of emotional and physical reactions occurring in response to demands from within or outside the organization. Stress has been linked to increases in accidents, lost productivity, and increased medical insurance costs. The human body s reaction to stress can cause the employee to be less involved in his or her work. Desk rage is a common reaction to stress. However, all work-related stress is not bad. Some employees may respond to stress with exceptional performance. Page 11of 11