Because we’ve all done some kind of work and know other people who also work, it’s not surprising that we assume various things about how people behave on the job. After all, it’s something we experience all the time. However, the things we may believe to be true about behavior in organizations based on common sense or experience may be inconsistent with established research findings (many of which are noted in this book). Also, the things we think we know are unlikely to reflect all the complexities and subtle nuances of human behavior that only scientists are prepared to determine. This exercise will help you get a feel for this.

Questions for Discussion 

1. How did you score on this quiz? If you answered honestly, you probably didn’t get them all correct. If so, don’t be surprised. We’re not. After all, many of the things people routinely believe about behavior in organizations are only partially true—that is, true under some conditions, but not always. In other words, this topic tends to be far more complex and nuanced than meets the eye. This is precisely why when it comes to studying OB we cannot rely on our common sense as a guide. Instead, we rely on scientific research.

2. Are you surprised to learn of any of the answers we present as being correct? If so, keep in mind that although it’s certainly not always perfect, the fact that research is carefully designed to describe and explain behavior in an unbiased fashion enhances our confidence in what it reveals. Indeed, OB is a science, and as such, the things we know about it are based not on what we think or hope or believe to be the case, but rather, on what research reveals. So, as you read this book you can be assured that the things we say are based on the results of careful scientific investigation—even (or especially) if it’s not what you’d expect.

3. How did you score relative to your classmates? It may be interesting to see exactly what questions stumped the most people in your class. Then, you can look forward to learning about the topic associated with it later in this book.

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Directions Answer each of the following questions by marking it either true or false. Please indicate what you really think and not what you suspect "the real" answer may be. 1. People who are satisfied with one job tend to be satisfied with other jobs too. 2. "Two heads are better than one," so groups make better decisions than individuals. 3. The best leaders always act the same, regardless of the situations they face. 4. Specific goals make people nervous; people work better when asked to do their best. 5. People get bored easily, leading them to welcome organizational change. 6. Money is the best motivator. 7. Today's organizations are more rigidly structured than ever before. 8. People generally shy away from challenges on the job. 9. Multiple channels of communication (e.g.. written and spoken) tend to add confusion. -10. Conflict in organizations is always highly disruptive.