Questions and Answers of Management And Organisational Behaviour

Watch the video of Dan Ariely (www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aH2Ppjpcho) on what makes us feel good about work. Consider the psychological contract from your own perspective.
What examples can YOU give of the psychological contract between yourself and fellow students; and your university (or faculty/department)?
Before commencing to read this chapter - think carefully about what does 'work' really mean to YOU? Have a look at the video presented by Jason Fried on 'Why work doesn't happen at work':
What do YOU see as the most significant impact of globalisation? What experiences do you have of different workplace attitudes and behaviours?
From each of any five of the ten classifications, select one particular organisation of your choice. Now, for each of your chosen five organisations, identify what you believe are:(a) Significance
To what extent is work part of YOUR identity? Is your first reaction on meeting someone influenced by the work they do?
(a) An individual's orientation to work and underlying work ethic is the strongest influence on their motivation and organisational performance. The actions of manage-ment have only a minimal effect.
How would YOU describe your orientation to work? What influences do YOU think determine your work ethic and to what extent do you expect your perspective of and attitude to work to change over time?
Young people's career expectations are increasingly mobile and the concept of work- spaces - co-working in shared spaces - suggests that work can be undertaken anywhere.(a) To what extent does this
What examples of emotional labour have YOU witnessed? What appeared to be the reactions of the people involved?
What have YOU noticed about the most significant features of organisational organisations? behaviour in the different types of
How do YOU see main differences in the nature of work in private enterprise, public sector and social enterprise organisations? In which type of organisation would you most prefer to work?
What do YOU see as the major difficulties and long-term future of social enterprise organisations?
To what extent do YOU see friendships and relationships at work as in potential conflict with the formal organisation? Are there examples that colleagues can share?
To what extent do YOU believe concern for work/life balance should form part of the ethical concern or underlying values of an organisation?
What examples can YOU provide of significant difference in perspectives and attitudes to work of different generations? How important is an ageing population to the study of organisational behaviour?
How do YOU view the workplace of the future and working for organisations such as B&Q or Goggle? Do you feel encouraged or fearful?
Before starting to read this chapter - what exactly do YOU understand by the words 'conflict' and 'stress'? What do you think is the significance of their study for organisational behaviour? Watch
(a) Drawing on the ideas of unitarist, pluralist, radical and interactionist perspectives consider the extent to which you see conflict as a constructive positive force likely to inspire improved
The production manager (Jack), quality control manager (Josh) and planning manager (Jill) work for a company producing PVC raw materials for customers making a variety of PVC products such as
What is your view of organisational misbehaviour? To what extent do YOU see it as a normal pattern of human behaviour in the workplace or more particularly an issue of management control and power?
Work-related stress, depression or anxiety is defined as a harmful reaction people have to undue pressures and demands placed on them at work. Stress is more prevalent in public service industries,
What do YOU believe are the possible main causes of conflict in the workplace? What type of conflict would be likely to give you the most concern and why?
(a) People may be busy and under pressure, but stress is an over-used word and has become something of a fashion trend. Many people appear to compete for who is most stressed. The biggest danger is
To what extent do YOU believe work organisations can ever be truly like 'happy families' or is it a worthwhile and creditable view but just too idealistic and simplistic?
To what extent do YOU believe that most conflict at work is due to a combination of negativity and 'difficult people'? How much do you think humour helps to resolve conflict?
How successful are YOU in using interpersonal process skills to help avoid conflict in group activity situations with your fellow students? What do notice about the body language within the group?
To what extent do YOU believe stress is a serious and worsening reality of the work situation or too much of a fashionable trend with little real substance?
What apparent similarities or differences have YOU observed about reactions to stress among your colleagues with different personalities or from different cultures?
To what extent does pressure help motivate YOU to improve your performance? Is this pressure more from outside or self-imposed from within?
How well do YOU cope with stress? What actions do you take to avoid or reduce your levels of stress? To what extent do you discuss any concerns with your colleagues?
To what extent do YOU believe bullying and harassment is evident in (i) workplaces generally and (ii) your own university? What action would you propose to reduce incidents of unwanted behaviours?
Answer each of the following as "true" or "false", choosing the answer that applies to you.*1. _____T/F I would consider myself to be a loner2. _____T/F I am a risk taker3. _____T/F I enjoy
Before commencing to read this chapter – reflect upon what you understand about what the nature of learning involves and how people learn.
Prepare a paper setting out in bullet-point format the contrasting potential benefits, applications and shortcomings of:(a) Traditional models of learning(b) Social learning theory(c) Action
How prepared are YOU to readily accept new behaviours and actions, and new understanding and knowledge?
A study by US psychologists suggested that you remember and recall more from writing notes by longhand rather than into a laptop or tablet computer.Your tutor will arrange for members of your seminar
To test whether a superior's (and the organisation's) behaviour is supportive, consider the following questions.a. How much confidence and trust do you feel your superior has in you? How much do you
Contrast the nature of management in(i) Service and production industries;(ii) Private enterprise and public sector organisations.
To what extent did the title of the video cause difficulties?
1. Mumtaz has just completed her fast-track graduate programme and is now looking forward to a Development Centre which will determine the next promotion step. She is anticipating an international
1. You are a manager In the Accounts Department. Graeme, one of your most energetic people, had asked for some of your time and is coming to see you in a couple of minutes. You're not sure what it's
Reddix Hospital* is an NHS (National Health Service) Trust Hospital in the UK. The hospital is located between Leicester and Birmingham and serves a population of over 900 000, a quarter of whom are
To what extent did members of the group understand the thought processes of others?
If you were persuaded to change your mind on what basis was this decision made?
What conclusions do you draw from this exercise? Having discussed results with colleagues would you change any of your responses, and if so, why?
Explain your understanding of(i) The nature of organisational behaviour(ii) The meaning of behavioural science.
Discuss the role of management as an integrating activity. Give your own views on the responsibility of management and the manner in which you believe this responsibility should be exercised.
Explain the nature of the people organisation relationship. Why is it important to distinguish between the ‘intent’ and the ‘implementation’ of management decisions and actions?
Explain what is meant by the ‘psychological contract’. List(i) The personal expectations you have of your own organisation(ii) What you believe to be the expectations of the organisation. Discuss
Why is it increasingly important for managers to adopt an international approach? Discuss critically the likely longer-term impact of Britain’s membership of the European Union.
How effective are the interactions and interrelationships among the sub-systems? Give practical examples to support your view.
Give your own views, with supporting reasons, on the relevance and applications of Japanese management outside of Japan.
The overall mission of Helgaton Ltd is to deliver quality business products and systems throughout the UK and Ireland. The company employs more than 4000 people in nearly 50 locations. In order to
Assess the practical relevance of (i) the concept of synergy and (ii) a SWOT analysis.
Explain the basic components of a work organisation. Support your answer with examples from your own organisation.
Explain the organisation as an open system. What is meant by organisational subsystems and how might they be identified? Illustrate each of these sub-systems by reference to your own organisation.
Discuss the importance of technology in the structure, management and functioning of work organisations. Give practical examples of how the nature of technology can influence the systems nature of
Select a particular managerial job and observe the manager in action, preferably over an extended period of time.a. Make notes, with supporting examples, of the proportion of the manager's work and
How would you summarise the essential nature of the manager–subordinate relationship?
Examine the nature of managerial activity within your own university/college.a. Explain clearly those factors which distinguish the general nature of management from that in other (private sector)
Give your own examples of the work of people who might be perceived as ‘unlikely managers’.
Using your own examples, explain the importance of using appropriate approaches when dealing with potentially difficult situations.
From your own experience, identify with examples the main activities of management. What do you see as the main attribute(s) or qualities required of a manager in undertaking each of these activities?
Ever flirted with the idea you're CEO material? Matthew Gwyther suggests some key requirements for the post, and what to expect when you get to the lonely eyrie at the top.Work through our
What do you learn about the nature of the manager–subordinate relationship?
In self-selecting groups of three or four, visit a work organisation of your choice.a. Investigate and make notes about:(i) The nature and main purpose of the organisation;(ii) Its size;(iii) The
Did the responses from some of your colleagues surprise you and if so why?
a. Think of the person with whom you can work least well. This person may be someone you work with now or someone you knew in the past. The person does not have to be someone you like least.b.
How surprised were you with your ‘score’ and to what extent did it differ from the ‘norm’?
To what extent do you believe groups develop clearly through the four main successive stages of forming, storming, norming and performing?
Fabrique Décor was established in the late 1980s by Freda and Brian Rickson when they were in their middle thirties and wanted a change from working in a large organisation. Mrs Rickson was
If you were responsible for recruiting staff to what extent would you be tempted to conceal the difficulties and distastes of a job?
Central to a systematic approach to staff selection is the process of ‘knowing the job and the person to do it’. Explain how you would ensure this process is carried out effectively in a large
Should people applying for a job be given the opportunity to see the person specification?
Assess critically the main methods of staff selection, apart from the interview, and give examples of when each method might be most appropriate.
Draw up(i) A suggested selection interview plan;(ii) A suggested grading scheme for reporting the interview. Make clear the nature of the appointment to which your interview plan and grading scheme
Discuss the main points to bear in mind in adopting an appropriate interviewing style. Give your own examples of the different types of questions that might be asked.
Critically assess the value and application of a competency-based approach to recruitment and selection.
Suggest how the management of an organisation might attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of its recruitment and selection process. Give practical examples relating to your own organisation.
What do you see as the purposes of management control in work organisations? What are the essential elements of a management control system?
What conclusions do you draw from this exercise? Having discussed results with colleagues would you change any of your responses, and if so, why?
Tony Jackson was first employed in a busy branch office of a building society on a Youth Training Scheme but left after two years because there was no permanent position available at that time.
Explain with supporting examples how situational factors might influence a person’s preferred style of management.
The library in Labworth Street is located in an inner city area of the local authority. While small and in rather old premises, it has been popular over the years with residents of the local
In self-selecting groups of three or four, visit a work organisation of your choice, preferably one that is well known to at least one member of your group.a. Using Likert's short form of profile of
Explain the need for a corporate strategy and attempt to examine the corporate plan for your own or some other organisation. Suggest criteria for the evaluation of an appropriate mix of activities.
To what extent were you influenced to rethink your values or beliefs?
Late in 2001, the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Top-to-Toe, Joanne Dunne, announced the decision to open up distribution by using the device of house parties.The house party involves
How much agreement was there among members of your group? Did this surprise you?
Illustrate the systems view of organisational goals and objectives. Give examples of how the goals of an organisation may change over time. Why is it that in practice organisational goals usually
Square Deal plc is a newly formed subsidiary company of Square Deal International Inc. The intention is to use it to unify the efforts and improve the profitability of the hitherto separate UK
What are goals and what functions are served by organisational goals? Suggest a classification of organisational goals and relate this to your own organisation.
How difficult was it for you to complete your ratings?
A first step in understanding human behaviour and the successful management of other people is to know and understand yourself. For this simple exercise you are asked to select any one of the
What do you see as the character traits of a person with a healthy work ethic?
Eric is a new manager of product information for a national firm which wholesales electrical components.He's proud because he was assigned a 'tough' office right out of management training. He's
Provide for classroom discussion short descriptions (suitably disguised if necessary) to illustrate the practical application of:1. The Peter Principle, 2. Parkinson’s Law.Include in your
To what extent do you agree with the contention that: ‘we are employed for our skills but valued for our attitude’?
What effect might different orientations to work have within an organisation and how might they all be accommodated?

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