Questions and Answers of Organizational Behavior Science

Jesse’s options are to do as George told him to and fill the Principal Contractors order first or to go over George’s head to his boss and risk losing his job.1. Using consequential, rule-based,
Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear), a college professor and part-time inventor, creates the intermittent windshield wiper. With the encouragement of his friend Gil Privick (Dermot Mulroney), Kearns
The case focuses on John Lasseter, who is the creative head of Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, both of which are owned by The Walt Disney Company. The case chronicles
Brent’s options are to select a tech-savvy project that will showcase the talents of his team or select a creative project that will showcase his own personal talents.1. Using consequential,
The Reaper virus strikes Glasgow, Scotland, on April 3, 2008. It spreads and devastates the population throughout Scotland. Authorities seal off the borders, preventing anyone from entering or
1. Where does Hewitt's leadership fall on the Leadership Grid discussed in the chapter? Explain.2. How does having two distinct leadership roles, mayor and city administrator, create a challenging
This case focuses on octogenarian Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of the Swedish-based retailer IKEA. Kamprad, an entrepreneur throughout his life, is an extremely frugal individual, both in his personal
Maria’s options are to keep Jim and Vincent in the brainstorming session despite their conflict or to intervene in the situation by removing them from the session.1. Using consequential,
Hollywood talk show host Roscoe Jenkins (Martin Lawrence) returns to his Georgia home for his parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary. Cultures clash between the big-city Roscoe and other family
1. What style did the team use to handle conflicts initially? What styles are they learning to use? 2. What type of conflict negotiation is Decker using: integrative or distributive?3.
This case focuses on the approach to customer service and customer relationship management taken by Nordstrom, an upscale retailer headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Nordstrom has operated with
1. How would you describe Tony Hsieh’s approach to leadership?2. What type(s) of followers would work well with Tony Hsieh? What type(s) of followers would not work well with Hsieh?3. Does the high
Carson’s options are to leave Jen’s job the way it is or to redesign the job by splitting the region and adding a second person.1. Using consequential, rule-based, and character theories,
1. What is the primary problem the directors have in recruiting instructors to teach at Maine Media Workshops? How might they solve this problem? 2. What is the social information-processing (SIP)
Various alternative work arrangements exist for use in businesses and other types of organizations; included among the options are compressed work weeks, flexible work schedules, telecommuting, and
Cecily’s options are to keep the current structure that is causing her company to lag behind her competitors or to eliminate managers who have been with the company a long time in order to
U.S. government operatives suddenly take Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally) from his flight from Cape Town, South Africa, after it arrives in Washington, D.C. He is a suspected terrorist whom the
1. Is Evo a centralized or decentralized company? Explain.2. Are Evo's top managers likely to seek a more mechanistic type of organization to accommodate growth and change? Why or why
The case focuses on the need for an innovative form of organization design at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in light of its strategic goals and the external environmental
Lisbeth’s options are to keep Graham and risk disrupting the culture that is at the heart of Larson-Knoff or to let him go and lose his talent but maintain the culture of the company.1. Using
Democratic Congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) from East Texas lives a reckless life that includes heavy drinking and chasing attractive women. The film focuses on the Afghanistan rebellion
1. What are some visible aspects of Recycline's culture that reflect the company's values and commitment to green issues?2. What role do leaders play in shaping Recycline's organizational
The Toyota Way describes the 14 principles that guide the operations of the Toyota Motor Corporation. The 14 principles of The Toyota Way are:1. “Base your management decisions on a long-term
What are psychological contracts?
Lynn’s options are to accept the dream job with Smith & Johnson knowing that she may not want to give the same level of commitment to her work after giving birth as she did before that, or to
Meet Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey), single, late thirties, successful in her career, but childless. She loves children and wants a child but does not want to take chances with a pregnancy at her age. Kate
1. At what stage of the Career Stage Model is manager Danielle Oviedo? Explain.2. Has working numerous jobs with different companies made Oviedo more or less valuable in the eyes of Numi's
This case focuses on Build-A-Bear Workshop and its founder and CEO, Maxine Clark. The case starts out by describing the nature of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., its initial founding and then
Robert’s options are to recommend restructuring that favors his own department but hides some issues or to recommend restructuring that is likely to improve the company more and involves full
Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) hears a voice while working in his Iowa cornfield that says, “If you build it, he will come.” Ray concludes that “he” is legendary “Shoeless Joe” Jackson (Ray
1. What might explain dealers’ failure to promote the Civic GX, beyond fueling issues?2. How might Scholfield Honda expand on the changes put into motion by Lindquest?3. How could
This case focuses on CarMax, the nation’s largest retailer of used cars. CarMax, originally a unit of Circuit City Stores, was spun off as an independent business in October 2002. CarMax survives
1. What insights can be gained from Tony Hsieh’s career progression that might be helpful to aspiring entrepreneurs?2. How would you describe the culture at Zappos?3. Explain what
The purpose of the Ethical Dilemmas is to encourage students to develop their awareness of ethical issues in the workplace and the managerial challenges they present. The dilemmas are set up to
1. What political and economic challenges could evoTRIP encounter when conducting business in other countries? 2. How might globalization affect Evo's organizational context? Explain.3. What
This case focuses on business opportunities that may arise from the social networking Web site, Facebook. In particular, the case explores two group buying business opportunities that could develop
Select one of the three challenges (globalization, diversity, ethics) and write a brief position paper arguing for its importance to managers.
Find someone whose culture is different from your own. This could be a classmate or an international student at your university. Interview the person about his or her culture, using Hofstede’s
Darcy has a number of options open to her, including firing either Ryan or his boss, Natalie, or taking some less drastic measure against them, or taking no action at all.1. Using consequential,
Jet lag conspires with culture shock to force the meeting of Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) and Bob Harris (Bill Murray). Neither can sleep after their Tokyo arrival. They meet in their luxury
1. In what ways do the activities of Greensburg exemplify good ethics and social responsibility? Explain.2. What are the potential consequences of rebuilding Greensburg without concern for green
This case describes how the Timberland Company pursues both business interests and social/environmental interests. Timberland is committed to market success and corporate profitability, but in
Sandra seems to fit in with the other employees just fine, but seems to have trouble relating to Juanita on an individual basis. Juanita’s options are to 1) fire Sandra, 2) talk to Sandra about her
1. What is your perception of CEO Eric Hudson? On what do you base your perception?2. What is the public's perception of green products according to Marketing Director C.A. Webb? Why do some people
This case focuses on the types of employees that Deloitte, a transnational ‘Big Four’ accounting firm, seeks to recruit and retain. Deloitte, like other firms, goes to extraordinary lengths to
What should managers know about emotions at work?
Sarah’s options are to keep Kim in HR, or to fast-track her for the job in Marketing.1. Using consequential, rule-based, and character theories, evaluate Sarah’s options2. What should Sarah
William Hundert (Kevin Kline), a professor at the exclusive Saint Benedict’s Academy for Boys, believes in teaching his students about living a principled life. He also wants them to learn his
1. Are Numi’s expectations for organizational citizenship realistic? Explain.2. How is Numi susceptible to hiring the wrong people in spite of its efforts?3. What qualities are
This case focuses on the perplexing actions of John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods was trying to acquire a competitor, Wild Oats Markets, and in an ill-fated effort to influence
1. Using consequential, rule-based, and character theories, evaluate Jim’s options.2. What should Jim do? Why?
1. According to Maslow’s hierarchy, which basic needs did Shank’s old boss fail to meet?2. How might feeling underpaid affect the work of a Flight 001 associate?3. Speculate the
This case focuses on the controversial $165 million in retention bonuses paid to employees of the Financial Products unit of the American International Group (AIG), a behemoth insurance and financial
1. Using consequential, rule-based, and character theories, evaluate Margaret’s options.2. What should she do? Why?
Dance academy owner and instructor Pierre Dulaine (Antonio Banderas) offers to help troubled detention students in a South Bronx high school. His formal ballroom style sharply differs from their
1. Identify Flight 001's mission and goals.2. Do goals at Flight 001 possess the characteristics of effective goal setting? Explain your answer using the "SMART" acronym mentioned in the chapter.3.
Chapter 6 explores performance management within the context of learning theory, goal setting theory, and the use of rewards. Learning theory and goal setting theory provide the theoretical
Prepare a memo describing your observations about work teams and groups in your workplace or your university. Where have you observed teams or groups to be most effective? Why? What changes might be
What methods have you found most helpful in overcoming barriers to communication that are physical? Status based? Cultural? Linguistic?
Do the size, technology, and mission of your organization directly affect you? How?
Select one of the four challenges (globalization, diversity, ethics, technology,) and write a brief position paper arguing for its importance to managers.
Find someone whose culture is different from your own. This might be a classmate, an international student, or a Native American at your university. Interview the person about his or her culture,
Which has the stronger impact on personality: heredity or environment?
You have been asked to develop a training program for interviewers. An integral part of this training program focuses on helping interviewers develop better social perception skills. Write an outline
What jobs do you consider to be most satisfying? Why?
Suppose you are a manager in a customer service organization. Your group includes seven supervisors who report directly to you. Each supervisor manages a team of seven customer service
Think of a time when you have experienced cognitive dissonance. Analyze your experience in terms of the attitude and behavior involved. What did you do to resolve the cognitive dissonance? What other
What important experiences have contributed to your moral and ethical development? Are you working to further your own moral maturity at this time?
What goals do you set for yourself at work? In your personal life? Will you know if you achieve them?
Prepare a memo detailing the consequences of behavior in your work or university environment (e.g., grades, awards, suspensions, and scholarships). Include in your memo your classification of these
Do you use any stress prevention methods that are not discussed in the chapter? If so, what are they?
Do research on social support and diaries as ways to manage stressful and/or traumatic events. Develop an oral presentation for class that explains the benefits of each of these approaches for
Who makes you the most defensive when you talk with that person? What does the person do that makes you so defensive or uncomfortable?
With whom are you the most comfortable and non defensive in conversation? What does the person do that makes you so comfortable or non defensive?
What nonverbal behaviors do you find most helpful in others when you are attempting to talk with them? When you try to listen to them?
Read everything you can find in the library about a new communication technology. Write a two-page memo summarizing what you have learned and the conclusions you draw about the new technology’s
Interview an employee or manager about what he or she believes contributes to cohesiveness in work groups and teams. Ask the person what the conclusions are based on. Be prepared to discuss what you
Do you admire the upper echelons in your organization or university? Why or why not? Do they communicate effectively with groups and individuals throughout the organization?
Reflect on your own experience in groups with groupthink. Describe the situation in which you encountered groupthink, the symptoms that were present, and the outcome. What remedies for groupthink
Who is the most powerful person you know personally? What is it that makes the person so powerful?
Think of a person you admire. Write a newspaper feature analyzing the person’s use of power in terms of the ideas presented in the chapter.
Who is the leader you admire the most? Write a description of this person’s characteristics and attributes that you admire. Note any aspects of this leader’s behavior that you find less than
Based on the materials in the chapter, prepare a memo detailing the advantages and disadvantages of flextime job arrangements. In a second part of the memo, identify the specific conditions and
How would you describe the organization you work for (or your college) on each of the basic design dimensions? For example, is it a very formal organization or an informal organization?
Who are your organization’s competitors? What changes do you see in information technology where you work?
Does your company show any one or more of the four symptoms of structural deficiency discussed at the end of the chapter?
Select an organization that you might like to work for. Learn as much as you can about that company’s culture, using library resources, online sources, contacts within the company, and as many
Select an individual in the field you want to work in or in a company for which you might want to work. Contact the individual and ask if you might take a minute of her or his time for some career
What are the major external forces for change in today’s organizations?
Suppose your organization experiences a dramatic increase in turnover. How would you diagnose the underlying problem?
Downsizing has played a major role in changing U.S. organizations. Analyze the internal and external forces for change regarding downsizing an organization.
If you were in charge of designing the ideal management development program, what topics would you include? Why?
Find an article that describes an organization that has gone through change and managed it well. Develop a Real World feature of your own about the example you find using the format in this book.
What innovative ideas or changes could Hard Rock implement to appeal to the next generation of music lovers?
A software engineer in Canada needs to coordinate with four team members in geographically dispersed areas of the world. What team challenges might the team experience, and how will they affect the
You have just been transferred from the Montreal office to the Vancouver office of your company, a national sales organization of electrical products for developers and contractors. In Montreal, team
Kelowna Tire Corporation redesigned its production facilities around a team-based system. However, the company president believes that employees will not be motivated unless they receive incentives
You just closed a deal with an organizational client and this helps you in achieving your target that was set for you by the unit. Use expectancy theory to discuss how the events that will follow may
Recall a traumatic national or global event, such as the train derailment that took many lives in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, or the fire that destroyed homes in Slave Lake, Alberta. Based on what you
A young college or university student from Canada is interested in doing international business across China, India, Brazil, and Russia. Discuss how the knowledge of OB can be useful to the student.

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