Questions and Answers of Organizational Behaviour Concepts

Leadership and management complement each other. Discuss.
Distinguish between the early trait approach to leadership and the later emphasis on personal characteristics.
Identify one contingency theory of leadership that you feel has greatest practical signifcance, and comment on its features.
Analyse the conditions necessary for transformational leadership to take root.
Discuss the essential features of authentic and servant leadership.
Briefy explain the following:(a) transactional leadership;(b) the attributional perspective in leadership;(c) leadership substitutes; and(d) leadership derailment.
Comment on narcissism, the hubris syndrome, and socialized charismatic leadership, and indicate what aspects of all three are more functional than dysfunctional.
Reflect on the signifcance of gender, culture, emotional intelligence, ethics, and trust in leadership.
What do you understand by upward and lateral leadership?
Distinguish between power, politics, and confect in organizations.
What is meant by the bases of power?
Reflect on the nature and distribution of power within organizations.
Describe the power tactics at the disposal of individuals within groups, and isolate the ones considered the most important.
Define organizational politics.
What are the organizational factors that contribute to political behaviour?
Distinguish between devious and legitimate political tactics in organizations.
What are the political skills you would associate with the effective leader or manager?
How does the interactionist perspective on confect differ from other recognized perspectives?
Define the following terms:(a) conflict frame;(b) cognitive confict;(c) institutionalized confict;(d) structured confict;(e) dysfunctional confict;(f) opportunity power; (g) alienative involvement;
Identify the measures proposed to produce confict in organizations.
Comment on the management of confict with reference to styles of confict management, the use of superordinate goals, and formal negotiations.
Distinguish between a formal and an informal organization.
List the common characteristics of an organization.
Examine the principles of organization in the light of criticisms.
What do we mean by the dysfunctional aspects of bureaucracy?
Compare and contrast the “functional grouping” with that of matrix organization.
What is the outcome of combining Mintzberg’s five coordinating mechanisms with dimensions of structure?
Examine the role of the external environment as a contingency factor.
Explain the following terms:(a) metaphor;(b) typology;(c) prime beneficiary;(d) disturbed reactive environment;(e) differentiation;(f) resource dependency; (g) population ecology; and (h)
Assess ways in which technology, both old and new, influences organization.
Examine the role of size as a determinant of organization structure.
Explain the following terms:(a) formalization;(b) mediating technology;(c) organic system of organization and(d) a combination of both mechanistic and organic features(e.g. Boeing’s Dreamliner)(e)
Comment on an open system of organization, with reference to socio-technical systems.
Explain what is meant by postmodernism in connection with organizational theory.
Examine the nature and signifcance of both the fexible firm and network organizations.
Comment on the features of high-performance systems.
What is meant by corporate or organizational culture and how does it differ from organizational climate?
Identify ways in which culture manifests itself within organizations.
Examine the benefts of culture and comment on the role of symbolic action.
Examine the frameworks for analysing organizational culture, and state which one you personally feel is the more credible.
What do we mean by the Competing Values Framework (CVF)?
Comment on the nature of toxic cultures in organizations.
How do companies go about developing and managing culture?
Comment on the outcome of research into cultural change and development.
What do we mean by organizational socialization?
Analyse the outcome of the cross-cultural studies conducted by Hofstede, Trompenaars, and House.
What is meant by cultural diversity in an organizational setting?
Why should a company consider ethics, spirituality, and the learning organization when reflecting on the appropriate culture to adopt for the organization?
Reflect on the criticisms of organizational culture.
Define organizational change and the organizational life cycle.
Identify the features of your preferred model of change.
What is the difference between the process model and the continuous change process model in the context of planning and implementing organizational change?
Discuss the justification for the emergent approach when planning and implementing organizational change.
What signifcance do you attach to Dawson’s processual/contextual perspective?
How useful is Kotter’s model of a change process in developing our understanding of the planning and implementation of change?
Describe the approach adopted by Katz and Kahn to the sources of resistance to change, and state how it differs from that suggested by Bedeian and Zammuto.
How would you go about controlling resistance to change?
Identify the distinctive features of appreciative inquiry.
“It is not good enough for an organization to respond to change; it must try to anticipate it as well.” Discuss.
Define the following terms:(a) action research;(b) group inertia;(c) co-optation;(d) change agent; and(e) cycle of coping.
Define organizational development.
What do we mean by people-centred change techniques in organizational development?
How important are organization-based interventions in organizational development?
Comment on issues related to an evaluation of organizational development.
Distinguish between pressure and stress in an organizational context.
Define PTSD and burnout.
Identify the costs likely to be associated with stress at work.
What is the difference between role complexity and role ambiguity?
Consider the nature of bullying/incivility and its impact on the victim in contemporary organizations.
Comment Briefy on the relevance of the following factors in the context of stress originating from within the organization:(a) machine-paced/repetitive work;(b) decision latitude/job control;(c)
Why is a hindrance stressor likely to be more harmful to the individual than a challenger stressor?
What is meant by the transactional model of stress and how does it differ from the approach to the analysis of stress known as the job demands–human resource model?
How important is personality in the relationship between stressful conditions and the individual’s response to them, mentioning resilience as a personality-related factor?
Comment on the nature of confict between the organizational role and the family role and refer to the pressures related to dual-career households.
Why is specific reference made to empowerment, job enrichment, goal-setting, and corporate culture in the context of stress?
Examine the human costs of unemployment, and the coping strategies used by the unemployed.
Discuss the signifcance of social support as a technique to cope with stress.
In the control or management of stress explain the following cognitive strategies:(a) problem-focused;(b) emotion-focused; and(c) dialogue with oneself.
Examine the similarities and dissimilarities between CBT and RET.
What are the likely benefts to the organization and to individuals from health promotion programmes, including the “wellness” schemes of old?
Assess the usefulness of EAPs.
Discuss the signifcance of workplace counselling as a technique for coping with stress.
1. Watch a classic movie that has examples of “managers” delegating assignments. Pay explicit attention to the incidence of delegation. Was delegating done effectively? What was good about the
Let’s assume that you have been offered a job by Jekyll Corporation, a company in the consumer products industry. The job is in your chosen career path.Jekyll Corporation has offered you a position
Agreeable people tend to be kinder and more accommodating in social situations, which you might think could add to their success in life. However, one downside of agreeableness is potentially lower
a. Form groups of 2. Each person is to spend a couple of minutes thinking of a time in the past when he or she was emotional about something. Examples might include being upset with a parent,
What is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
Few topics in the business press grab headlines and ignite the public like the compensation packages received by top management, which continue to rise. CEOs in Canada’s 100 largest companies
1. Think of the worst job you have ever had. Analyze the job according to the five dimensions identified in the JCM. Redesign the job to make it more satisfying and motivating.2. Spend one to three
“When I have time I don’t have money. When I have money I don’t have time,” says Glenn Kelman, CEO of Redfin. He is not alone. While many employees find themselves faced with 60-, 70-, or
You own and manage Sunrise Deliveries, a small freight transportation company that makes local deliveries of products for your customers. You have a total of nine employees—an administrative
It seems like common sense that people work harder when there are incentives at stake, but many scholars question this premise. Alfie Kohn has long suggested that employees are “punished by
Thirty-one-year-old Robert Murphy has the best intentions to participate in team meetings, but when it’s “game time,” he chokes. An online marketing representative, Robert cannot be criticized
As you know, social media have transformed the way we interact. The transparent, rapid-fire communication they make possible means people can spread information about companies more rapidly than
Form groups of 2. This exercise is a debate. Person A can choose any contemporary issue. Some examples include business ethics, the value of unions, stiffer grading policies, same-sex marriage, money
1. In another class—preferably one with a lecture format—practise active listening. Ask questions, paraphrase, exhibit affirming nonverbal behaviours. Then ask yourself: Was this harder for me
We have all been there, done that: 10 minutes, 20 PowerPoint slides. Whether you have been the harried presenter racing through the slides or the hapless listener choosing between reading the slides
Although it’s not always easy to admit it to ourselves, often we adapt our behaviour to suit those in power. To some degree, it’s important for organizational success that we do so. After all,
As Barry looked out the window of his office in Toronto, the gloomy October skies obscured his usual view of CN Tower. “That figures,” Barry thought to himself—his mood was just as gloomy.Five
Consider this first-person account:I am a human resources manager, so I interview people every day. Sometimes the managers in my company ask me to pre-screen candidates, which I do after discussing

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