Questions and Answers of Organizational Behaviour Concepts

While much of this chapter has discussed methods for achieving harmonious relationships and getting out of conflicts, it’s also important to remember that there are situations in which too little
Fewer employees in the private sector are unionized, compared with those who work in the public sector (16.4 vs. 71.4 percent in 2012). Does being in a labour union make a difference for optimal
After spending your first three years after college graduation as a freelance graphic designer, you are looking at pursuing a job as an account executive at a graphic design firm. You feel that the
The cultures of Google and Procter & Gamble (P&G) could not be more different. 96 P&G is notoriously controlled, disciplined, scalable, and rigid—so much so that employees call themselves
What are the liabilities of organizational culture?
The W Network television show Undercover Boss Canada features a leader working undercover in his or her own company to find out how the organization really works.Here, we consider the ethical
Is there one right way to lead? Research suggests not, the methods explored in this chapter text suggest not, and common sense suggests a “one size fits all” approach could be disastrous because
Picture this. The billionaire owner and founder stands in the conference room trying on bras while the CEO stands behind her, adjusting the straps. The floor is littered with underwear. The owner
Betty Vinson took a job as a mid-level accountant for $50 000 a year with a small long-distance company that grew up to become a giant telecom five years later. Hard-working and diligent, within two
You are the director of research and development for a large pharmaceutical manufacturer. You have six people who report directly to you: Sue (your secretary), Dale (laboratory manager), Todd
Greg Strakosch, founder and CEO of interactive media company TechTarget, hates bureaucracy. So he has created a workplace where his 600 employees are free to come and go as they please. There are no
A local television station had been experiencing a ratings decline for several years. In 2014, the station switched some of its programming. That has explained some of the ratings decline. However,
1. How might forcing equitable grade distributions with C as average motivate students?2. If around 75 percent of grades in graduate programs are As, are grades now meaningless?3. Provincial funding
Motivation for leisure has two sides. Organizations motivate employees with generous vacation entitlements, yet many workers do not ever take all of their vacation time. The contrast between North
What characteristics contribute to the effectiveness of a team?
1. Describe an incident where you tried to use political behaviour in order to get something you wanted. What tactics did you use?2. In thinking about the incident described above, were your tactics
1. Consider a group situation in which you have worked. To what extent did the group rely on the technical skills of the group members vs. their interpersonal skills? Which skills seemed most
The module for this chapter focuses on interpersonal skills. The concepts segment discusses the Competing Values Framework, and identifies the broad range of skills managers need to lead their
1. Identify the extent to which values overlap in your group.2. Try to uncover with your group members the source of some of your key values (for example, parents, peer group, teachers, church, etc.)
In this case, Fatima, a high potential employee is un-fulfilled in her job because her job does not allow her to pursue her passion of social media strategy. She wants to quit and find something that
Google seems like a great place to work and might seem like a dream job for many however Google is struggling to achieve gender balance in its workforce and arguably has a “dirty little secret”
Your company policy on reimbursement for meals while travelling on company business is that you will be repaid for your out-of-pocket costs, which are not to exceed $50 a day. You don’t need
You come across a fast-moving stream. What is the best way to cross it?a. Find a spot downstream from a sandbar as the water will be calmer.b. Build a bridge.c. Find a rocky area, as the water
What are the seven key elements that define an organization’s structure?
1. Describe some of the factors that led this situation to become an open conflict.2. Do you think this is an issue worth generating conflict over? What are the potential costs and benefits of Matt
How do oral communication, written communication, and nonverbal communication differ?
Organizations are taking steps to protect themselves from what employees might be doing on their BYOD devices through allowing only approved computer programs and stricter policies, but no federal
How does channel richness underlie the choice of communication?
What are the main ways that jobs can be redesigned? In your view, in what situations would one of the methods be favoured over the others?
How can motivation theories be used to create more motivating work environments?
Define group and team. What are the different types of teams?
Imagine you are leading a team meeting and you notice that a couple of team members are not contributing. What specific steps might you take to try to increase their contributions?Failure to speak up
How do group norms influence an individual’s behaviour?
What are the key parts of the communication process, and how do you distinguish formal from informal communication?
Is CEO pay a problem?
What is the essence of what we know about motivating employees?
What are some of the ethical issues with motivation theories?
How is organizational justice a refinement of equity theory?
Why do equity and fairness matter in the workplace?
What are the benefits of cultural intelligence?
What are the four employee responses to job dissatisfaction?
What outcomes does job satisfaction influence? What implications do the consequences of job satisfaction have for management?
Do you feel it is acceptable to post comments anonymously, or do you think people should include their names? Why or why not?
What are the key attitudes that affect organizational performance? In what ways are these attitudes alike? What is unique about each?
What are the three components of an attitude? Are these components related or unrelated?
How would you react if you learned one of your employees posted unflattering comments about you as a manager? Would your reaction be any different if the employee posted unflattering comments about
What are the values that are unique to Canadian culture?
What are Hofstede’s value dimensions for assessing cultures?
Do you think employees have a right to say what they want to about their organizations online, as opposed to in private?
What is the difference between Rokeach’s terminal and instrumental values?
What workplace challenges provide opportunities to apply OB concepts?
What are the key traits in the Big Five personality model?
Why is the systematic study of value to OB?
Why do few absolutes apply to OB?
Suppose Tom told you he grew a beard as part of his personal religion. Do you think that announcement would change how you talk to Tom about the issue?
What is organizational behaviour (OB)?
This exercise illustrates the people side of big data and how this new emerging technology requires people to make it work. Computer scientists and data analysts require interpersonal skills to
Apple, as well as thousands of other North American companies, are moving their manufacturing operations overseas resulting in a direct loss of more than 20,000 jobs in the US alone and this loss is
What do you think are the concerns for the company regarding Tom’s facial hair? Should they care about his appearance?
What is the importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace?
1. How would you explain the abrupt change in Elisa’s customer service behaviour? Outline what has happened to her motivation using expectancy and equity theories.2. Could Elisa’s employer have
1. Should Nicholas have promoted Paul? Why or why not? 2 What are Nicholas’ legal responsibilities to Paul in this situation?3 What are Nicholas’ ethical responsibilities
1. What aspects of the organizational culture in the RCMP may be contributing to its problems with wide-spread sexual harassment allegations?2. Do the alleged claims of sexual harassment point to a
1. Do the new collective bargaining rules for federal public service unions introduced by the federal government represent an abuse of government power? Why or why not?2. Have any negotiation or
1. Why do you think Peter’s direct reports kept quiet about the “work from home” directive for as long as they did? Why did some of them eventually decide to inform management?2. Do you think
1. Does Julie’s case differ from other well know corporate frauds (e.g. Bernie Madoff, Enron, etc.)? If so, what can this case teach us about ethical decision-making behaviours that the other cases
1. Do you think that Rhett is Machiavellian and a narcissist? Why or why not?2. Assuming that Rhett is Machiavellian and a narcissist, what is the most effective way to minimize the negative effect
Drawing on Kotter’s eight-step plan for implementing change, how might the station have handled its planned change differently?
1. What types of organizational changes would you advise Japanese electronics managers to consider?2. How do you think Japanese demographic trends have been a factor in the innovation problem?Japan
What are the similarities and differences among the four main approaches to managing organizational change?
What are the effects of downsizing on organizational structure and employees?
What are the characteristics of a matrix organization?
What are the characteristics of a bureaucracy, and how does it differ from a simple structure?
You decide to eat some insects. Which insects should you avoid?a. Adults that sting or biteb. Caterpillars and insects that have a pungent odorc. Hairy or brightly colored ones. d. All of the
After walking for about an hour, you feel several spiders in your pants. You don’t feel any pain, but you realize some spider bites are painless. Which of these spider bites is painless?a. Black
After getting some sleep, you notice that the night sky has cleared, and so you decide to try and find your way back to base camp. You believe you should travel north and can use North Star for
In the shelter that you built, you notice a spider. You heard from a fellow hiker that black widow spiders populate the area. How do you identify a black widow spider?a. Its head and abdomen is
What are the four criteria used in making ethical decisions, and how do they differ?
You have discovered that one of your closest friends at work has stolen a large sum of money from the company. Would you do nothing? Go directly to an executive to report the incident before talking
Next, you decide to build a shelter for the evening. In selecting a site, what do you not have to consider?a. It must contain material to make the type of shelter you need.b. It must be
What is creativity, and what is the three-stage model of creativity?
Assume that you are the manager at a gaming company, and you are responsible for hiring a group to outsource the production of a highly anticipated new game. Because your company is a giant in the
You are also very hungry, so you decide to eat what appear to be edible berries. When performing the Universal Edibility Test what should you do?Do not eat for 2 hours before the test.a. If the
How effective are interacting groups, brainstorming, and the nominal group technique?
You are very thirsty. You go to a nearby stream and collect some water in the small metal cup you have in your backpack. How long should you boil the water?a. Fifteen minutesb. A few secondsc. One
You have an autographed CD by Sam Roberts and put it up for sale on eBay. So far, the highest bid is $74.50. A friend has offered you $100 for the CD, commenting that he could get $150 for it on eBay
It occurs to you that you can also use the fire as a distress signal. When signaling with fire, how do you form the international distress signal?a. 2 firesb. 4 fires in a squarec. 4 fires in a
You are negotiating a contract with a potentially very large customer whose representative has hinted that you could almost certainly be assured of getting his business if you gave him and his wife
The first thing you decide to do is to build a fire. However, you have no matches, so you use the bow-and-drill method. What is the bow-and-drill method?a. A dry, soft stick is rubbed between one’s
What challenges do we face in understanding leadership?
What is servant leadership? How does it make a difference in organizations?
What are the requirements of ethical leadership?
What is authentic leadership?
What are the central tenets and main limitations of behavioural theories of leadership?
What leadership roles are available to nonmanagers?
How can an ethical organizational culture be created?
What are the functional effects of organizational culture on people and the organization?
What are the conditions that lead to conflict?
If the candidate were hired at the reduced rate she proposed, how might the situation play out over the next year when she gets to know the organization and pay standards better?
What are the three loci of conflict?

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