Questions and Answers of Organizational Behaviour Understanding

1. Describe the bases of power held by Dr. Jamie Thompson. Describe the bases of power held by Dr. Elizabeth Clarke.2. What activities and people have contributed to Jaime Thompson’s power? What
A Harris/Decima poll determined that almost 25 percent of Canadians fail to use all the vacation days they are entitled to during the year. The unused days ranged from 1.39 in the province of Quebec
Discuss the division of labour in a restaurant. What methods are used to coordinate this divided labour? Do differences exist between fast-food versus more formal restaurants?
Make up a list of criteria that defines a good downsizing effort.
Google, the internet innovator par excellence, relies less on top-down strategies and more on grassroots ideas for new products and services. These ideas are often developed in small project teams
In March 1998, a group of Trojan Technologies Inc. (Trojan) employees grappled with the issue of how to structure the business to effectively interact with their customers and to manage the
Discuss how interlocking directorates can reduce environmental uncertainty and help manage resource dependence.
Distinguish among pooled interdependence, sequential interdependence, and _ reciprocal interdependence in terms of the key problem each poses for organizational effectiveness.
Give an example of unit technology, mass technology, and process technology. For which type of technology are the prescriptions of the classical organizational theorists best suited?
Imagine that a company is converting from conventional mass technology to a highly flexible, computerized, integrated production system. List structural and behavioural problems that the company
Discuss this statement: The effects of advanced information technology on job design and organizational structure are highly predictable.
What is the meaning of the expression “the two faces of advanced technology” and what are the implications of advanced technology for organizational structure and job design?
A few years ago, manufacturers of business jets were soaring thanks to new-found wealth in emerging markets such as Russia. However, in August 2009, Montreal-based Bombardier Inc. announced that it
The purpose of this exercise is to choose an organization and to diagnose it in terms of the concepts we covered in the chapter. Doing such a diagnosis should enable you to see better how the degree
The purpose of this exercise is to learn about an organization that has implemented advanced information technology and the effect it has had on organizational structure and job design.This exercise
Many organizations are using technology to track employees for things such as start-end times and employee. location. Tracking devices such as global positioning systems (GPS) can be attached to
In February 1984, a radical new experiment began with the establishment of the Group of 99, which consisted of 99 individuals representing a broad cross-section of members of the United Auto Workers
Facebook’s campus in Menlo Park, California, includes a large sign reading The Hacker Company and a giant HACK configured into the surface of one of its many pedestrian plazas. Founder Mark
Sally Newton was the only purchasing officer of First Canadian Club, a fitness club with 20 centres scattered around Canada. In February 1988, she was thinking of how to handle the resistance coming
Describe how the principles of operant learning theory and social cognitive theory can be used to manage workplace diversity and reduce the effects of workplace stereotypes. How can the
Consider how the four basic types of managerial activities (ie., routine communication, traditional management, networking, and human resource management) can influence employees’ perceptions of
In 2012, the Australian government launched a new initiative that will pay employers to hire older workers. Employers will receive $$1000$ for every worker aged 50 or older that they hire and
Citizens Medical Centre, a hospital in Victoria, Texas, — recently instituted a new hiring policy that bans job applicants from employment for being overweight.The new policy states that the
In March 2009, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) announced the appointment of John M. Rafferty as the organization’s new president and CEO. CNIB is a nationwide charity that
Use equity theory to explain why a dentist who earns $$100$ 000 a year might be more dissatisfied with her job than a factory worker who earns $$40$ 000.
In 2006, Arthur Winston died at age 100. He had worked for 76 years for the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority cleaning trains and buses. Although this is remarkable enough, it is even
The text message from Ashok stood out in bold block letters on the small screen of Josh Lewis’s iPhone. Am I ever, Josh thought, stuffing the device back into his pocket and emphatically rolling
Reconsider the case of Tony Angelas, which was used to illustrate expectancy theory. Imagine that you are Tony’s boss and you think that he can be motivated to perform at a high level. Suppose you
Employee theft is a major problem for organizations in Canada and the United States. According to one study, employee theft costs Canadian organizations more than $120 billion a year and is the cause
As competition in the retail market began to heat up, it became necessary to find ways to motivate the sales staff of Mayfield Department Stores to increase sales. Therefore, a motivational program
DATATRONIC is a company started by George Pandry and Rolin Martin, two friends who had just graduated with degrees in business administration and saw an opportunity to start their own business. With
Ken Lewenza, president of the Canadian Auto Workers union (CAW) says the union is under pressure from Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors to accept performance pay and bonuses rather than
Chang Koh Metal Ptd. Ltd. was founded in Singapore in 1982 by Teo Kai San, a first generation Straits-born Chinese. The company’s operations were in the production of metal-stamping precision
Introduced to the Deloitte & Touche: Integrating Arthur Andersen Integrative Case. The case questions focused on issues pertaining to the relevance and goals of organizational behaviour, managerial
ISE Communications was one of the pioneers in using self-managed work teams. The teams were put in place to improve manufacturing flexibility and customer service, both factors being crucial in the
Tom was the manager of three research and development laboratories for a large chemical and materials corporation. He supervised general operations, budgeting, personnel, and proposal development for
Describe an instance of social conformity that you have observed in an organizational setting. Did compliance, identification, or internalization motivate this incident? Were the results beneficial
What are the main functions performed by mentors, and what effect do they have on protégés? Do you think organizations should implement formal mentoring programs or should they remain informal?
CN Rail is the largest freight railway in Canada, with 22 696 employees. It operates the largest rail network in Canada and the only transcontinental network in North America—in eight provinces in
What is the main premise behind cognitive resource theory (CRT) and how does it extend Fiedler’s contingency theory? What does CRT say about research on leadership traits? What does it tell us
If your task was to design a leadership development program, what would you include and what would you emphasize? What would be the focus of your leadership development program? Explain and justify
In November of 2011, Bob Paulson was appointed as the new Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), becoming the 23rd Commissioner. However, Paulson’s appointment came at a critical
A mid-level manager at Fran-Tech, a Seattle software company, received a CD-ROM set containing the source code for a competitor’s software product. The competitor is the market leader in the
Carol Bartz, Yahoo’s hard-driving CEO, was fired “over the telephone” in a conversation with Chairman of the Board Roy Bostock. The firing came with more than a year left on her contract, as
Discuss how the concepts of groupthink and escalation of commitment might be related to some cases of unethical decision making (and its cover-up) in business.
What are the similarities and differences of the nominal group technique and the Delphi technique? What are the comparative advantages and disadvantages?
It happens every year: A prominent organization bans a practice the public holds dear; an uproar ensues; the organization backs down in the face of bad publicity. So it happened at Toronto’s posh
It was a late Saturday afternoon in mid-December, and Bob Smith, a research analyst for L&H Marketing Research, was working furiously to complete the media plan portion of the Standard Grooming
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) journalist Stephen Smart didn’t anticipate that getting married would get him in hot water with his employer. However, Smart, a reporter in the British
David Samarin, network administrator for OrangeWerks, laced his shoes as he prepared to head out for his exercise break in Ottawa. It was February 7, 2011, and Samarin needed to decide what to do
The purpose of this exercise is to help you get acquainted with some of your classmates by learning something about their experiences with work and organizations. To do this, we will focus on an
The purpose of this exercise is to explore the portrayal of organizational behaviour on television. Most experts on the function of TV as a communication medium agree on two points. First, although
Every day there are stories in the news about organizations, the workplace, careers, and jobs. Now that —you are learning about organizational behaviour, you can begin to interpret and understand
Refer to the Research Focus: CEO Personality and Firm Performance and consider the relationship between the Big Five personality characteristics and strategic flexibility. Why do you think
In the summer of 2012, a Toronto Star investigation reported that construction and maintenance workers who were supposed to be working at Toronto public schools were spending their mornings at Tim
The Howe 2 Ski Stores are a chain of three ski and windsurfing shops located in the suburbs of a large western coastal city. Maria Howe, a ski enthusiast and business major, opened the first store 10
Discuss how differences in the experiences of students and professors might affect their perceptions of students’ written work and class comments.
Using implicit personality theory, explain how physical attractiveness influences job-related outcomes in employment interviews and performance appraisals.
Discuss the occupational stereotypes that you hold about computer programmers, the clergy, truck drivers, bartenders, and bankers. How do you think these stereotypes have developed? Has an
Use Bruner’s perceptual model (Exhibit 3.3) and social identity theory to explain why performance appraisals and interviewers’ judgments are frequently inaccurate.
Discuss how perceptions of organizational support can influence employees’ attitudes and behaviour. What can organizations do to develop positive perceptions of organizational support?
Suppose an employee does a particularly poor job on an assigned project. Discuss the attribution process that this person’s manager will use to form judgments about this poor performance. Be sure
A study of small business failures found that owners generally cited factors such as economic depression or strong competition as causes. However, creditors of these failed businesses were much more
Discuss the factors that make it difficult for employment interviewers to form accurate perceptions of interviewees. Explain why a gender or racial stereotype might be.more likely to affect a hiring
What are the implications of social identity theory for diversity in organizations? Describe some of the things that an organization can do to remove the barriers to workplace diversity. List some of
Explain stereotype threat effects and provide some examples of how they might occur in organizations and the consequences. What can organizations do to prevent stereotype threat effects?
Review the Ethical Focus feature, What’s in a Name? You’re Hired... or Not!, and use Bruner’s model of the perceptual process to explain why job applicants with ethnic-sounding names are less
1. How does the MP^2 program relate to the concept of organizational learning, and why is organizational learning a particular issue for consulting firms?2. Some specific examples of resistance to
1. How serious of an ethical violation was Scott Thompson’s misstatement of academic qualifications in the Yahoo annual report? Who are the relevant stakeholders here? What might have motivated
1. A number of news stories have appeared suggesting that babies in the workplace are a source of considerable interpersonal conflict. What are some likely reasons for this?2. Is bringing baby to
Leadership traits are considered to be important for leadership because they can lead to certain actions that are required for effective leadership. Review each of the traits in Exhibit 9.1 and
As a manager, which bonus plan would you implement, and why?
Incentive compensation plans are believed to have a number of advantages for organizations. However, they can also have negative consequences for employees and organizations. Discuss how the design
Effective teamwork is more difficult for individualistic American, Canadian, and Australian societies than for more collectivist societies in countries such as Japan.
1. What are some of the norms that have developed in the software development team? Are these norms functional or dysfunctional for team effectiveness?2. Compare and contrast the formal and informal
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of developing a strong organizational culture and some socialization methods that you would recommend for building a strong organizational culture.
Describe how you would design an orientation program. Be sure to indicate the content of your program and what knowledge and information employees will acquire from attending the program. What are
Compare and contrast information dependence with effect dependence. Under which conditions should people be especially information-dependent? Under which conditions should people be especially
What are the implications of social cognitive theory and self-determination theory for social influence and socialization? Discuss the practical implications of each component of social cognitive
Using the model of the turnover process explain why a very dissatisfied employee might not quit.
1. According to equity theory, how will these incidents influence Joan’s job satisfaction and behaviour?2. What should Joan do in response to her situation? What should her organization do?
Consider some examples of behaviour that you repeat fairly regularly going to work every What are the positive and negative reinforcers that maintain this behaviour?
Employee of the month (EOM) programs are one of the most popular forms of recognition in organizations. However, there is some evidence that such programs are not effective and can even have
You have been charged with staffing and organizing an R&D group in a new high-tech firm. What will you do to ensure that the group is innovative?
What qualities would the ideal gatekeeper possess to facilitate the communication of technical information in the firm?
Suppose a job enrichment effort in one plant of a manufacturing firm is judged to be very successful. You are the corporate change agent responsible for the project, and you wish to diffuse it to
Discuss: The best organizational structure to generate innovative ideas might not be the best structure to implement those ideas.
Debate: Survey feedback can be a problematic OD technique because it permits people who are affected by organizational policies to generate data that speak against those policies.
Describe an example of resistance to change that you have observed. Why did it occur?
What personal qualities and skills would be useful for an OD change agent to possess? Describe the relative merits of using an internal staff change agent versus an external consultant.
Discuss some of the things that an organization can do to improve organizational learning and to become a learning organization. What should organizations know about the linkages between
Give three reasons why change might be resisted and in each case give a tactic for overcoming resistance.
Describe sources of external and internal pressures to change.
Discuss the factors that organizations can change and the implications of them.
What are the stages of the change process and what kinds of problems can occur at each stage?
Discuss the effectiveness of organizational development techniques. What are some of the problems associated with evaluating organizational development interventions?
Differentiate between creativity and innovation.
Discuss the qualities of creative people. Can people be trained to be creative?
What are the factors that contribute to the diffusion of innovations?
Differentiate between survey feedback and team building.

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