Questions and Answers of Organizational Behaviour Understanding

What are some of the problems with job enrichment and how can they be managed?
What is Management by Objectives (MBO)? What problems may develop with its implementation?
Define flex time and telecommuting. How does each affect the quality of working life?
Distinguish between the various pay plans used to motivate teamwork. What are the advantages and disadvantages of them?
What factors should an organization consider when deciding on a strategy to motivate employees?
What is the difference between job design and work design? Compare and contrast the different work design characteristics.
What is the meaning of the relational architecture of jobs and how does it contribute to what is known about job design?
What is job crafting and what are the different ways that employees can engage in job crafting? How is job crafting different from other approaches to job design?
Merit pay plans often require managers to conduct performance evaluations of their employees to determine the amount of merit pay to be awarded. Discuss some of the perceptual problems and biases
Using each of the motivation theories described in Chapter 5, explain how job design, job enrichment, work design, and relational job design can be motivational. According to each theory, when are
In Chapter 2, employee recognition programs were discussed as an organizational learning practice. Using the material presented in this chapter, describe the potential for employee recognition
1. Describe the job characteristics and critical psychological states of Sabrita’s job. According to the Job Characteristics Model, how motivated is Sabrita? What does the Job Characteristics Model
1. Comment on the fixed salary system that Andrew adopted from his former employer. Why was this system not effective for motivating the plant workers?2. Do you think that scrapping the fixed salary
Describe the kind of skills that you would look for in members of self-managed teams. Explain your choices. Do the same for virtual teams.
When would an organization create self-managed teams? When would it use cross-functional teams? When would it employ virtual teams?
Explain how a cross-functional team could contribute to product or service quality. Explain how a cross-functional team could contribute to speeding up product design.
Some organizations have made concerted efforts to do away with many of the status symbols associated with differences in organizational rank. All employees now park in the same lot, eat in the same
You are an executive in a consumer products corporation. The president assigns you to form a task force to develop new marketing strategies for the organization. You are permitted to choose its
Suppose that a group of United Nations representatives from various countries forms to draft a resolution regarding world hunger. Is this an additive, disjunctive, or conjunctive task? What kinds of
Mark Allen, a representative for an international engineering company, is a very religious person who is active in his church. Mark’s direct superior has instructed him to use “any legal means”
Discuss the relationship between group size and group performance.
What are the functions that group norms serve?
Suppose you wanted to undermine the cohesiveness of a group. What would you do?
Discuss the pros and cons of forming an organizational task force with members who have very similar attitudes and personalities versus forming one with members who have very different attitudes and
Give an example of a person who is experiencing both intrasender and intersender role conflict.
Explain why making groups larger does not always lead to an expected increase in performance.
You have to develop a checklist for designing an effective self-managed work group. What are its elements?
You have to develop a checklist for designing an effective cross-functional group. What are its elements?
You have to develop a checklist for designing an effective virtual team. What are its elements?
What is collective efficacy and how does it differ from self-efficacy? Why is collective efficacy important for teams?
What are shared mental models and why are they important for cross-functional teams? Why are they a challenge to instill in cross-functional teams?
What role do perceptions play in group development? Refer to the discussion of perceptual process and biases in Chapter 3 and discuss the implications for each stage of group development. What are
How can groups be motivated? Consider the implications of each of the work motivation theories described in Chapter? What do the theories tell us about how to motivate groups?
Students might wish to know that Amazon actually put a group attendance bonus in place in its German “fulfillment centres” (known elsewhere as warehouses!). Trade union officials viewed the
Janet, a student, never liked working on group assignments; however, this time she thought it would be different because she knew most of the people in her group. But it was not long before things
This incident is useful for helping students learn how to work better in groups. It is important to highlight the need for group members to come to an agreement early on as to what their purpose is,
1. Discuss the stages of group development and the implications of them for the development of the teams at Levi Strauss.2. Discuss some of the norms that emerged in the teams. What was their
Consider how you were socialized into the college or university where you are taking your organizational behaviour course. Did you have some unrealistic expectations, and did you experience a reality
What does it mean to be proactive during the socialization process, and what are the different ways that newcomers can be proactive? To what extent have you used each of the proactive behaviours
What are the pros and cons of providing realistic job previews for a job that is objectively pretty bad? What about for a job that is pretty good?
Imagine that you are starting a new business in the retail trade. You are strongly oriented toward providing excellent customer service. What would you do to nurture a strong organizational culture
What is the difference between a traditional orientation program and a Realistic Orientation Program for Entry Stress (ROPES)? What is the difference between a realistic job preview (RJP) and ROPES?
Refer to the work-related values that differ across cultures presented in Chapter 4 (i.e., work centrality, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity/femininity, individualism/collectivism,
What do the results of the staff survey say about the culture at York Region Children’s Aid Society? What role does culture play in explaining employees’ attitudes, behaviour, and well-being? Do
1. Explain how Jason’s anticipatory socialization might be contributing to his disappointment and job attitudes. How might this situation have been prevented?2. Explain how unrealistic expectations
1. Describe the culture of the TTC. What values, norms, and behaviours are associated with the culture? How has the culture influenced what happens in the organization and employees’ attitudes and
Are leaders born or made? Consider each perspective (leaders born versus made) and the implications of each for organizations. What does each perspective suggest that organizations should do to
Describe a situation that would be ideal for having employees participate in a work-related decision. Discuss the employees, the problem, and the setting. Describe a situation in which participative
What are transformational leaders skilled at doing that gives them extraordinary influence over others? Why do you think women are more likely to be transformational leaders than men? Describe a
What are the main findings from the GLOBE project, and what are the implications for leadership across cultures? If a leader from Canada takes on an assignment in another culture, will they be
Discuss the theories of positive leadership (empowering, ethical, authentic, and servant). How is each type of leadership different from traditional theories of leadership? When would each type of
Mexico has a fairly high-power distance culture, while the United States and Canada have lower power distance cultures. Discuss how effective management techniques might vary between Mexico and its
5. Give an example of an employee who is experiencing distributive fairness but not procedural fairness. Give an example of an employee who is experiencing procedural fairness but not distributive
Describe some job aspects that might contribute to job satisfaction for a person in a more collective culture. Do the same for a person in a more individualistic culture.
HOW MUCH DO YOU GET PAID? Joan had been working as a reporter for a large television network for seven years. She was an experienced and hardworking reporter who had won many awards over the years
To stay competitive, many organizations regularly upgrade their computer technology. This was the case for Courier Cats, a small but profitable courier firm. To improve the delivery and tracking of
What is corporate social responsibility (CSR) and what does it have to do with organizational behaviour? Explain how an understanding of organizational behaviour can help organizations become more
Discuss how the goals of the field of organizational behaviour are related to the managerial tasks of analysis and action.
Why is survival a goal of virtually all organizations?
Discuss the following statement: Organizational behaviour technologies should not be developed to control the behaviour of individuals in organizations.
What does the term contingency mean? Why are contingencies so central to an understanding of how organizations function?
Why is it important to study organizational behaviour?
Discuss how organizational behaviour can influence the competitiveness and success of an organization.
Discuss some of the contemporary concerns of management and the role of organizational behaviour in the successful management of these concerns.
Discuss the importance of human capital, social capital, and psychological capital for organizations and employees.
Define and discuss precarious work. What are the pros and cons of precarious work for employees and organizations?
Last year, George was preparing for his mother’s first visit to Canada. George had immigrated to Canada from Haiti six years earlier. His dream was for his mother to come to Canada to meet his new
What are the sources of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction for customer service representatives at CapTech?
What issues of fairness do the CSRs experience?
Explain how these people might have to regulate their emotions when doing their jobs: hair salon owner; bill collector; police officer; teacher. How will this regulation of emotion affect job
Use equity theory to explain why a dentist who earns $$150$,000 a year might experience more job dissatisfaction than a factory worker who earns $$45$,000.
What are some of the conditions under which a person’s attitudes might not predict their work behaviour?
What is the difference between procedural and interactional fairness? Give an example of each.
Explain why employees who are very satisfied with their jobs might not be better performers than those who are less satisfied.
What role do perceptions play in the determination of job satisfaction? Refer to the components of perception in Chapter 3 and describe how perception plays a role in the determination of job
Does personality influence values and job attitudes? Discuss how the Big Five personality dimensions—locus of control, self-monitoring, self-esteem, and positive and negative affectivity—might
In general, what are some factors that might contribute to cross-cultural differences in average job satisfaction? Specifically, why do you think Canadian workers seem to be so satisfied with their
1. Sara seems to have experienced considerable job satisfaction prior to her departure. Given this, how do you account for her leaving?2. Is Sara just a naïve idealist, or does the case reveal
Consider the relevance of the dispositional, situational, and interactionist approaches to your own behaviour. Describe examples of your behaviour in a school or work situation that demonstrates each
Suppose that you are the manager of two employees, one who has an internal locus of control and another who has an external locus of control. Describe the leadership tactics that you would use with
We pointed out that managers frequently resort to punishing ineffective behaviour. What are some of the practical demands of the typical manager’s job that lead to this state of affairs?
Discuss a situation that you have observed in which the use of punishment was ineffective in terminating some unwanted behaviour. Why was punishment ineffective in this case? What would have made it
Mintzberg’s managerial roles, and consider how personality might be a factor in how effectively a manager performs each role. Discuss the relationship among the Big Five personality dimensions,
Discuss how each of the organizational learning practices described in the chapter can be used by organizations to deal effectively with the contemporary management concerns discussed in Chapter
What do you think is the reason for so many city vehicles speeding and running red lights? Is it due to driver personality or characteristics of the work environment? Use learning theory to explain
Use operant learning theory and social cognitive theory to explain what can be done to eliminate undesirable behaviours and increase desirable behaviours of the construction and maintenance workers.
This is an excellent case for demonstrating how a poor understanding and use of learning principles and theory can cause serious problems in an organization and threaten its reputation and success.
Describe a situation in which you think an employer could use organizational behaviour modification and an employee recognition program to improve or correct employee behaviour. Can you anticipate
A supervisor in a textile factory observes that one of her employees is violating a safety rule that could result in severe injury. What combination of reinforcement, punishment, and extinction could
Describe a job in which you think an employee recognition program might be an effective means for changing and improving employee behaviour. Explain how you would design the program and how you would
Do you think that organizations should base their hiring decisions on applicants’ personalities? What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing this? If an organization were to do this, what
Consider absence from work as an example of organizational behaviour. What are some of the factors that might predict who is likely to be absent from work? How might you explain absence from work?
To demonstrate that you grasp the idea of contingencies in organizational behaviour, consider how closely managers should supervise the work of their employees. What are some factors on which
Use the contingency approach to describe a task or an organizational department where a more classical management style might be effective. Then do the same for a task or department where the human
Describe how management practices and organizational behaviour can help organizations deal with the contemporary management concerns discussed in the chapter. In other words, what are some of the
What are the meaning of and differences between human capital, social capital, and psychological capital, and what do they have to do with organizational behaviour? Describe how human capital, social
What are your goals in studying organizational behaviour? What practical advantages might this study have for you?
Describe the assumptions about organizational behaviour that are reflected in television shows, such as situation comedies and police dramas. How accurate are these portrayals? Do they influence our
Management is the art of getting things accomplished in organizations through others. Given this definition, what are some factors that make management a difficult, or at least a challenging,
Why do studies of managerial behaviour reveal the importance of networking? What about human resources management? Explain the differences between these two behaviours and their importance for

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