Questions and Answers of Fundamentals Of Organizational Behaviour

Know how to use criticism constructively.
Recognize how group cohesiveness can lead to improved performance.
What forces do you feel are pressing upon you to improve your work (or school) performance?
What techniques does your present boss (or the last one you had) use to im- prove employee performance? How do these techniques compare to those discussed in this chapter?
Describe three forms of organizational punishment used in any organization familiar to you.
Provide an example of a cohesive group, hostile to management. What effect did or would this situation have upon organization performance?
What is your opinion of the value of inserting a "control" aspect to counseling and coaching?
In your opinion, why do so many managers both dislike and avoid con- fronting people about their mistakes?
Write an action plan for helping an alcoholic sales manager overcome his or her alcoholism to the point that it does not impair job effectiveness.
Do you believe that competent, well-motivated people need management by objectives or any other system of accountability? Why or why not?
What action should be taken if a subordinate fails four out of five objectives for two consecutive review periods?
How would you handle the situation of a subordinate giving you the following answer when you ask him to set some objectives, "You tell me, They are your objectives, not mine. Don't try to manipulate
What do you think of Darwin Wingate's assumption that the urgent relocation should preempt the MBO program? Might Wingate be missing out on an important opportunity for using MBO?
How should Wingate handle the situation of the controller who refused to set objectives?
Should Wingate accept the objectives proposed by Morris, the manager of administration and data processing? Explain.
What mistakes did Wingate seem to be making in implementing the program?
How should Wingate have handled the complaint by the administration and data processing manager that MBO is another time-consuming chore?
Identify the basic steps in the interpersonal communication process.
Identify the major reasons we have communication problems.
Understand how to overcome several barriers to communication.
Understand how technology and organization structure can influence interpersonal communication.
Understand how TA can help improve communication in organizations.
Identify and interpret several games played by people you meet in organizations.
What symptoms of a communication problem can you identify within the organization with which you are most familiar?
How would you rate your ability to communicate with others in face-to-face situations? What evidence do you have to support your rating?
How effective are you in receiving messages? What evidence do you have to support your opinion?
What nonverbal cues do members of a basketball (or football) team convey to each other during a game?
Comment on the "communications effectiveness" of this chaper.
In your experience, how effective are communications specialists, such as public relations people, in getting their message across to people?
Many an executive from a major corporation has commented that big business does a poor job of communicating with young people? Any suggestions?
What "games" do you typically play with people?
What "games" do managers seem to play most frequently with their subordinates?
Why do most fields of knowledge, or technical specialties, develop a jargon of their own?
Why is this case included in a chapter on communications among people?
What should Scott do next from a business standpoint?
How can Scott prevent future situations from getting so far out of control?
What job or job responsibility might be created for Karen that would enable her to receive early warning of customer dissatisfaction?
How unique are the problems of Promp-to-Car?
To learn about the different needs of a diverse workforce.■ Lise is 28 years old. She is a divorced mother of 3 children, aged 3, 5, and 7. She is the department head. She earns $37 000 a year in
Our 6 participants work for a company that has recently installed a flexible benefits program. Instead of the traditional “one benefits package fits all,” the company is allocating an additional
1. Identify an example of someone you think of as a good leader (currently or in the past). What traits did he or she have? How did these traits differ from someone you identify as a bad leader?2.
Do you think it's ever okay to lie? If you were negotiating for the release of hostages, most people would probably agree that if lying would lead to the hostages' safety, it's okay. What about in
Talk to several managers you know and ask them what skills they think are most important in today’s workplace. Ask them to specifically consider the use of teams in their workplaces, and what
1. Using the skills listed in the Learning About Yourself Exercise, identify the 4 skills that you think all managersshould have.2. Identify the 4 skills that you think are least important for
As the father of two young children, Marshall Rogers thought that serving on the board of Marysville Daycare would be a good way to stay in touch with those who cared for his children during the day.
Talk to several managers you know and ask them what skills they have found to be most important in doing their jobs. Why did they find these skills most important? What advice would they give a
What are some of the challenges and opportunities that managers face as we move into the twenty-first century?
Can empowerment lead to greater job satisfaction?
1. Think back to your perception of this course and your instructor on the first day of class. What factors might have affected your perceptions of what the rest of the term would be like?2. Describe
When Christine Giacomoni applied for a job at the Sherwood Park (Alberta) location of the Real Canadian Superstore, she was wearing a nose stud. 145 She got the job. Six months later, however, she
A researcher doing a case study on emotions in organizations interviewed Laura, a 22-year-old customer-service representative in Australia. The following is a summary of the interview (with some
Watch the actors in an emotion-laden film, such as Death of a Salesman or 12 Angry Men, for clues to the emotions they are exhibiting. Try to determine the various emotions projected and explain how
1. Your instructor will choose 4 volunteers willing to reveal an interesting true-life background fact about themselves.Examples of such background facts are as follows:• I can perform various
Spend a day specifically looking for emotional cues in the people with whom you interact. Did this improve communication?
What is stereotyping? Give an example of how stereotyping can create perceptual distortion.
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).3.
The Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act prohibits Canadian firms from making payments to foreign government officials with the aim of gaining or maintaining business. But payments are
You have probably been dissatisfied with a job at one time or another in your life. 132 When faced with a dissatisfying job, researchers and job holders alike usually think about how to increase job
Try to convince a friend or relative to go with you to see a movie or play that you know he or she does not want to see.
Look for data on stress levels in other countries. How do these data compare with the Canadian data presented above? Are the sources of stress the same in different countries? What might you conclude
Think of all the technical avenues enabling employees to be connected 24/7 to the workplace: email, texting, company web pages. A generation ago, most employees could go home after a day at work and
Form groups of 2. Person A is to choose any topic that he or she feels strongly about and state his or her position on the topic in 30 words or less. Person B’s task will be to try to change Person
Try to convince a friend or relative to try a different brand of toothpaste.
Find out what three Canadian organizations in three different industries have done to help employees manage stress. Are there common themes in these programs? Did you find any unusual programs? To
How much responsibility should individuals take for managing their own stress? To what extent should organizations become involved in the personal lives of their employees when trying to help them
Describe the profile of Generation-Y employees.
What is the relationship between job satisfaction and absenteeism? Job satisfaction and turnover? Which is the stronger relationship?
Define motivation. What are its key elements?
Critics have described the astronomical pay packages given to Canadian and American CEOs as "rampant greed." 149 In 2010, the average total compensation (salary, bonus, share units, stock options,
1. One of the members of your team continually arrives late for meetings and does not turn drafts of assignments in on time. Choose one of the available theories and indicate how the theory explains
"It got to where I was twitching, literally, on the way into work," states Carrie Clark, a 52-year-old retired teacher and administrator. After enduring 10 months of repeated insults and
Set personal and academic goals you want to achieve by the end of this term. Prioritize and rate them for difficulty.
Tammie Arnold worked her way through college while holding down a parttime job bagging groceries at the Food Town supermarket chain. She liked working in the food industry, and when she graduated she
Where do you want to be in five years? Do you have specific five-year goals? Establish three goals you want to achieve in five years. Make sure these goals are specific, challenging, and measurable.
Describe the four ways in which goal setting motivates.
Explain cognitive evaluation theory. How applicable is it to management practice?
What is an ESOP? How might it positively influence employee motivation?
1. One of the members of your team continually arrives late for meetings and does not turn drafts of assignments in on time. In general, this group member is engaging in social loafing. What can the
Define the five core dimensions in the JCM.
Identify five different bases by which organizations can compensate employees. Based on your knowledge and experience, is performance the basis most used in practice? Discuss.
This text argues for recognizing individual differences. It also suggests paying attention to the needs of members of diverse groups. Does this view contradict the principles of equity theory?
We have noted that one of the most common problems in groups is social loafing, which means group members contribute less than if they were working on their own. We might call such individuals
Interview three managers from different organizations. Ask them about their experiences in managing teams. Have each describe teams that they thought were effective and why they succeeded. Have each
How can teams increase employee motivation?
Step 1 Each group will receive 20 index cards, 12 paper clips, and 2 marking pens. Groups have 10 minutes to plan a paper tower that will be judged on the basis of 3 criteria: height, stability, and
Jameel Saumur is the leader of a five-member project team that has been assigned the task of moving his engineering firm into the booming area of highspeed intercity rail construction. Saumur and his
Contrast a team you have been in in which members trusted one another with another team you have been in in which members lacked trust in one another. How did the conditions in each team develop?
What are the characteristics of an effective team?
How can team members harm their team?
What is the difference between task-oriented roles and maintenance roles?
What conditions Favour creating a team, rather than letting an individual perform a given task?
Have you experienced social loafing as a team member? What did you do to prevent this problem?
1. Describe a situation in which you ignored someone. What impact did it have on that person's subsequent communication behaviors?2. What differences have you observed in the ways that men and women
Consider the case of Dianna Abdala. 100 In 2005, Abdala was a recent graduate of Suffolk University's law school.She passed the bar exam and was offered a job at a law firm started by William Korman,
The topic of lying as it relates to negotiation is important because, for many people, there is no such thing as lying when it comes to negotiating. It has been said that the whole notion of
Negotiate with a team member or work colleague to handle a small section of work that you are not going to be able to get done in time for an important deadline.
This role play is designed to help you develop your negotiating skills. The class is to break into pairs. One person will play the role of Terry, the department supervisor. The other person will play
As marketing director for Done Right, a regional home-repair chain, you have come up with a plan you believe has significant potential for future sales. Your plan involves a customer information
The next time you purchase a relatively expensive item (such as an automobile, apartment lease, appliance, jewelry), attempt to negotiate a better price and gain some concessions such as an extended
What are the managerial implications from the research contrasting male and female communication styles?

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