Questions and Answers of Organizational Behaviour Understanding

Understand what is meant by management fads and fashionsAppendixLO1
Be familiar with the organizational change imperativeAppendixLO1
Be familiar with the notion of institutionalizationAppendixLO1
Understand what is meant by the various forms of isomorphismAppendixLO1
Be familiar with the concepts of discourse and organizational knowledgeAppendixLO1
Understand the relationships between sensemaking, institutionalizationand change managementAppendixLO1
Use an Internet and library search to find examples of two organizationsthat have adopted a strategy of avoidance; two that have adopteda strategy of prediction; and two that have adopted a strategy
Using the sensemaking framework (Table 1.1) in Chapter 1, write short notes, with examples, on how each company uses the eight sensemaking properties to develop, explain and/or present their strategy.
What similarities can you find in the way each strategy is made plausible?What can we learn from this?
What are some of the differences in the way each strategy is madeplausible? What can we learn from this?
Make notes on how key managers are presented in corporate accounts.What is the role of identity construction in these accounts both for the managers and for others? What can we learn from this?
What ‘pressures’ to change can you identify in each company case?What pressures, if any, are similar across all companies? What, if any, are different? What can we learn from this?
Be familiar with the scientific management approach AppendixLO1
Be familiar with the human relations approach AppendixLO1
Be familiar with socio-technical systems theory AppendixLO1
Be familiar with contingency theory AppendixLO1
Understand what is meant by the discourse of change AppendixLO1
Understand the types of change and levels of change AppendixLO1
Be familiar with different job design strategies AppendixLO1
Consider a fast food restaurant and discuss how they might be using scientific management principles to standardize the work.AppendixLO1
Think about your current place of employment. What types of job design strategies could be implemented to improve employee motivation?What, if any, have already been used?AppendixLO1
Describe the facets of your job that you consider to be motivating factors and those that you consider to be hygiene factors. What are some of the weaknesses of this model?AppendixLO1
Using Hackman and Oldham’s job characteristics model, describe some of the ways that the job of administrative assistant could be enriched.AppendixLO1
What might be some of the reasons that employees might not want their jobs enriched?AppendixLO1
Discuss the role of unions in job enlargement and job enrichment strategies.AppendixLO1
Using the Internet, find three companies that have undergone change and describe them in terms of levels and types of change they have used.Were they successful? Why or why not? What could they have
Look at the business section of a recent newspaper and see how many references to change you can find. What are the similarities? What type and level of change are they offering?AppendixLO1
Using the Internet, find five management ‘gurus’ and see what, if any, characteristics they may have in common. What conclusions can you draw from this?AppendixLO1
What is the harm in changing for the sake of change? Give the pros and cons for your answer.AppendixLO1
Understand what is meant by organizational learning AppendixLO1
Understand the roots of organizational learning AppendixLO1
Understand what is meant by the learning organization AppendixLO1
Understand the differences between organizational learning and the learning organization AppendixLO1
Understand what is meant by appreciative inquiry AppendixLO1
Understand the roots of appreciative inquiry AppendixLO1
Understand the strengths and limitations of each approach AppendixLO1
From the perspective of management, what are some of the strengths of implementing organizational learning principles in an organization?AppendixLO1
What are some of the drawbacks, from an employee perspective, of creating a learning organization?AppendixLO1
How might an organization overcome some of the potential pitfalls of creating a learning organization?AppendixLO1
Compare the benefits of introducing appreciative inquiry into an organization versus creating a learning organization. What are the potential strengths and weaknesses of appreciative
What might Hope Hospital have done differently when they decided to create a learning organization?AppendixLO1
Why was BP more successful than Hope Hospital in creating a learning organization?AppendixLO1
From an employee perspective, how would you feel if your organization introduced learning organization principles and excluded you from the process because they did not see your knowledge as
Compare and contrast learning organization principles with appreciative inquiry. What are the differences and what are the similarities? Which would you be more comfortable using and why?AppendixLO1
Using the Internet, look up the websites of three call centres, each in a different country. How do they portray the role of the employee? Are there any differences across countries? Are there any
Using the Internet, find three organizations that have successfully created learning organizations. What factors contributed to their success?AppendixLO1
Using the Internet, find three organizations that have used appreciative inquiry. What are the similarities among the three organizations? What are the differences? What conclusions can you draw from
Understand the role of leadership in terms of organizational success AppendixLO1
Be familiar with trait-based theories of leadership AppendixLO1
Be familiar with behavioural theories of leadership AppendixLO1
Be familiar with contingency theories of leadership AppendixLO1
Understand the differences between transactional and transformational leadership AppendixLO1
Understand and be able to discuss critically various contemporary theories of leadership AppendixLO1
Be familiar with strategies for overcoming resistance to change AppendixLO1
Be familiar with the concept of ‘leading from the middle’.AppendixLO1
Do an Internet search of HealthSouth Corporation. What has happened since Mr. Scrushy’s conviction? How has the organization evolved and who has led the changes?AppendixLO1
Find three news articles about newly appointed CEOs, CFOs or presidents.Scan all three for the newly appointed individuals’ ‘selling features’.Which traits or behaviours are used to convince
Do an Internet search of Deborah Meyerson’s tempered radicals. How might you become a tempered radical? Which values and principles would you like to promote in an organization?AppendixLO1
Think about a change in your history that you may have resisted. Why did you resist? Which of the categories of resistance would your resistance fit? How might the person requesting the change have
Identify someone who you feel is or was a transformational leader. What makes them a transformational leader? Describe their traits and behaviours.AppendixLO1
Who were/are the leaders in your life? Which types of leaders were they?AppendixLO1
Do an Internet search on Branch Ricky and the Brooklyn Dodgers. How did Branch Ricky lead change? What was his strategy? Discuss other types of social change that you feel are required. How might
Understand what is meant by diversity management AppendixLO1
Be familiar with the factors most often associated with diversity management success AppendixLO1
Understand the difference between diversity management initiatives and equal opportunity or affirmative action programmes AppendixLO1
Understand the criticality of management support for diversity initiatives AppendixLO1
Understand the importance of measuring the success of diversity management initiatives AppendixLO1
Be familiar with arguments for and against the implementation of diversity management initiatives AppendixLO1
Using the Internet, find an organization in your area that has a diversity management programme. Use the criteria outlined in the chapter to evaluate the programme. What might you do
Conduct an Internet search of ‘diversity management’. Identify three companies that provide consulting services in this area. How much do they charge? Summarize their offerings.AppendixLO1
Research your school or organization’s policies and programmes in terms of diversity management. Do they appear adequate? What changes might you make?AppendixLO1
Find the outcome of the GE Aviation Materials discrimination case.What do GE’s policies look like now. Is their commitment to diversity apparent on their website?AppendixLO1
Wal-Mart has been the target of several discrimination suits. Research the issues and write a one-page opinion paper on the results of your research.AppendixLO1
Design a hypothetical scorecard that could be used to measure performance in terms of a manager’s success with a diversity management initiative.AppendixLO1
Assume that you work in the Human Resource department of an organization and wish to bring in a diversity management programme. How would you convince top management to spend money on the
Do an Internet search of the equity legislation in your area. Prepare a one-page memo as if you are reminding managers in an organization about their legal requirements.AppendixLO1
Use the Internet to find companies that have programmes or policies that address ageism, discrimination based on sexuality or discrimination based on disability. Were these easy or difficult to find?
Assume that you are a business owner. How would you gain employee support for a diversity initiative? What might your initiative look like?AppendixLO1
Discuss the planned approach to change management AppendixLO1
Understand Kurt Lewin’s contribution to the field of change management AppendixLO1
Be familiar with action research AppendixLO1
Be familiar with field theory AppendixLO1
Be familiar with the study of group dynamics AppendixLO1
Understand and apply Lewin’s Three-Step Model of Change AppendixLO1
Discuss critically the field of Organization Development AppendixLO1
Research the food companies discussed in the opening case. What has happened since they were in the news in 2005? Have other major changes occurred since then? Were they planned changes?AppendixLO1
Summarize action research, field theory, and Lewin’s theory of group dynamics.AppendixLO1
Choose something that you believe needs changing at your university.Use Kurt Lewin’s Three-Step Model to discuss how you would implement the change.AppendixLO1
Visit the following Web sites: http://www.odnetwork.org/http://members.aol.com/odinst/http://www.podnetwork.org/What can we learn about the state of the OD industry today? Is it alive and well? What
Is there a place for OD in the organizations you are involved in? Why or why not?AppendixLO1
Search a national newspaper for examples of OD. Articles may not refer to the change strategies used as OD, so look for signs of the basic tenets of OD.AppendixLO1
Understand the importance of power in the process of organizational change AppendixLO1
Be familiar with the different perspectives of organizational power and resistance AppendixLO1
Be critically aware of the relationship between power and resistance in organizations AppendixLO1
Identify different uses of power across selected change approaches AppendixLO1
Be able to critically assess the relevant models and theories of power and resistance in adopting different change strategies AppendixLO1
Use an Internet and library search to find examples of organizations that have adopted widespread organizational change. Try to find at least one example each of culture change, TQM, BPR, Six Sigma,
Use an Internet and library search to find examples of Machiavellian styles of leadership. Make notes on how this style is discussed throughout news reports and scholarly accounts. What does this
Use an Internet and library search to find examples of organizational resistance. Try to find a range of examples drawing from scholarly discussions of resistance as well as news reports and cases.
Review the chapters on OD, culture change, TQM and BPR, Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard. What forms of power are dominant in each and what can we learn from the differences?AppendixLO1

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