1.Identify and explain key individual, group and organisational level influences on human behaviour.
2.Identify key implications arising from OB issues.
3.Integrate theory, research and examples to illustrate understanding.
CASE INCIDENT 1 On the Costs of Being Nice Agreeable people tend to be kinder and more accommo- dating in social situations, which you might think could as the "caring" industries of education and health care. add to their success in life. However, one downside of Agreeable individuals are also attracted to jobs both in the public sector and in nonprofit organizations. Third, the agreeableness is potentially lower earnings. Research has shown the answer to this and other puzzles; some of them earnings of agreeable individuals also may be reduced by their lower drive to emerge as leaders and by their tenden- may surprise you. First, and perhaps most obvious, agreeable individu- by to engage in lower degrees of proactive task behaviors, als are less adept at a type of negotiation called distribu- such as coming up with ways to increase organizational live bargaining. As we discuss in Chapter 14, distributive effectiveness. bargaining is less about creating win-win solutions and While being agreeable certainly doesn't appear to help your paycheck, it does provide other benefits. more about claiming as large a share of the pie as pos- Agreeable individuals are better liked at work, more sible. Because salary negotiations are generally distribu- likely to help others at work, and generally happier at tive, agreeable individuals often negotiate lower salaries work and in life. for themselves than they might otherwise get. Second, agreeable individuals may choose to work in Nice guys and gals may finish last in terms of earnings, industries or occupations that earn lower salaries, such but wages do not define a happy life, and on that front, agreeable individuals have the advantage. Personality and Values CHAPTER 5 201 Questions 5-16. Agreeable individuals tend to be attracted to 95-14. Do you think employers must choose between agree- specific types of occupations and follow different able employees and top performers? Why or why not? career paths. What has research indicated in this 5-15. Research seems to suggest that agreeable individuals respect? What are the implications and where are make fairly poor managers and decision makers. you more likely to find agreeable employees? Why might this be the case? What are the implica- tions for organizations? How does this affect their earning potential
