Skip to content
Class Notes

Lecture Notes for Canadian Organizational Behaviour, 10th Edition

Improve your learning with Lecture Notes for Canadian Organizational Behaviour, 10th Edition, packed with key course insights.

Preview 31 of 218 pages

See the first 31 pages exactly as they appear in the document.

  1. Page 1
    Read page 1 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour Instructor’s Manual to Accompany Canadian Organizational Behaviour 10 /e by Steven L. McShane, Kevin Tasa, and Sandra Steen Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour Prepared by: Steven L. McShane (Curtin University and University of Victoria) Kevin Tasa (York University) Sandra L. Steen (University of Regina) Page 1-1

  2. Page 2
  3. Page 3
    Read page 3 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading this chapter, students should be able to: 1-1 Define organizational behaviour and organizations, and discuss the importance of this field of inquiry. 1-2 Debate the organizational opportunities and challenges of technological change, globalization, emerging employment relationships, and workforce diversity. 1-3 Discuss the anchors on which organizational behaviour knowledge is based. 1-4 Compare and contrast the four perspectives of organizational effectiveness. CHAPTER GLOSSARY corporate social responsibility (CSR) — organizational activities intended to benefit society and the environment beyond the firm’s immediate financial interests or legal obligations deep-level diversity — differences in the psychological characteristics of employees, including personalities, beliefs, values, and attitudes ethics – the study of moral principles or values that determine whether actions are right or wrong and outcomes are good or bad evidence-based management — the practice of making decisions and taking actions based on research evidence globalization — economic, social, and cultural connectivity with people in other parts of the world high performance work practices (HPWP) — a perspective that holds that effective organizations incorporate several workplace practices that leverage the potential of human capital human capital — the stock of knowledge, skills, and abilities among employees that provide economic value to the organization intellectual capital — a company’s stock of knowledge, including human capital, structural capital and relationship capital learning orientation — beliefs and norms that support the acquisition, sharing, and use of knowledge as well as work conditions that nurture these learning processes open systems — a perspective that holds that organizations depend on the external environment for resources, affect that environment through their output, and consist of internal subsystems that transform inputs into outputs organizational behaviour (OB) — the study of what people think, feel, and do in and around organizations organizational effectiveness — a broad concept represented by several perspectives, including the organization’s fit with the external environment, internal subsystems configuration for high-performance, emphasis on organizational learning, and ability to satisfy the needs of key stakeholders organizational learning — a perspective that holds that organizational effectiveness depends on the organization’s capacity to acquire, share, use, and store valuable knowledge Page 1-2 1

  4. Page 4
    Read page 4 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour organizations — croups of people who work interdependently toward some purpose relationship capital — the value derived from an organization’s relationships with customers, suppliers, and others stakeholders — individuals, organizations, or other entities who affect, or are affected by, the organization’s objectives and actions structural capital — knowledge embedded in an organization’s systems and structures. surface-level diversity — the observable demographic or physiological differences in people, such as their race, ethnicity, gender, age, and physical disabilities telecommuting — an arrangement whereby, supported by information technology, employees work from home one or more work days per month rather than commute to the office values — relatively stable, evaluative beliefs that guide a person’s preferences for outcomes or courses of action in a variety of situations work-life balance — the degree to which a person minimizes conflict between work and nonwork demands CHAPTER SUMMARY BY LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1-1 Define organizational behaviour and organizations, and discuss the importance of this field of inquiry. Organizational behaviour is the study of what people think, feel, and do in and around organizations. Organizations are groups of people who work interdependently toward some purpose. OB theories help us to (a) comprehend and predict work events, (b) adopt more accurate personal theories, and (c) influence organizational events. OB knowledge is for everyone, not just managers. OB theories and practices are highly beneficial for an organization’s survival and success. 1-2 Debate the organizational opportunities and challenges of technological change, globalization, emerging employment relationships, and increasing workforce diversity. Technological change has improved efficiency, interactivity, and wellbeing, but it has also been a disruptive force in organizations. Information technology has altered communication patterns and power dynamics at work, and has had effects on our nonwork time, attention span, and techno-stress. Globalization, which refers to various forms of connectivity with people in other parts of the world, has become more intense than ever before because information technology and transportation systems. It has brought more complexity and new ways of working to the workplace, requires additional knowledge and skills. It may be an influence on work intensification, reduced job security, and lessening work–life balance. An emerging employment relationship trend is the blurring of work and nonwork time, and the associated call for more work–life balance (minimizing conflict between work and nonwork demands). Another employment trend is telecommuting, whereby employees work from home one or more work days per month rather than commute to the office. Telecommuting potentially benefits employees and employers, but there are also disadvantages and its effectiveness depends on the employee, job, and organization. An organization's workforce has both surface-level diversity (observable demographic and other overt differences in people) and deep-level diversity (differences in personalities, beliefs, values, and attitudes). Diversity may improve creativity and decision making, and provide better awareness and response to diverse communities. However, diversity also poses challenges, such as dysfunctional conflict and slower team development. Page 1-3

  5. Page 5
    Read page 5 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour 1-3 Discuss the anchors on which organizational behaviour knowledge is based. The multidisciplinary anchor states that the field should develop from knowledge in other disciplines (e.g., psychology, sociology, economics), not just from its own isolated research base. The systematic research anchor states that OB knowledge should be based on systematic research, consistent with evidence-based management. The contingency anchor states that OB theories generally need to consider that there will be different consequences in different situations. The multiple levels of analysis anchor states that OB topics may be viewed from the individual, team, and organization levels of analysis. 1-4 Compare and contrast the four perspectives of organizational effectiveness. The open systems perspective views organizations as complex organisms that “live” within an external environment, depend on it for resources, then use organizational subsystems to transform those resources into outputs, which are returned to the environment. Organizations receive feedback to maintain a good “fit” with that environment. Fit occurs by adapting to the environment, influencing the environment, or moving to a more favourable environment. Effective transformation processes are efficient, adaptable, and innovative. The organizational learning perspective states that organizations are effective when they find ways to acquire, share, use, and store knowledge. Intellectual capital consists of human capital, structural capital, and relationship capital. Knowledge is retained in the organizational memory; companies also selectively unlearn. The high-performance work practices (HPWP) perspective identifies a bundle of systems and structures to leverage workforce potential. The most widely identified HPWPs are employee involvement, job autonomy, developing employee competencies, and performance-/skill-based rewards. HPWPs improve organizational effectiveness by building human capital, increasing adaptability, and strengthening employee motivation and attitudes. The stakeholder perspective states that organizations are more effective when they understand, manage, and satisfy stakeholder needs and expectations. Leaders manage the interests of diverse stakeholders by relying on their personal and organizational values for guidance. Ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are natural variations of values-based organizations. CSR consists of organizational activities intended to benefit society and the environment beyond the firm’s immediate financial interests or legal obligations. Page 1-4

  6. Page 6
    Read page 6 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour LECTURE OUTLINE Slide 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour Slide 2 : Shopify Ottawa-based Shopify is a rapidly growing technology success story due to its focus on teamwork, employee motivation, organizational culture, and other effective organizational behaviour practices. Slide 3: Organizational Behaviour and Organizations Organizational behaviour (OB) • Studies what people think, feel, and do in and around organizations Organizations • Groups of people who work interdependently toward some purpose • Collective entities • Collective sense of purpose Slide 4: Importance of OB OB helps people in all jobs (not just for “management.”) 1. Comprehend and predict workplace events • Fulfills need to understand environment, reduces anxiety • Anticipate future events — get along better, goal achievement 2. Adopt more accurate personal theories • OB isn’t all common sense. • Some common sense knowledge is inaccurate. • Personal theories need correction or refinement. 3. Influence organizational events • Helps us to work successfully with others, perform our jobs better • Employers identify OB knowledge and skills as most important. OB is vital to the organization’s survival and success. • Predicts firm’s performance • Predicts hospital quality • OB concepts are positive screens in investment decisions Page 1-5

  7. Page 7
    Read page 7 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour Contemporary Developments Facing Organizations Slide 5: Technological Change Long history as a disruptive force in organizations (waterwheels, cotton gins, steam engines, microprocessors, etc.) Effects of technological change • Higher productivity, but also usually displaces employees and makes entire occupations obsolete • Alter relationships and patterns of behaviour with coworkers, clients, etc • Improve health and wellbeing Effects of information technology (email, social media, etc) • Potential benefits — may give employees a stronger voice through direct communication with executives and broader distribution of their opinions • Potential problems — less work = nonwork separation, longer hours, reducing their attention spans at work, and increasing techno-stress • Information technology may eventually change the form of organizations — organizations as networks rather than places to work Slide 6: Globalization Economic, social, and cultural connectivity with people in other parts of the world • Actively participate in other countries and cultures • Increased globalization due to improved information technology and transportation systems Effects of Globalization on Organizations • Expands markets, lower costs, increases knowledge • Effects on teamwork, diversity, cultural values, leadership, etc. • Increases competitive pressures, work intensification and requires additional knowledge and skills e.g. global mindset Page 1-6

  8. Page 8
    Read page 8 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour Slide 7: Emerging Employment Relationships Employment relationship has been altered by technology, globalization, and other factors — longer hours, less work-life separation. Work-life balance • Degree of conflict between work and nonwork demands Remote work — performing the job away from the employer’s physical workplace • Working at client sites (e.g. repair technicians) • Telecommuting (teleworking) – working at home rather than commuting to the office Slide 8: Telecommuting Benefits and Problems Telecommuting benefits • Better work-life balance — but requires sufficient work space and privacy at home — undermined by increased family responsibilities on telecommuting days • Valued work benefit — factor in lower turnover • Higher productivity — due to lower stress, transferring some commuting time to work time, ability to work when weather prevents office work • Better for the environment — less pollution, road use • Lower real estate costs for company Telecommuting disadvantages • Less connection with coworkers, more social isolation in general • Less informal communication that helps career (word-of-mouth information about promotional opportunities) • Lower team cohesion and a weaker organizational culture Benefits of remote work depend on (contingencies): • Employee characteristics — higher self-motivation, self-organization, need for autonomy, skill with information technology, and fulfill their social needs outside work • Jobs characteristics — tasks don’t use workplace resources, the work is performed independently from coworkers, task performance is measurable • Organizational characteristics — rewarding employees for performance not office presence (face time), actions to maintain team cohesion and psychological connectedness with the organization — limit telecommuting days, have special meetings/events, video communication Page 1-7

  9. Page 9
    Read page 9 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour Slide 9: Increasing Workforce Diversity Surface-level diversity • Observable demographic or physiological differences in people (e.g. race, ethnicity, gender, age, physical capabilities) • Increasing surface-level diversity in many countries Deep-level diversity • Differences in the psychological characteristics of employees (e.g. personalities, beliefs, values, and attitudes) • Example: Differences across age cohorts (e.g. Gen-X, Gen-Y) • Some deep-level diversity is associated with surface-level diversity (e.g. gender differences in values, attitudes, personality, etc.) Consequences of diversity – opportunities and challenges • Teams with high informational diversity (different knowledge and skills) — more creativity, better decisions in complex situations • Easier to recognize and address community needs • Diverse teams usually take longer to perform effectively together • Higher risk of dysfunctional conflict — less information sharing and morale • Surface-level and some deep-level diversities are moral/legal imperatives Slide 10: Organizational Behaviour Anchors (1 of 2) 1. Systematic research anchor • OB knowledge should be based on systematic research. • Forming research questions, collecting data, and testing hypotheses Evidence-based management • Making decisions and taking actions on research evidence • Scientific method, not fads and personal beliefs that are untested Why decision makers don’t apply evidence-based management • Bombarded with popular press and nonresearched sources • OB knowledge is generic — difficult to see relevance to specific situations • Fads are heavily marketed, so they seem convincing. • Perceptual errors bias decision maker toward popular and personal theories and to ignore contrary evidence. Page 1-8

  10. Page 10
    Read page 10 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour 2. Multidisciplinary anchor • Many OB concepts adopted from other disciplines ➡ e.g. psychology (individual, interpersonal behaviour); sociology (team dynamics, power); communications; marketing; information systems, etc. • OB develops its own theories, but also scans other fields. Slide 11: Organizational Behaviour Anchors (2 of 2) 3. Contingency anchor • A particular action may have different consequences in different situations – no single solution is best all the time. • Need to understand and diagnose the situation and select the strategy most appropriate under those conditions 4. Multiple levels of analysis anchor • Individual – includes characteristics and behaviours as well as thought processes e.g. motivation, perception, and values • Team (including interpersonal) – looks at the way people interact e.g. team dynamics, decisions, power • Organizational – how people structure their working relationships and how organizations interact with their environment • OB topics usually relevant at all three levels of analysis Slide 12: Organizational E ff ectiveness Organizational effectiveness is considered the ultimate dependent variable in OB • OB theories ultimately try to improve the organization’s effectiveness. Goal attainment: Discredit view of effectiveness — how well organization achieves its stated objectives • Problem 1: Setting easy goals might produce lower outcomes than competitors or potential. • Problem 2: Goals might aim the organization in the wrong direction. Organizational effectiveness best described as a composite of four perspectives • Open systems: (a) good fit with external environment and (b) efficient/adaptable transformation processes • Organizational learning: effectively acquire, share, use, store knowledge Page 1-9

  11. Page 11
    Read page 11 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour • High-performance work practices: develop human capital for more efficient and adaptive internal subsystems • Stakeholder: satisfy the needs of key stakeholders with values, ethics, and social responsibility Organizational effectiveness integrates all four perspectives Slide 13: Open Systems Perspective (1 of 2) Organizations are complex systems that “live” within (and depend upon) the external environment Effective organizations • Maintain a close “fit” with those changing conditions • Transform inputs to outputs efficiently and flexibly Open systems perspective is the foundation on which the other three effectiveness perspectives are built Slide 14: Open Systems Perspective (2 of 2, with model) External environment – organizations depend on the external environment for resources (e.g. raw materials, job applicants, financial resources, etc.) • Affect the environment through their outputs • Place demands on how the organization should operate e.g. laws Internal subsystems – transform outputs into inputs • E.g. departments, teams, informal groups, information systems, and technological processes • Transformation processes are effective through: efficiency, adaptability, innovativeness • Coordination — critical for effective transformation in complex systems Organization–Environment Fit To maintain a good “fit” with the environment, effective organizations 1. Adapt to the environment — adaptive firms have a “dynamic capability” 2. Influence the environment — marketing, lobbying, exclusive agreements 3. Move to a more favourable environment Internal Subsystems Effectiveness – defines effectiveness on how well the organization transforms inputs to outputs • Organizational efficiency (productivity) • Coordination is vital in the relationship among internal subsystems Page 1-10

  12. Page 12
    Read page 12 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour Slide 15: Organizational Learning Perspective An organization’s effectiveness depends on capacity to acquire, share, use, and store valuable knowledge Need to consider both stock and flow of knowledge • Stock of knowledge: intellectual capital • Flow of knowledge: processes of acquiring, sharing, using, and storing knowledge Slide 16: Intellectual Capital Human capital • Knowledge, skills, and abilities that employees carry around in their heads • Company’s competitive advantage because: ➡ Employees are essential for the organization’s survival and success ➡ Employee talents are difficult to find or copy ➡ Employee talents are difficult to replace them with technology Structural capital • Knowledge captured and retained in an organization’s systems and structures, e.g. documentation, finished products Relationship capital • Value from organization’s relationships with customers, suppliers, others who provide added mutual value for the organization Slide 17: Organizational Learning Processes 1. Acquiring Knowledge Bringing knowledge in from the external environment as well as through discovery Occurs through: • Individual learning from external environment — training from external sources, observing and reporting environmental change • Environmental scanning — actively monitoring consumer trends • Hire skilled staff and buy complementary businesses (grafting) • Experimentation — new ideas through discovery Page 1-11

  13. Page 13
    Read page 13 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour 2. Sharing Knowledge Distributing knowledge to others across the organization Occurs through: • Structured and informal communication • Various forms of in-house learning • Intranets 3. Using Knowledge Applying knowledge in ways that add value Knowledge use increase when • Employees have a mental map of where knowledge is located • Employees have sufficient prerequisite knowledge • Employees have sufficient autonomy to try out new knowledge • Work norms support organizational learning (learning orientation culture) 4. Storing Knowledge — organizational memory The storage and preservation of intellectual capital Retain intellectual capital by: • Keeping knowledgeable employees • Systematically transferring knowledge to other employees • Transferring human capital to structural capital Organizational unlearning – successful companies also unlearn by • Changing routines and patterns of behaviour • Removing knowledge that no longer adds value Slide 18: High-Performance Work Practices (HPWPs) Effective organizations incorporate several workplace practices that enhance human capital Four HPWPs recognized in most studies: 1. Employee involvement 2. Job autonomy ➡ Involvement and autonomy strengthen employee motivation, improve decision making, organizational responsiveness, and commitment to change – together often take the form of self-directed teams Page 1-12

  14. Page 14
    Read page 14 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour 3. Competence development ➡ Recruit and select people with relevant skills, knowledge, values and other personal characteristics ➡ Invest in employee training and development 4. Performance/skill-based rewards ➡ Link performance and skill development to financial and nonfinancial rewards valued by employees Note: These individually improve human capital, but best when bundled together HPWPs improve organizational effectiveness by: • Developing employee skills and knowledge (human capital), which directly improve individual behaviour and performance • Adapting better to rapidly changing environments — employees are better at performing diverse tasks in unfamiliar situations • Strengthening employee motivation and positive attitudes toward the employer through reciprocity of employer’s investment in employees HPWP limitations • Provides an incomplete picture of organizational effectiveness • Gaps are mostly filled by the stakeholder perspective Slide 19: Corporate Social Responsibility at MTN At MTN Group, Africa’s largest mobile (cell) phone company, employees help the community and environment through the company’s award-winning “21 Days of Y’ello Care” program. For example, MTN employees recently installed solar panels with batteries to generate off-grid electricity for lighting at rural schools. Page 1-13

  15. Page 15
    Read page 15 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour Slide 20: Stakeholder Perspective Stakeholders: any entity who affects or is affected by the organization’s objectives and actions e.g. employees, shareholders, suppliers, unions, government, etc. Organizations are more effective when they understand, manage, and satisfy stakeholder needs and expectations Personalizes the open-systems perspective • Identifies specific people and social entities in the environment • Stakeholder relations are dynamic i.e. can be negotiated, managed Challenges with understanding, managing, and satisfying stakeholder interests • Stakeholders have conflicting interests • Firms have limited resources to satisfy all stakeholders Stakeholder priorities depend on: • Stakeholder’s power and urgency for action • Stakeholder’s legitimate claim to organizational resources • How executives perceive the organization’s environment • Organization’s culture • Personal values of the corporate board and CEO Slide 21: Stakeholders: Values and Ethics Personal values influence how corporate boards and CEOs allocate organizational resources Values • Relatively stable, evaluative beliefs that guide our preferences for outcomes or courses of action in various situations • Shared values – similar values held by groups of people Ethics • Study of moral principles/values, determine whether actions are right/wrong and outcomes are good or bad • Rely on ethical values to determine “the right thing to do” Page 1-14

  16. Page 16
    Read page 16 as text

    Chapter 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behaviour Slide 22: Stakeholders and CSR Stakeholder perspective includes corporate social responsibility (CSR) • Benefit society and the environment beyond the firm’s immediate financial interests or legal obligations • Organization’s contract with society—serve stakeholders beyond shareholders and customers Triple-bottom-line philosophy • Economic – survive and be profitable • Society – maintain or improve conditions • Environment – become “greener” Slide 23: Integrative Model of OB Individual inputs and processes influence individual outcomes which have a direct effect on the organization’s effectiveness Team inputs influence team processes which then affect team performance and other outcomes Team processes and outcomes affect individual processes and outcomes Organizational inputs and processes have macro-level influence on both teams and individuals Page 1-15

  17. Page 17
    Read page 17 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Instructor’s Manual to Accompany Canadian Organizational Behaviour 10 /e by Steven L. McShane, Kevin Tasa, and Sandra Steen Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Prepared by: Steven L. McShane (Curtin University and University of Victoria) Kevin Tasa (York University) Sandra L. Steen (University of Regina) Page 2-1

  18. Page 18
    Read page 18 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading this chapter, students should be able to: 2-1 Describe the four factors that directly influence individual behaviour and performance. 2-2 Summarize the five types of individual behaviour in organizations. 2-3 Describe personality and discuss how the “Big Five” personality dimensions and four MBTI types relate to individual behaviour in organizations. 2-4 Summarize Schwartz’s model of individual values and discuss the conditions where values influence behaviour. 2-5 Describe three ethical principles and discuss three factors that influence ethical behaviour. 2-6 Describe five values commonly studied across cultures. CHAPTER GLOSSARY ability — the natural aptitudes and learned capabilities required to successfully complete a task achievement-nurturing orientation — a cross-cultural value describing the degree to which people in a culture emphasize competitive versus co-operative relations with other people agreeableness — a personality dimension describing people who are trusting, helpful, good-natured, considerate, tolerant, selfless, generous, and flexible collectivism — a cross-cultural value describing the degree to which people in a culture emphasize duty to groups to which people belong, and to group harmony conscientiousness — a personality dimension describing people who are organized, dependable, goal-focused, thorough, disciplined, methodical, and industrious counterproductive work behaviours (CWBs) — voluntary behaviours that have the potential to directly or indirectly harm the organization extraversion — a personality dimension describing people who are outgoing, talkative, sociable, and assertive five-factor (Big Five) model (FFM) — the five abstract dimensions representing most personality traits: conscientiousness, emotional stability, openness to experience, agreeableness and extraversion individualism — a cross-cultural value describing the degree to which people in a culture emphasize independence and personal uniqueness mindfulness — a person’s receptive and impartial attention to and awareness of the present situation as well as to one’s own thoughts and emotions in that moment moral intensity — the degree to which an issue demands the application of ethical principles moral sensitivity — a person’s ability to recognize the presence of an ethical issue and determine its relative importance motivation — the forces within a person that affect his or her direction, intensity, and persistence of voluntary behaviour Page 2-2 2

  19. Page 19
    Read page 19 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) — an instrument designed to measure the elements of Jungian personality theory, particularly preferences regarding perceiving and judging information neuroticism — a personality dimension describing people who tend to be anxious, insecure, self-conscious, depressed, and temperamental openness to experience — a personality dimension describing people who are imaginative, creative, unconventional, curious, nonconforming, autonomous, and aesthetically perceptive organizational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) — various forms of cooperation and helpfulness to others that support the organization’s social and psychological context personality — the relatively enduring pattern of thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that characterize a person, along with the psychological processes behind those characteristics power distance — a cross-cultural value describing the degree to which people in a culture accept unequal distribution of power in a society role perceptions — the extent to which a person understands the job duties assigned to or are expected of him or her task performance — the individual’s voluntary goal- directed behaviours that contribute to organizational objectives uncertainty avoidance — a cross-cultural value describing the degree to which people in a culture tolerate ambiguity (low uncertainty avoidance) or feel threatened by ambiguity and uncertainty (high uncertainty avoidance) CHAPTER SUMMARY BY LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2-1 Describe the four factors that directly influence individual behaviour and performance. Four variables—motivation, ability, role perceptions, and situational factors—which are represented by the acronym MARS, directly influence individual behaviour and performance. Motivation represents the forces within a person that affect his or her direction, intensity, and persistence of voluntary behaviour; ability includes both the natural aptitudes and the learned capabilities required to successfully complete a task; role perceptions are the extent to which people understand the job duties (roles) assigned to them or expected of them; situational factors include conditions beyond the employee’s immediate control that constrain or facilitate behaviour and performance. 2-2 Summarize the five types of individual behaviour in organizations. There are five main types of workplace behaviour. Task performance refers to goal-directed behaviours under the individual’s control that support organizational objectives. It includes proficiency, adaptivity, and proactivity. Organizational citizenship behaviours consist of various forms of cooperation and helpfulness to others that support the organization’s social and psychological context. Counterproductive work behaviours are voluntary behaviours that have the potential to directly or indirectly harm the organization. Joining and staying with the organization refers to becoming and remaining a member of the organization. Maintaining work attendance includes minimizing absenteeism when capable of working and avoiding scheduled work when not fit (i.e., low presenteeism). 2-3 Describe personality and discuss how the “Big Five” personality dimensions and four MBTI types relate to individual behaviour in organizations. Personality is the relatively enduring pattern of thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that characterize a person, along with the psychological processes behind those characteristics. Personality is developed through heredity (nature) as well as socialization (nurture). The “Big Five” personality dimensions include conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to experience, and extraversion. Conscientiousness and extraversion are the Page 2-3

  20. Page 20
    Read page 20 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values best overall predictors of job performance in most job groups. Extraversion and openness to experience are the best predictors of adaptive and proactive performance. Emotional stability (low neuroticism) is also associated with better adaptivity. Conscientiousness and agreeableness are the two best personality predictors of organizational citizenship and (negatively) of counterproductive work behaviours. Based on Jungian personality theory, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) identifies competing orientations for getting energy (extraversion versus introversion), perceiving information (sensing versus intuiting), processing information and making decisions (thinking versus feeling), and orienting to the external world (judging versus perceiving). The MBTI improves self-awareness for career development and mutual understanding but is more popular than valid. 2-4 Summarize Schwartz’s model of individual values and discuss the conditions where values influence behaviour. Values are stable, evaluative beliefs that guide our preferences for outcomes or courses of action in a variety of situations. Compared to personality traits, values are evaluative (rather than descriptive), more likely to conflict with each other, and are formed more from socialization than heredity. Schwartz’s model organizes 57 values into a circumplex of ten dimensions along two bipolar dimensions: from openness to change to conservation and from self-enhancement to self-transcendence. Values influence behaviour in three ways: (1) shaping the attractiveness of choices, (2) framing perceptions of reality, and (3) aligning behaviour with self-concept and self-presentation. However, the effect of values on behaviour also depends on whether the situation supports or prevents that behaviour and on how actively we think about values and understand their relevance to the situation. Values congruence refers to how similar a person’s values hierarchy is to the values hierarchy of another source (organization, team, etc.) 2-5 Describe three ethical principles and discuss three factors that influence ethical behaviour. Ethics refers to the study of moral principles or values that determine whether actions are right or wrong and outcomes are good or bad. Three ethical principles are utilitarianism (greatest good for the greatest number), individual rights (upholding natural rights), and distributive justice (same or proportional benefits and burdens). Ethical behaviour is influenced by the degree to which an issue demands the application of ethical principles (moral intensity), the individual’s ability to recognize the presence and relative importance of an ethical issue (moral sensitivity), and situational forces. Ethical conduct at work is supported by codes of ethical conduct, mechanisms for communicating ethical violations, the organization’s culture, and the leader’s behaviour. 2-6 Describe five values commonly studied across cultures and discuss the diverse cultures within Canada. Five values commonly studied across cultures are individualism (valuing independence and personal uniqueness); collectivism (valuing duty to in-groups and to group harmony); power distance (valuing unequal distribution of power); uncertainty avoidance (tolerating or feeling threatened by ambiguity and uncertainty); and achievement- nurturing orientation (valuing competition versus cooperation). Canada is a multicultural society, but its deep-level diversity extends beyond racial and ethnic groups. Anglophones and francophones differ with respect to several values (deference to authority, moral permissiveness, etc.), but they converge on others. All regions in Canada differ from one another on some values (e.g., egalitarianism and personal responsibility) and personality traits (e.g., openness to experience). Canadians and Americans are similar in many ways, but they also have long-standing cultural differences, particularly regarding the values of tolerance, collective rights, secularism, and patriarchal authority. Page 2-4

  21. Page 21
    Read page 21 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values LECTURE OUTLINE Slide 1: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Slide 2 : Safety Behaviour at Mother Parkers Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee Inc. has developed an enviable health and safety track record by instilling safety-oriented behaviour through employee motivation, ability, role clarity, and situational factors. Motivation — employees are empowered through involvement in decisions about safety Ability — employees are trained on safety procedures and learn current developments from community experts Role perceptions — employees are continuously reminded about importance of safety; daily shift handovers begin with safety discussion Situational factors — production systems include built-in accident prevention features; highly visible floor markers cue employees about forklift travel areas; communication boards display the latest safety improvement statistics as well as key safety information Slide 3 : MARS Model of Individual Behaviour Individual voluntary behaviour and performance is influenced by motivation, ability, role perceptions, and situational factors • Represented by the acronym MARS • Need to understand all four factors to diagnose and influence individual behaviour and performance MARS is built on earlier models of individual behaviour and performance: • Performance = person × situation — person includes individual characteristics and situation represents external influences on the individual’s behaviour • Performance = ability × motivation — “skill-and-will” model, two specific characteristics within the person • Ability–motivation–opportunity (AMO) — refers to the three variables but with a limited interpretation of the situation • Role perceptions literature Page 2-5

  22. Page 22
    Read page 22 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Slide 4 : Employee Motivation Internal forces (cognitive and emotional conditions) that affect a person’s voluntary choice of behaviour • Direction – path along which people steer their effort — motivation is goal-directed, not random • Intensity – amount of effort allocated to the goal • Persistence – continuing the effort for a certain amount of time Slide 5 : Employee Ability Natural aptitudes and learned capabilities required to successfully complete a task • Aptitudes – natural talents that help people learn specific tasks more quickly and perform them better • Learned capabilities – acquired physical and mental skills and knowledge Person-job matching – produces higher performance and tends to increase the employee’s well-being 1. Select applicants who demonstrate the required competencies 2. Provide training to enhance individual performance and results 3. Redesign the job so employees perform only tasks they are currently able to perform Slide 6 : Role Perceptions The extent to which people understand the job duties (roles) assigned to or expected of them. Role perceptions are clearer (role clarity) when we: • Understand which tasks or consequences we are accountable for • Understand the priority of tasks and performance expectations • Understand the preferred behaviours/procedures for tasks Benefits of clear role perceptions: • More accurate/efficient job performance (due to clearer direction of effort) • Better coordination with others • Higher motivation due to clearer link between effort and outcomes Page 2-6

  23. Page 23
    Read page 23 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Slide 7 : Situational Factors Environmental conditions beyond the individual’s immediate control that constrain or facilitate behaviour and performance • Constraints – e.g. time, budget, work facilities, consumer preferences, economic conditions • Cues – clarity and consistency of cues provided by the environment to employees regarding their role obligations e.g. lack of signs of nearby safety hazards Slide 8 : Types of Individual Behaviour (five categories) Task performance Voluntary goal-directed behaviours under the individual’s control that contribute to organizational objectives • Involve working with people, data, things, and ideas Three types of performance: 1. Proficient task performance — employees work efficiently and accurately 2. Adaptive task performance — employees modify their thoughts and behaviour to align with and support a new or changing environment 3. Proactive task performance — employees take initiative to anticipate and initiate new work patterns that benefit the organization Organizational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) Various forms of cooperation and helpfulness to others that support the organization’s social and psychological context Directed toward: • Individuals — e.g. adjusting work schedule to accommodate coworkers • Organization — e.g., supporting the company’s public image OCBs may be a job requirement (not discretionary) even if they aren’t explicitly stated OCBs can have a significant effect on individual, team, and organizational effectiveness Page 2-7

  24. Page 24
    Read page 24 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Slide 9: Types of Individual Behaviour (cont’d) Counterproductive work behaviours Voluntary behaviours that have the potential to directly or indirectly harm the organization — e.g. harassing co-workers, creating unnecessary conflict, avoiding work obligations Joining and staying with the organization Forming the employment relationship and remaining with the organization Maintaining work attendance Absences due to situation (weather), motivation (avoiding stressful workplace) Presenteeism – attending scheduled work when one’s capacity to perform is significantly diminished by illness or other factors Slide 10: Personality in Organizations Personality defined — relatively enduring pattern of thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that characterize a person, along with the psychological processes behind those characteristics • External traits – observable behaviours • Internal states – infer thoughts, values, and emotions from observable behaviours Personality traits — categories of behaviour tendencies caused by internal characteristics (not environment) Traits apparent across situations, but people do vary their behaviour to suit the situation, even if the behaviour is at odds with their personality • e.g. talkative people may talk less in a library where “no talking” rules are explicit and enforced Slide 11: Nature vs Nurture of Personality Nature: Heredity explains about 50 percent of behavioural tendencies and 30 percent of temperament preferences. • e.g. Minnesota studies found that some types of twins have similar personalities not due to similar environments Nurture: Socialization, life experiences, and other interactions with the environment also affect personality Personality stabilizes in young adulthood (about age 30, possibly older) • We form a clearer and more rigid self-concept as we get older. Page 2-8

  25. Page 25
    Read page 25 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values • Executive function (part of the brain that manages goal-directed behaviour) tries to keep our behaviour consistent with self-concept. • Some personality traits change throughout life — e.g., agreeableness, conscientiousness continue to increase in later years. Slide 12: Five-Factor Personality Model (CANOE or OCEAN) Conscientiousness • High: organized, dependable, goal-focused, thorough, disciplined, methodical, industrious • Low: careless, disorganized, less thorough Agreeableness • High: trusting, helpful, good-natured, considerate, tolerant, selfless, generous, flexible • Low: uncooperative, intolerant of others’ needs, more suspicious, self-focused Neuroticism • High: anxious, insecure, self-conscious, depressed, temperamental • Low (high emotional stability): poised, secure, calm Openness to experience • High: imaginative, creative, unconventional, curious, nonconforming, autonomous, aesthetically perceptive • Low: resistant to change, less open to new ideas, more conventional and fixed in their ways Extraversion • High: outgoing, talkative, energetic, sociable, assertive • Low (introversion): quiet, cautious, less interactive with others Page 2-9

  26. Page 26
    Read page 26 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Slide 13: Five Factor Personality & Individual Behaviour Personality mainly affects behaviour and performance through motivation — influences direction and intensity of effort All Big 5 dimensions predict individual behaviour to some extent • Some specific traits (e.g. assertiveness) may be better predictors than overall dimension (e.g. extraversion) • Personality effect on behaviour may be nonlinear (moderate is better than too little/much) Personality predictors of proficient task performance • Conscientiousness is best personality predictor of proficient task performance ➡ Especially industriousness (achievement, self-discipline, purposefulness) and dutifulness ➡ Set higher personal goals, more persistent • Extraversion s econd best personality predictor of proficient task performance ➡ Especially specific traits of assertiveness and positive emotionality ➡ Assertive employees frame situations as challenges rather than threats Personality predictors of adaptive task performance • Emotional stability (low neuroticism): cope with ambiguity and uncertainty of change • Extraversion (especially assertiveness): comfortable influencing others, engaging with environment • Openness to experience: have more curiosity, imagination, and tolerance of change Personality predictors of proactive task performance • Extraversion (especially assertiveness): comfortable influencing others, engaging with environment • Openness to experience: have more curiosity, imagination, and tolerance of change Personality predictors of organizational citizenship • Conscientiousness: more dutiful, dependable • Agreeableness: motivated to be cooperative, sensitive, flexible, and supportive Personality predictors of counterproductive work behaviours • Conscientiousness (negative correlation): people with low conscientiousness are less dependable and feel less obligation toward others • Agreeableness (negative correlation): people with low agreeableness are less caring of others, less need to be liked Page 2-10

  27. Page 27
    Read page 27 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Other information about personality and individual behaviour • Effective leaders and salespeople tend to be somewhat more extraverted than general population • Agreeableness is a fairly good personality predictor of performance as team members and in customer service jobs • Openness to experience is associated with successful performance in creative work • Conscientiousness is usually a weak predictor of adaptive and proactive performance (people with high conscientiousness tend to require more structure, clarity) • Agreeableness is usually a weak predictor of proficient or proactive task performance (people with high agreeableness tend to have lower motivation to set goals, achieve results) Slide 14: Jungian Personality Theory Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung proposed that personality is primarily represented by the individual’s preferences regarding perceiving the environment and judging (obtaining and processing) information Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) • Estimates Jungian personality types • Most widely used personality test • Most widely studied measure of cognitive style • Adopts a neutral view of score results (higher vs lower are different, not better or worse) • Improves self-awareness and mutual understanding — i.e. good for career counselling and executive coaching • Poor at predicting job performance, effective leadership, or team development Slide 15: Jungian and Myers-Briggs Types Extroversion versus introversion (E – I) • Similar to five-factor dimension Perceiving information (S – N) • Sensing – perceiving information directly through the five senses to acquire factual and quantitative details • Intuition – relies on insight and subjective experience Page 2-11

  28. Page 28
    Read page 28 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Judging i.e. making decisions (T – F) • Thinking – rely on rational cause-effect logic and systematic data collection to make decisions • Feeling – rely on emotional responses to the options as well as how those choices affect others Orientation toward the outside world (P – J) • Perceiving – open curious, flexible, adapt spontaneously to events, prefer to keep options open • Judging – prefer order and structure; want to resolve problems quickly Slide 16: Values in the Workplace Stable, evaluative beliefs that guide our preferences for outcomes or courses of action in a variety of situations • Define right/wrong, good/bad • Tell us what we “ought” to do (moral compass) • Direct our motivation and, potentially, our decisions and behaviour Value system — hierarchy of preferences — relatively stable, long-lasting Values exist within individuals, but OB also refers to shared values within a team, department, organization, profession, and society Values differ from personality traits • Values are evaluative (what we ought to do); personality traits are descriptive (what we tend to do) • Values conflict with each other (e.g. valuing excitement conflicts with valuing stability); personality traits have minimal conflict • Values affected more by nurture (socialization, reinforcement) than nature (heredity); personality about equally affected by nature and nurture Page 2-12

  29. Page 29
    Read page 29 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Slide 17: Schwartz’s Values Model Dominant model of personal values was developed and tested by social psychologist Shalom Schwartz and many others 57 specific values cluster into 10 broad value categories — further clustered into four quadrants Openness to change • Motivated to pursue innovative ways Conservation • Motivated to preserve the status quo Self-enhancement • Motivated by self-interest Self-transcendence • Motivated to promote the welfare of others and nature Slide 18: Personal Values and Behaviour How personal values influence decisions and behaviour: • Directly motivate behaviour by affecting the relative attractiveness (valence) of the choices available — more positive feelings toward choices consistent with our values • Indirectly motivate behaviour by framing perceptions — influence whether we notice something and how we interpret it • Motivated to act consistently with self-concept and public self — values are part of our identity and image Why values often fail to influence decisions and behaviour: • Situation — prevent behaviour consistent with values or motivate behaviour contrary to values (i.e., opportunity and counter motivation effects) • Awareness (salience) — we often ignore values in our decisions/actions because: ➡ Values are abstract (difficult to link to specific behaviour) ➡ Behaviour is often routine, so less mindful of consistency with personal values Page 2-13

  30. Page 30
    Read page 30 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Slide 19: Values Congruence* Values congruence — how similar a person’s values hierarchy is to the values hierarchy of the organization, a co-worker, or another source Congruence with team values — higher team cohesion and performance Congruence with organization’s values — higher job satisfaction, loyalty, and organizational citizenship, lower stress and turnover * Note: We use “values” (plural) because values operate as a set, not individually, and because “value” is easily confused with the economic concept of worth of something relative to price Slide 20: Ethical Values and Behaviour Ethics — the study of moral principles or values that determine whether actions are right or wrong and outcomes are good or bad Three Ethical Principles • Utilitarianism • Seek greatest good for the greatest number of people — highest overall satisfaction • Problem: Cost-benefit analysis — but some outcomes aren’t measurable • Problem: Focuses on the consequences, but means of achieving consequences could be immoral • Individual rights principle • Everyone has same natural rights, not just legal rights — e.g. freedom of speech • Problem: conflicting rights — e.g. shareholders’ right to be informed conflicts with CEO’s right to privacy • Distributive justice principle • Benefits and burdens should be proportional — e.g. similar rewards for those who contribute equally in their work • Inequalities are acceptable when they benefit the least well off • Problem: difficult to agree on “similar” rewards and contributions Page 2-14

  31. Page 31
    Read page 31 as text

    Chapter 2: Individual Behaviour, Personality, and Values Slide 21: Influences on Ethical Conduct Moral intensity • The degree that an issue demands the application of ethical principles • High moral intensity • More significant ethical outcomes • Need to more carefully apply ethical principles • Moral intensity higher when: • Decision has substantially good or bad consequences • High agreement among others that outcomes are good-bad (not diverse beliefs) • High probability that good-bad outcomes will occur from the decision • Many people will be affected by the decision Moral sensitivity (ethical sensitivity) • A person’s ability to detect a moral dilemma and estimate its relative importance • Enables quicker and more accurate estimation of an issue’s moral intensity • Not more ethical behaviour, just better awareness of a moral situation • Moral sensitivity is higher in people with: 1. Expertise — knowledge of prescriptive norms and rules (e.g. accounting) 2. Past experience with specific moral dilemmas — internal cues develop to trigger awareness when moral issue arises again 3. Empathy — people with higher empathy are more sensitive to the needs and situation of others 4. A self-view as an ethical person — put more energy into maintaining ethical conduct 5. Mindfulness ➡ Receptive and impartial attention to and awareness of the present situation as well as to one’s own thoughts and emotions in that moment ➡ Involves actively monitoring the environment, so increases moral sensitivity ➡ Problem: natural tendency to minimize effort, which leads to less mindfulness Situational influences • External forces to act contrary to moral principles and personal values Page 2-15

187 more pages in the full document

Unlock it once and it stays in your library, ready to chat with or turn into flashcards.

Unlock the full document

More Business Management study materials

See all

Study this document with CramX

Once it is in your library, every tool can work from it.