Personality/Perception, Bias, and Work-related Attitudes and Behaviors
Which Big Five trait is the most reliable predictor of job performance?
Conscientiousness. It is associated with being dependable, responsible, achievement-oriented, and persistent.
What are SMART goals?
S: specific
M: measurable
A: attainable
R: results-oriented
T: with target dates
Why is team process more important for reciprocal interdependence than pooled interdependence?
In reciprocal interdependence, members depend on each other at multiple points, so coordination failures create larger process losses. In pooled interdependence, members can work more independently and combine outputs later
What are the three position-based sources of power?
Legitimate power, reward power, and coercive power.
Which of the Five Forces is affected when important patents expire?
The threat of new entry, since patents are an important barrier to entry.
A manager gives an employee a high teamwork rating because the employee is very technically skilled. What bias is this?
Halo effect. The manager’s general positive impression of the employee is influencing their evaluation on a specific dimension.
When is it most beneficial to use procedural fairness?
Fair process is most important when outcomes are unfavorable. It helps people understand that the outcome is not arbitrary, even if they don’t like it.
When would integrating be a better conflict style than compromising?
Integrating is better when the issue is complex and important, the relationship matters, and a win-win solution may be possible. Compromising is faster, but it can lead to expedient rather than effective solutions.
Why can coercive power weaken a leader’s other sources of power over time?
Coercive power may force compliance, but it can reduce trust, liking, and credibility. Because of that, it can dilute the effects of referent power, expert power, and informational power.
What is the entrepreneurial mindset?
It is the ability to continuously gather information and make decisions in a complex, uncertain, and dynamic environment. It is fueled by two traits: need for achievement and openness to experience.
What are the four dimensions of Emotional Intelligence and what outcomes is high EI associated with?
EI dimensions are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. High EI is associated with better relationships, well-being, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behavior.
Why can financial incentives undermine intrinsic motivation?
They can make the task feel like work, signal distrust, shift attention from the task to the reward, and encourage narrow cost-benefit thinking.
What phase of the framework for understanding work groups does Tuckman’s 5-stage model fit into? What else happens in that phase?
Development, which happens after design. The whole working experience of the group fits into the development phase.
When is it appropriate to use a transformational leadership style?
Transformational leadership is best used for exceptional things. It is associated with change and innovation. Transformational leaders use four key kinds of behavior to inspire followers: inspirational motivation (charisma and vision), idealized influence (ethicality and focus on greater good), individualized consideration (enable follower growth), and intellectual stimulation (challenge followers to think and be creative).
What difference does having professional funders (VCs, Angels) make to a startup?
Having professional funders vs., say, self- or crowd-funding imposes control over a startup’s goals and activities, but at the same time, provides support and mentorship to help the startup grow. By contrast, having non-professional funders (e.g., friends and family, self, crowd funding) doesn’t limit a startup’s activities in the same way, even if they also expect a return.
What is the Dark Triad and what does it have to do with leadership?
The Dark Triad refers to a set of three personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy that end to be found together. Trait-based studies of leadership have found that successful leaders have a likelihood of having Dark Triad traits that is higher than found in the general population.
If you’re dissatisfied with your raise and you complain to your manager, is that an illustration of equity theory?
No. Equity theory is essentially a theory of social comparison. The main idea is that people compare their input-to-outcome ratio with a relevant social referent. If they feel under rewarded or overrewarded compared to others, they are motivated to restore equity.
What is the difference between task conflict and relationship conflict?
Task conflict is a form of functional conflict, where the conflict is about the work itself. Task conflict is associated with process gains. Relationship conflict is a form of dysfunctional conflict, where the conflict is about interpersonal issues or differences in style. Relationship conflict is associated with process loss.
What is the difference between Task-oriented and Relationship-oriented leadership? Which is better for leader effectiveness?
Task-oriented leadership is about efficiently and effectively accomplishing the groups’ goals by ensuring the right resources or deployed to the task. Relationship-oriented leadership prioritizes positive work relationships and mentoring. Both of these leadership styles are associated with leader effectiveness because they fit different situations that might occur for a leader. The best leaders are able to change styles to suit the situation.
Where does organizational culture come from in a startup?
Largely from founders’ values, but can be influenced by (professional) investors and early experiences. Cultural assumptions are being formed at this time, so they are in flux.
What is selective perception, and why does it occur?
Selective perception is the tendency to notice certain things and to filter out others when observing people or social situations. According to the 4 stages of social perception model, it occurs because only pay attention to certain things, and then we interpret it and make causal attributions before storing it in memory.
What could you do to increase your subordinates’ PàO expectancy (instrumentality) in expectancy theory?
Since the performance -> outcome expectancy is shaped by certainty that performance will lead to a desired outcome, your past record of coming through with rewards you promise and your control over rewards will matter. You could show them that you have the resources at your discretion to provide rewards (e.g., money or promotion) or shift their focus to rewards you can provide (e.g., praise or better projects).
Why do groups fall into agreement-oriented dysfunctions like groupthink?
Agreement-oriented dysfunction is usually due to social conformity pressures stemming from information influence (you think others know something you don’t) or normative influence (you feel like you need to act or think a certain way to fit into the group). These pressures are higher if you really identify with the group or internalize the group’s values.
Why can influence tactics work differently depending on the target and situation?
A tactic like rational persuasion may work when expertise and evidence matter, while inspirational appeals may work better when values and commitment matter.
When do startups need to impose a formal structure (org chart)?
As a startup grows, the simple structure and haphazard coordination starts to get in the way of work getting done. Executing strategy in a firm with more people and more tasks requires a structure that assigns responsibility and accountability. Entrepreneurial leaders need to select a structural design to organize work.