1: Overview of OB
The study of human behavior in organizational settings, the interface between human behavior and the organization, and the organization itself
What is Organizational Behavior?
What is the difference between surface-level and deep-level diversity?
Surface-level diversity reflects characteristics that are observable and generally known about people as soon as you see them. (Age, gender, race, ect)
Deep-level diversity refers to individual differences that cannot be discerned directly, including goals, values, personalities, decision-making styles, knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes.
the relatively stable set of psychological attributes that distinguish one person from another
What is Personality?
Jamie loves exploring new ideas and enjoys art. In a team meeting, Jamie proposes a creative marketing campaign that breaks from tradition. Which Big Five personality trait is this?
Openness
written predictions specifying expected relationships between certain variables.
What is a Hypothesis?
Define Conceptual and Diagnostic Skills
Conceptual Skills: A manager’s ability to think in the abstract.
Diagnostic Skills: allow managers to better understand cause-and-effect relationships and to recognize the optimal solutions to problems.
What is Corporate Social Responsibility? Why does it matter?
Corporate social responsibility often include businesses living and working together for the common good and valuing human dignity.
What are the “Big 5” Personality Traits?
Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism
Taylor always meets deadlines and plans every task meticulously. During a complex project, Taylor organizes the workflow and ensures every team member stays on track. Which Big Five personality trait is being displayed here?
Conscientiousness
Lisa’s job interview ends with, “By the way, your manager loves 7 a.m. meetings, the coffee machine is always broken, and WiFi works… most of the time.” What hiring technique is this?
Realistic Job Preview
What is The Hawthorne Effect?
When people improve some aspect of their behavior or performance simply because they are being assessed
refers to the fact that we all simultaneously belong to more than one demographic category.
What is Intersectionality?
Describe one criticism of the Myers-Briggs test.
It is too vague/broad, it can lead to discrimination and poor career counseling, ect.
Susie thrives in social settings and energizes the team during brainstorming sessions. At a company event, Susie leads conversations and easily makes new connections. Which Big Five personality trait does this situation illustrate?
Extraversion
Emma prefers working alone, sets personal goals, and frequently reflects on her strengths and weaknesses. She understands her emotions well and makes career choices based on self-awareness. Which of Gardner’s multiple intelligences does Emma demonstrate?
Intrapersonal Intelligence
What are the 4 Basic Managerial Functions?
Planning, Organizing, Leading, Controlling
Define Outsourcing and Offshoring.
Outsourcing: the practice of hiring other firms to do work previously performed by the organization. Offshoring: outsourcing to other countries in order to lower labor costs.
What is the Locus of control?
The Locus of control is the extent to which people believe that they influence or control what happens to them.
Alex is known for being cooperative and empathetic. When a conflict arises between colleagues, Alex listens carefully and suggests a compromise that satisfies everyone. Which Big Five personality trait is Alex demonstrating?
Agreeableness
Joe excels in technical problem-solving and enjoys applying theories to real-world situations. However, he struggles in team-based discussions where interpersonal skills are key. He prefers learning through experimentation and abstract thinking rather than reflection or emotions. Which Kolb learning style best describes Joe?
Converger
Give an example of each of the following Business Strategies: Cost leadership, Differentiation, Specialization
Cost leadership: Adli leads the grocery retail industry by offering the lowest prices.
Differentiation: Apple positions itself with unique design and innovation.
Specialization: Ferrari focuses on high-performance luxury sports cars.
The two primary dimensions that Hofstede found are the individualism/collectivism continuum and power distance. Explain what these two dimensions mean and why they are important to International Business.
Individualism exists to the extent that people in a culture define themselves primarily as individuals rather than as part of one or more groups or organizations.
Power Distance is the extent to which people accept as normal an unequal distribution of power
What is “Machiavellianism”?
The term “Machiavellianism” is now used to describe behavior directed at gaining power and controlling the behavior of others.
Sam often worries about meeting expectations and experiences anxiety when tasks accumulate. During a sudden crisis, Sam's stress intensifies, making it difficult to focus on solutions. Which Big Five personality trait does this scenario best represent?
Neuroticism
Sasha thrives in brainstorming sessions. She enjoys understanding situations from different perspectives and is highly people-oriented. Rather than focusing on technical details, she prefers to explore ideas and structure relationships meaningfully. Which Kolb learning style does Sash demonstrate?
Diverger