Week 1
If locations with churches have more crime should we expect to time increase in a location where a new church is being built? Why or why not?
No, correlation does not mean causation
What is personality
Personality refers to the structures and propensities inside people that explain their characteristic
What intrinsic motive appeals to basically everyone?
Helping others/showing a positive impact on others
What does egocentric referencing mean?
Overestimating one’s efforts while underestimating the efforts of others
What are the two main reasons why people are unhappy with work according to lecture 2?
People's strengths are underutilized
Majority of workers feel their job lacks meaning
What was the most effective method of training and retention according to the learning pyramid and how much do people tend to retain from what they learn using this method?
Teaching others --> retain around 80-90% of what they learn
Name the 5-factor models of personality
conscientiousness
Agreeableness: High performance on service jobs
Neuroticism
Openness to experience
Extraversion
What are the three needs people are driven by according to McClelland's Theory of Needs?
Need for achievement
Need for affiliation
Need for power
Why is task conflict important for the success of a group?
It is important as it occurs to find the best way to accomplish a task.
What was the Minnesota Twins Study
A study conducted observing how the personalities of two identical twins would develop when raised in entirely different environments to see if similarities in personality could be hereditarily correlated.
What is Organizational Behaviour?
The field of behavioural science devoted to
understanding, explaining, and ultimately improving the attitudes and behaviours of individuals and groups in organizations
What are the problems with Problems with Myers-Briggs tests?
Forces bi-modality (“either/or”)
Creates “false opposites” E..g., Thinking (IQ) & Feeling (EQ); Positively
What are the components of the goal-setting theory?
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Based
What is the Abilene Paradox?
The Abilene Paradox occurs when an individual in a group makes a suggestion, and everyone agrees on the assumption that everyone else in the group is in agreement
Why did performance decrease when money was offered for solving the Candle Problem the fastest? A few key points mentioned in class.
Why did performance decrease when money was offered for solving the Candle Problem the fastest? A few key points mentioned in class.
What are the 5 scientific tools of an O.B researcher?
Observation, interviews, surveys, experiments, and meta-analyses
How does openess relate to work contexts.
More creative, increased comfort with ambiguity
• Better able to adapt to changes
• High need for stimulation and task variety
What is the difference between extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation?
Extrinsic motivation is motivation that stems from the work environment external to the task (usually applied to others), while intrinsic motivation stems from the direct relationship between the worker and the task (usually applied by self).
State three triggers of interpersonal conflict.
Personality of the individuals, being shy, The lack of experience of others , Group members do not challenge the opinions of others, The group as a whole does not encourage the expression of different opinions, or The norms of the individuals differ
What is the Magic Feedback Ratio? State the ratio and what it means.
5:1
Negative interactions have five times more impact on one's mood than positive interactions
What are four things that successful teams do according to lecture 1?
1. Set goals and leverage expertise
2. Communicate effectively
3. Clearly define roles
4. Have trust and psychological safety
What are the differences between weak and strong situations.
Weak situations are ambiguous. There is no obvious way to behave. (work group has just formed and no one knows each other well )
Strong situations are concrete. It is expected you behave in specific ways. (assembly line worker following basic protocol )
What is the definition of expectancy theory (have to list out names of 5 nodes and 3 links)?
Motivation is dependent on person’s expectations. This theory draws out the relationship between the 5 nodes: individual effort, individual performance, organizational rewards, and personal goals by linking expectancy, instrumentality, and valence.
How do you create Psychological Safety?
Set the stage by communicating the purpose of the task
Encourage engagement by providing freedom to schedule one’s work, providing a variety of tasks or providing tasks that impact others
Responding to productivity by providing recognition when due
Describe the Hawthorne Effect
Firm was changing the intensity of the lights in their factory to see how it changed employee productivity. Every change, both up and down, led to increased productivity. The changing environment wasn't what led to productivity increasing, it was the workers knowing they were being recorded.