Week 1
What is Organizational Behaviour (OB)?
The study of individual and group behavior in organizations, aiming to improve attitudes and performance
What is this type of mindset?
"With this mindset, your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts. A person's efforts are likely to yield personal change."
Growth mindset
What is the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation?
Extrinsic motivation comes from external stimuli, such money, fame or praise, while intrinsic motivation comes from oneself, such as a feeling of achievement, sense or purpose or sheer interest.
Please give an example of Groupthink
Any example of behaviours that support conformity and team harmony at the expense of other team priorities (e.g. performance)
Why are soft skills considered more important in today's work environment?
With the rise of remote and autonomous work, soft skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability are increasingly critical for success
Which characteristic in the Big 5 relates to work contexts in this way: "Being more creative, increases comfort with ambiguity, being able to adapt to changes, high need for stimulation, and task variety?"
Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness, Extraversion
Openess
What is one reason money can backfire?
- Too narrow of a focus
- Signals a change in the norm
- Shifts from intrinsic to extrinsic
- Crowding out effect
What is Psychological Safety?
A belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes
What is the "N of 1" problem, and why is it a limitation in OB research?
It refers to relying on a single personal experience, which may not be generalizable to broader organizational contexts
Personality is more predictive of behaviour in strong or weak situations?
Weak
What is the Self-Determination Theory?
People want control over their actions, so anything that makes a task feel like they lack control, can reduce motivation
What is a solution to Groupthink
Disagreement must be valued
What are the three necessary factors to establish causation in Organizational Behaviour research?
Correlation, Temporal Precedence, Eliminating Third Variables
What is the key challenge of a fixed mindset?
People avoid situations that they don't think they will perform well in
How does the input/output ratio relate to the Equity Theory?
The ratio determines how an employee's contributions relate to what they get out of the job.
If an employee believes they put in more into their work, for the same or less output received as their peers, they may feel less motivated to work harder and continue contributing such high input.
What is Social Loafing?
A type of motivational loss resulting from members feeling less accountable for team outcomes
What is the "Illusion of Transparency" in teamwork, and why does it impact communication?
It is the tendency to assume others know what we're thinking, leading to miscommunication and inefficiencies in teams
What does the Value-percept theory suggest?
Job satisfaction depends on whether your job supplies things that you value
What is the Expectancy Theory, and what are the 4 key components?
Motivation is dependent on a person's expectations, and the 4 key components are:
- Individual Effort
- Individual Performance
- Organizational Rewards
- Personal Goals
Please give an example of Naive Realism
"When you're driving, everybody driving faster than you is a maniac, and anyone that drives slower than you is a moron."