Assume that you are a restaurant supervisor in charge of 10 servers. You notice that they appear bored with their jobs and that customer service is starting to decline. How can you redesign their jobs to make their work more interesting and more meaningful? Would you enrich or enlarge their jobs? Explain.
> "Decisions should be thought of as means rather than ends." Explain what this statement means and what affect it should have on decision making.
> Can you think of reasons why some individuals might prefer one-way communications when they are the sender, and two-way when they are the receiver? Explain.
> Discuss some of the advantages of using texting to reach customers as compared with the more traditional methods such as TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, or direct mail.
> Due to the increase in spam and other nonessential e-mail message (e.g., jokes and chain letters) that employees receive, some claim that reading, processing, and responding to e-mail messages can drain employee productivity. What can be done to help emp
> A growing number of Americans work for foreign-owned firms in the United States. Do you think these American employees are being influenced by the approach to management and the culture of the country that owns the firm? Explain.
> Why do you think that downward communication is much more prevalent in organizations than upward communication? How easy would it be to change this?
> Which power would you prefer to develop for yourself: expert power or legitimate power? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these sources of power? Explain.
> The use of power and politics often involve ethical issues. What are the criteria that may be used to determine the extent to which a manager's behavior is ethical? Are there ever legitimate exceptions to these criteria?
> Assume that the printing process is a strategic contingency for a publishing company, and that only one group of employees knows how to operate the printing press. How could the environment be changed to more evenly balance power within the printing depa
> What is meant by the term empowerment? Why is empowerment a concept that is resisted by some and rejected by others?
> What are the four elements that are typically part of all negotiations? Are there likely to be differences in these elements depending on whether the negotiations are of a win-win or a win-lose nature?
> What are the possible consequences of dysfunctional conflict? Are some of these consequences more or less likely to occur in organizational conflict situations?
> If you were about to begin negotiating with a person from Brazil, what would you want to know about his cultural background? Would it make a difference in the knowledge you seek if the Brazilian were a woman? Discuss.
> What are some of the major reasons why intergroup conflict occurs? In your personal experience, what is the most frequent reason?
> Is there a relationship between the level of intergroup conflict and organizational performance? How can an organization achieve optimal levels of conflict?
> 1.What would business organizations such as Kraft Foods gain from observing Orpheus in action? 2.Orpheus rotates the concertmaster among core-group members. What is the logic of rotating the leader? 3.What are some of the substitutes for permanent leader
> When intergroup conflict occurs, changes take place within and between conflicting groups. What are these changes? Which changes are generally positive? Which are negative?
> Think back to a time in school or at work when a group of which you were a part experienced dysfunctional conflict. Describe the conflict and the impact it had on group cohesion and productivity.
> Is leadership a more or less important consideration in self-managed teams than in other types of groups? Why or why not?
> What is the relationship between group norms and group cohesiveness? What roles do both cohesiveness and norms plan in shaping group performance?
> Why is groupthink something to be avoided? How might a manager attempt to insure that groupthink doesn't occur in his or her group?
> Why is it important for managers to be familiar with the concepts of group behavior?
> Have you ever been part of a virtual team? Describe it. What are the advantages and disadvantages of virtual work arrangements?
> If you were creating a research and development team for an organization, what kinds of factors would you take into consideration in deciding the composition of the team? Would these factors be different if you were putting together a problem-solving tea
> Why are people in certain occupations more susceptible to burnout? What kinds of things might organizations do to reduce the likelihood their members will experience burnout?
> What is the relationship between stress and personality? What aspects of personality might tend to increase stress? Decrease it?
> 1.What, in your opinion, did Baker hope to accomplish as a result of his conversation with Rennalls? Did he succeed? Why or why not? 2. Did nonverbal communications play a part in this case? Be specific and give examples. 3.What could Baker and Rennalls
> Work underload may be every bit as dysfunctional as work overload. Can you think of other work variables where “too little” may be as counterproductive as “too much”?
> Do you think some types of jobs or organizations attract Type A individuals? Do some attract Type B individuals? Why?
> The issue of who should be responsible for dealing with work stress—the individual or the organization—is an important one. What do you think? What are your arguments for and against each position?
> Increasingly, some workers are being sent on overseas assignments. What stressors might be unique to such assignments? What might organizations do to minimize their impact?
> What legal protections does an employee have against the employer’s use of electronic surveillance?
> To what degree can employee and managerial misbehavior be prevented in organizations? What steps would you take as a leader to curtail this negative behavior??
> Can a person be required to take medical tests to be considered for a new role or job? What restrictions, if any, are placed on us of the test data?
> There are three specific points or phases at which management has the opportunity to head off workplace violence. What are the points, and what actions can management take?
> What role can frustration, stress, and emotional disturbance play in the increase in incivility in organizations?
> Is there a possibility that in the near future organizations will have at their disposal tests that can, with precision, identify job candidates with a high propensity to misbehave? Explain.
> How would you describe the conflict between Michael Eisner and the Weinstein brothers, the two board members (Disney and Gold), and Steve jobs? Was it functional or dysfunctional? Think back to the stages of conflict described in this chapter. Which stag
> A scholar commented, “Workplace aggression is wasteful in terms of human and financial resources.” What is meant by this statement?
> This chapter discusses a number of innovative reward systems. Can you suggest other innovative approaches organizations might use? Identify potential problems with the approaches you suggest and try to find ways of overcoming them.
> Why are team-based reward systems becoming more widely used?
> The basic purpose of an evaluation is to provide information about work performance, but the information can also be used for other purposes. Name five other uses for an employee evaluation.
> The degree of employee satisfaction with the organization's reward system will significantly affect how successful the system is in influencing performance. Based on the research literature, what do we know about what influences whether individuals will
> From a managerial perspective, why is it impractical to provide continuous reinforcement in work environments? If it were practical, would it be a good idea? Explain.
> The gap between women’s and men’s pay is still considerable. What steps should employers and managers take in order to close this gap in a fair and consistent manner?
> Evaluations can be either judgmental or developmental in nature. Give examples of when one a manager should use each type.
> As you understand the idea and practice of total quality management, do you believe that it’s the wave of the future in U.S. organizations? Explain.
> Job enrichment is realized through changes to job depth. What changes can managers make to existing jobs that will provide employees with greater opportunities to exercise discretion?
> To what degree do you believe the behaviors of the featured CEOs constituted “misbehavior” and that the reactions of the boards were correct? If you were on a board of directors, what factors would you consider in the selection of a CEO to limit the pote
> There is a distinct move away from a ‘job’ emphasis in some industries. Why is this occurring?
> What is the significance of the idea of quality of life work (QWL)? In particular, what would seem to be the trade-offs between meaningful jobs and productive jobs during periods of declining economic activity and unemployment?
> Why do you think Six Sigma helps many organizations improve quality, customer satisfaction, and efficiency? Explain.
> Explain the differences between job enlargement and job enrichment and analyze the relative advantages of these two approaches in organizations you have worked for.
> Goal-setting can be a difficult system to implement effectively. What kinds of problems might be encountered in an effort to implement a goal-setting program in an organization? As a manager, what would you do to minimize the likelihood you would encount
> How important a role does perception play in determining whether an employee is receiving equitable treatment? What kinds of things might a manager do to influence those perceptions?
> As a manager, would you rather the people for whom you are responsible be extrinsically or intrinsically motivated? Explain.
> What implications does Herzberg's two-factor theory have for the design of organizational reward systems? How can the theory be used to explain differences in the three components of motivation?
> Motivation is just of one several factors that influence productivity. What other factors were discussed in the chapter? What is the relationship between these factors and motivation?
> Based on your view of the objectives of performance evaluation, evaluate the perspectives about performance appraisal presented by the managers. In your opinion, at what point does "fine-tuning" evaluations become unacceptable distortion? Assume you are
> Is there a psychological contract between the students enrolled in this course and the instructor? What are some of the specifics of this contract? How was the contract determined?
> Give an example of a time when someone used a stereotype to describe you or something you did. Was the stereotype accurate? If not, explain why it wasn’t accurate.
> What types of schemas do managers use to make better sense of information at work?
> Why are the perceptions of your skills and abilities typically different from the perceptions that other have of your skills and abilities?
> Assume you have a team leader who always expects the worst from team members. To what degree can this Golem effect negatively impact team performance?
> As an interviewer, what steps can you take to decrease the influence of impression management tactics that are commonly used by interviewees?
> What is the difference between organizational structure and design?
> It has been suggested that good leadership is knowing when to take charge and when to delegate. How consistent is this with various situational approaches discussed in this chapter?
> Why would communication skills be considered to be important in every explanation of leadership covered in this chapter?
> What role does personality play in decision making? Can you think of an example from your experience where the personality of a decision maker clearly influenced his or her decision?
> What’s your opinion regarding forced ranking performance appraisals? Do they motivate employees? Explain How would equity theory explain some employees’ negative reactions to forced rankings? Based on Chapter 5, if you decided not to use forced rankings
> Why is it important to establish priorities among different problems? Under what conditions might it be necessary to re-evaluate priorities?
> Why should managers not even attempt to counsel or provide advice to any employee suspected of being depressed?
> Some claim that white-collar crime is not as bad or harmful as non-managerial theft or sabotage of property. Do you agree? Why or why not?
> As a manager, what type of quality improvement results should you strive for to achieve success over both the short and long run?
> Employees are increasingly interested in jobs with flexible work schedules. What factors are driving this interest?
> Do you believe diversity plays a significant role in an organization's culture? Why or why not?
> In today’s fast-paced, global, and technological environment, it is important for an organization of any size to be adaptive. How do firms like Facebook, Google, and Apple adapt?
> How can a leader or founder help create a strong culture in an organization? Can a leader eliminate culture? Explain.
> Why does the field of organizational behavior draw on so many different disciplines?
> What knowledge about human behavior in the workplace was discovered during the Hawthorne studies?
> Is Mark making a good decision to drop the use of personality testing? Why? The better quality personality tests are difficult to fake. Other than attempting to land the job, why would a job candidate fake a personality test? Could personality testing be
> Who should be included in a person’s 360-degree feedback when evaluating his/her performance?
> The psychological contract between workers and employers specifies what each expects to give and receive from the other. What can you offer an employer, and what do you expect in return?
> What abilities will managers need in order to be successful in the 21st century? Which of these abilities do you have now? How do you plan to acquire the others?
> Hofstede's research indicates that national cultures exist. Do you believe that in a heterogeneous nation, such as the United States, a national culture that is shared by society does exist?
> How would you determine whether a large public hospital in your city (community or region) is effective?
> Organizational culture is a difficult concept to grasp. How would you describe the culture of an office or a manufacturing plant?
> Identify the three socialization stages. Which of these stages is most important for developing high-performing employees? Explain.
> How do employees resist change and what can managers to overcome resistance?
> How would you go about designing a training program that would cause managers in a small firm to recognize the need to change the way they manage if their industry has been more competitive in recent years?
> Describe the relationship among the steps of the general change model depicted in this chapter and the process of unfreezing—movement—refreezing.
> What are the key principles of scientific management?
> As a manager, what ethical dilemmas might you face when instructed to downsize your department by one-third in order to increase the organization’s long-run change of survival?
> Explain why programs to bring about significant change often must use more than one form of intervention.
> Why do some managers sometimes misdiagnose a problem or situation?
> Newly formed organizational units, project teams, or task forces often have problems or characteristics that must be overcome if the groups are to perform effectively. What are they?
> Explain why organizational and individual change programs should be evaluated and why such an evaluation is so difficult to do.
> Discuss the 4-D framework used in conducting appreciative inquiry. How is it different from a traditional diagnosis approach used in organizational change?
> Changes in organizational size affect structure. In what ways might growth (increasing size) affect an organization's structure? In what ways might consolidation (decreasing size) affect structure?
> What cues might a manager have that suggest there is a problem with the design of an organization? Is changing an existing organization a different from designing a brand new structure? Explain.
