If two of your subordinates were experiencing relationship conflict, what would you do to manage it? Why?
> How does the role of information in the rational model of decision making differ from the role of information in the behavioral model?
> Describe at least three points in the decision-making process at which information plays an important role.
> When your alarm goes off each morning, you have a decision to make: whether to get up and go to school or work, or to stay in bed and sleep longer. Is this a programmed or nonprogrammed decision? Why?
> Do you consider yourself to be relatively more or less creative? Recall an instance in which you made a discovery using the four phases of the creative process.
> Some have argued that people, not organizations, make decisions and that the study of “organizational” decision making is therefore pointless. Do you agree with this argument? Why or why not?
> Which do you feel is more important to team performance, informational diversity or demographic diversity? Why? Do multicultural teams increase this type of diversity? If so, how?
> Do you think a team contract would improve the effectiveness of teams? Why or why not?
> Some say that changing to a team-based arrangement “just makes sense” for organizations. What are the four primary reasons why this might be so?
> Some people believe that individuals working in an organization have basic human rights to satisfaction with their work and to the opportunity to grow and develop. How would you defend this position? How would you argue against it?
> Discuss the following statement: “Group cohesiveness is the good, warm feeling we get from working in groups and is something that all group leaders should strive to develop in the groups they lead.”
> List two norms each for two of the groups to which you belong. How are these norms enforced?
> Think about an effective team you have been on. What made it effective? Think about an underperforming team you have been on. Why was it underperforming?
> As a student in this class, what “rewards” do you receive in exchange for your time and effort?
> Can performance on some jobs simply not be measured? Why or why not?
> In what ways is your performance as a student evaluated? How is the performance of your instructor measured? What are the limitations of this method?
> Why are employees having their performance measured and evaluated all the time instead of simply being left alone to do their jobs?
> What are the motivational consequences of increased employee involvement from the frame of reference of expectancy and equity theories?
> What are the primary similarities and differences between job enrichment and the approach proposed by job characteristics theory?
> Identify the five forms of reinforcement that you receive most often (i.e., wages, grades, etc.). On what schedule do you receive each of them?
> Why will learning about OB help you to get a better job and a better career, and be a better manager?
> Think of occasions on which you experienced each of the four types of reinforcement.
> Do the relationships between performance and satisfaction suggested by Porter and Lawler seem valid? Cite examples that both support and refute the model.
> Do you think expectancy theory is too complex for direct use in organizational settings? Why or why not?
> Which is likely to be a more serious problem – perceptions of being under-rewarded or perceptions of being over-rewarded?
> Have you ever experienced inequity in a job or a class? How did it affect you?
> When has your level of performance been directly affected by your motivation? By your ability? By the environment?
> What are the major stressors for a student? What consequences are students most likely to suffer as a result of too much stress?
> Do you consider yourself a Type A or a Type B person? Why? Do you think a person who is a Type A can change to become more like a Type B? If so, how?
> How does perception affect behavior? What stereotypes do you form about people? Are they good or bad?
> What do you think are the most important things a manager does? Is how a manager does these things also important? Why or why not?
> Do terminal or instrumental values have a larger influence on your behavior at work? Explain.
> If a subordinate came to you and said that they felt the company’s new diversity hiring initiative was unfair and would compromise their well-deserved opportunities for advancement, how would you respond?
> Based on the chapter, what other suggestions would you make to change the culture to enhance responsiveness to the environment and why would you suggest them?
> In what ways does fairness influence how the subordinate responded to the situations you viewed?
> Which team performance factors have the most influence on the decision-making process?
> How and why would organization development differ if the elements of the social system were not interdependent?
> In what ways can the influence of the founder of an organization be assessed after that founder is no longer a part of the organization?
> Which of the four conflict management cultures would be the best fit for you? Why?
> If you started your own company selling iPhone applications, what organizational structure would you create? Why?
> What keeps you from delegating more? How can you overcome these obstacles?
> How do you use impression management at work?
> Describe a time in the last week that someone influenced you to do something you would not otherwise have done. What influence tactic(s) did she or he use?
> Do you think that it would be easy to influence a subordinate’s attitudes, values, or emotions? Why? Which would have the largest influence on the employee’s behavior? Why?
> In your opinion, is it possible for someone with little or no charisma to become charismatic? If so, how? If not, why?
> Identify an individual who could serve as an example of a transformational leader. How successful or unsuccessful has this person been?
> What other forms of leader behavior besides those cited in the chapter can you identify?
> Recent evidence suggests that successful managers (defined by organizational rank and salary) may indeed have some of the same traits originally ascribed to effective leaders (such as an attractive appearance and relative height). How might this finding
> What traits do you think characterize successful leaders? Do you think the trait approach has validity?
> What would have to happen for you to fully accept and cooperate with a mediator’s recommended settlement?
> Which of the conflict causes do you feel is most challenging to a manager? Why?
> How can managers promote constructive conflict?
> If you were about to be fired, how would you want to hear the news? Why? How would you least want to hear the news? Why?
> Do you agree that a certain degree of stress is necessary to induce high energy and motivation?
> If you had to tell your boss bad news, what communication media would you use?
> What are some of the most common sources of noise when others try to talk to you? What can you do to reduce their effects?
> What are your preferred methods of receiving information? Does your answer differ depending on the type of information being sent?
> What role, if any, do you feel the grapevine plays in organizations?
> What information did you use in deciding to enter the school you now attend?
> Are any of the groups to which you belong too large or too small to get their work done? If so, what can the leader or the members do to alleviate the problem?
> What motivational problems might result from an organization’s attempt to set up work teams?
> Which of Gardner’s multiple intelligences do you feel are most important for managers?
> What are the components of an individual’s attitude? Relate each component to an attitude you currently have about something.
> If you were denied a job because of your score on a personality test, what would be your reaction?
> If your boss was not sure it would be worth the investment to change the company’s hiring practices to include an evaluation of applicants’ attitudes, what would you tell him or her?
> Identify several different groups that you belong to and classify them as one of the group types discussed in this chapter.
> Which do you think is more important to team performance, surface-level or deep-level diversity? Why?
> 1. What forces for organization change are reflected at Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams? 2. Suppose that there was a need to move Kim Clay out of her current job and into a new one. How might this change process be managed most effectively? 3. In what ways
> 1. What are some visible aspects of Recycline’s culture that reflect the company’s values and commitment to green issues? 2. What role do leaders play in shaping Recycline’s organizational culture? Explain. 3. Could Recycline easily change its organizat
> 1. Describe the role of division of labor and hierarchy at Honest Tea. 2. In what ways has business strategy and organizational size impacted Honest Tea? How might this change in the future 3. Does Honest Tea have more of an organic or mechanistic struc
> 1. Describe the power relationship between Numi and its supply chain partners. 2. In the video, what issues with China-based suppliers require Numi’s managers to use influence and persuasion tactics? 3. How does Numi get suppliers to comply with its poli
> 1. How would you describe Danielle Oviedo’s approach to leadership? 2. What would you predict about Danielle’s future success as a leader? Why? 3. In what ways, if any, does Danielle function as a coach?
> 1. Where does Hewitt’s leadership fall on the Managerial Grid discussed in the chapter? Explain. 2. What deficiencies or shortcomings would you identify in Hewitt’s leadership? 3. Is Hewitt’s leadership style appropriate for Greensburg’s situation? Exp
> 1. What is the primary problem that education directors face when recruiting instructors to teach at Maine Media Workshops? 2. What sources of conflict are hampering recruitment at Maine Media Workshops? 3. What might Maine Media Workshops do to help res
> 1. What characteristics of information are most important in Intermountain Healthcare? 2. How is the horizontal form of communication more prominent in Intermountain Healthcare? 3. In what way is digital communication an important form of communication i
> If you were a manager, what individual differences would be important to you in hiring an assistant? Why?
> 1. Cite reasons for and against rebuilding Greensburg as a “green town.” Which reasons do you find most convincing and why? 2. Do you think Greensburg’s decision-making process was effective? Explain. 3. What prevented the City of Greensburg from makin
> 1. What organizational dilemma was hurting Evo’s creative output, and how did management resolve the problem using teams? 2. How might Nathan Decker lead effectively as the team starts “norming”? 3. Can you relate the group performance factors of composi
> 1. Can you describe Brad’s motivation in terms of the goal-setting theory of motivation? 2. How does Emily see her job from the standpoint of motivating Flight 001 employees? What motivates her? 3. What are the roles of performance management and indivi
> 1. Can you relate Mike Boyle’s views on employee motivation to the need theories discussed in this class? If so, how? 2. How does expectancy theory explain Ana’s view of her work at Mike Boyle’s Strength & Conditioning? 3. Marco speaks about the pride h
> 1. How does the Barcelona Restaurant Group focus on fit? What types of fit does Barcelona try to optimize when hiring? 2. How does sending managerial candidates on a $100 “Shop” serve as a realistic job preview? Explain why you think this would or woul
> Ethical Decision Making at Black Diamond Equipment 1. How does Black Diamond integrate social responsibility into its culture? 2. How does the global nature of the company and its markets influence how it thinks about employee diversity? 3. How would yo
> 1. How does Sue Ryan perform the three basic managerial roles—interpersonal, informational, and decision making—in her role at Camp Bow Wow? 2. How do Candace Stathis and Sue Ryan apply the four critical managerial skills—technical, interpersonal, concep
> Using concepts from the chapter, what would you have done to make the transition to the new product line go more smoothly?
> How did Alex unfreeze Allison’s perspective and what impact did that have?
> What types of resistance to change did you see in the various situations?
> Do you think emotional intelligence is important to managers? How would you assess emotional intelligence in deciding who to promote to a managerial position?
> How are ethics illustrated in these videos? What is the best way to ensure decisions are made ethically?
> In what ways might culture influence how responsive Happy Time Toys is to competitor threats?
> Based on this chapter, what other ideas do you have to help Happy Time Toys to develop and manufacture new toys more rapidly and to be faster in responding to the environment?
> How do these videos illustrate the influence of the external environment on organizational design?
> Which organizational structures are illustrated in these videos and how do they influence strategic execution? Explain.
> How else might you persuade your coworker to organize the picnic using power and influence?
> Did you detect any organizational politics, and if so, what types?
> If you were to use power to try to get the subordinate to do the task, which forms of power would work best and why? Which would be ineffective and why?
> Which influence tactics do you think were the most effective and why would they work?
> If this were you, what would you do to improve your relationship with your boss to get assignments that are more challenging and eventually earn a promotion?
> If your supervisor exhibited bullying behaviors, what would you do?
> Which other aspects of leadership discussed in this chapter are illustrated in these videos? Explain your answer.
> In the challenge video, according to the Hersey Blanchard model, how does Amy perceive Alex?
> In terms of LMX, what type of relationship is exhibited in the challenge video?
