What is an organization and what characteristics do organizations share?
> What is Quantitative Approach
> After decades of affirmative action, diversity training, and inclusion practices, you’d think that bias (racial, gender, age, you-name it) wouldn’t be an issue. But almost everyone has observed bias in the workplace … jokes about a particular group of pe
> 2017 was a public relations nightmare for United Airlines. Several incidents involving United Air employees enforcing a variety of rules, regulations, and protocols in interactions with customers caused international outcry. First, in March, two teenager
> When you walk into Edwins, you assume it is just an upscale dining location serving classic and contemporary French cuisine. But the restaurant also serves as a nonprofit rehabilitation center for those who have been incarcerated. Referred to as a “secon
> In one of the worst business ethics scandals in history, the world learned in 2015 that Volkswagen (VW) intentionally circumvented government exhaust emission tests for years by installing so-called defeat devices on its clean diesel vehicles. This revel
> When Amancio Ortega, a former Spanish bathrobe maker, opened his first Zara clothing store, his business model was simple: sell high-fashion look-alikes to price-conscious Europeans. After succeeding in this, he decided to tackle the outdated clothing in
> It’s the world’s largest package delivery company with the instantly recognizable trucks. Every day, United Parcel Service (UPS) transports more than 20 million packages and documents throughout the United States and to more than 220 countries and territ
> At its headquarters in Ventura, California, Patagonia’s office space feels more like a national park lodge than the main office of a $600 million retailer. It has a Douglas fir staircase and a portrait of Yosemite’s El Capitan. The company’s café serves
> Adobe Systems is one of the largest and most diversified software companies in the world. It is headquartered in San Jose, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Its 18,000 plus employees are a core asset and the key to the company’s success. And th
> Which do you think would be a manager’s best choice for shaping long-term ethical behavior: a written code of ethics combined with ethics training OR strong ethical leadership? Support your position.
> Is globalization good for business? For consumers? Discuss.
> Tesla. Elon Musk. You’ve probably heard of both. Tesla was founded in 2003 by a group of engineers who wanted to prove that buyers didn’t need to compromise looks and performance to drive electric—that electric cars could be “better, quicker, and more fu
> Explain how an organization’s culture can help it be successful AND how it can keep it from being successful.
> How can managers best deal with environmental uncertainty?
> Explain how the 4 functions approach is better than the roles approach and the skills and competencies approach for describing what managers do.
> Do all organizations need managers? Explain.
> Discuss the various types of tools used to monitor and measure organizational performance.
> Why is it important for managers to understand the control process?
> Describe three barriers to communication and how managers can overcome those barriers.
> What purposes does communication serve?
> Why is trust the essence of leadership?
> What is the difference between trait theories and behavioral theories of leadership?
> Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, Amazon is the world’s largest retailer based on market value. Many credit the organization’s work environment and culture for motivating employees to create innovations such as the Kindle and drone delivery. Like others in
> What is a Behavioral Approach?
> What are the three variables in expectancy theory and how do they explain motivation?
> What economic and cross-cultural challenges face managers when motivating employees?
> Describe the key elements of attribution theory. Discuss how the fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias play a role.
> Why is it important for managers to have an understanding of organizational behavior?
> What characteristics do effective teams need?
> Why is it important for managers to know about the stages of group development?
> How does HRM help achieve the goal of having the “the right numbers of the right people in the right place at the right time”?
> How is technology changing how HRM is done?
> If organizing is about getting work done efficiently and effectively, what organizing challenges might lower-level managers have to address? (Hint: Think in terms of the six key elements of organization design.)
> It’s stated in the chapter that contemporary organization design should be lean, flexible, and innovative. What are the implications of those requirements?
> Jean Paul Agon, the president and CEO of L’Oreal, joined the company right after his university graduation in 1978 and has continued to grow as a leader over his more than 40 years with the company. Headquartered in France with more than 80,000 employees
> Would a good manager be a good entrepreneur? Discuss.
> Is it necessary for an entrepreneur to do a feasibility study? Explain.
> Describe the structural, cultural, and human resources variables that are necessary for innovation.
> Planned change is often thought to be the best approach to take in organizations. Can unplanned change ever be effective? Explain.
> How could the Internet be helpful to managers as they follow the steps in the strategic management process?
> Will planning become more or less important to managers in the future? Why?
> Discuss the pros and cons of managers using technology to help make decisions.
> Today’s world is chaotic and fast-paced. How does time pressure affect managerial decision making? What can managers do to still be good decision makers under such conditions?
> Is your course instructor a manager? Discuss in terms of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Also discuss using Mintzberg’s managerial roles approach.
> Using any of the popular business periodicals (such as Bloomberg Businessweek, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company), find examples of managers doing each of the four management functions. Write up a description and explain how these are examples o
> Would unlimited vacation time offered by an organization be important to you? Would it be an appealing enough benefit to attract you to an organization you might not have considered? Would it motivate you as an employee? Some businesses—Netflix, LinkedIn
> What similarities and differences do you see among the four management functions?
> In today’s environment, which is more important to organizations—efficiency or effectiveness? Explain your choice.
> How do managers differ from non managerial employees?
> Ineffective communication is the fault of the sender.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Discuss.
> Which do you think is more important for a manager: speaking accurately or listening actively? Why?
> Why isn’t effective communication synonymous with agreement?
> Which type of communication do you think is most effective in a work setting? Why?
> How can organizations develop effective leaders?
> Do followers make a difference in whether a leader is effective? Discuss.
> The Virgin Group Ltd. has succeeded with a simple plan—don’t put customers first! The British multinational holding company that has businesses ranging from an airline to a media company follows founder Sir Richard Branson’s strategy instead—put employee
> Do you think trust evolves out of an individual’s personal characteristics or out of specific situations? Explain.
> All managers should be leaders, but not all leaders should be managers.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Support your position.
> Do you think that most managers in real life use a contingency approach to increase their leadership effectiveness? Discuss.
> What would a manager need to know to use Fiedler’s contingency model? Be specific.
> What does each of the behavioral leadership theories say about leadership?
> Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the trait theory.
> When might leaders be irrelevant?
> Define leader and leadership, and discuss why managers should be leaders.
> Can an individual be too motivated? Discuss.
> As a manager, what will you need to know about goal-setting theory as a motivation tool?
> Controlling employee performance is a vitally important responsibility of managers. After all, it’s your employees who are working to accomplish established goals, and you want to see that those goals are being accomplished as planned. So wouldn’t it see
> Many job design experts who have studied the changing nature of work say that people do their best work when they’re motivated by a sense of purpose rather than by the pursuit of money. Do you agree? Explain your position. What are the implications for m
> What are some advantages of using pay-for-performance programs to motivate employee performance? Are there drawbacks? Explain.
> What are some of the possible consequences of employees perceiving an inequity between their inputs and outcomes and those of others?
> What role would money play in (a) the hierarchy of needs theory, (b) two-factor theory, (c) equity theory, (d) expectancy theory, and (e) motivating employees with a high nAch?
> Contrast lower-order and higher-order needs in Maslow’s needs hierarchy.
> What is motivation? Explain the three key elements of motivation.
> What challenges do managers face in motivating today’s workforce?
> Most of us have to work for a living, and a job is a central part of our lives. So why do managers have to worry so much about employee motivation issues?
> A Gallup Organization survey shows that most workers rate having a caring boss even higher than they value money or fringe benefits. How should managers interpret this information? What are the implications?
> Describe the implications of social learning theory for managing people at work.
> It’s estimated that the average corporate user sends and receives some 112 e-mails daily. That’s about 14 e-mails per hour, and even if half of those don’t require a lot of time and concentration, that level of e-mail volume can be stressful and lead to
> How might a manager use personality traits to improve employee selection in his or her department? Emotional intelligence? Discuss.
> Instead of worrying about job satisfaction, companies should be trying to create environments where performance is enabled.” What do you think this statement means? Explain. What’s your reaction to this statement? Do you agree? Disagree? Why?
> Describe what is meant by the term emotional intelligence. Provide an example of how it’s used in contemporary organizations.
> Clarify how individuals reconcile inconsistencies between attitudes and behaviors.
> Define the six important employee behaviors.
> Does the importance of knowledge of OB differ based on a manager’s level in the organization? If so, how? If not, why not? Be specific.
> Write down three attitudes you have. Identify the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of those attitudes.
> How is an organization like an iceberg? Use the iceberg metaphor to describe the field of organizational behavior.
> How do you think scientific management theorists would react to the increased use of teams in organizations? How would behavioral science theorists react?
> Contrast the pros and cons of diverse teams.
> How important are excellent leaders to organizations? Well, the answer, in theory of course, would be very important. However, the answer as practiced by countless organizations might indicate otherwise. Only 38 percent of organizations have a formal fro
> What traits do you think good team players have? Do some research to answer this question and write a short report detailing your findings using a bulleted list format.
> To have a successful team, first find a great leader.” What do you think of this statement? Do you agree? Why or why not?
> Would you prefer to work alone or as part of a team? Why?
> All work teams are work groups, but not all work groups are work teams.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Discuss.
> How do you explain the popularity of work teams in countries such as the United States and Canada, whose national cultures place a high value on individualism?
> Contrast (a) self-managed and cross-functional teams, and (b) virtual and face-to-face teams.
> What challenges do managers face in managing global teams? How should those challenges be handled?
> Think of a group to which you belong (or have belonged). Trace its development through the stages of group development as shown in Exhibit 10–2 . How closely did its development parallel the group development model? How might the group development model
> What, in your view, constitutes sexual harassment? Describe how companies can minimize sexual harassment in the workplace.
> List the factors that influence employee compensation and benefits.
> As the number-one company on Fortune’s Best Company to Work For list for six straight years, Google must be doing something right! Actually, it does many things right! One thing that you might be surprised at is a self improvement course (one of many) th
