LONG QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS (OB) 103 UNIT 1:

Q1. What do you understand by Organizational Behavior? Critically analyze the contribution of different disciplines to OB as a discipline. The history of Organizational Behavior (OB) can be traced back to the Scientific Management approaches from the Industrial Revolution as early as the late 1800s with the work of Frederic Taylor (1856-1915) It is in this case, behavioral disciplines that have shaped Organizational Behavior into a distinguishable discipline. Ofy, and anthropology. Within each major category there exist individual contribution dimensions Organizational behaviour is an applied behavioural science that is built upon contributions from a number of behavioural disciplines. The predominant areas are psychology, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, and political science.

Each of following dimensions has been assigned to an individual behavioral science as follows: 1. Psychology: As defined, psychology is the science that seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change the behavior of human and other animals (Robbins, Judge, 2007). Through Organizational Behaviors beginnings the science of psychology had with it particular imPsychology Psychology is the science that seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change the behaviour of humans and other animals. - To use psychological and organizational theory and research to improve organizational effectiveness and the work life of all individuals. - psychologists concern themselves with studying and attempting to understand individual behaviour - learning, perception, personality, emotions, training, leadership effectiveness, needs and motivational forces, job satisfaction, decision-making process, performance appraisals, attitude measurement, employee selection techniques, work design and job stress

Learning: This are of contribution became a significant element to Organizational Behavior studies when scientists attempted to identify how people would learn new skills within the workplace and how different learning styles would have to address for employees. Motivation: In order to optimize the performance of members within any organization it is necessary to understand the individual characteristics of such members and by attempting to fulfill their individuals needs creates a pattern in which to bring out the best in their efforts.

Personality: Psychologys research in personality contributes to OB ability to assess individual attitudes and tie them to an organization or workgroup. This can certainly be a key to identifying elements related to motivation and other interpersonal dynamics. Emotions: Certainly an interrelationship between a persons personality and motivation include ones emotions and the facets in which it is carried upon at work. Much discussion related to the concept of emotions and employee effectiveness in which members are aware of the tendencies and awareness of emotion has brought attention to this contribution to OBs ongoing development. Perception: As one learned to adapt and find a place within the organization their perception of what exists around them becomes clear. How a member responds to the organization and its members are key to determination their attitudes and tendencies. Training: Since most organizations are compromised of individuals with various background and perspectives, how an organization introduces the procedures, policies, and rule becomes a challenge. Psychologys contribution of training to the study of OB permits organizations see how individuals respond to training and how it can best serve the organization. Leadership effectiveness: It is a long held belief that the modern organization is more complex than ever before. The modern leader must take into account more attributes and motivational elements. Psychology has provided multiple means of measuring leadership and developing statistical models of attributes and behaviors that make up an effective leader. Job satisfaction: Certain key metrics relating to an organizations effectiveness include job satisfaction of its members. How an organization provides an environment and opportunity to bring out the best in its employees is certainly its ability to explore the psychology of this work force. Individual decision making: Decisions are made everyday by an organizations members. The tendencies to make the correct decision or the one that would be benefit the organization is certainly attributed to the individuals cognitive and psychological state. How one make such decisions and how it affects the rest of the organization will certainly be an ongoing topic of discussion as it relates to OB.

Performance appraisal: The systematic process of providing employees feedback as to their individual performance takes into account communication parameters and goal setting that benefits both the individual and organization. These cross roads of objectives and needs have within it a place in both Psychology and OB. Attitude measurement: Psychologys statistical work has provided much input related to OB as it relates to members attitudes. How an organization is to manage, reward, and create policy should include the mindsets of its members and align to organizational objectives. Employee selection: The traits and characteristics of successful employees has been long measured and analyzed. Psychologys impact in this area is great to include quantitative analysis of characteristics found to be successful based upon position requirements and organizational needs. Work design: The interconnection of worker and their environment to include machinery, climate, temperature, and associated stressors has a direct connection to that workers cognitive state and tendencies. Even the study of personality and work design has come to the forefront. Psychologys ability to contribute this element to the ongoing management of an organization will continue to become an issue as organizations seek optimal performance and efficiency. Work stress: How a person reacts to his/her environment and perception of that environment is deeply affected by the perspective they hold and how they think. Stress being a potential positive negative aspect of organizations certainly has a role in the study of OB.

or 3. 2. Sociology - Sociologists study the social system in which individuals fill their roles - Sociology studies people in relation to their fellow human beings to improve organizational performance. Study of group behaviour in organisations, group dynamics, design of work teams, organisational culture, formal organisational theory and structure, organisational technology, communications, power and conflict

The impact that sociology has on Organizational Behavior is significant as organizations at their nature are formations that hold both a social environment and culture. The elements of Sociologys contribution to Organizational Behavior include:

Communication: The means and manner in which an organizations members exchange information and the effectives of such exchange is highly necessary for the effective organization. Sociologys contribution towards this dynamic of organizations is valuable in order to optimize the process and improve its accuracy. Power: As shared with Anthropology, the study of power, its presence, and influence within the organization has within it a substantial role within the organization. In order to best analyze and assess an organization, the role of power and authority and its influences is necessary. Conflict: As a natural by-product of any organization, conflict and its study are necessary in order to identify and map the process of improvement within an organization as well as predict potential calamity. The study of conflict and its origins will be necessary to identify the sources and solutions within the organization. Intergroup behavior: With teaming being a critical next step for many organizations, the role of intergroup behavior will have increased necessity. The ability to study the dynamics of a group and their exchanges can better help the OB practitioner in facilitate the formation of groups within the organization for organization benefit. Organizational technology: As technologys presence becomes increasing present, the tools and means in which an organization links equipment and technology with human capital will become an important competitive element. The study of how these interplay contributes to how the organization may use such technology to its benefit. Organizational change: Change management has been at fore front of many organizations in order to compete in the global market. How an organization can adapt to environmental changes and needs will define its future success. Organizational culture: As shared with Anthropology, the core elements of any organization and how to interpret such elements will continue to be of significance to the organization. With employee engagement becoming more important to many organizations, the tangible and intangible attributes of the organization will either become a favorable aspect or challenge to the organization. 3. Social psychology - An area within psychology that blends concepts from psychology and sociology and that influence of people on one another. Major area: change how to implement it and how to reduce barriers to its acceptance focuses on the

Study areas: measuring, understanding and changing attitudes, communication patters, building trust, the ways in which group activities can satisfy individual needs, group decision-making processes. Behavioral change/Attitude change: Currently and ongoing debate continues concerning attitudinal versus

behavioral changes and the impact it has for an organization. Especially in the area of customer service do we see this discussion the often. As organizations evaluate the merits of modification of both issues, the study of this contributory element will an important to the ongoing development of OB. Group processes/Group decision making: As discussed above the study of group dynamics and its impact will affect both processes and decision making for the organization. As researchers and managers continue to explore this element of social psychology and organizational behavior the benefits will become revealed. 1. Anthropology: As defined, anthropology is the study of societies to learn about human beings and their activities (Robbins, Judge, 2007). Realizing that organizations are micro versions of societies and interdependent on society as a whole the relevance of its effect on OB becomes clear. The study of societies to learn about human beings and their activities. - Study on culture and environment has helped us understand differences in fundamental values, attitudes, and behaviour between people in different countries and within different organisations

Cross-cultural analysis: Certainly the acceleration of mergers and acquisitions will increase how an organization will blend different organizational cultures that would strength geographies and multiple diversity dimensions. It is the analysis of multiple cultures and their opportunities for cross pollination that will provide predictors of the future impact of such consolidation. Organizational environment: The environment in which an organization exists creates for it both opportunities and challenges. Anthropologys contribution of this dimension will certainly assist the study of Organizational Behavior in areas such as workspace studies and the various employment arrangements available to management.

5. Political science - The study of the behaviour of individuals and groups within a political environment - Study areas: structuring of conflicts, allocations of power, how people manipulate power for self-interest.

individual

UNIT 2:
Q2. Define Personality and Personality Traits. Explain Personality with the help of MyersBriggs Type Indicator? Personality is the particular combination of emotional, attitudinal, and behavioral response patterns of an individual. Different personality theorists present their own definitions of the word based on their theoretical positions Some people are quiet and passive; others are loud and aggressive. When we describe people using terms such as quiet, passive, loud, aggressive, ambitious, extroverted, loyal, tense, or sociable, we're categorizing them in terms of personality traits. An individual's personality is the unique combination of the psychological traits. A distinguishing feature, as of a person's character. Personality Traits How would you describe your personality? There are dozens of personality traits you could use; for instance, aggressive, shy, ambitious, loyal and lazy. Over the years, researchers have attempted to focus specifically on which traits would lead to identifying one's personality. Two of the most widely recognized efforts include the Myers-Briggs Type indicator and the five factor model of personality. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: Personality assessment tests are commonly used to reveal an individual's personality traits. One of the most popular personality tests is the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It consists of more than a hundred questions that ask people how they usually act or feel in different situations. There are mainly four dimensions: 1. Social interactions: Extrovert or Introvert (E or I). An extrovert is someone who is outgoing, dominant, and often aggressive and who wants to change the world. Extroverts need a work environment that is varied and action oriented, that lets them be with others, and that gives them a variety of experiences. An individual who's shy and withdrawn and focuses on understanding the world is described as an introvert. Introverts prefer a work environment that is quiet and Concentrated, that lets them be alone, and that gives them a chance to explore in depth a limited set of experiences. 2. Preference for gathering data: Sensing or Intuitive (S or N). Sensing types dislike new problems unless there are standard ways to solve them; they like an established routine, have a high need for

closure, show patience with routine details, and tend be good at precise work. On the other hand, intuitive types are individuals who like solving new problems, dislike doing the same thing over and over again, jump to conclusions, are impatient with routine details, and dislike taking time for precision. 3. Preference for decision making: Feeling or Thinking (F or T). Individuals who are feeling type are aware of other people and their feelings, like harmony, need occasional praise, dislike telling people unpleasant things, tend to be sympathetic, and relate well to most people. Thinking type are unemotional and uninterested in people's feelings, like analysis and putting things into logical order, are able to reprimand people and fire them when necessary, may seem hard-hearted, and tend to relate well only to other thinking types. 4. Style of making decision: Perceptive or Judgmental (P or J). Perceptive types are curious, spontaneous, flexible, adaptable, and tolerant. They focus on starting a task, postpone decisions, and want to find out all about the task before starting it. Judgmental types are decisive, good planners, purposeful, and exacting. They focus on completing a task, make decisions quickly, and want only theinformation necessary to get a task done. Combining these preferences provide descriptions of 16 personality types. It is said that these personality types influence the way people interact and solve problems. For instance, if your boss is an intuitive type and you're sensing type, you'll gather information in different ways. An intuitive type prefers gut reactions, whereas a sensor prefers facts. To work well with your boss, you would have to present more than just facts about a situation and bring out how you feel about it. The MBTI has been used to help managers select employees who are well matched to certain types of jobs. All in all, The MBTI can be a useful tool for understanding personality and predicting people's behavior. The Big-Five Model of Personality Although the MBTI is very popular, it suffers from one major criticism. It lacks evidence to support its validity. That same criticism cannot be applied to the five-factor model of personality, more often called the big-five model. The big-five personality traits are: 1. Extraversion: The degree to which one is sociable, talkative, and assertive. 2. Agreeableness: The degree to which someone is good natured, cooperative, and trusting. 3. Conscientiousness: The degree to which someone is responsible, dependable, persistent, and achievement oriented.

4. Emotional stability: The degree to which someone is calm, enthusiastic, and secure (positive) or tense, Nervous, depressed, and insecure (negative). 5. Openness to experience: The degree to which someone is imaginative, artistically sensitive, and Intellectual. UNIT 3: Q. Define Learning. Discuss the various theories of Learning with their applications in organizations. Learning is acquiring new, or modifying and reinforcing existing, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information. 1. Behavioral Learning Theory According to the behaviorists, learning can be defined as the relatively permanent change in behavior brought about as a result of experience or practice. Behaviorists recognize that learning is an internal event. However, it is not recognized as learning until it is displayed by overt behavior. The term "learning theory" is often associated with the behavioral view.

The focus of the behavioral approach is on how the environment impacts overt behavior. The behavioral learning theory is represented as an S-R paradigm. The organism is treated as a black box. We only know what is going on inside the box by the organisms overt behavior.

The feedback loop that connects overt behavior to stimuli that activate the senses has been studied extensively from this perspective. There are three types of behavioral learning theories:

Contiguity theory Classical or respondent conditioning theory Operant or instrumental conditioning theory

1. Contiguity theory is based on the work of E. R. Guthrie.

It proposes that any stimulus and response connected in time and/or space will tend to be associated. Examples:

A baseball player wearing a certain pair of socks on the day he hits three home runs associates wearing the socks and hitting home runs. A student making a good grade on a test after trying a new study technique makes an association between the stimulus of studying and the response of getting a good grade.

2. Classical Conditioning Theory Classical conditioning was the first type of learning to be discovered and studied within the behaviorist tradition (hence the name classical). The major theorist in the development of classical conditioning is Ivan Pavlov, a Russian scientist trained in biology and medicine. Skinner renamed this type of learning "respondent conditioning since in this type of learning, one is responding to an environmental antecedent. General model: Stimulus (S) elicits >Response (R) Classical conditioning starts with a reflex (R): an innate, involuntary behavior. This involuntary behavior is elicited or caused by an antecedent environmental event. For example, if air is blown into your eye, you blink. You have no voluntary or conscious control over whether the blink occurs or not. The specific model for classical conditioning is: A stimulus will naturally (without learning) elicit or bring about a reflexive response Unconditioned Stimulus (US) elicits > Unconditioned Response (UR)

The Neutral Stimulus (NS) is repeatedly paired with the Unconditioned/Natural Stimulus (US).

The Neutral Stimulus (NS) is transformed into a Conditioned Stimulus (CS). That is, when the CS is presented by itself, it elicits or causes the CR (which is the same involuntary response as the UR. The name changes because it is elicited by a different stimulus. This is written CS elicits > CR

In the area of classroom learning, classical conditioning is seen primarily in the conditioning of emotional behavior.

Things that make us happy, sad, angry, etc. become associated with neutral stimuli that gain our attention. For example, the school, classroom, teacher, or subject matter are initially neutral stimuli that gain attention. Activities at school or in the classroom automatically elicit emotional responses and these activities are associated with the neutral or orienting stimulus After repeated presentations, the previously neutral stimulus will elicit the emotional response Example: Child is harassed at school Child feels bad when harassed Child associates being harassed and school Child begins to feel bad when she thinks of school In order to extinguish the associated of feeling bad and thinking of school, the connection between school and being harassed must be broken.