WEEK 1: ENTERING OB

The value to OB of  Behaviour is generally predictable. The systematic study of behaviour is a

systematic study means to making reasonably accurate predictions.
 We can improve our predictive ability by supplementing intuition with a more
systematic approach.
 Systematic study allows us to look at relationships, attempting to attribute
causes and effects, and basing our conclusions on scientific evidence.

The major behavioral

science disciplines that
contribute to OB
Why there are few
absolutes in OB
The challenges &
opportunities
managers have in
applying OB concepts
The three levels of • Individual
analysis • Team
• Organisational
• OB is a specific discipline that is important for organisational outcomes.
• OB investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structure have on
 behaviour
within an organisation, and it applies that knowledge to make organisations work
more effectively.
• Globalisation, workforce diversity, emerging employment relations and
other critical
issues present organisational opportunities and challenges.
• OB knowledge is based on both multidisciplinary research and
contingency.
1. Individual
2. Team
3. Organisational

 OB is a specific discipline that is important for organisational outcomes.

 OB investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structure have on
behaviour within an organisation, and it applies that knowledge to make
organisations work
 more effectively.
 Globalisation, workforce diversity, emerging employment relations and other
critical issues present organisational opportunities and challenges.
 OB knowledge is based on both multidisciplinary research and contingency.

1. In the field of organisational behaviour, organisations are best described as:

Groups of people who work interdependently towards some purpose

2. Organisational behaviour knowledge:

Helps us to understand, predict and influence the behaviours of others in organisational settings

3. According to the authors of Organisational Behaviour, organisational behaviour knowledge:

Is relevant to everyone who works in organisations

4. Workforce diversity:
a) Includes the entry of younger people into the workforce
b) Can potentially improve decision making and team performance in organisations
c) Includes the increasing proportion of women in the workforce
d) All of the options listed here are correct

5. Which of the following is a surface-level category of diversity?

a) Physical qualities
b) Gender
c) Ethnicity
d) All of the options listed here are correct

6. Personalities, beliefs, values, and attitudes are:

Deep-level categories of workforce diversity

7. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

Deep-level diversity is evident in a person's decisions, statements, and actions
8. Which of the following statements about Australia's population and workforce is FALSE?
More than half of immigrants to Australia over the past decade were born in Europe

9. Which of the following statements is FALSE?

Employment relationships are shifting towards the idea that companies must provide employees with a high
degree of job security, possibly even a job for life

10. What effect can teleworking have in the workplace?

a) Teleworking can improve the teleworker's work-life balance
b) Teleworking forces corporate leaders to evaluate employees more for their work results rather than their
'face time'
c) Teleworking increases the risk that employees feel socially isolated from each other
d) All of the options listed here are correct

11. The triple bottom line philosophy says that:

Companies should try to support the economic, social, and environmental spheres of sustainability

12. Which of the following concepts are closely associated with corporate social responsibility?
Triple bottom line and stakeholders

13. Which of these statements about corporate social responsibility (CSR) is FALSE?
All Australian companies now publicly report on their CSR practices

14. Which of the following is NOT a conceptual anchor in organisational behaviour?

a) Contingency anchor
b) Systematic research anchor
c) Economic anchor
d) Multidisciplinary anchor

15. Which of the following statements about the field of organisational behaviour is FALSE?
a) OB is the study of what people think, feel and do in and around organisations
b) OB emerged as a distinct field of inquiry in the 1940s
c) OB is a self-contained discipline, independent of other disciplines
d) OB theories are usually tested using the scientific method
e) Many OB theories are contingency-oriented

16. Which discipline has provided organisational behaviour with much of its theoretical foundation for team
dynamics, organisational power, and organisational socialization?
Sociology

17. Which of the following is identified as an emerging field from which organisational behaviour is
acquiring new knowledge?
Information systems

18. Organisational behaviour scholars use which of the following to discover knowledge?
a) They use form research questions
b) They systematically collect data
c) They test hypotheses
d) All of the options listed here are correct

19. The contingency anchor of organisational behaviour states that:

A particular action may have different consequences in different situations

20. According to the multiple levels of analysis anchor:

Organisational behaviour topics typically relate to the individual, team and organisational levels of analysis

WEEK 2: PERSONALITY AND VALUES

The four factors that Motivation, Ability, Role perception, Situational Factor
directly influence
individual behaviour
& performance

The five types of

individual behaviour
in organisations

define personality and

discuss how the 'Big
Five' personality
dimensions and five
MBTI types predict
individual behaviour at
work
define values and • Personality matters to organisational behaviour. It doesn't explain all
demonstrate the behaviour, but it sets the stage.
importance of values • The Big Five has been a particularly important advancement, though
the Dark Triad and other traits matter as well. Moreover, every trait
has advantages and disadvantages for work behaviour.
 Personality can help you to understand why people (including
yourselfff) act, think and feel the way we do, and the astute manager
can put that understanding to use by taking care to place
employees in situations that best fit their personality.
• Values often underlie and explain attitudes, behaviours and
perceptions. Knowledge of an individual's value system can provide
insight into what makes the person 'tick'.
identify Hofstede's five
value dimensions of
national culture

1. Aptitudes and learned capabilities are closely related to: Competencies

2. Motivation represents the forces within a person that affects his or her direction intensity and
Persistence of voluntary behaviour.

3. Motivation and ability are important influences on individual behaviour and performance, but
employees also require accurate:
Role perceptions

4. Extroversion characterises people who are outgoing, talkative sociable and: Assertive
5. All of these factors directly influence an employee's voluntary behaviour and performance
EXCEPT:
a) Motivation
b) Role perceptions
c) Situational factors
d) Moral intensity

6. Motivation affects a person's Direction, intensity and persistence of voluntary behaviour.

7. Which of the following ensures that job incumbents have appropriate aptitudes to perform the job
when they start?
Hire applicants with appropriate aptitudes

8. The practice of giving simple accounts to newly hired employees, then adding more challenging
accounts as employees master the simple tasks is mainly to:
Improve role perceptions

9. Which of these refers to a person's beliefs about what behaviours are appropriate, necessary, and
preferred, in a particular situation?
Role perceptions

10. Companies can improve employee performance through situational factors by:
identifying problems employees experience with time and resources, and then removing those obstacles to
job performance

11. Which of the following would be considered a work-related behaviour?

a) Completing required job duties above the minimum performance standard or helping a coworker even
though it isn't part of your job
b) Showing up for work at scheduled times
c) Accepting the organisation's offer of employment
d) All of the options listed here are correct

12. Which of the following statements about values is FALSE?

A person's hierarchy of values typically changes a few times each year

13. Which of the following is LEAST connected to the topic of values?

Neuroticism

14. The main reason why a person's values do not influence his or her behaviour is that:
Values tend to be too abstract to see the connection to specific situations

15. Which of the following values represents people who value duty to groups to which they belong, and to
group harmony?
High collectivism

16. Employees from cultures with a high-power distance are more likely to:
Readily accept the high status of other people in the organization

17. Ethics is most closely related to: Values

18. People who have high ethical sensitivity: Tend to have higher empathy and tend to have more
information about the specific situation

19. An individual's personality:

Is less evident in situations where social norms, reward systems and other conditions constrain behaviour

20. Which 'Big Five' personality dimension is most valuable for predicting job performance?
Conscientiousness

WEEK 3:
1. Which of the following refers to the process of receiving information about and making sense of the
world around us? d) Perception
2. Generally, the brands placed on the upper shelves of supermarkets receive greater attention than those
on the lower shelves. This is an example of a) selective attention.
3. c) Categorical thinking is the unconscious process of organizing people and objects into preconceived
categories that are stored in our long-term memory.
4. Mental models cause us to: c) believe the behavior of others is caused more by their ability or
motivation than the situation.
5. George believes that women have difficulty coping with the stress of executive decisions. Sally is
promoted into a senior management position and George soon complains that Sally won't be able to cope
with this job. George is exhibiting which of the following perceptual errors? b) Stereotyping
6. The a) attribution process involves deciding whether an observed behavior or event is caused mainly by
the person or by the environment.
7. Consistency, consensus and distinctiveness are the:
c) three rules that determine whether to make an internal or external attribution.
8. If John takes credit for work done on time, but blames his co-workers for his delays, his attitude is
refiective of the: a) fundamental attribution error.
9. How can a self-serving bias be observed in a corporate annual report?
c) The report would exclude any bad news about the organization's performance.
10. Which of the following perceptual processes cause self-serving bias? a) Attribution
11. Which perceptual error occurs when a supervisor incorrectly rates an employee at a similar level
across all performance dimensions based on an overall impression of that employee? d) Halo effect
12. Which of the following is a perceptual error where we tend to believe that other people hold the
same beliefs and attitudes as we do? c) False-consensus effect
13. The statement "First impressions are lasting impressions" best represents the: a) primacy effect.
14. The recency effect is most common when: a) making an evaluation involving complex information.
15. The objective of the Johari Window is to: a) improve our perceptual process.
16. In the Johari Window, feedback from others helps us to: a) increase our open area by reducing our
blind area.
17. Which of the following is true about meaningful interaction? d) Meaningful interaction potentially
improves empathy toward others.
18. c) Empathy refers to understanding and being sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, and situations of
others.
19. Which of the following is true about a global mindset? e) A global mindset includes an awareness of,
openness to, and respect for other views and practices in the world.
20. Elaine got a job transfer from Italy to New York. Soon, she started to understand the mental models
held by colleagues from other cultures, as well as their emotional experiences in a given situation.
Further, she started to effectively use words and behaviors that were compatible with the local culture of
New York. Which of the following features of a global mindset occurred in Elaine's life?
b) The capacity to empathize and act effectively across cultures.

WEEK 4:

1. Emotions will have a greater influence on our perceptions, attitudes, decisions, and behavior than
cognition because:
a) emotional processes often occur before cognitive processes.
2. Which of the following differences is similar to the difference between emotions and attitudes?
b) experiencing something versus judging something
3. Beliefs, feelings, and behavioral intentions are components of:
a) attitudes.
4. As soon as we receive sensory information, we nonconsciously tag some of that information with
emotional markers. These markers are:
d) innate emotional responses to thin slices of sensory information.
5. After working weeks on a difficult proposal for a client, Jack learns that the client has accepted the
proposal and will award the contract to Jack's firm. When Jack hears this from his boss, he yelps
"Yahoo!' and automatically thrusts his fisted hand in the air. This action is an example of.
e) emotions directiy influencing behavior.
6. Many companies try to create positive experiences at work. Which of the following is the major reason
for this?
b) Work conditions can have an emotional influence on employee attitudes.
7. Which of the following statements is true of an individual's conscious logical evaluation of a
situation?
a) Emotional responses infiuence the conscious logical evaluation.
8. The uncomfortable tension felt when our behavior and attitudes are inconsistent with each other is
called:
d) cognitive dissonance.
9. Which of these statements about emotional labor is true?
c) Emotional labor increases with the extent to which employees must abide by emotional
display rules.
10. Emotional dissonance occurs when:
b) we experience conflict between the required emotions and our true emotions.
11. Social awareness, self-management, and relationship management are three elements of:
c) emotional intelligence.
12. Which of the following is a competency representing the highest level of emotional intelligence?
managing dysfunctional emotions among staff.
13. Which of the following questions does not correctly estimate the level of job satisfaction among
employees?
c) "How satisfied are you with your job?"
14. Shawna is dissatisfied with her boss for not supporting her work or recognizing her job
performance. In spite of these problems, Shawna does not complain and does not intend to move
elsewhere. Instead, she maintains her level of work effort and hopes the company will eventually
correct these problems. According to the EVLN model, Shawna's response is: d) loyalty.
15. Employees with an emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in a particular
organization are said to have:
a) a high level of work motivation.
16. Which of the following terms refers to the necessary stress that activates and motivates people to
achieve goals and change their environments? d) eustress
17. What effect does providing childcare support and offering employees flexible work hours have on
work-related stress? c) it removes stressors from the workplace.
18. Which of the following reduces stress by withdrawing from the stressor?b) sabbaticals (paid leave)
19. Which of these stress management activities helps employees improve their perceived ability to
cope with the stressor and possibly remove the
stressor? b) social support
20. To ward off stress, a film director likes to have a good laugh. When under pressure, the director
will crack jokes and ensure everyone has a good laugh during the hard work. These actions mainly
reduce stress: c) by changing stress perceptions.

WEEK 5:

1. Which of these theories states that we are motivated by several needs, but the strongest source
is the lowest unsatisfied need?
b) Needs hierarchy theory
2. Which of the following is a major criticism of Maslow's needs hierarchy theory?
d) People do not progress through the hierarchy as the theory predicts.
3. Which of the following statements was not considered by the needs hierarchy theory?
e) Needs are strongly influenced by each individual's self-concept.
4. Four-drive theory recommends that companies should:
b) provide sufficient rewards, learning opportunities, and social interaction at the same time.
5. Expectancy theory helps us to predict an individual's:
a) effort.
6. Which of the following does the expectancy theory explain about employees?
d) They base their work effort on the performance level they expect.
7. ABC Corp. brought in a performance-based reward system that accurately identified employees
who performed better than others. This practice improves employee motivation by:
d) improving P-to-O expectancies.
8. Goal setting influences employee behavior and performance mainly by improving:
c) motivation and role perceptions.
9. Goal setting is most effective when:
a) the supervisor sets the goals before discussing them with the employee.
10. Which of the following theories suggests that employee motivation is influenced by what other
people contribute to and receive from the organization? b) Equity theory
11. The distributive justice rule employs the concept of: c) equity.
12. When people experience procedural injustice, they tend to:
a) focus on organizational citizenship acts.
b) engage in counterproductive work behaviors.
13. Which of the following rewards represent the largest part of most paychecks?
a) Membership-based rewards
14. Which reward system tends to discourage poor performers from voluntarily leaving the
organization?
a) Performance-based pay
15. Steelweld, a car parts manufacturer, pays employees a higher hourly rate as they learn to master
more parts of the work process. Employees earn fl10 per hour when they are hired and they can
earn up to fi20 per hour if they master all 12 work units in the production process. Which of
these reward systems is being applied by Steelweld?
a) Skill-based pay
16. Which of the following is most consistent with employability-namely, that employees are
expected to continuously learn skills that will keep them employed?
c) Competency-based rewards
17. Which of the following refers to the result of the division of labor in which work is subdivided
into separate jobs assigned to different people? c) Job specialization
18. Employees at CyberTech perform repetitive jobs that have resulted in boredom as well as
repetitive strain injury. Technology makes it difficult to combine existing jobs, but the company
wants to make employees more multiskilled. Which of the following would best help CyberTech
to improve this situation? d) Introduce job rotation.
19. A video journalist's job consists of operating the camera, reporting the story, and often editing
the work, whereas these three tasks are traditionally performed by three people. Video
journalism is an example of: e) job enrichment and job enlargement.
20. A cable TV company redesigned jobs so that one employee interacts directly with customers,
connects and disconnects their cable service, installs their special services and collects overdue
accounts in an assigned area. Previously, each task was performed by a different person and the
customer interacted only with someone at the head office. This change is an example of:
a) increasing job enrichment by establishing client relationships.